Making café-quality espresso drinks at home is easier than ever, no professional barista experience required. Modern espresso machines are more intuitive, more powerful, and more beginner-friendly than they’ve ever been. With a little practice, you can pull rich, balanced shots and craft velvety lattes or cortados, all without leaving your kitchen.
After researching dozens of machines, we found the Breville Barista Touch to be the best overall pick for most home users. It combines ease of use with smart automation and hands-on control, delivering consistently excellent espresso and silky steamed milk with minimal effort.
Breville Barista Touch
Best Overall Option
This sleek all-in-one espresso machine features a built-in grinder, touchscreen controls, and automatic milk frothing for effortless, barista-quality drinks at home.
Buy on AmazonThe Breville Barista Touch is our top pick for anyone who wants a versatile, easy-to-use espresso machine that can grow with their skill level. With a sleek touchscreen interface and built-in tutorials, it’s an especially good choice for beginners looking to make café-style drinks at home. At the same time, it offers the flexibility of manual operation for those who want to fine-tune their technique. Whether you’re new to espresso or interested in refining your craft, the Barista Touch strikes a smart balance between automation and hands-on control.
One of the standout features of the Barista Touch is its intuitive digital menu. The touchscreen guides you through the entire drink-making process, from grind size to milk frothing, and offers factory presets for espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, and more. You can also save custom drink settings or take full manual control of each step. The machine includes a built-in grinder, dual and single-wall filter baskets, and an auto-frothing wand that lets you adjust foam levels based on your preferences.
In terms of espresso quality, the Barista Touch performs well. Shots are consistently balanced, with a smooth mid-tone flavor that leans toward cocoa, occasionally revealing brighter notes depending on the blend. While it doesn’t extract quite as much complexity as more advanced machines, it still delivers rich, drinkable espresso that satisfies most home users. The inclusion of a pressurized basket helps beginners achieve solid results, even if their grind or tamp isn’t perfect, while the traditional basket allows for more nuanced shots with the right technique.
Milk frothing is another area where the Barista Touch excels. The steam wand is powerful and supports both automatic and manual frothing. For auto mode, the milk pitcher sits on a built-in temperature sensor, which makes it easy to hit the ideal texture and temperature for everything from cappuccinos to hot chocolates. The steam wand also self-purges after use, helping maintain cleanliness and reducing upkeep.
There are a few trade-offs to consider. The Barista Touch uses a non-standard portafilter that is narrower and deeper than typical models, which can make it slightly harder to dial in your shots. The double basket also has limited capacity, fitting just around 15 grams. Despite these limitations, the Breville Barista Touch remains one of the most approachable and feature-rich machines available, offering a streamlined path to high-quality espresso at home.
Gaggia Classic Pro
Best Budget Option
A no-frills, semi-automatic espresso machine with commercial-grade components, fast heat-up time, and reliable performance, ideal for espresso beginners on a budget.
Buy on AmazonThe Gaggia Classic Pro is the best budget espresso machine for those who want high-quality shots without spending a fortune. It’s a stripped-down, semi-automatic model that focuses on what matters most: making excellent espresso. With the right technique and a bit of practice, this machine can pull rich, complex shots that rival those from far more expensive options. Its commercial-style portafilter and powerful brew group offer a solid foundation for home baristas looking to improve their skills.
In its price range, the Gaggia Classic Pro stands out for the quality of espresso it produces. It consistently delivers balanced shots with depth and clarity, highlighting flavors like dark chocolate and citrus, depending on the beans used. While it lacks a PID controller, which means temperature stability may vary slightly during back-to-back shots, the overall extraction quality remains impressive for the cost. This machine proves you don’t need to pay top dollar to enjoy nuanced espresso.
The machine’s controls are refreshingly simple. With dedicated buttons for power, brewing, and steaming, and indicator lights to show when each function is ready, the Gaggia is easy to learn and operate. It heats up quickly too, ready to brew in about a minute, and the transition to steam takes only about 30 seconds. The water tank is accessible from the top and sits below the boiler, which makes it easier to refill without having to move the machine.
There are a few small limitations. The included plastic tamper is undersized and not ideal for proper extraction, so a quality metal tamper is a worthwhile upgrade. The steam wand, while capable of producing microfoam, is less powerful than others and fixed in place, which makes positioning a bit awkward. A separate steam pitcher is also required, as one is not included. Still, once you get used to its quirks, the Gaggia can create milk texture good enough for lattes and cappuccinos.
For espresso-focused users who care more about shot quality than extra features, the Gaggia Classic Pro is an excellent starting point. Its combination of durability, simplicity, and potential for great results makes it a standout option for budget-conscious coffee lovers.
Breville Oracle Jet
Best High-End Option
A premium, fully automatic espresso machine with a dual boiler system, built-in grinder, and hands-free milk frothing, designed for those who want top-tier café performance with minimal effort.
Buy on AmazonThe Breville Oracle Jet is a premium espresso machine that delivers professional-level results with remarkable ease. Designed for both beginners and advanced users, it combines the automation of a super-automatic with the flexibility of a semi-automatic. From grinding to tamping to steaming, the Oracle Jet walks you through every step, making it an ideal option for those who want a simplified espresso-making experience without compromising on quality.
At the heart of the Oracle Jet is a guided interface that teaches users how to operate the machine and dial in a shot. Interactive diagrams and video clips appear on the large display, showing you how to set grind size, tamp pressure, and extraction time. The machine provides real-time feedback on your shot, letting you know if it was over- or under-extracted and recommending grind adjustments to improve the next one. While experienced users can disable these guides and use manual settings, the built-in assistance makes it easy to produce great espresso from the start.
One standout feature is the automatic tamper, which ensures consistent, level pressure every time without mess or effort. After locking the portafilter into place, the machine doses and tamps the grounds automatically. This eliminates one of the more error-prone steps in espresso prep and lets users focus on other aspects of extraction. The included 58mm portafilter is wider and shallower than Breville’s entry-level models, allowing for more even water distribution and better-tasting shots.
The built-in grinder, made with burrs by Baratza, offers 45 grind-size settings for fine-tuning your brew. It produces uniform, consistent grounds comparable to those from high-end standalone grinders. Additional usability features, like a lever to roll the 27-pound machine and a front-access water fill port, make the Oracle Jet practical for everyday use. It also comes with helpful accessories, including a knock box and a stainless steel milk pitcher.
With excellent milk frothing capabilities, the Oracle Jet can automatically steam dairy and non-dairy milk to your preferred texture and temperature. The integrated temperature sensor at the wand’s tip allows for more precise heating without awkward pitcher placement. While it includes a cold espresso mode that delivers a drinkably cool shot, its cold-brew setting is less impressive. Still, for anyone looking for a near-effortless espresso routine paired with café-quality results, the Oracle Jet justifies its high price with a powerful, polished experience from start to finish.
If you’re ready to start making café-style drinks at home, there’s never been a better time to invest in a great espresso machine. Whether you’re just starting out or want to level up your morning routine, there’s a machine that fits your budget, skill level, and goals. From fully guided interfaces to simple manual setups, today’s machines are designed to help you get the most out of your beans.
The Breville Barista Touch, Gaggia Classic Pro, and Breville Oracle Jet represent the best options across three price points. Each one offers a unique mix of features, performance, and usability that makes it stand out in its class. Whether you prioritize simplicity, control, or all-out convenience, these machines will help you craft consistently satisfying espresso drinks at home.