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Like many people, my daily routine begins with coffee. The best coffee machines are going to make the best coffee, so I have a personal interest in this guide.
Given the increasing cost of living, challenges on the global supply of coffee beans and the ongoing impact of a global pandemic, owning your own coffee machine has never made more sense financially.
While there is both an art and a science to brewing the perfect espresso at home, today’s coffee machines take care of a lot of the hard work.
You can opt for the absolute simplicity of a pod-based system like Nespresso. Or you can go for a completely automated implementation with a machine that will grind the beans, froth the milk and mix it all for you.
Or you can spend some time learning the manual method of brewing the perfect cup of coffee.
Whichever you choose, you will love making it a part of your morning routine.
The end result of brewing your own is that you will likely end up saving money over time, especially as the price of a café latte surpasses $6 at some stores.
But how do you choose the right model?
Just like coffee itself, there are hundreds of different types of coffee machines to choose from.
To help you buy the best coffee machine for your needs, we’ve done the research for you. We analysed the top ranking sites in Google to determine this list of the best coffee machines in Australia.
We have broken down our approach in more detail below.
Additionally, we’ve spent some time breaking down the important things to look for when choosing a new coffee machine. Take a look at the bottom of the page.
These are the best coffee machines in Australia right now:
Gaggia Classic Pro
Recommended by 40% of review sites
Forget touchscreens and digital interfaces, the Gaggia Classic Pro is an analog semi-automated coffee machine known for pulling the perfect shot every time.
Because it only has a single boiler, you can’t froth milk and extract coffee at the same time. But the compact design and robust build make up for that minor inconvenience.
Plus, Gaggia’s brand is intricately paired with the history of espresso, so you know you are going to get a good cup of coffee here.
Breville The Barista Express
Recommended by 40% of review sites
The Breville Barista Express offers fantastic value for money. Not only does it include a integrated burr grinder and magnetic tamper, but it has a stylish stainless steel design that will help you look the part of a home barista.
The Barista Express does semi-automate a lot of the functions of the espresso making process. This makes it an ideal partner for beginners, just starting their homemade caffeine journey.
While it takes a lot of the hard work out, it also teaches you how to make the perfect espresso.
Breville The Barista Pro
Recommended by 40% of review sites
If you need to get your coffee going in a hurry in the morning, the Breville Barista Pro’s 3-second heat up is definitely worth looking at.
You don’t get a pressure gauge, with Breville instead including an easy-to-read LCD screen. But you do get a lot of pressure and the frothing arm can create high-quality micro-foam for your milky coffees.
The integrated grinder and easy settings make this another great option for anyone new to brewing coffee at home.
Smeg 50s style espresso machine
Recommended by 40% of review sites
If you like your decor like a scene from Back to the Future, then Smeg is going to be your kitchen brand of choice.
Its ECF01 espresso machine comes in a variety of colours, all with the large silver logo and curved design that was common back in the 1950s.
Fortunately, the technology inside to pull the perfect shot of espresso is a little more recent, with a 15 bar pump and easy 3 button operation.
Sunbeam Mini Barista espresso machine
Recommended by 30% of review sites
Simple and compact, the Sunbeam Mini Barista is a great espresso machine for smaller kitchens.
It allows for precise single and double shots of coffee with programmable measures.
The integrates steam wand will froth your milk effortlessly, giving you everything you need to make delicious cappuccinos or flat whites at home.
Sunbeam EM5300 Barista Max
Recommended by 30% of review sites
Designed to simplify the coffee making experience, the Sunbeam Café Barista is a great option for those looking to make their own espresso coffee at home.
With its simple control system, the Barista Max uses a built-in conical burr grinder to keep your coffee grinds fresh.
The 58mm commercial-sized group head work together to give you the level of performance you might expect from your local cafe, without the effort.
And the steam wand is easy to use to froth your milk perfectly for your own milky coffees.
Morning The Morning Machine
Recommended by 30% of review sites
A smarter take on the pod-based coffee machine, The Morning Machine from Morning connects to your smartphone to give you deeper control over your cup of coffee.
With 10 ready to brew recipes just a touch away, making your favourite cup of coffee has never been easier.
It also boasts an interactive OLED interface, a TDS monitor to ensure your water quality and an integrated scale for weight-based brewing, this is a high-tech gadget for coffee lovers.
De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul
Recommended by 30% of review sites
This full automatic espresso machine takes all the hard work out of making a perfect coffee.
On board technology personalises the machine settings to the beans you use, so you can get the perfect pull from your coffee every time.
The 4.3-inch TFT colour touch screen lets you create up to 21 different coffees at the touch of a button.
The automatic LatteCrema System holds up to 500ml capacity and a self-cleaning function, so your milky coffees are not only delicious but easy to clean up.
Breville Barista Touch Impress
Recommended by 30% of review sites
Touchscreens made phones better, and computers, so why not coffee machines?
The Barista Touch Impress from Breville uses a simple touchscreen interface to help you create the perfect coffee.
The machine will grind your beans and tamp them perfectly, finishing with a 7-degree barista twist to help get the perfect shot.
You can set the steam arm to froth three different alternative milk settings, so your microfoam is perfect no matter what milk you choose.
And with presets for up to 6 drinks, this is an excellent machine for coffee lovers.
Breville The Bambino Plus
Recommended by 30% of review sites
The Breville Bambino Plus is a compact espresso machine that is designed to pull fast, high quality espresso at the touch of a button.
By not including an integrated grinder and having a smaller water tank, the Bambino Plus takes up a minimal amount of space on your shelf.
It still has the steam arm for frothing milk. But the process is mostly automated, making it ideal for beginners.
How we chose the best coffee machines in Australia
Review sites – including this one – are subjective by nature. Everybody has a different opinion of what is best.
So to try and counter the fact that every best guide on the internet has a different opinion of what is best, we approached our list by combining the results of some of the top sites recommending coffee machines on the market today.
To determine this list, we followed the same journey most consumers would follow: we went to Google.
We searched for “Best coffee machines” and identified the top 10 results. It’s important to note that Google results can change often. The full list of sites we referenced is outlined below:
Top ranking sites
- Arielle Executive
- TechRadar
- Expert Easy
- Coffee Affection
- Boss Hunting
- Harper’s Bazaar
- Expert Reviews
- New Idea
- Homes to Love
- Serious Eats
We listed out all of the coffee machines listed on each site, tidying up any slight differences in spelling for consistency.
For coffee machines, we consolidated the Breville and Sage products. Breville is known as Sage in the UK, and some guides referenced Sage products. Rather than exclude them entirely, we opted to consolidate them.
We then calculated the frequency in which each product was mentioned across those 10 guides. The more frequently a product is mentioned, the more agreement there is between experts reviewing these products that it is, indeed one of the best products available.
We set a minimum of three mentions across all 10 guides to be eligible for inclusion here.
Before we created this page we took some time to remove products that are either unavailable, or difficult to find in Australia.
We also leveraged our own experience with products to ensure that we wouldn’t be recommending any product that doesn’t deliver.
Full list of products considered for this guide
| Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine |
| Gaggia Classic Pro |
| Breville Barista Pro |
| Breville Barista Express |
| Sunbeam Mini Barista Espresso Machine |
| Sunbeam Barista Max |
| Morning The Morning Machine |
| De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul |
| Breville Barista Touch Impress |
| Breville Bambino Plus |
| Sunbeam EM5000 Café Barista coffee machine |
| Rancilio Silvia V6 Coffee Machine |
| Nespresso Vertuo Pop |
| Nespresso by Breville Essenza Mini Solo capsule machine |
| Nespresso By Breville Creatista Plus Capsule Coffee Machine |
| Lelit Bianca V3 |
| Lavazza A Modo Mio Deséa |
| La Marzocco GS3 Manual Paddle |
| Gaggia Classic |
| Breville Oracle Touch |
| Breville Dual Boiler |
| Breville Barista Touch |
| Breville Bambino |
| Wacaco Nanopresso |
| The Compact Café |
| SUNBEAM Cafe Series Duo Espresso Machine |
| Spector espresso coffee machine |
| Smeg Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machine |
| Rocket Porta Vita |
| Pronti automatic coffee espresso machine |
| PHILIPS 2200 LatteGo |
| Nespresso Vertuo Pop Solo |
| Nespresso Vertuo Next White & Aeroccino3 |
| Nespresso Vertuo Creatista |
| NESPRESSO DeLonghi Citiz & Milk Capsule Machine |
| Nespresso Creatista Uno by Breville |
| Moccamaster KBG Select |
| Moccamaster Classic |
| Miele CVA 7440 VitroLine Obsidian built-in coffee machine |
| Melitta Aroma Elegance Therm Deluxe |
| Mcilpoog WS-203 Coffee Machine |
| Lelit Mara X |
| Lavazza Jolie |
| Lavazza A Modo Mio Voicy |
| Lavazza A Modo Mio Tiny |
| Lattissima One Nespresso capsule coffee machine in black |
| La Pavoni Europiccola EL |
| L’or Barista Sublime |
| Jura Giga 6 Automatic Coffee Machine |
| Jura E8 automatic coffee machine in piano black |
| Hamilton Beach Espresso Maker |
| Gaggia Naviglio |
| Gaggia Magenta Plus Coffee Machine |
| Gaggia Anima |
| Gaggenau 200 Series fully automatic built-in coffee machine |
| Fisher & Paykel built-in coffee maker |
| Fellow Prismo Pressure-Actuated Attachment for AeroPress Coffee Maker |
| De’Longhi Stilosa Espresso Machine |
| De’Longhi Magnifica Start |
| De’Longhi Magnifica S |
| De’Longhi Magnifica Evo One Touch |
| De’Longhi La Specialista Prestigio |
| De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro |
| De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo |
| De’Longhi La Specialista Arte |
| De’Longhi La Specialista |
| De’Longhi Dinamica |
| De’Longhi Dedica Style |
| Clever Dripper |
| Calphalon Espresso Machine with Coffee Grinder |
| Cafflano Kompresso |
| Breville Oracle |
| Breville Nespresso Citiz and Milk Espresso Machine |
| Breville Dynamic Duo |
| Breville Barista Express Impress |
| Breville Bambino Plus Art Series coffee machine |
| Breville ‘Nespresso Creatista Pro’ espresso maker |
| Bosch ‘Series 8’ fully automatic built-in coffee machine |
Best coffee machines buying guide
A good cup of coffee can be art. If you’ve never used an espresso machine before or are not too fussy about the quality of your morning coffee, then there are lots of factors to consider before buying a new coffee machine.
Manual, automatic or pod?
The first question you need to ask is what type of machine you are looking for? Machines can largely be broken down into manual, automatic, semi-automatic or pod.
Each has its advantages and disadvantages. It really depends on how much control and versatility you need from your coffee machine.
Automatic coffee machines
A fully-automatic coffee machine will do everything for you, from grinding the beans to frothing the milk.
These are typically the types of machines you’ll see in airport lounges, where you select the type of coffee you want and it does the rest.
The catch is that they don’t really clean themselves, so you’ll need to take on that job. Also there generally isn’t too much control over the appearance or flavour of the coffee.
Manual coffee machines
As you can guess, manual coffee machines give you complete control over every element of the brewing process.
You need to supply the ground coffee, but you measure the amount required, ensure the water temperature is correct and the pressure is sufficient before beginning – and ending – the coffee extraction.
If you want frothed milk, you will need to do that yourself too. Then you need to put it all together on your own and clean up.
Semi-automated coffee machines
Many of the best coffee machines in the list above fall into this category. Some elements give you control, like the frothing of milk or grinding of the beans.
But the machine itself will regulate the temperature and the pressure of the water. This ensures that most of the conditions for a perfect extraction are met without you needing to work for them.
If you aren’t an experienced barista, this style is almost always going to be better than a fully manual machine.
Pod coffee machines
Simplicity personified, pod machines use pre-prepared coffee pods to ensure a consistent, effortless cup of coffee every time.
While you can get a variety of flavours from a pod system, the end result never quite reaches the same level of quality as you’ll get from your local café.
There is also the question of the environmental impact of having so many aluminium pods used to hold tiny amounts of coffee then heading to landfill. There are recycling options these days, but it still has more of an impact than a more traditional machine.
Machine size
Whether you live in a tiny studio apartment or a large mansion, there is always a limit to how much space you have in your kitchen.
Ensure you coffee machine of choice has somewhere to live in your kitchen. If it is out on the bench, make sure it doesn’t take up too much space.
If you’re opting for an extremely high-end model, you also may need to consider plumbing options.
Single or dual boiler
There’s nothing wrong with a single boiler system, but it means that you cannot froth milk while extracting coffee.
If you do want the flexibility to do both at the same time, understand that dual boilers typically take up more space and are more expensive, for obvious reasons.
Integrated grinder
The best cup of coffee is going to come from freshly ground beans. Having an integrated grinder means those grounds will be as fresh as can be.
Of course, it also adds an extra step you need to take before brewing, not to mention the cleaning.
If you do want an integrated grinder, ensure it is adjustable. This is so you can select just how coarse or fine the grounds are for extraction.
Milk frother
If you prefer drinking milky coffees like cappuccinos or café lattes, then you will need a steam wand or milk frother.
Steam arms give you some level of control over the frothing process. However you should know that you need to be quite diligent with cleaning steam arms, lest you end up with smelly old milk stuck in the machine.
Time to warm up
The time it takes to warm up the machine can vary greatly between models. This waiting time can act as a major barrier between you and your precious morning caffeine.
Price
You can get cheap coffee machines for around $50, though a high-end premium machine will set you back thousands.
Typically, most semi-automatic machines designed for home use sit somewhere between $300 and $1,000.
It could be useful to work out the cost of the machine and the amount you expect to use it. Then compare that against what you already spend on takeaway coffee.
That way you could justify the cost by potential savings over time. A $500 machine is the same as 100 $5 cappuccinos from your local cafe, for example.
Update history
- 16 February 2023 – First Published
- 15 May 2023 – Updated number of recommendations for products. Removed the Nespresso Vertuo Next. Added Sunbeam Mini Barista espresso machine, Smeg Manual Coffee Machine, MORNING The Morning Machine and Lavazza A Modo Mio Deséa.
- 16 August 2023 – Updated number of recommendations for products. Removed Smeg Manual Coffee Machine. Added De’Longhi PrimaDonna So.ul and Sunbeam EM5000 Café Barista.
- 4 December 2023 – Updated number of recommendations for products. Added Smeg espresso machine, Sunbeam Barista Max and Breville Barista Touch Impress. Removed Sunbeam EM5000 Café Barista, Lavazza A Modo Mio Deséa and Breville Oracle Touch
