Our picks
1Best Overall
8.4 out of 10 — Strong buyPiccolo E1
Temperature stability that belongs on a machine at twice the price, a standard 58 mm group that takes any accessory, and a full parts diagram.
Check price at Brioso Direct for the Piccolo E1 (opens in a new tab)
2Best Value
7.9 out of 10 — Good, with caveatsGrind X
The best burr set under $300 by a clear margin, and the single component that will improve your coffee most.
Check price at Brioso Direct for the Grind X (opens in a new tab)
3Also Great
Vane Kettle
The best-balanced gooseneck we have poured with, holding a set temperature within 1 C for an hour.
Buy the grinder first
This is the recommendation almost everybody ignores, so it goes at the top.
A $300 grinder feeding a $400 machine makes better espresso than a $150 grinder feeding a $1,000 machine. Every time, without exception, in nine weeks of paired testing. The machine controls temperature and pressure, both of which matter; the grinder controls particle distribution, which matters more, because uneven particles mean water finds a path through the puck and the extraction is over before it has started.
If your budget is $600 total, spend $300 on the Grind X and $300 on the cheapest machine with a PID. If your budget is $1,100, buy both of our picks.
The single-boiler question
The Piccolo E1 has one boiler, which means it brews at 93 C and steams at 130 C and cannot do both at once. Going between them takes 55 seconds.
For one person drinking espresso, this is a non-issue. For a household making two milk drinks each morning it is the thing you will complain about, and no amount of temperature stability makes up for standing at a counter waiting for a light to change. Dual-boiler machines start at around $1,600, and if you know you want milk drinks for two, that is the number to plan around rather than a compromise at $749.
What to ignore when you shop
Bar pressure. Every pump is 15 bar. What matters is the pressure at the puck, which should be around 9, and whether the machine has an over-pressure valve set correctly. Fifteen bar on a box is a marketing number.
Pressurised baskets. Most machines ship with one fitted. They flatter bad grinding by creating artificial resistance, and they cap how good your coffee can get. Replace it on day one.
Boiler size, on its own. A well-insulated 300 ml boiler with good PID control outperforms a poorly managed 1.5 litre one for espresso. Size matters for steaming, not for brewing.
Built-in grinders. A machine with a grinder attached is two products sharing one chassis, and when either fails you lose both. Every combination we tested with a separate grinder beat every all-in-one at a comparable price.
