Best Semi-Automatic and Manual Coffee Machines

We bought our second Barista Express after the first one stopped working - 10 years of faithful service! This is just as good. I think that choosing… Read more

beans is a really important part, though. If you have bad beans, you get bad coffee, the Barista Express can't fix that. I'd definitely recommend, great value at the price.

We have made over 6,000 coffees in 3.5 yrs at home with our Breville Oracle. That sounds a lot but two of us working from home is only 3-4 a day in… Read more

total. But the machine has been flawless, had it serviced (they told us the number of coffees). We are upgrading now to our next Breville machine. Cannot rate them highly enough.

I’ve used a lot of home coffee gear over the years, but the The Little Guy home barista kit genuinely felt different from the first brew. Instead of… Read more

behaving like a typical stovetop espresso maker, it feels closer to a compact manual espresso system built for people who enjoy the process as much as the coffee itself.

What impressed me most was the espresso quality. The shots came out rich, syrupy, and surprisingly balanced, with a thick crema that looked closer to what you would expect from a professional café machine than a stovetop brewer. It rewards careful grinding and tamping, so dialing in beans became part of the fun rather than a chore.

The build quality also stands out immediately. Everything feels heavy-duty and engineered with precision. The stainless steel construction gives it a premium feel, and the included accessories make the entire setup feel complete right out of the box. Once I got comfortable with the workflow, the ritual of preparing espresso became relaxing and satisfying.

Another thing I appreciated was how compact the system is. Unlike large espresso machines that dominate kitchen counters, this kit fits neatly into smaller spaces while still delivering a serious home-barista experience. It also heats relatively quickly, which made morning coffee routines much easier.

There is definitely a learning curve, though. This is not a push-button machine for convenience-focused users. Grind consistency, water temperature, tamp pressure, and timing all matter. During the first few attempts, I had shots that were either too bitter or too weak before I figured out the sweet spot. But once the technique clicked, the results became consistently excellent.

Compared with simpler starter kits like Home Barista Starter Set or more portable espresso systems like OutIn Nano Self Heating Portable Electric Espresso 20 Bar Co, The Little Guy feels designed for enthusiasts who want a more authentic espresso-making experience at home.

Overall, using The Little Guy Home Barista Kit made coffee feel less like a daily habit and more like a craft. It’s expensive and definitely aimed at passionate coffee lovers, but for someone who enjoys experimenting with espresso and values quality extraction, it delivers an experience that feels unique, rewarding, and surprisingly close to café-level brewing.

What a complete waste of good money for a useless machine that's not worth $50. It's too light and flimsy, coffee when extracted is watery and tastes… Read more

terrible, the milk just boils and does not froth at all. You may as well just make an instant coffee which would taste far better than what this useless machine can make. Couldn't be bothered taking a short video of what it can't do, just take my word for it. Don't purchase!!

Update: I don’t recommend getting one even if you win it in a raffle or given one in any other way. The movable rubber feet are so annoying that it… Read more

makes making coffee a frustrating event & I regret buying it. Original review. The thing that really annoys me are the rubber feet which have been glued on, not screwed in. The glue unsticks & the machine becomes a three legged wobbly machine, you are continually looking for that fourth leg to stick back onto the machine. Whereas the Gaggia, a similar product, screws the feet in. How much more time or expense would it have cost to screw the feet in? This may may sound petty but as it is not a cheap machine you expect the basics to be reliable. On this alone I cannot recommend buying it.

Ive had this machine for nearly 10 yrs its been dropped dented and still makes a great coffee honestly this machine is awesome I have upgraded now… Read more

tho to tbe barrista express pro and the duo tempo pro is in my linen cupboard I might bless someone with a free coffee machine its a little rippa thanks breville team I got 10 years and counting with this well made machine and the next person who gets it will most likely get 10 more if they maintain it like i did

Bought this machine in August. My 2nd one as the first the pump failed after 3 years. 2-3 coffees per morning, black. So steamer only used for hot… Read more

water, not steam. This new one, same issue happened, pump became too waek to push water through the basket. I contacted Sunbeam, customer service was good. Taking back under warranty but won't get another. Shame as it was great til it wasn't

Excellent - don't waste thousands on expensive machines you only use 1-2 times per day. This machine is now 6 years old, I've just replaced the… Read more

group head seal for $25 and it works flawlessly every single day for the last 6 years, and before that our last one lasted 7 years. I've saved tens of thousands over the past 13 years on these two machines. If my wife and I each bought one a coffee a day from a Starbucks etc say average cost over past 13 years is $4 for a flat white, that would equate to $37,960 (yep thirty seven THOUSAND dollars over 13 years) or I could buy a $700 Breville and fresh beans every week - and woohoo savings all the way down....

This Machine has been going strong for over 5 years now with no issues. Doing the usual maintenance and cleaning and its still working like its brand… Read more

new.

It has decent enough features and it's always nice being able to instantly steam the milk during or right after pulling a shot. If you're a DIYer you can also implement quite a few mods to give it even more features and functions. For the price this is an excellent machine. Whether this is the best option now in 2025 - probably not but if you do get it know that this coffee machine can pull excellent shots when paired with a more capable grinder and will last quite a while.

The grinder is great for its price and features, but once you delve deeper into the coffee world you will quickly realise its limitations and will eventually be looking for something better.

The machine has experienced the same serious electrical failure twice — overheating and tripping the safety switch each time it is turned on. Its a… Read more

hazardous fault that compromises household safety and renders the machine unusable. Breville authorised repairers have fixed it once only for the issue to occur again, Breville authorised repairers have now quoted another $1,229 to repair it again with no guarantee that it won’t overheat and trip the safety switch. This is not a general maintenance issue it’s an electrical fault. It’s reasonable to believe that if your going to pay so much for a high cost coffee machine for it to last for a reasonable time and not have such major issues.

After using the Breville The Barista Express Impress BES876 for several months, I can confidently say it has transformed my morning coffee routine.… Read more

As someone who enjoys espresso-based drinks but doesn't have professional barista experience, I found this machine to be an excellent balance between automation and hands-on coffee making.

One of the standout features is the Impress Puck System. It takes much of the guesswork out of dosing and tamping, helping create a consistent coffee puck every time. Before using this machine, I often struggled with uneven tamping and messy preparation, but the BES876 makes the process cleaner and far more reliable.

The built-in grinder is another highlight. Freshly grinding beans directly into the portafilter noticeably improves flavor and aroma compared to pre-ground coffee. The grind adjustment settings allow for fine-tuning, making it easy to experiment with different beans and achieve the desired extraction.

Espresso quality has been impressive. The machine produces rich, flavorful shots with a thick crema when paired with quality coffee beans. Temperature stability has been excellent, and once I learned the basics of dialing in my grind settings, I was able to consistently make café-quality drinks at home.

The steam wand performs very well for milk-based beverages. It creates smooth microfoam suitable for cappuccinos and lattes, and while it requires some practice, the results are rewarding. Making latte art became much easier as my technique improved.

Build quality feels premium throughout. The stainless-steel construction gives the machine a solid and durable feel, and the controls are intuitive enough that new users can become comfortable with them fairly quickly. Maintenance is straightforward, with clear reminders for cleaning cycles and descaling.

While the machine occupies a fair amount of counter space and carries a higher upfront cost than basic coffee makers, it easily justifies the investment for anyone who regularly buys espresso drinks from coffee shops. Over time, the savings and convenience add up significantly.

Overall, my experience with the Breville The Barista Express Impress BES876 has been outstanding. It delivers excellent espresso, simplifies the preparation process, and provides an enjoyable coffee-making experience that bridges the gap between beginner-friendly convenience and genuine barista-style control.

Highly recommend. The quality of your cup is dependent on many things - the beans, the milk, technique, grind etc. Know your beans, every cup is… Read more

different. Powerful steamer. Easy to use and clean.

I bought mine in 2021 and it's still going strong in 2026. Very powerful in comparison to my friends bigger, more expensive, more featured breville. He's actually a little jealous of mine, additionally, his broke beyond repair that was worthy $ wise. So I have used both machines many times and can make a reasonable comparison.

Compact size, doesnt take up too much space. All the features needed - i didnt want the extras of pressure guage etc.

Downsides are: - only comes with one jug size. - noise when steaming milk. It's very loud and it is a big negative. - making a 2 cup has for 5 years been an inconsistent drip so I make all individually. - didn't come with a knock box, that's unfortunately normal - aesthetics starting to wear away from wiping.

Keep up the maintenance, it's definitely paid for itself and I'd buy another one.

The coffee this machine yields is bad. Inbuilt grinder is subpar Expensive for a single boiler Milk frothing is okay… Configuration is sufficient… Read more

but not enough ability to change pressure and try to mediate the bad coffee output.

Then a part needed replacing after 2 and a half years… standard low quality construction.

$250 to fix it. Allegedly. Found a repair video online that delivered the part in one day for $45 and provided a step-by-step video.

Unfortunately that tutorial didn‘t cover how to buy a machine. Would never have bought this thing in the first place

We went in to buy an electric kettle and came out with a coffee machine.. it's still technically a kettle!! Easy to use and works well. We've paired… Read more

it with the Aldi Lazzio Coffee Medium Beans which makes a great cuppa. We're on tank water so we should not have any issues with scaling.

Only worked well for a few weeks. Then started leaking through the milk frother, pump low pressure so no crema on coffee and no froth in milk. Have… Read more

contacted Delonghi who gave details of what to do for the wrong machine. Then requested another photo of model number etc after supplied this then asked for a video. So much for customer support. Will not buy this brand again

I've owned 4 em6910 cafe m/c's that were all damaged by lightning strike. Just a problem where I live. They were all excellent. I tried to buy… Read more

another one and ended up with an origins dual espresso machine. Out of the box, it appears nowhere near as heavy a build as the 6910, plastic parts against brass. Very simple instructions, for the most part, correct. Two things missing are a pressure gauge(helpful)and a milk temperature gauge (essential), obviously left off to reduce cost. Instructions state grind size dictates shot time, I set the grind at #21 and the shot time was 17 seconds. Trying to gauge milk temperature by hand is rubbish. Buy a milk thermometer, no guesswork needed. Beans were Aldi Luxe blend, at $30kg, excellent value and quality. From the first cup, really good crema, sweet coffee, velvet milk, at the right temperature. Very satisfying. M/C longevity? One of the reasons I didn't buy Breville, I'd love to give an update down the track that is as positive as now.

I first purchased a Barista Pro in 2024. Within 12 months it was exploding in front of me by blowing the potafiller off and destroying my cups as… Read more

well as making a horrific mess. I returned the product to Amazon and they replaced it.

Within only 12 months of use by me (the coffee machine was in storage for 3 months of this while I was overseas), again I lost 3 cups - one was a cup I had used for 20 years (previously my daughter's first cup which was the ideal espresso cup) and the other 2 double walled espresso cups because the potafiller was blowing off. I have now returned it and gone to extra expense and purchased a Bambino Pro, a grinder and scales.

I did attempt to access the Breville site and advise them of the issue but if you don't have access to all the answers to the questions, one cannot proceed.

I DO NOT recommend the Barista Pro to anyone and do hope that the Bambino behaves a little better.

A Postsript:

Breville or Amazon allowed me to return my Breville Barista Pro and I have instead purchased a Breville Bambino plus a grinder and a set of coffee scales. My coffees are so much better than they used to be and I would recommend perhaps people moving away from the semi-automation of the Barista Pro and enjoy the process of actually making a coffee from go to woe!

Never worked properly. Cleaning cycle come on all the time, always after a shot and prior to preparing milk, machine will not do anything until… Read more

cleaning cycle finishes. Automatic milk never came in at under 80 degrees on any setting. Coffee shots ranged from 18 to 35 mls on any setting. Customer service appalling. At less than 2 months old it took 3 weeks to get in to the repair agent, was there for 4 weeks and came back worse than it went in. Breville just kept offering me free coffee. Finally got a refund through Amazon

Doubts over how long it will last – Purchased from Harvey Norman 18 months ago. Used to make 2 cups a day and was fine until alarming mechanical noises when pour should have commenced… Read more

followed by lack of pressure and ‘pulsing’ noises. Originally this was a ’special price offer by HN ($445) and we took out ‘Product Care’ for an extra $80 – not worth it, but more about that elsewhere. This model is discontinued but the same HN still had 2 in stock, at $749. Now here’s the rub. If you accept a refund, you only get $445 – the’ good deal’ only applies to the initial purchase, the terms don’t carry over and apply to any future problem resolution. BUT Australian consumer protection law makes it plain that the the purchaser is entitled to a replacement if the identical model is available (which it was) if it is a major, as opposed to a minor fault. A major fault is something that cannot be fixed in a reasonable time, something that, had you known about it, you wouldn’t have purchased the item in the first place. It took 70 minutes of escalating argument with HN before I left, with a new machine, at no cost. Short of the thing exploding into flames, I cannot imagine what could be more major than a sudden loud rattling noise followed by a failure to produce pressure to make coffee. There’s a heater in there, and a pressure pump, controlled by chips on a motherboard. How long – and at what cost -would that take to investigate and repair? I now have a replacement. I’ve read that others have had a similar fail after just 18 months (coffee makers have an average life of around 10 years. I’m not particularly happy – I personally would have elected to choose another brand. I’m livid with the time spent arguing for my legal rights with Harvey Norman at Garden City. How many people accept a store’s incorrect, and illegal, interpretation of what protection is guaranteed by national consumer legislation? It will be interesting to see what the response will be from ACCC.

Wonderful small, elegant and well.made machine – Title says it all. No issue combining grinder and espresso machine. High quality steam and water pressure for espresso. Great looking too. Has one boiler so occasionally takes a bit longer. All up a perfect combination. Show details

Best purchase we have made in years. We absolutely love this coffee machine. Makes fabulous coffees, easy to use and clean. Can do coffee art. Perfect for the caravan too. Highly recommend!! Show details

got one month with this machine what a waste of money constantly needing cleaning of group head tried to descale it and it blew the thermosensor next morning. Never again will i get another one Show details

I bought this machine 20 years ago and it has lasted this time, making amazing coffee. I thought I would update to this newest machine, and it has… Read more

failed within the first 2 years. I sent it to the repairer and they quoted more to repair it than the machine is worth. If this is progress Sunbeam, you are moving in the wrong direction

For me this compact coffee machine has done almost everything I've asked from it. It consistently makes good espresso and it's lasting well at nearly… Read more

3 years old. It's not perfect (and it's still true that you get what you pay for). -The steam wand is junk, there's just not enough pressure to steam milk satisfactorily and the switch over from pour coffee to steam milk is a pain in the arse but I don't use it so it doesn't bother me; - It's irritating that the coffee basket size is non-standard and Sunbeam don't make a single wall basket as an option so I'm stuck with the double wall item - bit of a 1st world problem, that; - it's noisy compared to many domestic coffee machines and the water capacity is quite small - and you can't fill it right up or it will leak.

But it works well, it's small, it's inexpensive and tbh if it broke down tomorrow I'd probably buy another one.

Serious machine – Had this for almost a year and loving it. Serious machine that brews serious shots. Only just found out you can easily adjust the brew pressure (9… Read more

bar) without having to open up the machine. That along with temp control & the manual lever brewing makes it perfect for the espresso hobbyist that likes to tinker, adjust & experiment. The milk steaming is also powerful and fast. Saves so much time being able to pull a shot and steam milk at the same time with a dual boiler like this

Excellent machine. I've had my De'Longhi La Specialista for over 7 years and used it 3-4 times a day, every day. It's so easy to use and makes great… Read more

coffee every single time. It finally broke down after 7 years of continuous use, which is incredible value for how much work it's done. Highly recommended.

If you're serious about your coffee, this is heaven – This machine is the Mercedes Benz of espresso makers. It's hand-made in Heidelberg, Germany using only the best parts. It's made like a tank. It's… Read more

everything a coffee aficionado would love. First: It looks impressive on your kitchen bench. It's a piece of art, and it's easy to keep it that way. Second: Dual boilers mean you can just heat up the extraction boiler and make a short black or double shot. If you want to froth milk, you can turn on the second steam boiler separately. Third: The temperature of each boiler is controllable. (Some coffee tastes better when extracted at a lower temperature.) Fourth: Maintenance is simple. Fifth: It's quiet as a mouse - because of good insulation and a rotary pump.

Others have said that this isn't for beginners. Look, if you want a machine you'll have for a very long time, don't waste your money on lesser espresso makers. Yes, it's a bit complicated at first, but most places that sell these types of machines offer barista courses. Do one of those - you won't regret it.

Most important question of all: Does it make good coffee. YES!!! Probably as good as, or better than, what you get at your favourite coffee shop. Just takes a little practice. Don't forget - get yourself a good grinder, and use the freshest roasted beans you can find. (Not from the supermarket.)

amazing machine 4 years nothing gores wrong perfect coffee and foam – This machine just keeps on giving. Mine sits on the sink so not plumbed but huge tank. Never had any faults- serviced once only in 4 years plus. Easy… Read more

to use and superb steam pressure. Cant understand people who have had faults- maybe different machine?

I’m blown away by how great this machine is. How simple it is to set up and operate. I’m in my 70’s and the hardest part for me was pulling it out… Read more

of the box. Setting it up and using it was a breeze. It has a number of drink options including tea. I was very surprised the water was actually hot enough to make tea. But it does make a nice hot cuppa. Coffee, latte, flat white. Cappuccino, and more are all at the push of a button. I love it. Best of all. As I said, it all happens at the push of a button. It’s so easy to use and is mess free. Absolutely love this machine.

I purchased a Gaggia New Classic in August 2023 for about $710. For a premium home espresso machine at this price point, I expected a product that… Read more

would be durable and free from premature corrosion, consistent with Australian Consumer Law expectations of acceptable quality.

In 2025, I noticed rust forming above and around the water tank area. Over time, the rust worsened instead of remaining cosmetic or superficial. Eventually, I decided to have the outer shell professionally powder coated to protect the machine and extend its life.

During that process, it became clear that corrosion was not limited to the external surface. There was also rust inside the casing, in areas that are not normally visible to a user. In my view, this raises concerns about the design and materials used in parts of the machine that are exposed to moisture during normal use, such as around the water tank and nearby internal surfaces.

From a usability point of view, the Gaggia New Classic can make good coffee and has a strong following, but my personal experience with premature rust and internal corrosion means I am not confident about its long‑term durability. Based on my experience, I would encourage potential buyers to carefully consider whether the build and finish meet their expectations for a machine at this price and to check how well the product’s durability is supported under consumer guarantees in practice.

This review is based on my personal experience and honest opinion of the product over time.