There are two kinds of people in this world: those who believe coffee is a functional necessity and those who see it as an art form.
If you belong to the latter camp, chances are you’ve contemplated bringing the café experience into your own kitchen. But before you go investing in a gleaming, steam-spewing beast of a machine, let’s talk about the different types of coffee makers and which ones will actually help you craft the perfect latte.
Decoding the jargon
Buying a coffee machine can feel a little like choosing a life partner - there are many options, all promising great things, but compatibility is key. The market offers a dazzling array of devices, from fully automated one-button wonders to old-school, hands-on espresso rigs.
- Super-Automatic Machines: Ideal for those who want their caffeine with minimal effort. These machines grind, tamp, brew, and froth milk at the touch of a button. Perfect if you prefer consistency over the thrill of handcrafting.
- Semi-Automatic Machines: The happy middle ground. These give you control over extraction (how long your espresso brews) while automating some processes, like water pressure. A great pick for budding baristas who enjoy a little finesse.
- Manual Machines: The purist’s choice. If you enjoy the satisfaction of pulling a perfect shot yourself and steaming your milk like a true professional, this is for you. Warning: steep learning curve, but the rewards are high.
Which one is best for lattes?
If your coffee dreams revolve around silky microfoam and rich, espresso-based drinks, consider the following:
- Beginners: A super-automatic machine will do the heavy lifting, making it impossible to mess up your morning latte.
- Intermediate home baristas: A semi-automatic gives you room to play—practice your tamping, tweak your milk texture, and start experimenting.
- The devoted artisan: A manual machine will deliver the ultimate satisfaction (and the occasional existential crisis when you can’t get the pressure right).
Whatever your skill level, investing in a quality latte machine will save you money in the long run (no more spending £4.50 oat flat whites). Read on for the best-rated options, rigorously tested so you don’t have to suffer through another subpar homebrew.
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De’Longhi Rivelia Automatic Bean to Cup Machine
From the moment you switch on the Rivelia, you’re guided through an incredibly simple set-up process, which is pleasantly surprising for such a hi-tech machine. With the help of the fantastically responsive touch-screen interface, the product will help you run a first test of the system to make sure everything is running smoothly – a process which includes testing your water hardness with the included test strip to ensure the perfect extraction – before helping you to set-up personal profiles for all the machine’s users.
Though it may seem frivolous to some, the colour-coded and wonderfully customisable profiles help to bring this state-of-the-art machine back down to earth. While many coffee lovers who invest in high-end machines often become scared of using their wonderful devices for fear of breaking or damaging them, the Rivelia has been designed to form an immediate personal bond with its users – it will greet you in the morning, afternoon or evening depending on which profile you’re using and when. Once it’s made your coffee, it’ll deliver a cheery message with your brew.
With all smooth, curved surfaces and polished finishes, the Rivelia has so clearly been designed with everyday use in mind. Unlike most automatic bean-to-cup machines, it’s also available in four different colourways: white, black, pebble grey and even beige (which so happens to be my personal favourite).
While you may not get a choice when it comes to extraction pressure, as this is all figured out by the brilliant computer hidden within the compact frame of the Rivelia, I’m yet to have a coffee that doesn’t taste as good – if not better – than shop-bought brews.
The first affordable, compact and beautifully crafted fully automatic bean-to-cup machine of its kind, the Rivelia has been designed with coffee lovers looking to take the next step when it comes to their morning brew in mind. This next step is not an overcomplicated one, but rather one that allows users to explore a variety of beans and coffee types at the tap of a button. The Rivelia is a revelation.
Buy now £749.00, Amazon
KitchenAid 5KES8556BSX Auto Espresso Coffee Machine
With its solid stainless steel build and sleek, industrial aesthetic, this machine by KitchenAid is as much a design statement as it is a serious espresso maker. But beauty isn’t its only strength.
Built for those who appreciate precision, the coffee machine is equipped with temperature control to ensure consistently even extraction, bringing out the full depth of flavour in every shot. Its automatic milk frothing system delivers rich, creamy microfoam at just the right temperature, making lattes and cappuccinos effortlessly smooth.
The user-friendly interface also keeps things simple, allowing you to select your perfect espresso at the touch of a button. For those who want a premium, fuss-free coffee experience without sacrificing quality, this machine delivers with both style and substance.
Buy now £1299.00, John Lewis
Philips Series 5500 LatteGo EP5546/70 Bean to Cup Coffee Machine
For those who believe great coffee should be as effortless as it is delicious, the Philips Series 5500 LatteGo is a quiet overachiever in the world of home espresso machines.
Its minimalist silver and black exterior conceals a powerful bean-to-cup system that transforms fresh coffee beans into café-quality drinks with minimal effort. The standout feature is its LatteGo milk system - free from fiddly tubes or extra parts, it froths milk to silky perfection with no mess and barely any cleanup.
The intuitive touchscreen allows you to explore twelve different coffee varieties, from a strong espresso to a velvety latte, all with customisable strength and temperature. Thanks to Philips’ Aroma Extract technology, every cup strikes the perfect balance between heat and aroma, preserving the rich notes of your coffee without bitterness. Whether you’re a latte lover or an espresso purist, this machine does the work for you.
Buy now £649.99, Currys
Nespresso by De'Longhi Lattissima One EN510.W Coffee Machine - White
De’Longhi has made a name for itself designing sleek coffee-makers for the globally-recognised coffee-pod brand and George Clooney-fronted vehicle Nespresso. The Lattissima One EN510.W is a pod-coffee-upgrading machine as well as a pod coffee machine, giving you the option to turn your cup of Nespresso into a cup of ‘Ncappuccino’, or even ‘Nlatte macchiato’.
The Lattissima One is a Nespresso machine with an added milk system, which automatically froths and delivers milk in accordance with the preset recipes built into the unit. The machine is single-serve by design, but still delivers that familiar Nespresso quality with a milky twist. It’s easy to use, easy to clean and exceedingly easy to look at as well; if you’re a Nespresso adherent, this is undoubtedly for you.
Was: £219.99
Buy now £179.99, Currys
De’Longhi Eletta Explore Bean to Cup coffee machine with Cold Brew Technology
Sleek, sophisticated and semi-automatic, De’Longhi’s cult-favourite Eletta Explore is capable of crafting over 50 hot, cold and cold-brew drinks for you to discover (hence the name). Equipped with LatteCrema Hot technology for perfect foam every time, and LatteCrema Cool for perfect cold extraction, there’s no coffee order that this wondrous machine can’t fulfil.
It’s also powered by proven Bean Adapt Technology which adapts to the bean you pour into the machine’s hopper and automatically adjusts its settings to ensure the ideal coffee extraction and preserve those wonderful aromas. One of our favourite features, however, is the To-Go function – which learns how to fill your favourite flask with ease.
Buy now £969.99, Amazon
Sage Oracle Touch Fully Automatic Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machine
Sage does a fantastic job at making fully automatic coffee machines look exactly like premium-level manual ones. The Oracle Touch is a next-gen espresso machine which utilises an interactive touchscreen menu to create classic caffeinated beverages such as lattes, espressos, americanos, flat whites, cappuccinos and more.
When Sage declares a machine to be fully automated, they really mean it. The machine automatically grinds, doses and tamps coffee for a true at-home, third-wave experience. Meanwhile, the automatic steam wand is capable of producing silky smooth, barista-level micro foam for a perfect brew every time. Should you wish to experiment with latte art, it’s never been easier.
Plus, Sage’s expert porta-filter ensures that a perfect 19-22g brew is produced each and every time. Coffee addicts can also create, save and name up to eight customisable coffee settings.
Buy now £1940.32, Amazon
Breville One-Touch CoffeeHouse Coffee Machine
With its automatic milk frother and 19 settings for coffee, this Breville One-Touch CoffeeHouse Coffee Machine delivers the perfect pressure to extract robust coffee flavours no matter how many people you’re making it for. Its adjustable milk frother is ideal for a variety of different café style drinks and with a 600ml capacity, it’s large enough for big groups.
Its one-button control allows for an easy selection of your favourite bews, while its easy cleaning elevates the whole process even more.
Buy now £220.00, Argos
Miele CM 6160 MilkPerfection
The Miele CM 6160 makes two cups of coffee at once, making it a great option for busy offices. It comes with 11 pre-set automatic programmes for classic coffee recipes and a height-adjustable spout for those workers who come in with their very own favourite mugs from home.
Perhaps the most office-suitable feature of the Miele MilkPerfection is the Auto Clean, which prevents users from having to take the machine apart in order to ensure that it’s running smoothly and hygienically.
Buy now £987.00, AO
Nespresso Creatista Plus Coffee Machine by Sage
The Nespresso Creatista Plus by Sage combines the convenience of a capsule machine with the ability to produce barista-style milk-based beverages, making it ideal for latte and cappuccino fans. Equipped with an adjustable steam wand, this machine allows you to customise milk texture and temperature, creating silky microfoam suitable for latte art.
The Creatista Plus offers a range of eight pre-set coffee options, allowing you to make everything from a quick espresso to a luxurious flat white at the touch of a button. The machine’s 3-second heat-up time means you won’t have to wait long for your first cup, and its durable stainless steel design brings a sleek, professional look to your kitchen counter.
For fans of both Nespresso convenience and milk-based creativity, the Nespresso Creatista Plus by Sage is the perfect addition to a modern kitchen.
Buy now £479.00, Amazon
