Need to know
- We've tested more than 80 popular models of pod, manual, semi-automatic and automatic coffee machines
- Our experts give each machine a score based on factors such as the taste of the coffee they produce, how easy they are to use and how well they froth milk
- Consider joining CHOICE to see our full coffee machine reviews. Plus, access detailed reviews for over 200 product and service categories
Whether cafe coffee is off the menu due to the current high cost of living, or you're working from home more and want an easy way to caffeinate, a coffee machine can be a very smart buy.
Investing in a coffee machine for your home can be cheaper than buying takeaway coffees in the long run – but buying a bad machine that you don't use because it makes dishwater coffee, means you probably won't end up saving any money after all.
Buying a bad coffee machine can leave a hole in your pocket and a bad taste in your mouth
Given that some coffee machines cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, it's a mistake that can leave a hole in your pocket and a bad taste in your mouth.
Our expert taste testers: Brothers Matthew and David Gee of training academy Barista Basics, and Denis Simione of Samson Coffee House.
CHOICE's appliance experts have reviewed more than 80 pod, manual, semi-automatic and automatic coffee machines to help save you from bad brews.
They assess each model's ease of use, milk frothing and temperature consistency in our in-house labs, as well as enlisting an expert panel of veteran baristas who also blind taste espresso from each machine and rate them based on crema, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and aftertaste.
We don't want you to end up with a dud buy, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests. Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.
On this page:
- Lowest rated pod machines
- Lowest rated manual and semi-automatic machines
- Lowest rated automatic machines
Lowest rated pod machines
Breville Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Coffee Machine Starter Kit.
1. Breville Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Coffee Machine Starter Kit
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 56%
- Taste test score: 45%
- Price: $379
It's cute, it's compact, it has fancy features – but it can't make a decent coffee.
Our experts rated it 45% for taste, which is the lowest score of all the pod machines in our test. Capsule machines don't usually make amazing espressos, but this one is poor even for a pod coffee.
Plus, you'll be locked into buying Nespresso Vertuo capsules which cost more than the original version, and you can't use capsules from other brands to bring down the price.
A high-end price for a low-end coffee? No thanks.
Read the full Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Coffee Machine Starter Kit review.
Breville Nespresso Vertuo Creatista BVE850.
2. Breville Nespresso Vertuo Creatista BVE850
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 60%
- Taste test score: 50%
- Price: $1099
It might look like a serious coffee machine but underneath its shiny exterior, this Breville Nespresso isn't much different to the Nespresso Virtuo machine above – except it costs $720 more.
It does make marginally better coffee, but with a taste test score of 50% it's barely better than its cheaper cousin.
For far less money you could buy a better pod machine that's recommended by our experts, or even upgrade to a fancy semi-automatic machine that'll give you a much better brew for your buck.
Read the full Breville Nespresso Vertuo Creatista BVE850 review.
Breville Nespresso Essenza Mini Capsule Machine.
3. Breville Nespresso Essenza Mini Capsule Machine
- Expert Rating: 60%
- Taste test score: 50%
- Price: $219
Another Breville Nespresso capsule machine; another disappointing coffee.
You can buy this underwhelming model as a bundle with a milk frother for $309, but we'd suggest you don't bother – even a milk frother can't save this machine from making bad coffee.
Almost all of the capsule machines in our review are Nespresso models (but made by Breville and DeLonghi). And while these bottom dwellers are all Breville models, you shouldn't write off the entire Breville brand.
The company makes plenty of great machines (especially semi-automatic and manual types), but these certainly aren't in that league.
Read the full Breville Nespresso Essenza Mini Capsule Machine BEC220 review.
Breville Nespresso Vertuo Pop + Aeroccino 3 Bundle.
4. Breville Nespresso Vertuo Pop + Aeroccino 3 Bundle
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 61%
- Taste test score: 50%
- Price: $319
Another capsule machine plus milk frother bundle, this Breville Nespresso offering isn't exactly value for money.
Yes, it's easy to use – the machine scans a barcode on the capsule and makes the coffee accordingly – but the coffee it makes isn't easy to drink. It also scored just 50% on our taste test, and our experts didn't think much of its milk frothing abilities.
There are a number of better options for around the same money, including several that are recommended by CHOICE experts.
Read the full Breville Nespresso Vertuo Pop + Aeroccino 3 Bundle review to see why our experts don't think it's a good buy, then pop over to our coffee machine reviews to find a better deal.
Lowest rated manual and semi-automatic machines
Sunbeam Café Barista EM5000.
1. Sunbeam Café Barista EM5000
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 47%
- Taste test score: 30%
- Price: $299
When you spend hundreds of dollars on an espresso machine, you'd expect to get great coffee in return. Sunbeam makes some impressive machines – but this isn't one of them.
Sunbeam makes some impressive machines – but this isn't one of them
This semi-automatic model is great at serving up espresso at very consistent temperatures. But it scored a deal-breaking 30% in our blind taste test and rated only OK for milk frothing.
That's a big cost for bad coffee.
Read the full Sunbeam Café Barista EM5000 review.
Anko Compact Espresso.
2. Anko Compact Espresso
(Sold at Kmart and Target)
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 57%
- Taste score: 55%
- Price: $79
The Anko brand has delivered some reasonable coffee machines in its time – including a $120 machine that scored as highly on the taste of the coffee it produced as machines worth over $1000. (It's since been discontinued, sadly.)
Unfortunately this isn't one of the budget brand's best efforts.
It's the cheapest machine in our review, but while it's wallet-friendly, it's less kind to your palate: our coffee experts weren't impressed with the espresso it produced, and the steam wand creates milk with large bubbles.
It's the cheapest machine in our review but, while it's wallet-friendly, it's less kind to your palate
To price a coffee machine so cheaply, the manufacturer seems to have skimped on the build quality. The supplied tamper is plastic and the machine is quite light, so you'll probably need to hold onto it when locking/unlocking the group handle to keep it from sliding all over the bench.
If you're considering this machine, you might be dreaming of all the dollars you'll save on buying cafe coffees – but before you hit 'add to cart', wake up and smell the coffee: an average espresso topped with overly-bubbly milk does not a good coffee make.
Read the full Anko Compact Espresso review.
Breville Duo-Temp Pro BES810BSS.
3. Breville Duo-Temp Pro BES810BSS
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 59%
- Taste test score: 45%
- Price: $419
This model rates better than than some, but still lags well behind the top scorers in our tests.
It does score very well for milk frothing and consistent coffee temperature, and also packs handy features such as a drip tray with full indicator, cup-warming plate and onboard tamper.
Unfortunately, it earned a woeful taste score – our barista experts awarded it just 45%
Unfortunately, it earned a woeful taste score – our barista experts awarded it just 45%. No amount of well-frothed milk can make up for that.
See the full Breville Duo-Temp Pro review.
Lowest rated automatic machines
Gaggia Anima Prestige.
1. Gaggia Anima Prestige
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 51%
- Taste test score: 40%
- Price: $1599
For $1599, it's reasonable to expect that this machine can produce a delicious coffee at the right temperature. Sadly, the Gaggia doesn't deliver on either front.
It scored a poor 40% on the taste test, and when we made four coffees in a row, it couldn't maintain a consistent temperature.
It scored a poor 40% on the taste test and couldn't maintain a consistent temperature
So despite the price, you'll never quite know what you're going to get: a hot coffee that doesn't taste great, or a lukewarm coffee that doesn't taste great. Neither option is particularly appealing!
Read the full Gaggia Anima Prestige review.
Saeco Royal OTC SUP060.
2. Saeco Royal OTC SUP060
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 55%
- Taste test score: 40%
- Price: $2369
This machine delivered far more consistent temperatures than the Gaggia, but still produced poor tasting coffee.
It's somewhat redeemed by its froth-making abilities, which our experts rated as 'Good', and it's easy to use, offering an extensive range of settings (though its digital display menus do take a bit of getting used to).
If you've got $2000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can do better than this Saeco machine
But if you've got $2000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can do better than this Saeco machine – a number of automatic machines recommended by our experts cost around the same or even less.
Read the full Saeco Royal OTC SUP060 review.
Gaggia Cadorna Prestige.
3. Gaggia Cadorna Prestige
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 55%
- Taste test score: 45%
- Price: $1899
Normally we'd say that you shouldn't write off an entire brand just because of one or two below-par products, but in the case of Gaggia's automatic espresso machines, you might want to cross them off your wishlist.
The best automatic Gaggia in our review only managed to hit a ho-hum 64% CHOICE Expert Rating and a disappointing taste test score of 60%. (For context, the top machines in our test score 75% and higher for the taste test, with half scoring 80% and higher.)
As for the Cadorna Prestige, well, it's not exactly prestigious. It's the most expensive Gaggia we tested but has the second-lowest taste test score. It's not intuitive to use and it couldn't turn out multiple coffees at consistent temperatures.
If you're looking for a prestige machine, this isn't it. There are plenty of other machines costing about the same or less that'll deliver better coffee.
Read the full Gaggia Cadorna Prestige review.
Top tips for buying a coffee machine
If you're tossing up between a pod/capsule coffee machine and a manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic espresso machine, there are a few factors to consider.
- Pod or capsule machines are generally cheaper, easy to use and require very little cleaning. You should factor in the high cost per pod (as compared to ground coffee or beans) and the environmental impact of coffee pods before you buy.
- Manual espresso machines take more work in terms of learning how to use them, but they generally deliver coffee with better depth of flavour and allow for more customisation, meaning you have more freedom to make coffee the way you like it.
- Automatic machines require the least amount of effort: you simply press a button and they'll deliver a coffee based on preferences you select. But keep in mind they don't always let you change things like grind, tamp and dose. Plus, they can be extremely expensive and very difficult to clean.
- Semi-automatic machines sit in between manual and automatic machines: some functions are automated, but you'll still need to do some things manually, which means that you can still control some aspects of the coffee making.
Remember, a poor-quality espresso machine can deliver mediocre flavour, and a badly designed pod or capsule machine can still be tricky to use. So always make sure you do your research before committing.
Still undecided about which type to buy? Here's how to find which coffee machine is right for you.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
