MachineBreville
Breville
Bambino Plus
Best for hands-off milk drinks under $500You want microfoam without learning to steam.
ThermoJet$420–$500
Machine + grinder + the bits that matter
Find your
espresso setup.
One budget, split across the whole setup. See the machine, grinder and essentials together — then understand exactly why they fit.
Independent · specs from manufacturers · we don't test — how we work
One budget · three decisions$750–$1,000 example
01 · MachineBambino Plus$420–$500
02 · GrinderSmart Grinder Pro$200–$250
03 · EssentialsScale, tamper, basket~$80
Complete setupNothing important left out$700–$830
Start where you are
Three routes into the same catalogue, depending on what you already know.
My first espresso machine
You want genuinely good coffee at home and a short list to choose from.
Start here →Mostly milk drinks
Cappuccinos, flat whites and lattes — and you want the milk to be right.
Start here →Upgrading what I have
Entry-level kit that has stopped improving, and you know why.
Start here →Machines
Sixteen of them, from a $100 starter to a dual boiler.
MachineGaggia
Gaggia
Classic Pro E24
Best for a setup you keep improving under $500You expect to still be refining this in three years.
Single boiler$400–$500
MachineBreville
Breville
Barista Pro
Best for fast mornings under $1,000You want espresso on a weekday, not a ritual.
ThermoJet$800–$900
Grinders
The part most buyers under-fund, and the one that most often limits the cup.
GrinderBaratza
Baratza
Encore ESP
Best for a first espresso grinder under $500You want something forgiving to learn on.
Stepped$180–$230
GrinderDF64 Coffee
DF64 Coffee
DF54
Best for a grinder you keep under $500This outlives the machine you buy it for.
Stepless$230–$300
GrinderNiche
Niche
Zero
Best for espresso resolution under $1,000You want to land on the shot, not beside it.
Stepless$750–$850
Complete setups
Machine, grinder and the accessories that actually matter — with the budget split shown.
Under $500
The best espresso setup under $500
MachineDe'Longhi Dedica DeLuxe
$200–$280GrinderBaratza Encore ESP
$180–$230All in$425–$555
See the setup →
$500–$750
The best espresso setup under $750
MachineBreville Bambino Plus
$420–$500GrinderBreville Smart Grinder Pro
$200–$250All in$680–$810
See the setup →
$750–$1,000
The best espresso setup under $1,000
MachineBreville Bambino Plus
$420–$500GrinderBreville Smart Grinder Pro
$200–$250All in$700–$830
See the setup →
Head to head
The comparisons people actually run, with the differences named.
Everything here is traceable
Every specification carries the manufacturer document it came from and the date we checked it. Every judgement is produced by published rules from those specifications — so you can see exactly why a machine scored the way it did.