The Best ​​​Automatic Espresso Machine

The Gaggia Brera Super Automatic is the ultimate super automatic. It has a ceramic burr grinder for more uniform grind, which translates into better tasting espresso. It also has a pre ground coffee setting in case you choose to grind your own coffee, or if you buy pre ground. The coffee spouts are height adjustable to accommodate various mug or to go cup sizes. This model comes with a Panarello wand milk frother. Some view these wands as subpar, but they’re really just designed for beginners and machines that don’t have a lot of steaming power. Essentially, the Panarello simply automatically infuses the steam with air so that the user doesn’t have to draw the wand up and down as is the technique with a professional espresso machine. It also has a rapid steam setting to reduce the time delay between steaming milk and brewing coffee. The Gaggia Brera has pretty small water tank, especially for a machine that includes a frother, so it requires frequent refilling. But other than that, it stands as our overall top recommendation for super automatic espresso machines. 

DeLonghi is at the top of many coffee expert lists. They’ve been around for a long time and know how to balance long term knowledge and innovation. The Prima Donna is one of the best user-friendly super automatics we’ve seen. For starters, it has a front loading milk and water tank. DeLonghi was the first to try this front loading design, and it has caught on in a big way. The milk tank is removable so you can refrigerate it after use without constantly playing the guessing game with your milk quantities. You get two steaming options with the Prima Donna: you can use the Panarello steam wand, or for an even lazier morning, you can use the automatic carafe (which you can set to steam various quantities of milk). It has preset coffee settings, or you can program the “My Coffee” option for more personalized doses and strengths. You can also program on/off times with this machine so that it’s warmed up and ready to go by the time you get out of bed, and shuts down when you leave for the day. Finally, the Prima Donna is a great looking machine. It has a brushed stainless steel exterior and a user friendly interface. This machine does require a bit of patience when it’s initially heating up, so we recommend taking advantage of the programmable on/off with this model. Overall this one of the most user friendly, well laid-out super automatics on the market.

The Krups One-Touch Deluxe is one of the most feature-heavy super automatics out there. While they are often fully programmable, super automatics are not generally known for their customizability, simply because they’re designed to do most of the work and decision making for you. But the Krups stands out in this regard. You can select between 15 fully customizable drink options, an impressive feat given that everything is fully automatic. It can also brew two drinks at once, making it great for office or household environments serving multiple people. All features are easily accessible through the touch screen prompts. The coffee spout is height adjustable and it comes with a removable water filter. It does require some disassembly of small parts to clean, but the process itself is very easy. You simply remove the front casing on the spout, take out the components inside, rinse and dry, then pop them back into place. For all its feature, the Krups is also priced quite competitively. This machine only takes full beans, so it’s not a great option if you like to buy pre ground or want to grind your own beans. Other than that, the Krups One-Touch Deluxe is a feature-rich fully automatic at a surprisingly competitive price. 

The Jura Impressa C65 is a sleek, modern looking design with a very simple user interface. It leaves little to the imagination, featuring a spout, a few knobs, and a frother.It boasts a few fancy-sounding features, like the Pre-Brew Aroma System and the Fine Foam Frother. The pre-brew aroma system shots water in short spurts, which is designed to optimize extraction time and increase the aroma in your coffee. Their foaming system is a vague multi-chamber design unique to Jura. The end result wasn’t leagues above our other top automatic machines, but the flavour was delicious and the foam had a nice consistency. There is also a brew interruption feature in case you find your shot is running too long. One downside of the Jura frother is that it doesn’t come with its own carafe. Jura models have a hose and nozzle that you stick in your carafe (or any milk holder), so you’ll have to supply that component yourself.  Overall, the Impressa is easy to use and the coffee tastes great.

The Breville Barista Touch is a really well thought out espresso machine. It gives you all the control you want out of a semi automatic, but has tons of automated and programmable features that make it accessible to coffee makers of any skill level. The Barista Touch comes with a bean hopper and automatic grinder, and can be programmed for different dosages. The steam arm is fantastic because like a Panarello, it adds air to the foam so you don’t have to know any foaming techniques to get that creamy latte or cappuccino foam. Better yet, you can program the steamer for both the amount and temperature of foam/milk you want. Once finished, the steam arm also purges automatically, making it a breeze to keep clean. It is very user friendly, boasting a touch screen interface that offers 6 pre-programmed drinks and 6 customizable drinks that you can program (and even name) right into the system. For all its features, this machine doesn’t sacrifice quality. Like the BES 870XL, it has a pre infusion features designed to extract more flavour from your coffee. When all is said and done, this is an impressively designed espresso machine that balances effort, ease and taste in harmony.