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Coffee is serious business. And investing in a new manual coffee espresso machine to deliver your daily cuppa is equally serious business. Foil Cutting Machine
When it comes to selecting the machine that's going to meet all your caffeinating needs, you want to be sure you're making the right choice – especially if you're looking to spend hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of dollars.
Two of the most prominent mainstream brands that produce manual and semi-automatic espresso machines are Breville and DeLonghi. Both have several models available with various specifications and different price points.
Breville is well known for its high-end Breville Barista manual and semi-automatic espresso machines, and DeLonghi's premium La Specialista and Dedica ranges are also popular.
Manual and semi-automatic coffee machines are for people who want the hands-on experience of making their coffee exactly the way they like it, from tweaking the settings of the grind, to frothing the milk for that perfect silky pour.
Semi-automatic machines will automatically cut off the flow of coffee once a pre-set amount has been poured into the cup, while a manual machine gives you total control, requiring you to stop the flow of coffee yourself.
Read more: Coffee machines to avoid buying
The best coffee machine for you depends on many things, such as your skill level, budget, and preferences for certain features.
But you should also consider factors about the brand such as:
CHOICE has gathered data on brand reliability for automatic and manual espresso machines over the past 10 years (taking into account things such as the number of breakdowns, the types of problems owners experience, and owner satisfaction with their appliance brand).
Breville consistently comes out on top among the brands we have data on, with Breville customers reporting they are very satisfied with their machines. Coffee temperature is generally good for these machines, and they have fewer problems with milk frothing and controls/buttons not working.
But DeLonghi wasn't far behind, receiving a very good brand reliability score that was slightly higher than Sunbeam's.
It's important to bear in mind that in CHOICE testing, performance of specific models may vary quite significantly, so don't assume that just because one product from a brand is good, that all their products are.
Ideally check the results of individual models by in our espresso machine review before you buy.
Generally speaking, Breville has a wider range of manual and semi-automatic espresso machines to choose from. The brand has 15 machines, from cheaper options like the Breville Compact Cafe ($269) and the Breville Bambino ($449), up to the $3799 Breville Oracle Touch (for serious home baristas!).
DeLonghi's La Specialista range includes five main machines (the Arte, the Arte Evo with Cold Brew, the Maestro with Cold Brew, the Opera, and the Prestigio), ranging in price from $599 to around $1400. There are also more compact semi-automatic machines: the DeLonghi Dedica Arte ($199), the Dedica Maestro ($349), the Dedica Maestro Plus ($399) and the Stilosa ($149).
We've tested to find you the best.
When comparing machines and brands, consider the features that are most important to you.
For instance, would you like pre-programmed coffee recipes you can select at a touch of a button, with automatic milk frothing? Or would you like complete control of the process, including frothing your own milk, just like the barista at your local cafe?
Would you like to tamp your coffee with a hand tamper or a built-in tamper? Do you fancy making cold-brew coffee? Read more about the features to look out for in our coffee machine buying guide.
Fancy gimmicks and features really can't mask a poor functioning machine. To get a good espresso, you need accurate and consistent pressure and water temperature
But CHOICE tester expert Adrian Lini says you shouldn't base your decision solely on features.
"With coffee machines, the fancy gimmicks and features really can't mask a poor functioning machine. To get a good espresso, you need accurate and consistent pressure and water temperature. If you don't have those then you won't get a good coffee, no matter what."
Adrian has put dozens of manual and espresso machines through their paces in the CHOICE labs.
"My experience with both Breville and DeLonghi is that the Breville machines are often easier to use – their controls are more intuitive and it takes less time to make a good espresso.
"I certainly know you can get a good coffee with a DeLonghi machine, but it may take a little more time to learn how to get the best out of the machine."
Read more: Homemade cold brew coffee vs your barista
When testing manual and semiautomatic coffee machines, we give scores for each machine based on the taste of the coffee, how easy they are to use, how well they froth milk and the consistency of the coffee temperature.
Our expert taste-test panel gives each espresso shot a score in a 'blind' tasting (meaning they don't know which machine made it), assessing:
Below, we've compared similar machines from both Breville and DeLonghi at two different price points to help you choose.
For full detailed reviews and findings from our experts, view our espresso coffee machines reviews. You can also compare all our test results and more models side by side, using our compare all products table.
The latest CHOICE espresso machine review includes 12 Breville and 4 DeLonghi manual and semi-automatic espresso machines, as well as other brands including Profitec, Sunbeam, Rocket and San Remo.
If you have a budget of about $1000–1700, you may be considering one of these three machines.
The Breville Barista Pro and Breville The Barista Touch are similar machines – the main difference is that the Barista Touch has more automatic functions, including a touch-screen display with pre-programmed coffee menu and automatic milk frothing. If you have a slightly higher budget, the Breville The Barista Touch Impress ($2149) comes with an auto-dose feature and built-in tamper which our experts say is easy to use.
The DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro is a manual machine that also gives you the option of pre-programmed coffee recipes, including cold brew, and either automatic or manual milk frothing. Here's how the three models compare.
Some good points noted by CHOICE testers (full test results and notes available to CHOICE members)
Some bad points noted by CHOICE testers (full test results and notes available to CHOICE members)
If you have a budget of under $1000 but you still want to flex your barista muscles with a customised coffee experience, you may be looking at these two machines.
Both have been tested by CHOICE experts, who say they rank similarly when it comes to how easy they are to use, but the Breville Barista Express comes out on top in other respects (read detailed product reviews).
There are a few differences between the machines. The La Specialista comes with one 51mm pressurised filter basket, whereas the Barista Express comes with both one-cup and two-cup (single-wall) filter baskets. You can compare other features below. We have also tested the Breville Barista Express Impress which costs slightly more ($949) but has an auto dose and built-in tamper which our experts say is very easy to use and allows the user to make coffees quickly. Here's how the two cheaper models compare.
Available in black, green and white
Some good points noted by CHOICE testers (full test results and notes available to CHOICE members)
Some bad points noted by CHOICE testers (full test results and notes available to CHOICE members)
The Breville Oracle Touch is the brand's most expensive coffee machine, retailing at $3799.
It's significantly more expensive than the Barista Touch ($1649) as it has a dual boiler design, which means you can extract coffee and steam milk at the same time. (On the Breville Barista Touch you can only perform these functions separately – see below for the benefits of a dual boiler).
It also has 45 grind settings (15 more than the Barista Touch), a hands-free auto grind and tamp feature, and a commercial-grade 58mm portafilter.
CHOICE experts have tested and reviewed both the Oracle Touch and the Barista Touch Impress in our labs and noted that they both perform similarly when it comes to the taste of the espresso shots they produce and the milk frothing. Head to our expert coffee machine reviews to find out more.
We've tested to find you the best.
Before you rush out to buy a manual espresso machine, it's a good idea to look at the dimensions of the machine you're interested in and measure the space you have available on your benchtop to make sure it'll fit comfortably.
Remember, if your machine doesn't have an inbuilt grinder, you will have to make space for that, too. Plus, it's good to have a little bit of extra space near the milk frothing wand so you've got some elbow room while you're frothing your milk.
One of the features that makes the top-tier Breville machines significantly more expensive is that they have double or dual boilers (the Breville Oracle, Oracle Touch, Dual Boiler and Dynamic Duo all have this feature).
Double boiler espresso machines have two separate heating units: one for steam and one for coffee. This means that you can make coffee and froth milk at the same time, which is handy if you're churning out multiple coffees at once (or if you're just impatient and want your coffee fix quicker).
One feature that the DeLonghi La Specialista range has that the Breville range lacks is a machine that can make cold-brew coffee. The La Specialista Maestro with Cold Brew includes cold extraction technology that allows you to enjoy cold-brew coffee within five minutes.
When deciding between brands, you should also look at the ongoing costs and availability of brand-specific accessories, such as cleaning tablets and descaling liquid, as well as the cost and availability of replacement parts.
Read more: How to make better-tasting coffee at home
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