Affetto is on the expensive side, and as an automatic machine can be finicky. Just make sure that it is topped up with water and beans, and that it cleans out the background container used regularly, and it works like a dream. Most Convenient, Easy CleanupWe love this machine. It’s the best Keurig we’ve used (8/10, WIRED Recommendations) and has the best frother of any machine tested for this guide. Despite the fact that K-Café doesn’t technically make espresso shots (the K-cup system doesn’t apply any kind of pressure), it still makes a delicious 2-ounce “espresso-style” shot that tastes almost exactly the same. strong, though without the desired crema. The real magic is the frother. It has three settings-cold, latte, and cappuccino-and froths milk to perfection with the tap of a button. When done, pour the milk with the spout on the side. The pitcher is made of stainless steel, and the plastic spinner comes right out, making cleaning as easy as a quick run under the faucet. It is so easy to use and clean that I sometimes frothed milk with it even when I use another machine to make my espresso. I really like it, I don’t think the spout on the frother is designed for right handed people. This lefty likes to adapt. While Keurig single-serve coffee pods were difficult to use for the recycling system, they are now 100 percent recyclable. Unfortunately, the world’s recycling infrastructure is in a bit of a crisis so for sipping sipping-free, you’re better off sticking with reusable Keurig coffee filters; we recommend sticking with the brand, because we have found cheaper dupes to be unreliable. Best Handheld Milk Sometimes making a latte or cappuccino using an automatic machine can be time-consuming. Not to mention, sometimes all you want is milk porridge. That’s where milk frothers come in. This machine beats air into milk, or milk substitute, to get a nice creamy foam. Most frothers create a stiff frothy foam that sits on top of the milk, which is not good for a latte or cappuccino. Milk with the right texture is creamy, light, airy, and not hard or separated. That’s why our current favorite is Nanofoamer from Subminimal. A darling on Kickstarter, Nanofoamer is now a real product. It looks like a very small immersion blender, which is more or less. It has two different screens that fit on the blade: one for fine-textured milk and the other for ultrafine-textured milk. The difference is subtle, but the fine filter makes the milk a bit bubblier than the ultrafine filter. The filters allow the Nanofoamer whether the barista or with a steam wand: It’s a milky texture for a perfect, creamy top. Questions and AnswersPhotograph: Jeffrey Van CampHow We Tested Each MachineThe button here is automatic. We wanted to try a machine that makes a cup of coffee with one touch, or as close as possible. So the products on this list are mostly of the automatic and semi-automatic variety. You fill it in and they do all the hard work–or most of it. Setup and clean up are very important, as is durability. The point of a device like this is to save time and energy and/or produce a higher quality drink than you could make without it, so we don’t recommend products that don’t produce delicious espresso and save time. Beans Should You Buy? Even if you don’t make espresso, the first and best thing you can do to dramatically improve your morning coffee is to buy locally roasted beans. Plug your city or region and “locally roasted coffee beans” into Google and you’ll be glad you did. The reason that your locally roasted coffee will taste better than anything you buy from a major coffee roaster (like Starbucks, Illy, or Gevalia) is simple: Coffee only grows in a few areas of the world, and it’s starting to disappear. the taste of the moment is roast. Try to avoid brands that advertise European origin. Coffee doesn’t grow in Italy or France or any other part of Europe, so you end up buying roasted beans thousands of miles away that spend an unknown amount of time before reaching you. Even if you order a bag of killer coffee beans from (and roasted in) the world’s coffee-producing regions, it won’t be long before the flavor starts to change. Trust me, buy from a local roaster. You won’t regret it. For some of our favorite mail order brands, check out our list of Best Coffee Subscription Services. What else do you need? , we still recommend you buy local roasted nuts. Just ask the barista for the (espresso) grind. We tried many pre-ground espresso blends from popular companies like Lavazza, Gevalia, and Café Bustelo. They are all very dark and very bitter, in part because they are all imported or roasted in large quantities and shipped all over the world. Grinding coffee is another thing that causes it to start spoiling. Use ground beans, roasted locally for two weeks or you’ll end up with a dark, bitter, acidic, funky type of coffee. The roundup of The Best Coffee Grinders can also provide some guidance here. Distributor & Tamp: Many machines come with a plastic tamp, but some come with a proper distributor and tamp. You should check the size of your portafilter (it will be said in the machine’s instruction manual), but the combined distributor and tamp is a good pick for most machines.
The Best Automatic Espresso, Latte, and Cappuccino Machines (2025)
