The best coffee machines are those that make preparing your morning caffeine hit not only delicious, but which are convenient, easy-to-use and can potentially teach you a thing or two about what makes a good coffee, great.
Naturally, you'll find coffee machines to suit all budget types and all coffee styles. From wallet-friendly prices all the way through to back pocket-busting models that cost thousands and drip filter coffee through to barista-level machines for the home, there's a coffee machine for everyone in Australia.
And, while it may be true that the more you spend the closer to authentic "cafe quality" you're going to get, don't for one minute think that a 'cheap' machine is going to serve you a coffee you're going to want to immediately pour down the drain.
Below you'll find our pick of the best coffee machines in Australia right now, catering to all budgets, all machine types and all sizes of kitchen counter space.
Whether you like your coffee black or white, tall or short, hot or cold, there's a coffee machine out there for you. We've done the hard work so that you can just sit back and choose which one is for you. And don't worry, we've tried and tested them all – though not all at once. We don't drink that much coffee.
The best coffee machine overall
The Barista Touch Impress combines Breville's best home-coffee-machine innovations to make a semi-automatic machine that anyone can use. Whether a professional barista or a coffee novice you'll be able to make exceptional coffee in a compact, efficient and tidy machine. There's not really anything this one is missing.
The best coffee pod machine
This dinky Nespresso machine is easy to use, quick to heat up and produces a lovely thick crema. It'll pour an espresso in around a minute, including heat up time, with results never tasting bitter or burnt.
The best automatic coffee machine
This gorgeous bean-to-cup espresso machine produces excellent results time after time. A great selection of drink recipes and an automatic milk frother should keep drinkers of all kinds happy. Just note that the frother doesn't always play nice with plant-based milks.
The best compact coffee machine
Offering manual and automatic control, along with a smart tamping system that makes dosing the perfect puck a breeze, this compact machine will have you brewing perfect coffee in no time. Plus, we think it's a bit of a looker, too.
The best coffee machine under AU$1K
This compact all-in-one bean to cup manual coffee machine strikes a great balance between cost and performance. The inbuilt grinder is decent, the smaller 54mm portafilter produces café level espresso and the milk wand is a step up from the Barista Express
The best Nespresso machine
The Vertuo Creatista adds Breville’s latest Auto MilQ technology to an updated Nespresso Vertuo espresso system to make the best milk coffees of any pod machine.
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The best portable coffee machine
If you're going camping or you travel a lot, the Nanopresso can produce great coffee from this pocketable caffeine machine. It requires a bit more elbow grease, but you'll have plenty to spare where you're going.
The best filter coffee machine
For simple, reliable and great-tasting filter coffee, the Instant Infusion Brew does everything you need for an incredibly attractive price.
The best coffee maker for cold brew
It might be pricey, but the Jura J10 delivers exceptional espresso, foams milk to perfect and it even creates a delicious cold brew. If you want one machine to do anything and everything, this is it.
The best coffee machine overall
✅ You want good coffee that's simple: For a machine that will do everything easily and all for a good price, this is it.
✅ You want to experiment: With a raft of features including 30 grind settings, there's plenty of room for coffee experimentation.
❌ You love full manual control: The Barista Touch Impress is designed to be as automatic as possible. If you know what you're doing, you can find top-performing machines for less.
❌ You're on a budget: It's priced competitively considering what it can do, but if you don't have a few thousand dollars to spend, this isn't the machine for you.
If you want better coffee at home, but don’t really have the time or motivation to learn how to be a barista, then Breville’s Barista Touch Impress is built specifically for you. The company has done a lot of research into the main pain-points of manual coffee machines for first-time users and has pieced together a set of clever technologies into a machine that requires no existing coffee knowledge or barista experience.
The Breville Barista Touch Impress combines the user-friendly assisted tamping and auto-dosing of the 2022 Barista Express Impress with the intuitive touchscreen and automatic milk frothing of the Barista Touch to make the simplest manual coffee machine for first-time users available.
The integrated grinder and tamping mechanism gives you feedback on how much coffee is going into your basket and the touchscreen provides prompts on exactly what settings you need to change in order to grind the perfect amount at the optimum coarseness. When this info is combined with advice on what to do if the shot takes too long or finishes early, you get a coffee grinding feedback system that can easily be dialled-in for excellent coffee by anyone after just one run of the machine.
It’s also excellent at making cafe-level milk, whether you know how to froth it or not. The Barista Touch Impress is best at turning full-cream cow’s milk into perfectly aerated coffee milk, but one of the headline features is that the new Auto MilQ system comes with customised steam presets that allow you to make great oat, soy or almond milks for your coffee as well. The automatic wand and temperature gauge combine to deliver good quality milk without you having to learn any milk folding techniques.
When you combine all these features you get excellent manual-machine level coffee that anyone can easily make by following prompts and pushing a few buttons. If you are a trained barista using a dual-boiler manual machine it’s possible to make better coffee faster… but the difference isn’t big enough to not be tempted by all the added conveniences of the Barista Touch Impress.
It’s expensive, but there isn’t another device around that you can use without any skill that’ll make better coffee, which makes the Barista Touch Impress the best all-round home coffee machine for everyone in our eyes.
Read our full Breville the Barista Touch Impress review
The best coffee pod machine
✅ You don't have much room: The Pixie is one of the most compact Nespresso machines we've tested.
✅ You prefer black coffee: This machine doesn't have a milk frother, so it can't make a latte or cappuccino.
❌ You want a menu of coffee options: The Nespresso Pixie only offers two choices: expresso or lungo.
❌ You want your coffee piping hot: The temperature is about what we'd expect at 154-167F/ 68-75C, but there's no option to adjust it.
The Nespresso Pixie is the best coffee pod machine you can buy, particularly if space is at a premium in your kitchen.
On test, our reviewer found that the Pixie was very easy to use, and offered a hassle-free way of making a morning coffee. It took on average 25 - 30 seconds to preheat, and an espresso took just 15 seconds to pour. We were really impressed with the thick crema that the machine consistently produced, too, which resulted in a coffee tasting neither burnt nor overly bitter.
Because it uses the Original size of Nespresso capsules (which many third-party coffee roasters also produce, meaning you have plenty of choice) it means the internal bin can hold 10 used pods. It's a great size considering the compact nature of the machine, and it's easy to remove and clean. As with all coffee makers, a descale will be required to help maintain the machine after every 1000 capsules.
Read our full Nespresso Pixie by Krups review
The best automatic coffee machine
✅ You make several coffees daily: The BCC13 isn't cheap, but if you make several coffees a day, then coupled with the quick brew time, it'll be more than worth the money.
✅ You value ease of use: The BCC13 takes care of every step in the coffee-making chain – perfect if you want to be hands-off.
❌ You love to experience: Since this machine does everything for you, if you're someone who likes to tinker, you don't have the option here.
❌ You drink plant-based milk: Smeg admits itself that the BCC13's frothing system doesn't play nice with non-dairy milk. If this is you, you may want to look for a machine with a manual steam wand instead – the Smeg BCC12 does just that.
This unassuming fully-automatic coffee machine is one of the best we've ever come across. Not only does it look downright stunning, but it brews consistently good, well extracted coffee, with barely any input from you.
Simply pour in some coffee beans, make sure the water tank is full, press a button for the drink you want using the menu on the top (you'll likely need the manual to hand at first to learn what each icon represents) and that's it, you're done.
During our tests, we were very impressed by the quality of the espresso produced by the BCC13, which was delicious and well extracted every time, with a rich golden crema. Dairy milk foamed well using the auto frothing system, though plant milk didn't fare quite so well (something Smeg does warn about). If you want to use alternative milks regularly, you might want to consider a machine with a steam wand, such as Smeg's own BCC12).
Read our full Smeg BCC13 review
Best compact coffee machine
✅ You're buying your first espresso machine: This machine is practically foolproof, meaning even complete beginners can brew consistently good coffee.
✅ You're a bit intimidated by technicalities: It's not fully automated, but the La Specialista Touch doesn't assume lots of prior knowledge or experience.
❌ You want your coffee quickly: Dosing and tamping are straightforward, but they can be time consuming.
❌ You already have a coffee grinder: If you're happy dialling in, grinding, and dosing your coffee, then you won't need all the features offered here.
If you thought investing in a bean-to-cup coffee machine meant giving up half your kitchen to house one, think again. The De'Longhi La Specialista Touch is one of the smallest machines we've come across, including those that use capsules. It's also remarkably lightweight at just 10.8kg, making it easy to move around if needed.
Don't let its manual espresso machine looks put you off either, as this is a great, beginner-friendly choice for anyone who wants to ditch the coffee pods in favour of experimentation with a variety of beans. It's not totally automatic (the Smeg BCC13 at #3 on this list is your go-to there) but the included smart dosing and tamping tools make it easy not only to create a well-performed puck, but also make the traditionally tricky process accessible to anyone.
The Bean Adapt system is good for beginners too, offering a great starting point if you're not sure how to choose the best grind size and brew settings for your particular beans. All you need to know is the type and roast (which you can judge by the colour) and the machine will configure itself to get you started.
During our tests we were particularly impressed by the La Specialista Touch's steam wand, which offers manual and automatic modes. The auto option can create different proportions of steamed milk and foam depending on the drink you've selected, which is a nice touch.
Read our full De'Longhi La Specialista Touch review
The best coffee machine under AU$1k
The Barista Express has been the top of our favourite coffee machine pile for some time now thanks to its excellent balance of features and cost. So, it’s perhaps not overly surprising then that we were pretty excited about its spiritual successor, the Barista Pro.
Like it’s predecessor the Pro includes a grinder and bean hopper to save a little space on your kitchen benchtop. In addition to having a good quality conical burr grinder that is precise enough to ensure you get crema from reasonably fresh coffee beans, it’s also got customisable auto grind dosage timers that will measure out grind volumes automatically.
You will need to calibrate this yourself initially, based on the particular coffee beans you’re using, but even novices can work this step out with a set of scales and an online tutorial. This is a manual coffee machine so you should expect a bit of back and forth when dialling it in or when you change the type of coffee beans you use, but once it's calibrated the coffee making process is very streamlined.
The Barista Pro has replaced the analogue pressure gauge with a new digital screen that makes it a bit easier for the less savvy barista to interpret how to make their coffee better. Instead of pressure, the new screen only includes a shot clock, so you’ll have to look at shot volume using independent scales to determine if your grind needs to be finer or coarser, but the screen does show you which way to turn the grind size dial to adjust shot time and volume, which is helpful info for learning baristas.
One of the few pain points of the Barista Express was the fact that it only has one boiler, so there was a bit of wait time between pulling a shot and having your milk wand pressurised enough to fold milk. Breville make a big deal about the 3 second Thermojet technology in the Barista Pro marketing materials, so we had high hopes for this particular component, but it’s not quite the transformative leap we were anticipating. It definitely reduces the time it takes for the milk wand to be running at full speed, but you’ll still want to give it a 5-10 second head start to build up pressure.
With the right ingredients and a bit of know-how the coffee you can make on this machine is on par with what you’ll get at a good café. For anyone occasionally making coffee for guests then the bean to cup time on the Barista Pro is totally fine. If, on the other hand, you’re making any more than, say, four coffees in a row every day then you’d really benefit from the time savings of being able to froth milk simultaneously using a more expensive Dual Boiler machine.
The best Nespresso machine
✅ You want a Nespresso machine with an integrated milk frother: The milk wand is the most advanced automated milk frother you can get on a Nespresso machine. Its clever sensors allow you to adjust temperature and foam volume, without learning barista style milk frothing skills.
✅ You want the most premium Nespresso Vertuo on offer: We’ve seen similar Nespresso Creatista models that take the Nespresso original capsules, but this is the first of its kind and the most premium you can buy if you want to use the Nespresso Vertuo capsules.
❌ You love full manual control: The Barista Touch Impress is designed to be as automatic as possible. If you know what you're doing, you can find top-performing machines for less.
❌ You're on a budget: It's priced competitively considering what it can do, but if you don't have a few thousand dollars to spend, this isn't the machine for you.
The convenience of pod coffee means it’s still the go-to platform for many Australians making coffee at home and if you don’t mind the taste of your average capsule then it’s hard to look past Nespresso’s wide array of machines and coffee.
Nespresso has partnered with Breville to build a new Creatista machine that integrates the Vertuo centrifusion pod system with Breville’s milk frothing technologies.
While Nespresso has had a version of the Creatista available for some time, the Vertuo Creatista uses the newer style centrifusion pods that can (theoretically) produce more subtle flavours thanks to a different extraction technique that requires less pressure and heat. In reality, it tastes pretty similar to the old capsules so we wouldn’t recommend replacing your existing machine expecting an improved experience.
One thing that is likely to be much better is Breville’s Auto MilQ system for frothing the perfect accompaniment to your espresso. The milk wand system on the Vertuo Creatista isn’t as sophisticated as what you’ll get on something like the Barista Touch Impress, but it’s pretty good at turning cold, full-cream milk into a nicely textured milk at the perfect temperature on its own.
There are three levels of heat and foam to choose from, a selection that will get close enough to your favourite style for anyone interested in Nespresso. It’s an easy to use system, but it ends up causing the machine to be as expensive as some premium manual machines and it doesn’t really elevate the flavour of the coffee that much above what you get from any other Vertuo machine and Aeroccino frothing system.
The Vertuo capsule range features barcodes that will automatically deliver the shot size that each pod was designed for, making it as simple as possible to get the perfect shot and it includes a new function to make more concentrated coffee shots by double pressing the shot button.
Despite these improvements you can get way better flavour from a manual machine like the Bambino Plus with good quality coffee (that isn’t roasted for as long as Nespresso’s blends). If you absolutely have to have a Nespresso pod machine, however, then this is the best one for making milk coffee.
Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Creatista review
The best portable coffee machine
✅ You travel a lot: If you can't guarantee easy access to espresso when on the move, the Nanopresso serves up cafe-quality coffee from a machine that slips into a bag.
✅ You're an eco warrior: All you need to do is boil some water. There's no electricity use needed here, saving on power consumption and packaging.
❌ You don't have access to boiling water: The Nanopresso doesn't heat water, you need to add it yourself. If you don't have any, you can't brew a coffee.
❌ You want automatic coffee: The Nanopresso requires hand pumping to brew coffee.
The Wacaco Nanopresso is a pocket-sized coffee machine with the ability to brew hand-pumped espresso. So whether you’re not taken in by a blimp-sized domestic espresso machine or simply on the go so much that home means more than one place, the Nanopresso is a surprisingly worthy contender. There’s no battery or charging: it’s all done by creating up to 18 bars of pressure through hand-pumping, and the end result is comparable to what you’d be served in a cafe.
Lighter, smaller, easier to pump and yet twice as powerful as its Minipresso predecessor, the Nanopresso comes with a built-in espresso cup and lightweight case that’s moulded perfectly to house the device.
If you’ve never used an outdoor espresso maker before, it takes a bit of time to work out what’s going on, especially when slotting it all back in together, but it gets much easier after the first few uses. This is definitely not a machine to try for the first time at 7am on a weekday morning, but it’s great for taking high quality espresso with you no matter where you go.
In effort, cost, and experience required, the Nanopresso couldn’t be further from the Breville the Barista Touch Impress, yet you can get a similar tasting shot of espresso with a bit of practice. It is more of a faff, as it does involve boiling water first (the Nanopresso doesn't heat water for you) and finding a flat spot if you’re outside, but the end result is seriously impressive.
Read our full Wacaco Nanopresso review
The best filter coffee machine
✅ You want a reasonably priced coffee machine: The Infusion Brew is a budget friendly machine that's well-built and produces good coffee.
✅ You drink black coffee: With this being a filter coffee machine, you're free to put whatever ground coffee in you like. No integrated milk frother means this is one for black coffee fanatics.
❌ You want espresso-based coffee: You can't make single or double shot espresso-based drinks such as flat whites or cappuccinos.
❌ You want coffee quickly: Despite being programmable to turn on while you're asleep, it can still take a few minutes for the carafe to fill – just under 10 minutes for the full 12 cups.
Not all of us want or need a fancy, high-tech, all-singing, all-dancing coffee machine at home. Some of us might just prefer a simple cup or mug of black filter coffee in the morning before they go to work or just to start their day. If this sounds like you, then we can't think of many better machines – and certainly nothing as affordable – that does the job as well as the Instant Infusion Brew.
Hailing from Instant Brands, maker of some excellent air fryers and Instant Pots, the Infusion Brew has a brewing pot that's large enough to pour 12 cups of coffee. In order to get that amount of coffee, all you need to do is press a button. What's more, the Infusion Brew uses a reusable mesh filter as opposed to the more common paper filters, which not only reduces the ongoing costs, but also minimises the time it takes to get the machine to start brewing.
You don't always need to brew 12 cups every time either, as the water tank on the rear has guide lines for 4, 6, 8 and 10 cups too. Plus, in the Australian version of the machine, the warming plate will stay on for four hours to keep your brewed coffee warmer for longer (in the UK it only stays on for 40 minutes). And, as you may expect from a machine like this, there's a 24-hour time that allows you to set it up before you go to bed so that you can have a fresh cuppa ready to pour as soon as you rise the next morning.
For a completely no frills approach to coffee, the Instant Infusion Brew should be at the top of your list.
Read our full Instant Infusion Brew review
The best coffee machine for cold brew
If you're very specific with your coffee order, to the point where it makes your local barista sweat, the Jura J10 is the coffee machine for you. It covers the basics of espresso brewing exceptionally well, but key to its success is its ability to deliver a delicious, authentic-tasting cold brew.
Unlike most other machines that offer a cold brew recipe, the Jura J10 forces pulses of water over your freshly ground coffee at high pressure (as shown in the video below). The result is impressive, and noticeably more flavoursome than cold brew from other machines we've tested – mellow and well-rounded. Toss in a couple of ice cubes and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the J10's cold brew and coffee made the traditional way that's made overnight.
The Jura J10 also has a particularly good milk-texturising system – even for non-dairy milks – and it gives you the option to add a flavoured syrup, which is distributed evenly throughout the foam as it's dispensed. Because the syrup isn't concentrated in the bottom of your cup, you only need a little to achieve plenty of flavour, and the syrup never enters the coffee machine itself so you don't need to worry about it tainting your next drink.
It's all very impressive and well executed, though the price tag means it's definitely a luxury buy.
Read our full Jura J10 review
How to choose the best coffee machine for you
The first decision you're going to want to make is do you want a pod machine or an espresso machine that uses freshly ground beans?
Pod Machines - Pods offer peak convenience allowing you to get decent coffee at the push of a button and have your coffee ready in no time. If you rush in the mornings or you aren't willing to dedicate a weekend to learn how to be an at-home barista then pod machines are for you.
Manual Espresso Machines - If you're an ex barista or you are a coffee obsessive that will do anything to get the perfect cup of coffee int he morning then you're probably going to want a manual espresso machine. Basically manual machines get more rudimentary as they get less expensive, so those with more skill/ time/ determination will be able to make café level coffee from a $500 machine that's almost as good as what can be done on machines that cost thousands.
Automatic Espresso Machines - The other end of the ground coffee spectrum are automatic espresso machines. There are some legacy at-home machines that'll do milk and coffee in a vending machine style, but these devices are often expensive and don't taste great. Fortunately there's a new wave of automatic and semi-automatic espresso machines that have a manual machine appearance but will do everything for you. If you can afford to drop $2K on a device then the top manual espresso machines offer low barrier to entry and great coffee.
Cost - You'll get the most bang for your buck with full manual espresso machines, but the Morning Machine pod coffee maker is an affordable option for super simple café level espresso.
Frequently asked coffee maker questions
Can espresso machines make regular coffee?
Technically yes, because espresso is the base of all kinds of coffees. Espresso machines can be used to make an americano if they have the functionality to add hot water to a shot of espresso (which many of the best coffee machines do). If you want to make milk-based drinks such as lattes or flat whites you’ll need to ensure that there’s a steam arm on the machine, or alternatively, you can purchase a separate milk frother.
How do coffee makers work?
With so many different types of coffee makers on offer, it’s no surprise that each type of machine works slightly differently. Here we focus on espresso machines and pod coffee makers but for a more detailed explanation, head to our feature on how coffee makers work.
Espresso machines work by using a pump to push pressurized water through coffee grounds so that it infuses with the water to make a smooth shot of espresso. If an espresso machine has a milk frother, it will use a boiler to push steam out of the machine which is then used to give the milk a velvety texture. Pod coffee makers work by using a compacted capsule of coffee and piercing a hole in the capsule. Hot water is then powered up through the machine and pushed through the capsule to create a coffee. Some more advanced pod machines, such as the Nespresso Vertuo Next, spin the coffee pod around at high speeds so that the contents evenly infuse with water for an even smoother cup of coffee.
How to clean a coffee maker
Keeping your coffee maker clean will not only ensure it looks great, but it’s crucial for maintaining working order and keeping it hygienic. We’ve written a full feature on how to clean a coffee maker and all its parts but the good news is that you’ll be able to clean thoroughly using products you’ve most likely got at home already. To clean your machine’s water tank, you can make a solution with one part water and one part white vinegar and simply leave it to soak inside your water reservoir for a couple of hours. To give the pipes a good flush through, let the vinegar solution run through the machine by switching it on as you would do normally for water.
We're also got a dedicated article on how to clean a Nespresso machine and how to clean a Keurig, for those that have single-serve coffee makers at home.
What is the best coffee maker for home use?
If you're looking for the best coffee maker to use at home, either because you're spending more time working remotely and want a cup of Joe that's the same quality as you'd get in the office, or you just want to cut down on your expenses by reducing your coffee shop visits, then you're probably wondering which is the best one to buy.
For true coffee-shop-worthy espresso, then it's worth investing in one of the best espresso machines on the market right now. These ensure you can tweak the strength of the coffee by changing aspects such as the volume of water used to brew the espresso, the length of time the brewing process takes, and how tightly or loosely compacted the puck (the disc of ground coffee) is.
All of these affect how strong, and how bitter the coffee tastes. But espresso machines require plenty of experimentation, which takes time and using ground coffee can be messy.
If you're tight on space consider the Breville Bambino or Breville Bambino Plus, while for those with larger kitchens and a bigger budget, consider the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155MB or the Breville Oracle Touch.
If you don't want to spend all your time learning how to brew the perfect coffee, or cleaning up after it, then one of the best single-serve coffee makers, also known as pod coffee machines, will produce good quality espresso with minimal mess. We rate the Nespresso Vertuo Next, but our article which Nespresso machine is best? offers plenty of further information to help you decide.
Which type of coffee maker should I choose?
For those that want to perfect their coffee-making skills, consider an espresso machine. This is the best coffee maker for people who prefer to handle every part of the brewing process, from compacting the coffee grounds into a puck or small disc (a process known as tamping) to the brew volume and duration to create the perfect cup of coffee to suit you. If you’re new to this type of coffee maker, discover how to use an espresso machine in-depth in our article.
Alternatively, for the same coffee-shop standard hot drinks but with a hands-off approach, opt for a bean-to-cup coffee machines, which automate the processes described above to rustle up a cup of joe at the touch of a button.
If you’re looking to make a cup of coffee with as minimal amount of fuss as possible, a single-serve coffee maker is the best fit. Also known as pod coffee machines, they use capsules filled with ground coffee to create a hot drink with far less mess than espresso machines.
Nespresso and Keurig are the biggest brands when it comes to single-serve coffee machines and offer a range of machines each. However, pod coffee machines have a poor reputation when it comes to sustainability as many of the capsules end up in landfill. Follow our guide on how to recycle Nespresso pods to help ensure this doesn’t happen.
Finally, the drip coffee maker is a familiar style to most of us and it's the best coffee machine for those that want to brew large quantities of Java at any one time. Discover in-depth how coffee makers work in our article then, find out how to make your favourite coffee at home
How we test the best coffee makers
We take testing the best coffee makers seriously and put all the machines through their paces to see if they really can do everything they promise to. We test each coffee maker for the crema it produces on an espresso, how easy it is to use and set up, and also for consistency from one cup to another.
When we’re testing, we take into account the overall design of each coffee maker - how it looks, how much space it’ll take up on your kitchen counter, whether the water tank is removable for easy refills, and how the machine looks as a whole.
For coffee makers with milk frothers, we test the milk texture to see if it’s silky and smooth and of course, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t drink plenty of coffee along the way to see how each cup measures up for the overall taste.
We test models to see how much control you have over each cup of coffee, and whether it’s a case of simply pressing a button or whether more of a hands-on approach is needed. All the best coffee machines will require regular cleaning so we’re always sure to note what maintenance is involved and how easy these machines are to keep in top condition.
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