Quick list
1. Best overall
2. Best for hot & cold drinks
3. Best premium
4. Best fully-automatic
5. Best for budding baristas
6. Best for drink choice
7. Best-looking
How to choose
How we test
One of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines is what you need if you want a cup of quality joe with minimal effort. These full-featured appliances will do everything for you: grind the beans, use the right amount of water and brew at the right strength. They might cost more than most of the best coffee makers, but for many people the amount of time and effort saved make them well worth the initial outlay.
If you’re not sure if these are the right type of coffee maker for you, we suggest learning how a bean-to-cup coffee machine works. If you'd rather get more involved in making your coffee, our roundup of the best espresso machines is well worth a look, while our guide to espresso machines vs bean-to-cup coffee machines can help you decide which option might suit you best.
You'll find options from De’Longhi, Gaggia, Breville (Sage in the UK), and Smeg in this guide, and we've tested every one of them extensively. Our reviewers have assessed them in terms end results, ease-of-use, design and feature set, as well as how easy they are to clean and how loud they are during use, to ensure they're worth their high prices. In short, we’re confident that these are the best bean-to-cup coffee machines available right now.
The quick list
Best overall
This outstanding bean-to-cup machine delivers excellent coffee as standard and helps you to develop your barista skills for even better results.
For hot & cold drinks
From espresso to iced lattes, the De’Longhi Eletta Explore does the lot brilliantly and comes with all the accessories you're ever likely to need.
Best premium
With industrial coffee shop looks and loads of settings, this top-dollar machine lets you look like a barista while it does all the hard work for you.
Best fully-automatic
If all you want to do is press a button to get quality coffee, this De'Longhi the choice is for you. It's fully automated and even features app control.
For wannabe baristas
Gaggia's Magenta Plus will give you a no-effort cup of espresso, but if you want something milky you'll have to get fully manual with its steam wand.
Best hot drink choice
Not only does this premium De'Longhi option deliver just about every type of coffee you can imagine, it'll even make you a nice cup of tea, too.
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Best-looking
It's hard to resist the sleek, minimal looks of this Smeg bean-to-cup machine. There's manual steam wand to play with but a limited drinks selection.
The best bean-to-cup coffee machine 2024
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Best bean-to-cup coffee machine for most people
If you're looking for a fast, no-fuss caffeine jolt then keep scrolling; this one's definitely for coffee connoisseurs, promising to use the perfect quantity of ground beans, the perfect temperature, the perfect water pressure and the perfect micro-foam to make the perfect coffee. Sold in most countries as the Sage the Barista Express Impress, it's available in the US with Breville branding.
The Barista Express Impress uses 18 to 22g of freshly ground beans to create its rich and creamy espressos, which also make the perfect base for intense flat whites and creamy cappuccinos. It's similar to a commercial espresso machine, so it's a bit more complicated than a standard bean-to-cup model, but that's a huge part of the appeal. Creating decent-tasting coffee in the way a professional barista would takes time – but we found that the ceremonial approach to using this machine, whereby you need to tamp and dose correctly, made the process of making coffee almost as enjoyable as drinking it.
If you enjoy the process of making coffee, this machine will not disappoint. It has everything you need to enjoy specialty coffee at home.
Read our full Sage The Barista Express Impress review
Best bean-to-cup coffee machine for hot & cold drinks
Want a bean-to-cup coffee machine that literally does it all and don't mind paying for it? The De’Longhi Eletta Explore may well be the answer to your prayers. This impressive option manages to cram a whole load of features into a relatively compact footprint and it'll deliver everything from smooth espresso to cold brew coffee with you barely having to lift a finger.
It isn't the prettiest bean-to-cup machine but it's far from an eyesore with its black and deeper gray looks, and it comes with plenty of accessories including two milk carafes, a travel mug and even an ice tray for cold drinks. The Eletta Explore has a sizeable (but not airtight) bean hopper and a fantastic conical burr grinder with seven coarseness settings, while its touchscreen makes it a breeze to make exactly the drink you want; you can also use De'Longhi's Coffee Link app to get the best possible drinks out of your particular beans.
Our reviewer absolutely loved it, although she found some annoying design issues such as a water tank that wouldn't always slide back in properly, plus a frustrating need for separate hot and cold milk carafes. Note that you're in the US, this one's a harder sell as it retails for a lot more than you'd pay elsewhere.
Read our full De’Longhi Eletta Explore review
Best premium bean-to-cup coffee machine
This top-of-the-range coffee machine (sold in most of the world as the Sage the Oracle Touch) comes with an eye-watering price tag. But it has a sleek industrial coffee shop style and a range of customizable settings that’ll give you barista-style drinks with minimal effort. It’s not entirely hands-off, though: you’ll have to move the portafilter into position once the ground coffee has been automatically added and tamped.
Meanwhile, it looks like a manual machine with a professional-looking steam wand and stainless-steel milk jug. Still, the milk heating and texturizing are fully automated. Just pop the jug of milk under the wand and let the machine take care of creating the perfect microfoam.
On test, it produced great coffee, and the simple touch screen walks you through every process. So despite needing next to no barista skills, you’ll be able to make excellent quality barista-style coffees, so long as you can stretch to the budget-busting price tag.
Read our full Sage The Oracle Touch review
Best fully-automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine
This bean-to-cup coffee machine is so hands-off that you can even control it from an app on your phone. Admittedly, it’s an expensive machine that’ll take up a good chunk of your counter space, but for one-touch coffees, it offers a hassle-free and hands-off solution to get your favorite caffeine fix.
With most coffee shop favorites available on the touch screen menu, it’s simple to use. Every drink is fully customizable, and you can fine-tune elements such as temperature, strength, and amount of foam. So while it’s fully automated, there are plenty of scopes to personalize drinks to your preferences. It will even texturize the milk once added to the plastic carafe.
Our reviewer found it simple to operate and quick at delivering coffee, while the app made it easy to customize favorite drinks. However we also found that getting the perfect coffee can take a bit of experimentation; once that's sorted, though, the Dinamica Plus should get it right every time. On the whole, if you love barista-style coffee but don’t want to learn how to make it, this is the machine for you.
Read our full De’Longhi Dinamica Plus review
Best bean-to-cup coffee machine for budding baristas
The Gaggia Magenta Plus is an excellent bean-to-cup coffee machine for those who want more input into the finished drink. It'll still take care of grinding fresh coffee beans and pouring coffee. But for milky drinks, you'll need to become familiar with the steam wand and master the correct technique for texturizing milk. However, it's not too tricky once you get the hang of it, plus you can impress your friends with your pro barista skills.
We were impressed with the espresso's robust crema and rich flavor on the test. We also liked that the drinks can be customized regarding strength, aroma, drink size, and temperature.
It's loud, though, mainly when grinding beans and steaming milk, so it's not one for early risers who want to make a coffee without disturbing the rest of the household. This sleek black machine looks great on your counter, and it's more affordable than most bean-to-cup machines, but it's not tiny, so make sure you have space to accommodate it.
Read our full Gaggia Magenta Plus review
Best bean-to-cup coffee machine for drink choice
Can’t make your mind up about which coffee is your favorite? The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul is the machine for you. It offers virtually every coffee shop drink you can think of. And it’s fully automated, so you’ll barely have to lift a finger, let alone learn how to create each drink.
It performed well on test, producing excellent drinks at the touch of a button every time. We particularly enjoyed the espresso, which had a thick crema. It’ll even fine-tune its settings depending on the variety of coffee beans you load in. Though it also has customizable settings, enabling you to make extra adjustments to suit your preferences.
It’s an investment-level coffee machine that’ll require a hefty amount of counter space, and we found the app tricky to configure, but the pay-off is having a menu of barista-style coffees delivered from bean-to-cup in just one touch.
Read our full De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul review
Best-looking bean-to-cup coffee machine
Coffee machines can be ugly, but this Smeg bean-to-cup machine is the exception to the rule. It’s sleek and won’t look out of place in even the most designer kitchen. It even comes in an array of colors to suit every style, but it is bulky so that it will take up a chunk of counter space.
Compared with other bean-to-cup machines this is a budget-friendly option, but it’s not exactly inexpensive. Nevertheless our reviewer found that it makes an enjoyably smooth espresso with a thick crema, although she was disappointed that she couldn't customize drinks other than by adjusting the volume dispensed.
The manual steam wand means you’ll get to play barista and create the perfect level of foam for your chosen drink. And with a limited selection of drinks, it’s easy to operate even though there’s no screen to display menus.
Read our full Smeg bean-to-cup Machine BCC02 review
How to choose the best bean-to-cup coffee machine for you
What to consider when buying a bean-to-cup coffee machine
Bean-to-cup coffee machines are some of the most expensive home coffee machines you can buy, so if you’re considering investing in one of these pricey appliances, it’s worth getting it right.
First up, work out how hands-on you want to be. For example, if you need milky coffee delivered at the touch of a button while you butter your toast, then you should look for a fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine with texturized milk in your cup. But if you fancy playing barista and learning to steam milk and perfect the art of creating a smooth microfoam, then a machine with a manual steam wand is the way to go.
Consider how many different drinks you want to be able to create. All fully automatic bean-to-cup machines can deliver a basic espresso, cappuccino, and latte. Still, if you’re looking for more niche coffee shop favorites like a cortado or macchiato, you’ll need to check what drink options come on the standard menu.
If you’re very particular about things like coffee temperature and size of drink dispensed, it’s worth checking out what customizable settings are available. For example, some machines allow you to fine-tune things like grind size, aroma, strength, and temperature. These settings will enable you to personalize the machine to produce bespoke drinks.
Another critical factor is the size. Due to the additional grinding function, these machines can be bigger than other coffee makers, such as espresso machines. So work out what space you have available on your counter and carefully check the dimensions of each coffee machine. Likewise, they all come equipped with different size water tanks, bean hoppers, and milk carafes, so if you need a big water tank, for example, check the specifications before buying.
What coffee machine does Brad Pitt advertise?
If you've seen a clip on TV of Brad Pitt driving a motorcycle along a stunning-looking coastline, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a trailer for his latest movie. Instead, however, it's an advert for a coffee machine.
Pitt is now a brand ambassador for De'Longhi and, in the latest advert he can be seen enjoying a cup of coffee brewed using the De'Longhi Eletta Explore bean-to-cup coffee machine, which you'll find at #2 in this list.
How we test bean-to-cup coffee machines
When we test coffee machines, there’s more to it than drinking too much coffee and spending the day high on a caffeine buzz. It starts with the setup. We evaluate how easy it is to configure all the settings and get the coffee machine up and running.
Next, we assess its ability to make espresso. This includes noting how quickly it pours the drink and the temperature and amount of liquid dispensed. We’re also looking at the quality of the crema, its thickness, color, and how well it reforms when cut with a spoon. Then, of course, we taste it. Again, we’re looking for a balanced, rich flavor, not excessively bitter, burnt, or weak.
Cappuccino is one of the most popular frothy, milk-based coffees, so this is the drink we make when trying out milk texturizing. For machines with manual steam wands, we steam the milk and evaluate how easily the steam wand creates fine microfoam and whether it’s noisy. If the milk texturizing is fully automatic, we dispense a cappuccino and check the quality of foam as well as the temperature of the milk, giving it a go with both dairy and non-dairy milk.
While using the coffee machine, we’re continually assessing general ease of use and checking what settings are customizable. We also try out different cup sizes to see what can fit under the dispenser, and if it can take two cups, we check to see if it fills both evenly. Finally, we clean it after use, hoping for easy-to-clean parts that aren’t too tricky to disassemble.
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