Which machine actually makes the coffee you drink.
Comparisons, buying guides and scores based on specifications we check and machines we use. Timings and temperatures, not adjectives.
- Machines14
- Format5
- Tier4
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All reviews
Gaggia Classic Evo Pro: is it worth it? 8.5, plus a grinder
It scores 8.5 and takes our top value rating, the only machine above the mid tier that does both. The grinder is the part nobody budgets for.
- PublishedAug 3, 2026
- min read11
Sage Barista Express alternatives: 4 cheaper ways in
Go cheaper and you hand back either the grinder or the portafilter. Only 1 of the 14 machines we track is a measured match for the BES875.
- PublishedJul 31, 2026
- min read12
Sage Barista Express worth it? Only if you own no grinder
It takes our highest score and only 4 of 5 for value. The distance between those two numbers is the whole answer, and a grinder sits inside it.
- PublishedAug 20, 2026
- min read11
Sage Bambino Plus: 4 cheaper machines and what they lose
Nothing cheaper than the Bambino Plus textures milk for you: the four machines below it rate 2 or 1 where it takes a 5. One of them outlives it.
- PublishedAug 11, 2026
- min read14
Lelit Anna PL41TEM review: is 57 mm worth a PID?
A factory PID at the entry to the prosumer tier, and a 57 mm group almost no third party kit fits. Which of those you notice depends on you.
- PublishedAug 24, 2026
- min read14
Machines
Browse all machines- SageBambino PlusThree seconds from cold to ready, and an automatic wand that textures milk better than most people do by hand. Buy it for the milk and the speed; buy the grinder separately, because there isn't one.Espresso8.4
- De'LonghiMagnifica S ECAM22.110Fifteen years on sale and still the bean-to-cup most British households end up with. The brew group comes out for cleaning, which is the feature that decides year five, and the two finest grind settings jam it.BeanToCup7.8
- SageBarista Express BES875A PID, a real wand and a burr grinder in one body, which is why it is the machine most people learn on. It is also messy to dose and makes you wait between brewing and steaming, and both are the price of the format.Espresso8.6
- GaggiaClassic Evo ProA commercial 58 mm group and a real wand at a domestic price, with a brass boiler since the E24 revision. No PID, so you learn to time the warm-up — and almost everything on it can be replaced by hand.Espresso8.5