Iona Brackley
Coffee machine tester
Iona Brackley does the testing and the writing here: warm-up times from cold, brew temperature across three consecutive shots, milk in a small jug as well as a large one, and the noise a machine makes at seven in the morning. Where she has not had a machine in front of her, the article says so and stays with the specification and what owners consistently report.
Independent testing: measurements taken at the worktop, manuals read in preference to retail listings, and no machines accepted from makers in exchange for coverage.
- machines tracked
- 14
- machines tracked
- articles published
- 10
- articles published
- features & makers covered
- 78
- features & makers covered
- 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.
- 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.
- Rancilio Silvia V6 review: 8.3, and the wand you buy it for
Top steam rating in the catalogue, on the highest weight we record: 90. The price is practice, and a listing that often shows a different machine.
- 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.
- De'Longhi Magnifica S review: worth it at 7.8?
The only one of our 14 machines at the top mark for both value and ease of use, at a score of 7.8. Then you meet the milk wand, and the case narrows sharply.
- Sage Bambino Plus review: 8.4/10, and half a purchase
It scores 8.4 and out-steams machines from two tiers above it. The catch is the grinder it does not have, and a drip tray the auto purge keeps filling.
- 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.
- 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.
- Sage Barista Express BES875: worth it at 8.6/10?
One body that grinds, doses and brews, and the 8.6 that comes with it. The costs are a dose measured in seconds and a pause every time you steam.
- Gaggia Classic Evo Pro review: 8.5/10 and a naming trap
A 58 mm commercial group and 5/5 build at a domestic price, with no PID and 2/5 for ease of use. And the E24 on the box is the same machine.