Strengths

Hands-on control

Machines that score highly for hands-on control, ranked by our score.

MakerFormatTierScore

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.EspressoPremium8.6
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.EspressoProsumer8.5
RancilioSilvia V6A 300 ml brass boiler and a wand borrowed from Rancilio's café machines: steam that does not run out halfway through the second jug. Heavy, no PID, and a reputation built over nearly thirty years.EspressoProsumer8.3
LelitAnna PL41TEMThe cheapest way into a PID and a brass boiler, which is the combination that stops you guessing at temperature. The 57 mm portafilter is the catch: almost no accessory in the shops fits it.EspressoProsumer8.2
De'LonghiLa Specialista Arte EC9155A grinder, non-pressurised baskets and a wand the maker genuinely aims at latte art, in a body smaller than its rivals. Eight grind settings is the constraint, and 51 mm baskets limit what you can buy for it.EspressoPremium7.9
De'LonghiStilosa EC230The cheapest way to own a real portafilter machine, and it makes a better shot than its price suggests. What you give up is the milk: the wand is short, slow and the reason nobody makes a flat white on one.EspressoBudget6.8

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Strengths that travel together

Espresso quality Steam power Build quality Temperature stability Serviceability Compact footprint