What are your coffee habits?

To start, let’s look at how you consume coffee with three important questions:

• How many cups do you and your household drink a day?
  A machine that's perfect for one person's morning caffeine hit can be painfully slow for a household of four.

• Do you prefer black coffee, or milky drinks like lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites?
  This alone rules out or rules in entire categories of machines.

• How much time and effort do you want to spend per cup?
  Some people find the ritual of grinding, tamping, and pulling a shot relaxing. Others just want coffee in their hand in under a minute.

Types of coffee machines

Like with any appliance, there are different types of coffee machines, and knowing what each one does, its pros and its cons, can help narrow down what machine will suit you best.

Filter coffee machines

First up, the classic countertop filter coffee machine: add water and ground coffee, press a button, and a full pot brews.

• Pros: Cheap, simple, makes multiple cups at once, minimal learning curve

• Cons: Lower quality ceiling than espresso, and can taste flat or bitter if the machine doesn't hold a consistent brewing temperature

• Best for: Households that drink a lot of straightforward black coffee and don't want to fuss over it

Recommended filter coffee machine: Bosch MyMoment TKA2M113GB Filter Coffee Machine

Why? The classic filter coffee machine, the Bosch MyMoment Filter Coffee Machine can make up to 1.4 litres of coffee (up to 10 cups!) and keep it warm for 40mins. Plus, the jug is dishwasher safe for minimal effort cleaning.

Espresso coffee machines

An espresso coffee machine forces hot water through finely-ground coffee at high pressure to create concentrated shots, which you can drink straight or turn into lattes, cappuccinos, and more.

• Pros: Highest quality ceiling with an endless drink variety.

• Cons: It’s a skill to learn, often requires a separate grinder, more cleaning and a higher upfront cost.

• Best for: People who genuinely love espresso-based drinks and don't mind investing time to get good at it

Recommended espresso coffee machine: Nespresso by De'Longhi Vertuo Pop Coffee Machine

Why? If you want rich, smooth espresso with minimal effort then this is the perfect coffee machine for you. It’s compact, easy to use and, using Nespresso pods, makes consistently great coffee.

Pod / capsule coffee machines

Pre-portioned pods or capsules go into the pod coffee machine, which brews a single cup in under a minute.

• Pros: Extremely convenient and consistent, with minimal cleaning, and takes up little space.

• Cons: Pods cost more per cup over time, less environmentally friendly (though recyclable pods exist), and quality is capped by what the pod manufacturer offers.

• Best for: Single people or couples who want zero-effort, reliably decent coffee

Recommended pod coffee machine: Tassimo by Bosch Finesse Coffee Machine

Why? The Tassimo by Bosch gives you a world of possibility with over 60 types of coffee pods to choose from. Need an extra caffeine hit? This coffee machine has an IntensityBoost button to give your coffee an extra kick. It has an adjustable cup stand so you can brew everything from a single espresso to an extra-large latte. And it self-cleans too!

Bean-to-cup coffee machines

A bean-to-cup coffee machine grinds whole beans, tamp, brew, and often froth milk — all in one machine, at the push of a button.

• Pros: Coffee shop-quality drinks with almost no manual effort, and it creates great milk-based drinks.

• Cons: Expensive upfront and a more complex machine. It also needs regular cleaning and descaling.

• Best for: People who want espresso-machine quality without the espresso-machine learning curve, and don't mind paying for that convenience

Recommended bean-to-cup coffee machine: Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Series Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

Why? The Ninja Luxe Café is intuitive to use with Barista Assist Technology to recommend the best settings for your coffee. It has 19-bar pressure to give your coffee a deliciously full flavour while its automated froth wand makes the creamiest milky coffees. It even has a cup warmer that you can use for 7 cup sizes for the most cosy brew.

Cold brew coffee makers

With the cold brew makers, you steep coarse coffee grounds in cold water for 12–24 hours for a smooth, low-acidity concentrate.

• Pros: Great for iced coffee as it has a smooth flavour and can be made in batches ahead of time

• Cons: Slow (needs advance planning), not useful if you mainly want hot coffee

• Best for: Iced coffee drinkers, especially in warmer climates or seasons.

Recommended cold brew coffee machine: Siemens EQ700 iAroma Smart Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

Why? While this coffee machine has specific settings for both Slow Bew and Cold Brew coffees, it works with coffeeWorld recipes so you can test out over 40 different hot and cold drinks from around the world. If everyone in your house has different coffee tastes, they can even set up their own personalised profile.

Manual brewing

No electricity (or minimal), full manual control, and a slower, more deliberate process.

• Pros: Cheap, portable, full control over strength and flavour, no ongoing costs beyond beans/filters

• Cons: Takes hands-on time for every cup, requires some technique to get consistently good results.

• Best for: Coffee lovers who enjoy the ritual and want maximum quality for minimum equipment cost.

Key factors to consider

Taste and quality ceiling — How good can the coffee possibly get with this machine, assuming you use it well?

Convenience and speed — How long from "I want coffee" to "coffee in hand"? How many steps are involved?

Cost: upfront vs. ongoing — A cheap machine with expensive pods can cost more over two years than a pricier machine that just uses beans.

Maintenance and cleaning — Espresso machines need regular descaling and cleaning of the group head, and bean-to-cup machines have internal components that need periodic maintenance, while pod machines are the easiest to keep clean.

Counter space and size — Bean-to-cup and larger drip machines take up a good chunk of precious counter space. Measure your counter before you buy.

Milk-based drinks — If lattes and cappuccinos are your go-to, you’ll need to make sure the coffee machine has a steam wand, integrated frother, or a separate milk frother.

Learning curve — How much do you want to learn about coffee? A great semi-automatic espresso machine in the wrong hands makes worse coffee than a mediocre pod machine.

Match your coffee machine to your lifestyle

• "I need caffeine ASAP." → A drip machine or pod machine. Minimal effort, minimal thought.

• "I love lattes and cappuccinos." → A semi-automatic espresso machine with a steam wand, or a bean-to-cup machine with an integrated frother.

• "I'm a barista at heart." → A manual espresso machine or a pour-over setup, paired with a good grinder.

• "I entertain guests often." → A bean-to-cup machine (handles variety and volume with minimal skill required) or a larger drip machine.

• "I care about cost-per-cup and sustainability." → A reusable-filter drip machine or manual brewing methods — no ongoing pod costs, less waste.

Need more help?

There's no single "best" coffee machine — only the one that matches how you prefer to get your coffee fix. If you want to learn more about coffee machines, browse our coffee machine buying guide. Ready to do some shopping? We have a wide range of coffee machines online and in-store.