Best Stay at Home Espresso Machines with Pros and Cons plus Prices

Did you know that the entire world consumes over 164,000 bags of 60kg of coffee each year? While most do so with traditional brewers, some prefer the pure taste you can only achieve with an espresso machine.

Staying at home and enjoying a good cup of coffee is a great way to spend your day but without a good espresso machine, you won’t maximize your experience. That said, with the current COVID-19 situation, going outside for a cappuccino is too risky!

Don’t get discouraged yet.

This list aims to show you the best stay at home espresso machines in the market. This includes both manual and automatic machines. Read on and find out what works best with you:

1. De’Longhi EC155 15 Bar Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker

Amazon Rating: 3.9 / 5 Stars

Pros

• 15 Bars of Pressure
• Can use either pods or grounds
• Self-primes when started

This espresso machine is a great addition to your kitchen since it’s great for beginners. With its 15 bars of pressure, it’s more than enough to make true Italian espresso. After all, the Instituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano says that preparing authentic espresso requires 8 bars of pressure.

This De’Longhi’s build quality isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s great when considering its price value. Its form factor is hard plastic, but the parts touching the espresso is stainless steel. It’s a solid machine that can handle heavy usage for years, with a one-year guarantee in case it breaks sooner than expected.

The best part of EC155 is its versatility. It uses either pods or grounds when brewing coffee. This is a huge advantage when you have no time to grind the beans. It doesn’t have the built-in coffee grinder unlike higher-tier machines, but making coffee using various sources is a great feature.

Also, the EC155 is easy enough to use since it self-primes when started. It only uses a single button press, meaning it’s not that complex compared to other machines. Maintaining this machine is also easy, as long as you follow the manufacturers’ instructions.

Cons

• Plastic parts can break down faster

2. Sowtech Espresso Machine 3.5 Bar 4 Cup Espresso Maker Cappuccino

Amazon Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Pros

• Faster espresso brewing
• Professional design
• 1-4 cups of coffee per brew

This automatic espresso machine from Sowtech has 3.5 bar steam pressure, making it easy to brew espresso within a few minutes. You can use both fresh beans and pre-ground espresso, with measuring scoops that help you put the ground coffee to the filter with more precision.

Its capacity allows you to brew 1-4 cups at the same time, with a maximum of 240ml of brew. It produces a strong coffee flavor since it can separate rich and smooth crema for better preservation. It even has a powdered milk frother, allowing you to make thick and creamy foam for latte or cappuccino.

This Sowtech espresso machine’s design looks professional, with stainless steel and black color palette. It fits perfectly, whether you use it in your home kitchen or your office space. It also has a removable drip tray, meaning you’ll have an easier time cleaning it.

Cons

• Lower steam pressure bar

3. Breville the Barista Express Espresso Machine, BES870XL

Amazon Rating: 4.6 / 5 Stars

Pros

• Larger and more durable
• Pressure gauge allows optimal taste
• Enables manual grind

This Breville espresso machine looks intimidating with its knobs, buttons, and dials. But it has a detailed manual, allowing you to learn the basic process with a few practice runs. You can set the amount of grind, with the portafilter enabling you to grind manually.

The Barista Express’s design has the standard size of a drip coffee maker, but with twice the width. Compared to other espresso makers on this list, it’s larger and has better physical durability. But its stainless-steel chassis and other steel components show that it means serious business.

Breville’s pressure gauge is at the center of the control panel. It shows whether its internal pump pushes water through the coffee grounds. It ensures that the pressure range is optimal since too much or too little means getting a sour or bitter taste.

Cons

• Intimidating for beginners

4. Wacaco Nanopresso Portable Espresso Maker

Amazon Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Pros

• Pocket-sized and portable
• No power needed
• 18 bars of pressure maximum

This manual espresso machine looks like a souped-up Thermos, which might not fit the aesthetics you have in mind. But it’s charming in its own right since it’s pocket-sized while retaining the respectable capability of churning out hand-pumped espresso.

The espresso needs no battery or charging since your hand-pumping efforts can produce a maximum of 18 bars of pressure. The result will taste somewhat like coffee served in cafes. But it’s light, small, and easy to pump, and it comes with a built-in espresso cup.

The Wacaco Nanopresso is great when used like stay at home espresso machines, but its main selling point is its portability. To set it up, you need a stable surface and hot water, regardless of your location.

Cons

• Not aesthetically pleasing

5. STARESSO Portable Espresso Machine

Amazon Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Pros

• Strong flavor with Nice Crema
• Chamber for frothing milk
• 15 bars of pressure

This small, portable machine performs well, extracting a strong flavor to make a nice crema. If you’re staying at home and want an easy, cheap way of satisfying your espresso cravings, the STARESSO espresso machine is a good choice. It has a chamber that enables you to make cappuccino by frothing milk.

Maintaining this machine is simple since all you need is to shake out the excess water. After that, tap the spend grinds out and wash all components until they’re clean. It’s an easy endeavor if you have a sink, but be thorough and ensure that no milk residue remains.

Cons

• Thorough Rinsing needed

6. Litchi Espresso Maker

Amazon Rating: 4.0 / 5 Stars

Pros

• Portable and easy to operate
• No power needed
• No special equipment needed for cleaning

This espresso machine is best for its compact size and operability. Regardless of whether you’re staying home or going outdoors, the Litchi espresso maker will be there for you. You won’t need batteries since all you need is to put hot water inside the compartment and ground coffee to create the espresso.

Its cleaning process is easy since it’s doable with your bare hands. With flowing water, you can clean the machine’s components without brushes. It’s ideal if you’re not spending more money to get specialized cleaning equipment.

To make the taste come out, you need piping hot water. Pump the piston to strain the hot water through the ground coffee. This ensures your final product is strong with crema.

Cons

• Manual pumping

Runner Ups

These two espresso makers are good in their own way. They’re great as alternatives if you can’t get the abovementioned products:

1. Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker, Electric Titan

Amazon Rating: 4.6 / 5 Stars

Pros

• 19-bar high pressure pump
• Aesthetically pleasing
• Can make 9 cups of coffee

This Nespresso product has a 19-bar high pressure pump, allowing you to make stronger cappuccino. It has a 0.7 L tank, which equates to about 9 coffee cups before replacing the water tank. Its sleek and compact design makes it a good fit within your kitchen’s small space.

The machine has buttons for both espresso and lungo, enabling you to pick the cup size. It’s easy to use and won’t be too heavy on your electric bill. It’s because of its auto power-off feature.

The only drawback is the espresso maker’s price. It’s $230, which might be too heavy for your home. Regardless, it remains a great choice when making incredible espresso cups.

Cons

• Expensive

2. Mr. Coffee ECMP1000 Café Barista Premium Espresso/Cappuccino System

Amazon Rating: 4.1 / 5 Stars

Pros

• 15-bar pump system
• Water tank capacity can make over 15 cups
• User-friendly design

The Mr. Coffee brand is famous ever since the 70s because of their fantastic coffee quality. Its 15-bar pump system alone can make coffee with a medium taste. It’s an electric pump, meaning a single button push will pump coffee from the dispenser.

This machine can hold up to 55 oz of water in its tank, allowing you to make almost 20 coffee cups. Its design allows you to adjust the machine for bigger cups. The drip tray is detachable, making it easier to maintain.

Its One Touch Control Panel can make your preferred coffee blend and save the settings for future use. The ECMP1000 also has an automatic milk frother, making your milk more pleasing. But as with the other espresso machine, it’s also expensive.

Cons

• Expensive

Get the Best Stay at Home Espresso Machines Today!

These are some great choices for stay at home espresso machines. Use this list to get the most out of the money you invest in these products.

Of course, there’s a lot more to discover when it comes to enjoying your favorite cup of coffee. Feel free to read more of our guides here to get all the coffee tips and tricks you need!