The Affetto is expensive, and as an automated machine, it can be finicky. Just make sure it's filled with water and beans and clean out the used coffee grounds container regularly and it will work like a dream.
We love this machine. It's the best Keurig we've ever used (8/10, Wired recommends) and has the best aerator of any machine tested for this guide. Even though the K-Café doesn't technically make espresso (the K-cup system doesn't put any pressure on its coffee grounds), it still makes a delicious "espresso-style" 2-ounce cup of coffee that tastes almost as strong, but not Grease you may want.
The real magic is the bubbler. It has three settings - cold drink, latte and cappuccino - to froth milk to perfection at the touch of a button. Once done, simply pour the milk using the spout on the side. The kettle is made of stainless steel and the plastic spinner removes instantly, making cleanup as easy as a quick run under the tap. It's so easy to use and clean that even though I use other machines to make espresso, I sometimes use it to froth milk. I love it so much that I don't even mind that the nozzle on the frother is designed for right-handers. The southpaw is happy to adapt.
While Keurig's disposable coffee pods used to be difficult to recycle through the system, they are now 100% recyclable. Unfortunately, the world's recycling infrastructure is facing a bit of a crisis, so for guilt-free sipping, you're better off sticking to Keurig's reusable coffee filters; we recommend sticking to the brand name, as we found Cheaper imitations are unreliable.
Sometimes, using an automated machine to make a full latte or cappuccino can be a waste of time. Not to mention, sometimes everything you really want It's foamed milk. This is where a milk frother comes in. These machines beat air into milk or milk substitutes to get a delicious, creamy foam.
Most frothers create a stiff foam on the milk, which isn't great for a latte or cappuccino. Proper texture of milk is creamy, light, airy, and does not stiffen or separate. That’s why our current favorite is Subminimal’s Nanofoamer.
A Kickstarter darling, Nanofoamer is now a real product. It looks like a very small immersion blender, and that's more or less. It has two different screens mounted on the blade: one for fine texture milk and another for extra fine texture milk. The difference is subtle, but the milk produced by the fine filter is small amount Lathers more than an ultrafine filter. The filter allows the Nanofoamer to do what baristas do with steam wands: texture Your milk creates the perfect creamy top.
Photography: Jeffrey Van Camp
How we test each machine
The key here is automation. We wanted to test out a machine that can make you a cup of coffee with just one click, or as close as we can get. Therefore, most of the products on this list are automatic and semi-automatic varieties. You fill them up and they do all the hard work—or at least most of the work.
Installation and cleanup are especially important, as is durability. The whole point of a device like this is to save time and energy and/or produce a higher quality drink than the device without it, so we don't recommend anything that doesn't produce great tasting espresso and Save time.
Which beans should you buy?
Even if you don't make espresso, the first and best thing you can do to significantly improve the quality of your morning coffee is to buy locally roasted coffee beans. Type your city or region into Google along with "locally roasted coffee beans" and you'll be glad you did. Your locally roasted coffee tastes better than anything you buy from a big coffee roaster like Starbucks, Illy, or Gevalia, for one simple reason: Coffee only grows in a few areas of the world, and it starts to lose its flavor the moment it's roasted. Tasty.
Try to avoid brands that promote their European origins. Coffee isn't grown in Italy, France, or anywhere else in Europe, so you're always buying beans that were roasted thousands of miles away and spent an unknown amount of time in transit before reaching you. Even if you order a bag of killer coffee beans from a coffee-producing region of the world (and roast them there), it won't arrive until those flavors start to transform. Trust me, buy from your local roaster. You won't regret it. For some of our favorite mail-order brands, check out our roundup of the best coffee subscription services.
What else do you need?
Ground coffee: If you haven't made espresso before and don't have a coffee grinder, we still recommend purchasing locally roasted coffee beans. Just ask your barista for a fine (espresso) grind. We tried a number of pre-ground espresso blends from popular companies like Lavazza, Gevalia, and Café Bustelo. They're all dark and bitter, partly because they're either imported or roasted in large batches and shipped around the world. Grinding coffee is another thing that causes coffee to start degrading. Use freshly ground, locally roasted coffee beans within two weeks, otherwise you'll end up with black coffee, bitter coffee, acidic coffee, and some kind of funky coffee. Our roundup of the best coffee grinders can provide some guidance here, too.
Distributors and Tampers: Many machines come with plastic compactors, but few come with a proper dispenser and compactor. You'll need to check the size of the handle (it'll be noted in your machine's manual), but this combination dispenser and compactor is a good option for most machines.