The Best Espresso Machines for Home Baristas
The Best espresso machines for home must thread a delicate needle. Espresso is forceful and finicky, and a little intimidating, and yet so essential that astronauts might take it into orbit. A home espresso machine remains the most intense and expensive device I regularly operate before my first cup of coffee.
I tend to favor devices that let technology do much of the work and don't make you join a cult of engineers before your first cup. And so my top-rated espresso machine, the Fellow Series 1, earned its place on WIRED's counter by combining ease of use with a solid build, consistent temperature, and rare control over pressure—an industry-beating mix of nerdiness and hand-holding friendliness. For a more classic, all-analog build, we offer the compact, stylish Diletta Mio.
But I also know not everyone wants to also buy a good coffee grinder or spend four figures for their morning cup. For those who want milk-based drinks and a built-in grinder, I recommend the top-selling Breville Barista Express as the Goldilocks machine balancing performance and cost. For an entry-level device, I pretty much always recommend the straight-ahead Breville Bambino, among the lowest-cost machines with PID-controlled temperature.
Note that this guide mostly covers classic, hands-on espresso machines with portafilters. We do also include the De'Longhi Rivelia, our top pick among super-automatic espresso machines that require little more than a button press. For a guide that focuses on easy-to-use espresso machine picks that do most of the work for you, check out our guide to the Best Latte and Automatic Espresso Machines.
Also be sure to check out our other coffee guides, like the Best Drip Coffee Makers, Best Cold Brew Makers, Best Aeropresses, Best Coffee Pod Machines, Best Coffee Subscriptions, and Best Coffee Grinders.
Updated March 2026: After recent testing, I've changed my top pick to the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine, moving the previous top pick, the Breville Oracle Jet, to honorable mentions. I also added WIRED's assessment of the Gevi espresso machine to the guide. As always, I updated picks, descriptions, and prices throughout.
Best Espresso Machine Overall
- Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
- Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
- Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
- Video: Matthew Korfhage
San Francisco-based Fellow is almost certainly the most innovative and tech-forward coffee machine company of the moment. And rarely has an espresso machine so swiftly changed what I want from the best espresso makers as the Fellow Series 1, which started shipping in early 2026. Sure, the temperature control is admirable, with a patented heating technology that threads the needle between the fast heating of a thermoblock and the stability of a boiler. Automatic milk frothing is about as good and as fast as it gets. The dial and LED-screen controls are intuitive. And the device is compact, conserving both counter space and airspace.
But the real game-changing addition with this machine is the way Fellow has introduced tight pressure control and shot profiles to the non-geek home espresso landscape. Almost every other espresso machine on the market just sorta aims at 9 bars of pressure and shrugs. The Series 1 offers profiles for light, medium, or dark roast that change pressure based on what's right for each bean—keeping dark roasts classic but pulling longer shots and dialing back pressure on light-roast beans. Other profiles, like turbo shots or “Modern Arc,” cater to the modern yen for espresso with less bitterness.
After testing for weeks, I'm sold. You'd pay at least double to find this feature on any other espresso machine. And no device lets you play with pressure as easily as the Fellow, even before a planned firmware update that'll allow you to sync profiles through Fellow's phone app. The app remains mostly a placeholder for now, offering tutorials and education but TBD functionality. But Fellow's track record building out the app on my top-pick drip coffee machine, the Fellow Aiden, gives me confidence this is a temporary blip. Volumetric controls still need tweaking, and the removable water reservoir can only be removed straight up from the device, requiring significant clearance.
But even with these early quirks, the Fellow Series 1 remains the most impressive espresso machine I've tested in the past couple of years. And it's changed what I want from espresso machines in the future. The Series 1 might already be the most-hyped machine of 2026. But this time, the hype is warranted.
Specs Type Semiautomatic (but no grinder) Dimensions 17.2 × 12.4 × 11 inches Weight 22 pounds Heating system, pump Boiler-thermoblock hybrid, 2-minute warm-up Materials Stainless steel, brass, silicone, BPA-free plastic, optional wood trim Grinder and hopper Nope! Separate grinder, as is traditional Water reservoir 2 liters, removable Steam wand Assisted milk steaming, multiple foam types and temperature cutoff Other features Pressure shot profiles, heated group head, bean assist, cleaning tools with interior storage, 58-mm filter, app in development Warranty 2 years, extendable WIRED/TIREDWIRED- Beautiful temperature consistency and fast heat-up
- Game-changing pressure control and shot profiles
- Well-machined and built
TIRED- Water tank requires high overhead to remove
- Shot volume not always precise.
- App is still in progress
