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Hands-on reviews and buying guides for espresso machines and coffee makers — from entry-level to prosumer, manual to super-automatic.
Drip coffee makers have come a long way from the basic machines that produced watery, lukewarm coffee for decades. Today's best models rival the precision of manual brewing methods, with exact temperature control, bloom cycles, and flow rat
The stovetop Moka pot is one of the great democratic coffee inventions — a simple, durable, affordable device that has produced strong, rich coffee in Italian households and around the world for nearly a century. Invented by Alfonso Bialett
Cold brew coffee has moved from specialty shop novelty to mainstream kitchen staple — and for good reason. The cold steep process produces a coffee concentrate with dramatically lower acidity and bitterness than hot-brewed coffee, extractin
Scale buildup is the silent killer of home espresso machines. Calcium and magnesium minerals in tap water deposit inside boilers, heating elements, and groupheads over time, gradually reducing heating efficiency, restricting water flow, and
There's a reason lever espresso machines inspire such devoted followings: they put the entire extraction process in your hands. No pump, no electronics, no automation — just your arm, a spring or direct lever, and the art of reading pressur
Scale buildup is the silent killer of espresso machines. Even in areas with relatively soft water, mineral deposits accumulate inside boilers, group heads, and steam wands over time — gradually choking flow rates, degrading temperature stab
Buying your first semi-automatic espresso machine is one of the most rewarding upgrades a home coffee drinker can make — and one of the most confusing. The market ranges from $100 entry-level machines that produce mediocre results to $2,000
The moka pot is one of the most enduring coffee brewing devices ever made — invented in 1933, still manufactured essentially unchanged today, and still capable of producing some of the most intensely flavored coffee available outside a comm
Cold brew has earned a permanent spot in the home coffee rotation for good reason: it is smoother, less acidic, and more forgiving of bean quality than hot-brewed coffee served over ice. The concentrate you produce at home is also dramatica
The portafilter handle is the part of your espresso setup you touch dozens of times a day, yet most home baristas never think about replacing it until the original cracks, burns, or simply feels wrong in their hand. A well-chosen replacemen
Every serious home espresso enthusiast eventually arrives at the same conclusion: the grinder matters more than almost any other variable in the cup. A mediocre espresso machine running freshly and precisely ground coffee will outperform a
A clean espresso machine pulls better shots. Rancid coffee oils, mineral scale, and milk residue don't just affect flavor — they clog group heads, degrade seals, and shorten machine life significantly. Yet cleaning is the most neglected par
