9 Best Coffee and Espresso Makers, Tested by Our Kitchen Lab

De'Longhi’s all-in-one coffee and espresso maker has everything you need to make drip coffee, espresso shots, lattes and more. The dual heating system lets you start a pot of coffee and pull a shot of espresso at the same time. There’s no need to buy a separate milk frother since one is built in to make your favorite coffee house drinks.

This machine packs a lot into one device, and according to one of our testers, the footprint is only a little larger than most drip-only machines. It's about the same size as some espresso makers, so it doesn’t take up too much room on the counter, and you get the function of both machines.

The drip coffee side has a reusable filter (some brands refer to them as permanent filters) that we found easy to change and the coffee brews quickly in about five minutes. The keep warm setting can be set up to 11 hours and 59 minutes, but the default is two hours. Not only did it keep our coffee warm for 2 hours, it actually made it hotter.

The espresso side is convenient with a removable water reservoir, and the portafilter can use pre-ground beans or ESE coffee pods. We thought the drip coffee was tasty and found the espresso side produces a nice, even crema. The only drawback is it's recommended to run a cycle of hot water through the espresso side before pulling a shot, but if you place your mug underneath the portafilter while you do so, the warm water will preheat your mug.

READ MORE: I've Been Using the De'Longhi All-in-One Coffee Maker for a Year, and Here's What I Think

Not only is the K-Cafe Single-Serve convenient for making coffee, but it also makes whipping up lattes and cappuccinos very easy. Use any K-cup in the machine, including specific pods for espresso, and choose the “shot” button option for a fresh espresso-like shot to drink on its own or use as the base of a latte or cappuccino. Even though the espresso didn’t have enough crema for our liking, the preheat time, brew time, coffee temperature and volume were very consistent in our tests.

We found that the built-in milk frother worked well and quickly frothed milk. In our test, it worked with whole, skim, almond and soy milk. If you prefer iced drinks, there's also a cold froth option. Leftover milk can be stored in the fridge with the lid that comes with the frother. The frother is also dishwasher safe, so it’s easy to clean.

The Nespresso Vertuo has a unique barcode system that detects the capsule type and automatically adjusts for the correct size, temperature, pressure and brew time to make the optimal cup of coffee or espresso. Unlike other machines, you don't need to brew multiple pods or add water manually to get the drink you prefer. Instead, the Nespresso includes brew options like espresso, double espresso, gran lungo, mug and alto so you can customize the strength and size of your drink.

Every cup of coffee and espresso we made came out hot and well-rounded and the espresso had excellent crema. The water tank is removable and can be configured in three different positions to fit the space you have available. The overall footprint is relatively small. And if you're worried about the capsule waste, Nespresso will recycle the pods if you send them back to the company.

This Philips machine keeps things simple and easy, offering a choice of five popular drinks at the push of a button. Choose from espresso, coffee, cappuccino, latte macchiato or Americano, and the machine automatically adds the correct amount of milk or water to your drink. The touchscreen is straightforward, allowing you to choose your drink directly without having to scroll through a ton of complicated options.

It makes coffee from whole beans, ensuring that each grind is fresh. Our testers found the drinks flavorful but light-bodied so this is best for someone that doesn’t like extremely strong coffee drinks. Rather than using a frothing wand, the LatteGo has a frothing chamber that mixes air and milk at high speed and adds it directly into the drink. The frothing container can be removed to store leftover milk in the fridge and it can be put in the dishwasher, making clean-up easy.

If you’re looking for convenience but don’t want to sacrifice quality, look no further than the De'Longhi Dinamica. This machine does all the brewing and frothing for you and adds espresso and milk in the correct proportions. All you need to do is push a button to select your drink; it doesn’t get much easier.

In our testing, we liked the highly responsive touch screen that offers 16 one-touch or customized coffee drinks like espresso, cappuccino, latte, flat white, iced coffee, regular coffee and more. The machine also has a smart feature that recognizes your preferences and lists your most frequently used drinks first on the display. We found it takes some setup work, but once it's up and running, it’s intuitive to use. Non-coffee drinkers will appreciate the hot milk and hot water options for hot chocolate, tea and more. It can also brew over ice for iced coffee and other iced drinks.

When we taste-tested the drinks, we found the coffee was smooth, round and nicely hot. When it came to espresso, the crema was thin but creamy. We also liked the cappuccinos and lattes which were silky and delicious. The built-in milk frother is also removable allowing leftover milk to be stored in the fridge and used again later. Clean-up is easy, just note that the machine will rinse itself when it shuts off which means the drip tray will need to be emptied more frequently.

The Jura ENA 4 has a compact design and narrow profile compared to other automatic machines, so it fits into a smaller space. When we tested it, we liked it so much that it became one of the go-to machines in our Kitchen Lab for tasty morning brews. One of our pros has owned this machine for years and it's still one of their favorites for its tasty espresso and simplicity. Though we didn’t find the control panel to be intuitive at first, once we got the hang of it, we found it was easy to use. It’s available in black or white and the control panel has just four buttons and four preprogrammed coffee specialties: espresso, espresso doppio, coffee and coffee doppio.

Another plus: it's one of the few machines on this list that has a separate chute for ground coffee, so you can make a cup of decaf or opt for a different roast without removing the beans in the hopper. It doesn’t come with a built-in milk frother, however. If you would rather have the machine froth milk for you, upgrade to Jura E6, which can be hooked up to the Jura E6 Cool Control that holds the milk for frothing. This innovative container keeps the milk at the correct temperature on your countertop so there's no hassle of putting the leftover milk back into the fridge. In fact, we loved this device so much that we gave it a spot in our latest Good Housekeeping Kitchen Gear and Coffee Awards.

Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this Bialetti Moka Pot. It still makes some of the most flavorful — and strong — coffee. It's no-frills with quick results, all on your stovetop.

One of our staff members raves about her Bialetti Moka Pot, saying it makes the tastiest coffee and saves her $3,500 a year on coffee shop runs. And it's easy to use. Fill the base with water, insert the funnel and scoop in ground coffee. On the stovetop, as the water and steam heat up, the pressure pushes water to the top and over the coffee grounds, making coffee in just minutes. Just be sure to watch it carefully, otherwise, you could end up with burnt coffee. The results produce a strong brew similar to espresso, so if you like a more traditional cup you can make it Americano-style by adding hot water.

The Moka Pot is available in several sizes from 1-cup to 12-cup capacities. Every size is relatively compact, making it great for those who don't have a lot of storage space. Unfortunately, it's hand-wash only, without any soap, but since it's small, it only takes a few minutes to rinse out and only needs a deeper clean every so often.

Our experts found this Miele espresso and coffee machine easy to set up and use. It has three bean hoppers, unlike most that only have one, so it can hold a dark roast, a light roast and a decaf, for example — great if you have a household with varying coffee tastes. Coffee aficionados will also appreciate multiple hoppers to tailor their favorite coffee beans to various drinks, like using one bean type for an espresso shot and another for a café au lait.

It has 22 preset drink settings, from simple coffee to flat whites and more. We tested the espresso, cappuccino and latte settings. The espresso crema was on the thicker side but tasty, the latte had a nice balance of milk and espresso and our tasters said the cappuccino had great flavor.

It also has various brew times and temperatures for different teas, such as white, green, herbal tea and more. It's able to create two drinks at once, and you can program up to 10 user profiles to customize individual preferences.

You won't have to refill the water tank often since this device boasts a 74-ounce water tank capacity, one of the largest we've tested. We like that the machine automatically cleans itself with a rinse cycle and has a large drip tray to catch the water. However, that does mean more frequent trips to empty the drip tray. We found that if we waited too long to empty the tray, the excess water spilled easily.

We've always been impressed with Aeropress for its smooth, tasty coffee and its small size makes it great to take along when traveling. Aeropress took it a step further with the Go, giving you all the parts you need to brew a delicious cup in a compact setup. We liked it so much that we gave it a spot in our latest Kitchen Gear and Coffee Awards. In addition to the plunger and filters, it also comes with a cup, lid, scoop and stirrer. Plus, you can brew directly into the provided cup. Our experts were impressed with how easy it is to make coffee by adding hot water and coffee grounds, then plunging it through an airtight chamber with a filter after steeping for a minute or so depending on how strong you like your coffee.

When you're finished brewing, all the parts nest into the cup and lid to easily pack up and take on the go. When we tested it, we found it made a rich brew and was easy to use. Our pros appreciated that everything is stacked together so you don't have to worry about losing parts when taking it with you. It's also great for the office since it's small enough to store on your desk so you can have a fresh cup anytime. You can also make a tasty espresso-like drink with the Go. One thing to note: while this does use pressure to extract the water through the ground coffee beans, it's not as much pressure as a true espresso machine. Our pros found it didn't taste exactly like a real espresso. However, when using finely ground coffee and a small amount of water, it's a tasty option for an espresso-style drink when an espresso machine is not available.