Today (Friday, September 29) is National Coffee Day. More Americans drink coffee on a daily basis (63%) than any other beverage, according to the National Coffee Association. In fact, 62% drink coffee every day, and 70% drink coffee every week.
If you tend to grab coffee and espresso drinks at your local coffee shop, you could be missing out on the opportunity to make your own barista-style favorites at home. That’s because we’re not talking about the $20 coffee makers that your parents may have used when you were a child. Today, some models include built-in grinders with multiple grind settings, café-quality milk texturing, rainmaker showerhead, various brew and temperature settings, and are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association. There are even smart models that connect to Wi-Fi and allow you to brew remotely.
Check out these coffee and espresso makers that will turn you into an at-home barista.
Café Grind and Brew Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
The latest offering from Café, the Café Grind and Brew Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe continues the company’s tradition of combining beauty and functionality. This model has an built-in adjustable burr grinder – a feature that’s still rare in coffee makers – with 6 grind settings. It also has a removable water tank, which is easier to fill, remove, and clean. Since the coffee maker is Wi-Fi enabled, it can be used with the SmartHQ mobile app, and also controlled via Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. Both the brew temperature and brew strength can be adjusted, and the coffee maker is Specialty Coffee Association gold cup standard certified. Also, it can brew directly into a travel mug, or the 10-cup thermal carafe.
Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine
The compact Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine punches above its weight in terms of performance. It uses a stainless steel portafilter with dual and single wall filters, along with a 15 bar Italian pump, and a PID temperature control system that reaches the optimum extraction temperature in just 3 seconds. The controls are simple and easy to use, and you can choose to press a button to create microfoam, or manually texture it like your favorite coffee shop. The Bambino Plus comes in a variety of finishes, including Damson Blue, Brushed Stainless Steel, Black Truffle, Royal Champagne, Red Velvet Cake, Smoked Hickory, Oyster Shell, and Sea Salt.
OXO Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker
The latest OXO coffee maker, the OXO Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker, has the largest capacity of the company’s machines (the other two are 8-cup and 9-cup models). The programmable machine is SCA gold cup certified and has a rainmaker showerhead that evenly distributes water. It has a large brew basket for 5 to 12 servings, and also a small brew basket for 2 to 4 servings. The coffee maker also has a podless single serve option that can brew coffee directly into your coffee mug. The display screen is easy to read and use, and the stainless steel thermal carafe, which is cool to the touch, keeps coffee hot for a long time.
Keurig K-Café Smart Coffee Maker
Start brewing your coffee remotely and customize your brew setting with the Keurig K-Café Smart Single Serve Coffee Maker, which can connect via WiFi to the Keurig app. Within the app are also step-by-step instructions to make a variety of coffee recipes. The coffee maker, which uses K-Cup pods, has five strength settings, and you can also choose from six temperature settings, and six brew sizes. In addition, the hot and cold milk frother can be used with both milk and dairy alternatives.
Espro P7 French Press Coffee Maker
French Presses are known to leave sludge, but not the Espro P7 French Press Coffee Maker, which uses two micro-mesh filters to keep grit out of your coffee cup. The stainless-steel double walled French press is durable and keeps coffee hot. It’s available in both 18-ounce and 32-ounce sizes, and in several colors, including Aegean Blue, Brushed Stainless Steel, Polished Stainless Steel, Cranberry, Matte Black, and Matte White.
De’Longhi Eletta Explore Espresso Machine
If you want a fancy-schmancy espresso machine, look no further than the De’Longhi Eletta Explore Espresso Machine, which can make over 40 hot and cold recipes, including Cappuccino, Latte, Flat White, Espresso, and also Iced Cappuccino, Ice Latte, etc. The espresso maker has both a hot LatteCrema system and a cold LatteCrema System to froth milk at the desired temperature. In addition, the easy-to-read touch display uses a combination of words and icons to make it easy to view and choose selections. Plus, the built-in grinder has 13 grind settings, so it can handle a variety of coffee beans.
Breville Precision Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker
Perhaps the best coffee maker ever (in my humble opinion), the Breville Precision Brewer Coffee Maker has been around for a while, but continues to set the standard. If you like options, it lets you customize everything. For starters, it has both cone filter baskets and flat bottom filter baskets. Brew choices include Gold, Fast, Strong, Iced, and Cold Brew – and you can also set the machine to remember your settings. The programmable, SCA Gold Cup-certified coffee maker has adjustable bloom times and brew temperatures, and you can even choose the flow rate. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot, but Breville also makes a model with a glass carafe and heater plate.
Ninja Espresso & Coffee Barista System
If you prefer to alternate between pods and ground, the Ninja Espresso & Coffee Barista System can accommodate both. It can use coffee grounds to brew everything from a cup to a carafe of coffee. However, single-serve espresso capsules can also be used to make Espresso, Lungo, and Over Iced coffee recipes as well. The machine has a 19-bar pressure system and a built-in frother, which folds out of the way, and can froth both milk and milk alternatives. Also, the used capsule storage bin can house up to 20 capsules, so you can go weeks without emptying it.
OXO Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker
Still my favorite option, the OXO Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker is simple to use, and the sleek, slim design looks good on my countertop. However, the real beauty of this coffee maker (also known as the OXO Barista Brain), is that it only has one button/dial that controls the clock and wake up time, cup settings, as well as starting and stopping the brew cycle. The rainmaker showerhead distributes water evenly over the coffee grounds, and the coffee maker has an integrated bloom cycle design to extract flavor at the right time to avoid being bitter or weak. The thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for hours, and the (removable) silicone mixing tube blends coffee as it’s being brewed into the pot. The coffee maker is SGA Gold Cup standard-certified.
Nespresso Vertuo Latissima
Pod lovers will appreciate the ease of using the Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima, which can brew both espresso and coffee. The coffee machine can make Espresso, Double Espresso, and also 5 oz, 8 oz, 12 oz, and 18 oz coffee sizes, using the 4 coffee pod sizes. There’s a milk frother , which has three milk recipe settings and can make Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, and milk foam. The one touch precision brewing process makes it easy to make your favorite coffee drinks. The machine is available in Matte Black and Matte White.
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