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CoffeeHQ

Coffee makers

What to expect from each category before you buy: how it works, who it suits, running cost, and the trade-offs. Not sure where to start? Try the coffee-maker selector.

Working out what to buy

Ordered by what actually limits the result rather than by what is most enjoyable to shop for. Each ends somewhere useful rather than at a purchase.

Set up for espresso

You want espresso or milk drinks at home and are working out what to buy.

Espresso is the most demanding thing on this site and the easiest to spend money badly on. The order below is what actually limits the result, and the first item surprises people.

  1. The grinder decides the ceilingIt must adjust finely at a fine setting — not merely reach one.
  2. Understand your basketMost entry machines ship pressurised, and it changes everything below.
  3. Choose a machineWhat its capabilities are, and which ones vary by model.
  4. A scale that fits under itEspresso is a ratio, and volume is a poor proxy for mass.
  5. Learn to tamp levelLevel matters. Pressure barely does.
  6. Dial in your first coffeeOne variable at a time, with the basket check first.
  7. Plan the cleaningCleaning and descaling are different jobs. Budget for both.

Set up for filter coffee

You want good black coffee at home and are starting from nothing.

The cheapest complete setup on this site, and the one that produces the largest jump in quality per pound spent. Two purchases matter and the rest can wait indefinitely.

  1. A grinder, firstThe single biggest determinant of how the coffee tastes.
  2. A kitchen scaleA whole-gram scale is enough. It turns a good brew into a repeatable one.
  3. Pick a brewerImmersion is the most forgiving place to start; pour-over rewards practice.
  4. Work out your ratioThen write down the one you liked.
  5. Learn to dial it inRatio for strength, grind for extraction — kept separate.
  6. Check what else you needUsually: nothing yet.

Set up for milk drinks

Cappuccinos and flat whites at home, whether or not you own an espresso machine.

The answer splits sharply on one question — whether you have a steam wand — and most guidance ignores that, which is why people buy frothers expecting microfoam.

  1. Work out which frothing route is yoursIt will tell you plainly if latte art is not available to you.
  2. A jug sized to the drinkOnly if you have a wand. Size matters more than people expect.
  3. Choose the milkEspecially if it is a plant milk: the carton predicts more than the category.
  4. Learn the movementAir first, then whirlpool, then stop.
  5. Build the drinkEspresso, milk and foam for your actual cup.
  6. Then latte artOnce the texture is right, and not before.

Make coffee away from home

Hotels, camping, an office, or anywhere without your usual kit.

The constraint is power and space rather than quality, and the good news is that the two things that matter most both travel well.

  1. A hand grinderSilent, no socket, and better than most electric grinders at the price.
  2. A forgiving brewerImmersion tolerates a grind that is not quite right.
  3. Or hand-pumped espressoReal pressure, no plug, and honest about its limits.
  4. Something to heat waterA stovetop or camping kettle, with a thermometer if temperature matters to you.
  5. A flaskInsulation rather than a hotplate, which keeps cooking the coffee.