The best espresso machine, grinder and accessories for beginners

By Cale Guthrie Weissman

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.

After more than 60 hours researching and testing at-home espresso equipment with assistance from Stumptown’s coffee education crew, we think the Breville Infuser is the best espresso machine. It’s part of the best espresso setup under $1,000, which includes the Rancilio Rocky grinder and all the accessories you need to pull great shots at home.

Who this is for

This setup is for someone who likes good coffee and wants to take the time to learn more about the craft. But at-home espresso is not for the faint of heart. Tommy Gallagher from Counter Culture Coffee explained that you’re better off going to a coffee shop where the barista is trained, has dialed in the espresso already (meaning they’ve found the ideal grind size already), and uses a multithousand-dollar machine to ensure that what you’re drinking is at least moderately good. But if you’re interested in learning a culinary craft, an at-home espresso setup can be very rewarding.

How we picked and tested

Emily Rosenberg of Stumptown Coffee’s education team pulls a shot with the Infuser. Photo: Michael Hession

To find the best setup for beginners, we interviewed coffee experts ranging from award-winning baristas from some of Manhattan’s best coffee shops to the technical brains behind two of the most well-known roasters in the country (Counter Culture and Stumptown) to entrepreneurs who focus on connecting coffee enthusiasts (both professional and consumer) with the correct equipment. We also read through hundreds of articles and forums on coffee blogs such as CoffeeGeek and Home-Barista and other sites like Prima Coffee. Finally, we spent two days in the Sweethome test kitchen putting all the machines, grinders, and accessories through their paces with some assistance from Stumptown Coffee’s coffee education team.

Our espresso machine pick

The Breville Infuser looks great on any kitchen counter. Photo: Michael Hession

Among espresso machines selling for less than $1,000, the Breville Infuser stands out for its consistency, effective steam wand, and user friendliness. Not only could it make a single impressive-tasting shot of espresso, it could do so consistently with each successive shot once properly adjusted. That’s the hallmark of a good machine. It was also the easiest to use: It had the best documentation and most user-friendly design (with ample labeling and easy-to-read instructions), and it comes with most of the accessories you need to get started. It’s everything a beginner could want in an espresso machine.

Espresso machine runner-up

The Gaggia Classic has an, ahem, classic aesthetic that adds some retro-Italian flair to your counter. Photo: Michael Hession

We think most beginners are better off with a more fully featured machine that will hold your hand a bit better. But if the Breville Infuser is sold out or you want something that is capable of occasionally pulling a better shot than the Infuser, the Gaggia Classic has been doing so since 1991. Despite its age, the Classic came in a close second because it wasn’t quite as consistent as the Infuser. It made some really great shots, but the pump occasionally skipped a beat midshot, leading to pressure fluctuations, and the steam wand wasn’t up to par.

Our grinder pick

The Rancilio Rocky lives up to its reputation as one of the most capable home-use grinders available. Photo: Michael Hession

Though a good espresso machine is crucial to a great espresso setup, most coffee aficionados will tell you that the grinder is actually more important. An imperfect grind simply can’t produce good espresso, whereas a fine and even grind can elevate even mediocre machines. Among the four espresso-ready grinders we tested ranging from $170 to $470, the Rancilio Rocky was our favorite. When Rancilio introduced the Rocky in 1989, it was one of the first home-use grinders with commercial-grade burrs. It was a hit then, and it continues to impress users decades later thanks to its ease of adjustment and consistent grind.

If you want something more adjustable and are willing to pay extra for it, the Baratza Vario is our upgrade pick (but it’s a bit trickier to use). And on the cheaper end, the less-adjustable Baratza Virtuoso (our pick for best drip coffee grinder) can do a passable job for less money.

Our accessory picks

A milk frothing jar is crucial to achieving the microfoam needed for a proper mixed drink. Photo: Michael Hession

Beyond the machine and grinder, many coffee geeks keep a shelf filled with accoutrements of varying degrees of necessity. We tested about a dozen various doodads to find picks for the most popular and important ones:

• Knock boxes are for disposing of spent grinds. We like the Cafelat because of its high-back design and removable bar for easy cleaning.
• Tampers are for evenly pressing your grinds prior to pulling a shot. The Infuser (and all Breville models) comes with a surprisingly good plastic tamper that has metal tamping surfaces, but you can get a better, aluminum tamper from Rattleware for not much money, or splurge on the more ergonomic stainless steel Rattleware tamper. (You’ll also need to buy a tamper if you get a non-Breville machine, but make sure to get the right size; most machines use a standard 58mm tamper—consult your manual if you’re not sure.)
• A milk-frothing pitcher is necessary for making lattes and other milk drinks. Again, the Breville comes with a good milk-frothing pitcher, but its 16-ounce capacity is better suited for cappuccinos than lattes (because you need extra space to accommodate the foam), so we have a 20-ounce pick—also from Rattleware.
• And, of course, you need cups to pull shots into and drink out of. We like the 3.1-ounce version of the Duralex Picardie we recommend in our drinking glass review because they look great and are cheaper than porcelain alternatives. That’s why they’re gaining popularity at cafes around the world.

And finally, if you think this sounds like too much stuff just to get a cup of coffee in the morning, we’ve got you covered as well in the What about Nespresso? section in our full review.

This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.