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In this article
Our independent lab tests prove that not all bean-to-cup coffee machines live up to their high prices. So read on for our Best Buy recommendations and expert buying advice.
Bean-to-cup coffee machines feature built-in grinders to grind coffee beans on-demand. They also heat the water and brew your coffee automatically for the freshest cup at the touch of a button. Some will even self-clean and froth milk for you.
Buying a poor machine is a waste of your money. So find the best bean-to-cup coffee machine for your budget by reading our reviews and choosing a Which? Best Buy.
See our best coffee machines page for help choosing between pod, espresso and bean-to-cup machines.
We've selected some of the best bean-to-cup machines from our rigorous coffee machine tests, which include a blind taste test by our coffee experts.
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Digital first month £5, then £8.99 per month, cancel at any time.
Digital first month £5, then £8.99 per month, cancel at any time.
Digital first month £5, then £8.99 per month, cancel at any time.
To keep our reviews unbiased and impartial, we don't accept free product samples or loans from PR companies. We buy all the machines we test from the same stores as regular shoppers do.
Our independent laboratory assesses each machine's coffee-making performance, and the coffees they make are assessed by our panel of experts in a blind taste test.
We award star ratings on a one-to-five scale, one being poor, three being average and five being excellent. Our tests are comparative, with the average based across all the machines we test.
It doesn't matter how inexpensive or expensive a coffee machine is - price has no bearing on a machine's test score or whether we make it a Best Buy.
We rate each espresso on its appearance (colour uniformity, crema), aroma (intensity, complexity) and taste (body, acidity, bitterness, aftertaste). We also give an overall rating, so you get a real idea of how your coffee will taste, before you shell out for a pricey bean-to-cup machine.
Read more on how we test coffee machines.
You'll find bean-to-cup coffee machines at most home goods retailers, and prices can vary from a few hundred to thousands of pounds.
Some popular retailers that sell bean-to-cup coffee machines include:
To see which retailers are highly rated by Which? members, check our expert guide to the best and worst shops.
There are a few key questions you should ask yourself before you buy a bean-to-cup coffee machine.
Not sure a bean-to-cup machine is for you? See our guide to the best pod coffee machines and the best espresso machines.
If you decide to spend money on a bean-to-cup coffee machine, here are useful features to look for.
Most bean-to-cup machines have a steam pipe to froth milk so you can make milky coffees, such as a latté or cappuccino, as well as espresso.
Cheaper bean-to-cup machines tend to come with a steam wand for frothing milk. You’ll need to measure out and froth the milk manually, then add it to your coffee.
Pricier models will automate the milk measuring and frothing process for you, sucking the milk into the machine and dispensing froth directly into your drink.
Many also have an auto-clean feature, saving you the fiddly (and sometimes unpleasant) job of cleaning the milk pipes.
A dual bean hopper will allow you to have two types of coffee beans on the go at once.
This is handy if you prefer caffeinated in the morning and decaf in the evening, for example, or even if you just like to have the choice of different types.
Otherwise, you’ll need to clean out the bean hopper if you want to switch coffees before one lot of beans runs out.
If you like the convenience of ground coffee every now and then, some bean-to-cup models have a separate compartment, so you can use ground coffee too.
Many bean-to-cup coffee machines include digital displays and automatic settings to speed up the coffee-making process.
On some models, you can control your settings via a colour touchscreen. These make it quick and easy to select your chosen hot drink, usually from an extensive menu.
They can also be useful for diagnosing potential issues, as well as guiding you through how to clean and descale the machine correctly. This is an important step to ensure your machine continues to churn out tasty coffees and doesn’t become clogged with old coffee, milk or limescale.
Premium models will allow you to save multiple user profiles and customise your favourite coffee options, so you’ll never have to remind your machine that you like your morning espresso extra-strong.
This saves you the hassle of manually inputting custom orders every time you offer to make a round of drinks – particularly useful if you save the preferences of your friends and household.
Connecting your coffee machine to your smartphone allows you to receive troubleshooting tips and reminders to clean and descale your machine.
You can also use some apps to set up user profiles, which makes it easier to quickly call up your favourite drink without having to cycle through lots of menu options.
Use the filters on our coffee machine reviews to find a model with all the features you need.