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21 October 2021

Top five best ground coffee machines for 2021

We reveal which traditional espresso machines have scored highly in our ground coffee taste test.

Patrick Gallagher

A traditional ground coffee espresso machine is perfect for creating that authentic coffee shop experience in the comfort of your own home.

It may take a bit of practice to get used to measuring out and preparing the ground coffee yourself, but once you get the hang of it you'll have the freedom to experiment with different blends and make the perfect coffee for you.

We've rounded up five of the best ground coffee machines, and three of the worst, below.

Not found the coffee machine for you? See all of our coffee machine reviews to find the best option for your budget.

Log in to unlock our table below to reveal the best and worst ground coffee machines. Not yet a Which? member? Join Which? to get instant access to all our Best Buy coffee machine reviews.

Last updated: Sept 2021.

Top five best ground coffee machines

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78%
£129.99
This affordable traditional ground coffee machine delivers a great espresso, cappuccino or latte at the touch of a button. There's no faffing about with frothing milk yourself as the steam pipe is attached to a handy milk tank so you latte is created with minimal effort. It's simple to use and looks great, too.
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78%
£147.00
This coffee machine makes a decent espresso and cappuccino quickly, and it scores highly across the board for being easy to set up and use. It’s affordable, too, so if you’re after a traditional ground coffee machine without breaking the bank, this Best Buy should be on your list.
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77%
£69.95
This budget coffee machine makes exceptional espressos and is incredibly easy to use. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything better at a price this low.
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76%
£319.00
This beautiful Best Buy brews excellent espressos, and the steam wand whips up creamy cappuccinos. It’s not the cheapest option, but if you want a show stopper for your kitchen counter, this eye-catching coffee machine won’t disappoint.
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74%
£188.00
This is a fantastic ground coffee machine, so whether you’re after a clean-tasting espresso or creamy cappuccino, this coffee machine delivers. It’s quick and easy to use, and quieter than most, all of which combine to make it a worthy Best Buy.
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See all of our top picks in our round-up of the best coffee machines.

Ground coffee machines to avoid

Choose the wrong coffee machine and however hard you try, you may end up with a disappointing and weak espresso due to poor extraction.

We've uncovered coffee makers that fail to heat milk to the right temperature, ruining the froth, and models which make thin, watery espressos with an unappetising crema.

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50%
£179.00
This versatile coffee machine is simple and quick to use, however it makes disappointing espresso. For the price, we think you can do much better.
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Browse other machine types in our coffee machine reviews.

Our coffee machine tests

Each espresso machine goes through tough tests to see how easy it is to use and clean, whether it makes piping hot coffee or not, how well it steams milk and how noisy it is. We also get our taste test panel to taste the coffee from each machine in a blind taste test.

The panel rate each espresso on its appearance, aroma and taste so only the very best brews will make the grade to become a Best Buy. We use the same ground coffee in each machine so we can compare how well each machine extracts the flavours. All the traditional espresso machines we have selected above gained five stars in our espresso taste test, so you know you'll be getting a machine that makes a top-notch cuppa.

Need help getting the best from your machine? See How to make the best espresso and cappuccino.