01
Espresso Machines
Which first machine, at which price, and what each one asks of you before it makes a decent shot.
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Beginner home espresso, without the gatekeeping
Your first
espresso
setup
The minimal correct kit, what it costs to run, and which half of the accessory aisle you can ignore.
Everyone here claims they tested twenty machines
We have not tested any, and we say so. What we do instead: compile the published specifications with their sources named, check prices against Amazon and stamp the date on them, and show the arithmetic on what a setup actually costs to run — which nobody else in this category publishes at all.
Every number on this site traces to a manufacturer document, a published standard or a government statistic, and every one of them is linked. Here is the whole method.
- Units we claim to have tested
- 0
- Sponsored placements
- 0
- Free products accepted
- 0
- Picks with a “skip this” verdict
- 47
- Spec sheets compiled from the maker
- 9 / 47
- Prices last checked
- Not yet
No live prices are available on this build, so every buy link says “Check price on Amazon” rather than showing you a number we cannot verify today. A stale price is worse than no price.
Start with a hub
Seven sections covering the whole setup. Each one opens with what to buy first and why, and every page under it is one more click away.
02
Grinders
The part that decides whether the machine works. Burr shapes, adjustment, and the honest floor.
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03
The Starter Kit
Everything besides the machine — what you need on day one, what can wait, and what it all costs.
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04
Milk & Frothing
Steam wands, handheld whisks and standalone frothers, and how to get a flat white without practice.
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05
Cleaning & Upkeep
Descaling, backflushing, wand hygiene, and the fixes for a shot that has gone wrong.
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06
Beans
What to buy, how long it stays good, and why the bag date matters more than the price.
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What won each comparison
The top pick from each of our ranked lists, with a link straight to the comparison it won and a way to check the current price without reading the whole page first.
- No
photoBest under $500Breville Bambino (BES450)The same shot for less, if you will texture milk yourselfCheck price#ad - No
photoBest under $200De'Longhi Stilosa (EC260)Finding out whether you actually want this hobbyCheck price#ad - No
photoBest under $1,000Breville Barista Express (BES870)One box, one counter footprint, machine and grinder togetherCheck price#ad - No
photoBest with a grinderBreville Barista Express (BES870)One box, one counter footprint, machine and grinder togetherCheck price#ad - No
photoBest bean-to-cupPhilips Series 3200 LatteGoMilk drinks with no technique and no cleaning ritualCheck price#ad - No
photoBest for milk drinksBreville Bambino Plus (BES500)A first machine you will not outgrow in a yearCheck price#ad
Read these first
Four pages that carry the argument: what it costs, what to do when the shot is wrong, the purchase everyone gets backwards, and how to make the first one.
The Starter Kit
What home espresso actually costs to run
Cost per shot, computed from sourced inputs: beans, electricity at the current US residential average, and consumables.
Top pick
Lavazza Super Crema
Check price#ad
Cleaning & Upkeep
Why your espresso tastes wrong
A symptom-by-symptom diagnosis for bad shots: what each one means and what to change first.
Top pick
Baratza Encore ESP
Check price#ad
Grinders
Burr vs blade grinder for espresso
The mechanical reason a blade grinder cannot make espresso, how to identify what you own, and what the cheapest working alternative is.
Top pick
Baratza Encore ESP
Check price#ad
Learn
How to make your first espresso
A step-by-step first shot, the three numbers to record, and what to do when it does not work.
Top pick
Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2
Check price#ad
Latest
- Best espresso machines under $500
- Best espresso machines under $200
- Best espresso machines under $1,000
- Espresso machines with a built-in grinder
- Bean-to-cup automatic machines
- Espresso machines for lattes and cappuccinos
- Which Breville espresso machine for a beginner
- Which De'Longhi espresso machine for a beginner
- Espresso machine vs Nespresso
- Espresso machine vs moka pot
How this is funded
Crema Method is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you buy something through a link here we earn a commission, and it costs you nothing extra.
Commission never changes the order of a ranked list, and it is why every list on this site also tells you who should not buy the thing at the top of it. We accept no free products and no paid placements.