Brewing Excellence: Best Coffee Machines For Home Use in 2025
Make your daily caffeine dose count with the right coffee machine
5 min
Australians are known for being fussy about their coffee. From latte lovers to espresso enthusiasts, everyone has their preference for the perfect way to start – or finish – their day. Finding the right maker or machine though, can depend on a number of factors including budget, the amount of space you have available and, importantly, how much time you like to dedicate to getting your coffee just the way you like it. Here, we’ve taken the guesswork out of it, assembling an impressive collection of makers and machines to suit every budget, benchspace and brew.
BIALETTI MOKA EXPRESS 4 CUP
Ok, this is not strictly a coffee machine, but it’s hard to go past the classic Bialetti Moka Express. First designed in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti, this maker is synonymous with Italian coffee. Suitable for use on electric, induction and gas hobs, this stovetop model is ideal for small kitchens where benchspace does not allow for a freestanding coffee machine. Once you get the hang of the technique, it becomes part of your daily ritual, whether it’s a two-cup pot for you and a friend, or a 4 cup arrangement when entertaining. You’ll also get bonus points among coffee aficionados and roasters because, well, some things never get old.
$74.90, thedesigngiftshop.com
LA MARZOCCO LINEA MICRA COFFEE MACHINE
Make coffee like you were born to brew with one of the biggest names in the coffee making business. The compact design means it can fit in almost any kitchen without compromising on the quality of the end product. Designed as a scaled down version of the Linea Classic S, it’s easy to set up and explore all your favourite cafe options. Available in a range of colours, it can also be controlled through the new La Marzocco Home App.
$5,999, winnings.com.au
DELONGHI NESPRESSO CITIZ & MILK FROTHER MACHINE
This machine is perfect for those days when you need a coffee to get those synapses firing. Using the pod system, it’s super easy and quick to brew the perfect coffee, with a heating time of just 25 seconds. Latte lovers will enjoy the Aeroccino frother makes, which takes the guesswork out of getting the milk just right.
J8
It might have a tiny name but the J8 by Jura packs a punch when it comes to making the perfect coffee. If flavoured coffee is your vibe, it has a sweet foam function to flavour the milk, as well as active grind monitoring and 3D brewing process. This is coffee making refined to a fine art, with 31 coffee specialties available in its award-winning design.
$3,970, au.jura.com
STELTON COLLAR ESPRESSO COFFEE MAKER
Nothing says cool like Scandi design, even when it comes to coffee. Designed by Daniel Debiasi and Fredrico Sandri, the Stelton Collar Espresso stovetop coffee maker uses the same process as the classic Italian Moka design, with water in the base and coffee above. A black stainless steel outer shell is supported by a wooden handle for easy manipulation, while the classic design makes brewing the perfect espresso a breeze.
$149.90, thedesigngiftshop.com
SMEG GREEN 50s RETRO STYLE ESPRESSO COFFEE MACHINE
Step back in time with this retro style coffee machine from Smeg. Winner of the 2017 GOOD DESIGN award for excellence in design innovation, it’s an exercise in simplicity, with three options – single shot, double shot and steam – to choose from, plus an adjustable steam wand. With five colours to choose from, you can mix and match to fit in with your retro – or not so retro – kitchen.
$549, appliancesonline.com.au
GAGGENAU FULLY AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE 400 SERIES
Make the most of your renovation plans with the option of a fully built-in coffee machine. The 400 series from Gaggenau offers touch display and Home Connect for in-person or remote operation as well as a range of features to ensure you enjoy the perfect brew, every time. Features include eight personalised coffee settings, 12 types of beverages and a handleless side door opening.
$7,999 gaggenau.com.au
SIEMENS iQ700 BUILT-IN FULLY AUTOMATIC COFFEE MACHINE
If this built-in machine doesn’t look like much, that’s kind of the point. The sleek design conceals a myriad of options to allow for full coffee customisation, including brewing strength, multiple coffee types and milk frothing options. The touch display screen and fully automated steam cleaning make using this machine a breeze while the HomeConnect App means you can use it from anywhere. With too many features to mention, this sophisticated machine is the ultimate in coffee making luxury.
$4,499, winnings.com.au
Frequently Asked Questions
Which coffee machine is best for home?
This gets down to personal habits and preferences, as well as the size of your kitchen. If space is an issue and you enjoy the ritual, a stovetop coffee maker like the Bialetti is a cheap option that still delivers a great espresso. It’s best if you don’t turn your back on it. If your needs are simple, or you live alone, a basic machine with a few functions may suffice. For those who love entertaining, it may be worth investing in a more sophisticated machine that can produce multiple styles of coffee in a short amount of time.
What is the best machine to make coffee?
This is a hotly contested issue. For most people, it gets down to what they’re used to, whether it’s a quick espresso or a creamy latte. The key is ensuring you have fresh beans or ground coffee to start.
Which type of coffee is best for coffee machine?
It’s not so much about choosing the right coffee for the machine as it is for the kind of coffee you’re looking to make. As a general rule, lighter roast coffees work better for espresso while coffees that add milk, such as caffe latte and flat white do better with darker roasted coffee to maintain the flavour through the milk. Be aware also that the coarser the grind, the milder the flavour. If you prefer a stronger coffee, you’ll get better results with a finer grind.
What is a good affordable coffee machine?
Brands such as Breville and Sunbeam are still active in the market – and for good reason. They not only produce a reliable coffee but will only set you back a few hundred dollars to start. Having said that, leading brands like DeLonghi also sell compact coffee machines for around $250. Ask for a demonstration before you buy or check reviews at choice.com.au
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Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to build a business without building a team. As AI takes over coding, customer support, marketing, administration, and other day-to-day tasks, a growing number of solo founders are scaling startups to millions in revenue with few—or even no—employees. While the trend is lowering barriers to entrepreneurship, it is also reshaping hiring, raising questions about the future of work and how businesses will grow in the AI era.
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Ben Broca launched a company last December that offers AI tools to entrepreneurs. He’s already added 10,000 paying customers and is on track to bring in $10 million in revenue this year.
One thing he hasn’t added: any other employees.
The 40-year-old is part of a class of entrepreneurs who are launching, and then often running, new companies on their own. Artificial intelligence tools answer Broca’s emails, help write and debug code, field requests from customers, sign up new subscribers and grant refunds when issues arise.
Broca relishes his ability to make whatever decisions he wants on his own, often from his sun-drenched Sausalito, Calif., living room. “I think compromises make lukewarm results,” he said.
Once upon a time, running a business of a certain size required a team. AI is turning that assumption upside down, and more aspiring entrepreneurs are going it alone.
An analysis by the payments company Stripe shows there are thousands of solo operators on the company’s platform that are generating over $1 million in revenue, with their ranks doubling between 2023 and 2025. The number of solo operators crossing the $10 million threshold nearly tripled in that same span.
In the past, people without business contacts or particular savvy might not have known how to get their ideas off the ground, said Ernie Tedeschi, Stripe’s chief economist. “Now, AI can be a built-in business partner,” he said.
AI’s ability to handle various administrative tasks makes it potentially useful for launching solo businesses in many fields. But the technology’s ability to also handle key tasks in tech, like coding, make that field a particular hot spot.
Analyzing Census Bureau data, Bank of America Institute economist Taylor Bowley found that among all industries, new business applications in the information sector have seen the biggest percentage increase—nearly 45%—over the past year. At the same time, the rate of information-sector applicants saying they plan to hire workers has experienced the sharpest decline of any measured industry.
This Census dataset doesn’t track solo-operated businesses. But the numbers broadly show—in tech and beyond—that applications are flat among businesses likely to hire workers, but generally rising elsewhere. Economists say that’s a strong sign that solo operators are on the upswing.
“The bar for getting started has never been lower,” said Julian Weisser, who runs a San Francisco-based accelerator for solo founders working in tech. The accelerator—which offers founders seed money and mentorship in exchange for an equity stake—attracted 4,500 applicants for 10 slots made available in its most recent cycle, nearly five times the number it drew when it launched last May.
Going it alone with AI can still be surprisingly expensive. Broca said he was losing money on many customers’ accounts while paying to access Anthropic’s Claude to run his clients’ requests—that AI company, as well as others, charges based on usage. He has since switched to free open-source AI models from China.
Broca said he has raised $30 million from investors and, at the same time, has saved millions in salary since he hasn’t needed a team of software engineers.
Another risk: If it’s easy for one entrepreneur to launch an AI-assisted business, copying them can be easy, too. This creates anxiety for founders like Troy Johnston, who runs an AI-assisted business alone in Orlando, Fla.
“Everybody has the sword and we all have the ability to unsheathe Excalibur now,” said Johnston, 40, who used AI to code an app that helps people get the most out of credit card benefits. The company makes around $3,000 a month in profit, with no employees, and is continuing to grow.
What one-person businesses will mean for the labor market remains to be seen. Polling has shown Americans are worried that AI will replace jobs, and top economists are wrestling with that possibility, too. But AI is also creating lots of new jobs, and the go-it-alone entrepreneurs show how the technology can both open doors and limit employment opportunities.
“If everyone’s hiring less, but you get four times more firms, what does that do to head count?” said Rembrand Koning, an associate professor at Harvard Business School who studies entrepreneurship. He co-authored a recent study that found that among 50,000 startups the researchers examined, those focused on AI tended to operate with 25% fewer employees.
Koning also believes a soft hiring environment that’s left some people mired in long job searches has encouraged more to try their hand at launching businesses.
Some founders cite different motives. “It’s a perfect storm of post-pandemic burnout and a re-evaluation of one’s priorities, and also booming AI and a sense of what’s possible,” said Samir Ahmad, 39, who lives in Breinigsville, Pa.
Two years ago, Ahmad decided to leave the corporate job he had worked at Verizon for almost two decades to start a solo coaching and consulting business. He had been seeing social-media posts touting the ease and virtues of AI, which he used to chart a business plan and help with marketing. “It was like my chief of staff, a second in command,” he said.
The business ultimately petered out within months, though, and Ahmad is now back to a full-time corporate role with a utility company.
For Claire Vo, 41, AI helped her turn a passing impulse into a business. She was working full-time as a tech executive when she tapped AI in late 2023 to help code an app that would help her manage documentation and design for new products, with customers ranging from financial services to healthcare firms.
“I was copying and pasting from ChatGPT,” said Vo, who lives in San Francisco.
She put the app online for $1 a month, and within weeks people downloaded it thousands of times. Nearly three years later, Vo’s company—which she ran solo for nine months before hiring an engineer—now has 100,000 users and is on track to make seven figures in profit this year. AI handles the company’s marketing, sales and customer support.
While AI is a shortcut, Vo said her network and credibility in the industry were key. “I think people over-index on how easy AI is and under-index on how much I did to get to this point,” she said.
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