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
From making unpopular decisions to learning when to listen, leaders from five businesses reveal what nobody prepared them for — and how running a company has challenged their expectations.
Technology and semiconductor shares fell sharply as investors questioned the debt financing the AI infrastructure boom and confronted higher rates and Chinese competition.
Elon Musk is exploring a potential merger between Tesla and SpaceX, a deal that could reshape the future of AI, robotics, autonomous vehicles and space technology. With a combined valuation potentially reaching $3.5 trillion, the move could bring Musk’s vision of an interconnected technology ecosystem closer to reality, although a deal remains uncertain.
5 min
Elon Musk has engineered ties between Tesla TSLA 3.41%increase; up pointing triangle and SpaceX SPCX 7.79%increase; up pointing triangle that are hard to break, and now he wants to fuse them together permanently.
Musk has run both Tesla and SpaceX concurrently over the past two decades, using a schedule that dictated which days he spent focused on each business.
The companies have often shared resources and personnel, signaling their close ties. Last year, SpaceX looked into creating a spacesuit for Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, a person familiar with the matter said. Tesla last week showed off its new Roadster, a vehicle featuring SpaceX rocket thrusters that it hopes to soon bring to market.
And in recent months, Musk has repositioned both companies by expanding beyond their core operations toward a shared mission centered on artificial intelligence.
The world’s richest man on Tuesday signaled his interest in tying up SpaceX and Tesla, marking what would be the biggest corporate merger of all time. Because he serves as chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla, Musk said committees of independent directors at both companies are evaluating a possible deal, adding that a transaction might not come to fruition.
The committees will likely evaluate, with lawyers and bankers, how each company would fare in a potential deal and how a deal might best be structured. They then present their conclusions to their respective boards, who typically vote on whether to proceed.
“It’s an odd Kabuki dance where two groups of people are talking and I can’t be in the conversation,” Musk told SpaceX investors on Tuesday in response to an analyst’s question about a potential deal.
For Musk, the merger supports his vision of a world full of autonomous cars, humanoid robots and weekly rocket launches, as well as the data centers and satellites required to keep the whole thing running.
Some investors and analysts said they expect a transaction would be structured as an all-stock deal, with SpaceX potentially paying a modest premium for Tesla shares.
SpaceX, which has a market value of about $2 trillion, said it is seeing sharp growth in revenue across its businesses, which include operating data centers, launching rockets and operating satellite networks such as the internet service Starlink. Tesla is valued at about $1.5 trillion and is expanding its operations beyond its automotive and energy business. Shares in both companies traded higher following the news Tuesday.
Musk’s substantial ownership stakes in both companies, along with voting control at SpaceX, has enabled him to set the deal in motion. Analysts and investors said the deal will probably face regulatory scrutiny internationally, though some see Musk’s close relationship with the Trump administration as an asset to getting approval.
Blurred lines
The companies haven’t said which directors are on the special committees evaluating a potential deal. Several SpaceX and Tesla board members have either personal or business ties to Musk. And like Musk, venture capitalist Ira Ehrenpreis sits on both boards.
In a filing this week, Tesla outlined millions of dollars in business agreements with SpaceX and its subsidiaries last year, including $143 million in car sales to SpaceX, $3.3 million in advertising that it bought on the social-media platform X and $430 million in revenue from the sale of Megapack batteries for SpaceX’s data centers.
The companies also split the cost of resources including the use of Musk’s SpaceX jet and the bill for his personal security, which he runs through a private company.
Employees at both companies routinely move between companies to work on special projects, and some executives have dual roles, including Charles Kuehmann, vice president of materials engineering at both SpaceX and Tesla, and Ashok Elluswamy, the vice president of AI software at Tesla who runs a joint venture with SpaceX called Digital Optimus.
Over the years, Musk has launched new startups within his empire, including brain-implant company Neuralink, underground-tunnel developer the Boring Company and xAI, the AI startup that merged with SpaceX in February.
It is that AI business that Musk thinks can serve a market worth tens of trillions of dollars, justifying the need for a merger.
The business case goes like this: Tesla is developing robotaxis and robots, which it calls “physical AI.” SpaceX is working on the back end of physical AI: the data-center capacity and internet connection required for those robotaxis and robots to operate continuously.
“I don’t see what the value of Tesla is if it’s not merged with SpaceX,” said investment adviser Ross Gerber, a former Tesla bull turned critic invested in both companies. “If they don’t merge, the brains of everything that runs Tesla is owned by another company.”
On top of it all, both companies face constraints on the supply chains they need to make this world a reality, particularly when it comes to chips. To address this, Musk earlier this year announced a joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX and Intel to design and manufacture chips in Texas. “The most epic chip-building exercise by far,” he has said.
Musk at the wheel
For Musk, a merger would also solve two problems: demands on his attention and his lack of control at Tesla.
Tesla for years was Musk’s only public company, a status that came with greater scrutiny. There, Musk reports to a public board, as well as individual investors who make up around 30% of Tesla’s voting power, according to FactSet.
The question of Musk’s attention became a particular focus for investors and the board in recent years after he acquired Twitter in 2022 and launched xAI in 2023, and again in 2025 as he spent time in Washington, D.C., running the Department of Government Efficiency in the early months of President Trump’s second term.
As Tesla’s car business suffered in 2025, Musk threatened to take his AI ambitions outside the company if he wasn’t granted 25% voting control. Last November, Tesla shareholders approved a new pay package for Musk, which created a path for him to vastly expand his stake.
As of Sept. 30, Musk owned a roughly 20% stake in Tesla, according to the company’s proxy filing.
The SpaceX IPO gave Musk a different path. When SpaceX went public in June, the deal’s structure enabled him to have more than 80% voting power at the company—so much that he can’t be fired and decisions can’t be made without his support.
If SpaceX acquires Tesla, he will likely stay in control.
From Tokyo backstreets to quiet coastal towns and off-grid cabins, top executives reveal where they holiday and why stepping away makes the grind worthwhile.
All three vehicles will form part of a broader charitable initiative benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the American Red Cross and Starlight Children’s Foundation
