If you're a Coffee lover and you're looking for the best home coffee machine to buy in Australia, then this is the article for you. We'll take a look at some of the top models on the market today and discuss what features to look out for when buying one.
One great thing about using fresh beans instead of pods or pre-ground coffee is that you can control the freshness of your ground coffee beans and experiment with different beans and blends.
As this is a home-focused article for normal households we haven't included any seriously expensive models, however, if you're looking for the best home coffee machine Australia has to offer, then check out the models at the top of the list below. These machines have better quality parts and make a wider variety of drinks than the lower-priced models towards the bottom.
The Best Home Coffee Machines in Australia
To help you choose the right coffee machine for you, we've put together a list of the best home coffee machines on the market right now.
The Breville Dynamic Duo
The Best Home Coffee Setup - For Home Baristas
Whether you’re a coffeeholic or someone who drinks coffee occasionally and wants your setup, Breville’s Dynamic Duo suits you perfectly. The home coffee machine has stainless steel build material offered in two colours; silver and black sesame, and ticks most essential features home coffee makers require of their coffee makers.
The Dynamic Duo comprises:
- The DualBoiler Coffee Machine
- The Smart Grinder Pro grinder.
The DualBoiler Coffee Machine is a premium device, just like the grinder. It offers one of the best performances you’re likely to get from a home coffee machine.
Why We Like the Breville Dynamic Duo Home Coffee Maker
Breville’s Dynamic Duo home coffee maker is our number one choice for home coffee brewing in Australia for the following reasons.
1. Pro-sumer Grade at Fair Price Point
Breville's Dynamic Duo offers almost all the essential features and value you expect from a home coffee maker; It’s highly efficient and practical. It is a significant upgrade on the Barrista Express.
The Breville Dual Boiler uses the same Triple Heat System that is found on their premium (expensive) all-in-one machines, the Oracle and Oracle Touch. Incorporating separate espresso and steam boilers with a heating element for the group head to ensure the temperature stays consistent throughout the brewing process.
2. High Standard Coffee Grinder
Unlike home coffee makers with built in grinders, the Smart Grinder Pro accompanying Breville’s DualBoiler performs well above average. You should know that the quality of your ground coffee directly affects its taste and quality after preparation. Breville's Smart Grinder Pro provides a smooth, uniform grind with rarely any coffee beans retained in the bean cup.
3. Adjustable Controls
The coffee machine comes with temperature control (PID) and an Over Pressure Valve (OPV), ensuring that you stay within the optimal temperature and pressure. Breville’s flexible shot controls allow you to pull two perfect shots and steam your milk simultaneously, effectively streamlining your latte-making process. The adjustable dose grinder lets you grind directly into the portafilter or container of your choice. The former can be done manually or automatically using the control knobs.
4. Smooth Learning Curve
For a beginner coffee maker, the machine offers a smooth learning journey. You quickly adapt to its features with each pull. Breville provides a comprehensive instruction booklet that aids your learning process and gives a comprehensive overview of the Dynamic Duo. Features including the friendly LCD and the pressure gauge help run the machine efficiently as a newbie.
Key Features & Specifications
Some of the key features available with Breville’s Dynamic Duo include:
- The Dual Boiler employs 58mm professional size portafilters (In contrast to the 45mm ones found on the Barista Express and Pro)
- A 2.5L water tank with a gauge in front to determine your water level.
- A pump pressure with OPV adjustment.
- A durable brushed stainless steel build.
- Auto on/off feature that allows you to preheat your machine at specific times.
- A double shot pull that streamlines your latte-making process.
- An adjustable dose control grinder that enables you to grind directly into a container of your choice.
- A programmable extraction temperature and steam boiler temperature for steaming milk.
- Auto-start capability, allowing users to set their coffee maker to wake up at a specific time in the morning
The appliance weighs 15.8 kg and has dimensions of 64.6 x 46.1 x 47.6 cm. You’ll find cleaning materials, an integrated tamper, a 480ml stainless milk jug, single wall filters and the razor precision dose trimming tool.
Breville’s 2-Year Repair Warranty
Breville offers a two-year repair warranty on the Dynamic Duo. A repair warranty does as it says; Breville would be responsible for any defects within 24 months. Be sure to report any defects to customer care, as opening up the machine can nullify your warranty.
What Could Be Improved?
You can’t have it all; the Breville Dynamic Duo is not without flaws. One of the main challenges with the machine is it takes a while to heat up. However, this is offset since you can use the auto-on/off pre-heat feature.
The coffee machine is also a little bulky. It can be a hassle for small kitchens to find a great place for it.
Overall
The Breville Dynamic Duo home coffee maker is an excellent home coffee setup with many features not seen on the market at this price. Its outstanding user interface, price point, and smooth learning curve contribute to it earning the top spot in our list of home coffee makers available in Australia.
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The Breville Bambino Plus
Best for Automated Milk Steaming
The Breville Bambino Plus is a compact espresso machine that packs a punch, it is a modern-looking machine that has a compact footprint that works well with limited countertop space.
It is still a full-featured machine that allows you to play around with shot volume and techniques like pre-infusion.
There are three main reasons I recommend this above the Barista Pro.
1: Separate Grinder: Firsly If you ask any professional Barista they will tell you "it's all in the grind" meaning that (second to the quality of your beans) the quality of your coffee is driven by the grind of the beans, if you want to get more serious with your espresso-making, the first thing you’ll want to do is upgrade your grinder, and having an all-in-one machine makes that impossible (or wastefully expensive).
Yes you will need to set aside a budget for a separate coffee grinder; the total cost will come in at around $800-$1100, largely depending on your choice of a grinder. For great value at the lower end of that range I recommend you pair it with Breville’s Smart Grinder Pro, it is a better grinder than the built in one of the Barista Pro.
2: The Bambino's steam wand: if you want it to be then it is mostly automated; pour your milk into the pitcher and toss it under the steam wand, select your level of foam and temperature and press a button. The machine steams the milk for you and the resulting milk has much better texture and taste than milk from any other automated frother. It is likely the best way to recreate your favorite cafe drink at home without learning manual milk steaming.
3: It heats up in three seconds: The Breville Bambino Plus offers an incredibly quick, 3-second heat up time, which means you don’t need to wait for it to pre-heat before starting to make your espresso in the morning.
The Bambino comes equipped with a 19-gram capacity pressurised coffee basket and portafilter, as well as a tidy coffee tamper and the Breville coffee distribution trimming tool, known as The Blade.
The machine has a minimalist design with ease of use in mind. It has 3 main buttons on the front that control the shot size and the steam wand button. Two smaller buttons control the milk temperature and the foam amount on the automatic milk frothing, customisable to what you need to make a cappuccino, latte or a flat white. It’s a great machine to learn milk frothing on, four holes in the steam wand provide plenty of vroom to stir milk into a silky perfection.
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Honourable Mention: Breville Barista Touch
Best Easy Coffee Machine to hold your hand
I would recommend either going for the prosumer-grade Breville Dual Boiler packaged with the Smart Grinder or saving your money and getting the Bambino Plus with the Smart Grinder Pro.
However if a single unit with a built in grinder and a touch screen sound great to you then definately consider this model - the Barista Touch and the Dual Boiler are intended for different user segments.
The Breville Dual Boiler (and to a lesser extent the Bambino) will produce results more directly related to your level of effort and experience. The more you put into it, the better your results.
The Barista Touch will give you better coffees than most machines with little effort or expertise; adding some effort and experience, your drinks will get better but there will be a ceiling.
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Breville The Barista Pro Espresso
Best Coffee Machine Under $1000
The Breville Barista Pro is cheaper than the Breville Barista Touch in price point and has the majority of the important bells and whistles, such as the PID controller that ensures temperature stability, the Digital Temperature Control (PID) controller monitors the coffee temperature during extraction and makes adjustments to maintain consistent water temperature throughout the entire brewing process.
If you are simply not interested in having two separate machines around and you want a built in Grinder, then this model is certainly worth your consideration.
The Breville Barista Pro also features an integrated high-end conical burr grinder that allows you to grind directly into a portafilter for precise dosing, minimising waste, and ensuring you get the right dosage.
The Innovative ThermoJet heating system ensures that your coffee is brewed at the perfect temperature and that there is minimal variation in the water temperature while the shot is being pulled.
The Barista Pro also comes with a milk frothing pitcher so you'll be able to make all of your favourite espresso drinks right at home. The powerful steam wand lets you create rich, creamy milk froth for cappuccinos and lattes.
If you're looking for a high-quality home coffee machine that will let you make cafe-style drinks right in your own kitchen, the Breville Barista Pro is definitely worth considering.
The following are the key advantages of the Barista Pro over the Barista Express:
- Thermojet technology for a speedier warm-up and transition from steaming to brewing – great if you plan on making several coffees at once. As the Barista Pro has higher steam pressure the milk texturing process is faster.
- Grind size may be tuned more precisely with smaller increments between grind settings.
- Grinding, extraction and cleaning data are displayed on a digital display in real-time; the display makes it much easier to set up your machine and dial in the perfect shot of espresso.
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The Breville Barista Express
Best Coffee Machine Under $700
A high-grade grinder is built into it so you don't have to worry about grinding beans on your own before brewing them.
With its fast heat-up time and quiet operation, you'll get delicious espresso and smooth filter coffee without the wait. It comes with a hands-free tamping system to simplify the process. As an all-in-one option, the Barista Express comes with a steam wand so you can make your favourite milk froth for cappuccinos and lattes.
The Barista Express is a decent reasonably priced choice if you want a semi-automatic machine that produces high-quality espresso at home with the ability to grind beans and froth milk.
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Sunbeam Barista Max Espresso Machine
Best Coffee Machine Under $550 with Built-In Grinder
The Sunbeam Barista Max is a great option if you're looking for a very affordable home espresso machine that is great for beginners, it comes in slightly smaller than the Breville Barista Pro, but it still might not be the best option if space is limited.
It has a built-in grinder, so you don't have to worry about buying one separately, and it has a 48-ounce water tank, so you won't have to refill that often. The Barista Max is easy to use, with a simple push-button control system and variable pressure dial for the steam wand.
The Exclusive Temp IQ Shot Control 3-way system ensures that your coffee is always brewed at the perfect temperature, and the stainless-steel construction means it's durable enough to last for years.
Despite its size, the Sunbeam has an Italian designed 15 bar pump pressure system that creates a rich, velvety crema. The Sunbeam also has an automatic shut-off feature to save energy, and the removable drip tray means you can easily clean it after each use.
If you're looking for a high-quality home coffee machine, the Sunbeam is definitely worth considering. It's one of the best machines on the market at this price, and it's sure to make your morning coffee routine a lot more enjoyable.
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SuperAutomatic Coffee Machines
Superautomatic machines are designed to do everything with you just pressing a button and coming back to get your coffee, they set up the portafilter and tamp, they pull the shot for you and steam the milk.
You cannot beat a superautomatic machine in terms of convenience. It will pull the same shot nearly every time. The problem is, if you don’t like how the shot tastes, there’s not much you can do about it.
If the machine allows you to make grind adjustments it will be limited. If you can change the shot timing it will be a short range. Superautomatic machines definitely won't let you steam your own milk to create latte art. Regardles of how they are promoted, they will never produce steamed milk as creamy or smooth as you can get with manual steaming.
De'Longhi Dinamica
Best SuperAutomatic Coffee Machine Under $800
The De'Longhi Dinamica Fully Automatic Coffee Machine is a top-of-the-line coffee machine that offers everything you could possibly want in a home coffee maker.
It has a high-quality variable integrated burr grinder, so you can grind your own beans fresh for each cup, and it also has a milk frother for creating creamy, delicious lattes and cappuccinos.
The Dinamica also features an intuitive touch screen display that makes choosing your settings easy, and it comes with a host of other customizable options to make sure you get the perfect cup of coffee every time.
The four recipe touch control panel allows you to save your favourite coffee recipes, and there's even a cup warmer so your coffee stays hot from start to finish. Despite its wealth of features, the Dinamica is a slim, double-cup machine that will fit well into most home offices or kitchens.
The water tank and filter are easily removable, as they are mounted on the side of the machine, rather than the rear, making it far easier to refill. This sleek machine is also easy to clean, with a steam wand cleaning cycle and an indicator light that alerts you if there's any excess water in the drip tray.
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De'Longhi Magnifica S
Best SuperAutomatic Coffee Machine Under $600
The De'Longhi Magnifica S is a coffee machine that has all the features you need to make some absolutely excellent coffee.
The inbuilt burr grinder grinds with a level of consistency that makes a noticeable difference to the quality of the coffee. The grinder is designed to be as silent as possible, so you won't wake up the whole house when you're making your morning coffee. It's very compact and easy to use, with one-touch controls that allow you to make a range of coffees.
The interface on the front of the machine is easy to use, and the machine has a back-mounted removable water tank for easy refilling.
Plus, the De'Longhi Magnifica S has a milk frother for making cappuccinos and lattes, and an automatic shut-off feature so you don't have to worry about forgetting to turn it off.
If you're looking for a high-quality fully automatic coffee machine that will make delicious espresso drinks each time, the De'Longhi Magnifica S is definitely worth considering.
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Breville One-Touch CoffeeHouse
Best Very Cheap Coffee Machine (Under $350)
We are listing this for 'completeness', we don't recommend you buy a machine at this price, you will be very limited in your choice of beans and will likely find the milk is too hot.
The Breville One-Touch system does give you a little control over the intensity and richness of your brews. This espresso machine can create better cappuccinos if you are comparing to an average pod machine you are looking to replace. The milk is stored in a separate container, which you must store in the refrigerator, which could be a little fiddly. The Breville One-Touch is very easy to use. The buttons are clearly marked with the standard coffee and frothed milk options.
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What to Look For In an Excellent At-Home Coffee Machine
Coffee is sufficiently popular that there are a huge number of machines on the market to choose from. It can be difficult to determine which one is the best for your needs. Here are some factors you should consider before making your purchase:
Fast and consistent water heater - Some machines have PID (proportional integral derivative) controllers, which help to regulate the boiler temperature, allowing more consistent shots back to back.
The pressure - A good machine will have a pressure of at least 15 bars. This is what creates the rich, creamy coffee that we all love.
The grind settings - The best grinders will have a range of grind settings so that you can get the perfect cup of coffee.
The size of the machine - Do you want something small that will fit on a countertop or do you need something larger? Generally, the larger the machine the more pressure it can generate.
The features - What features are important to you, such as a milk frother or water filter?
How often you'll use it - If you're only an occasional coffee drinker, then you don't need a high-end machine with all the bells and whistles. Consider something more basic that will still produce great coffee.
Your budget - Of course, price is always a consideration when making any purchase. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a great machine; there are many affordable options available.
Ease of use - Look for a model with an intuitive interface and easy-to-use controls. The last thing you want is a machine that's difficult to operate.
Style - Do you want something sleek and modern, or something more traditional? Some of the models on the market.
What to Avoid In a Coffee Machine
When looking to buy a coffee machine, there are a few things that you'll want to avoid.
Firstly, consider how involved you want your coffee-making process to be. Professional level coffee machines can be very complex, and if you just want your morning coffee, not a new hobby, you’ll be better off with a simpler model.
Secondly, avoid machines with small water tanks – these won't hold enough water for multiple cups of coffee, meaning you'll have to refill them often. Those with a back-mounted tank are also more difficult to refill than those with the tank on the front or side.
Finally, don't buy a machine that uses pods or capsules – while they may be convenient, they can be expensive in the long run, don't produce great coffee, and most importantly they are terrible for the environment.
Excellent Coffee in the Comfort of Your Home
With the right coffee machine, you can have excellent coffee right in the comfort of your own home. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced barista, there's definitely a machine out there that will meet your needs.
