This elegant manual espresso maker comes from La Pavoni , a more-than 100-year-old brand that has withstood the test of time when it comes to great espresso machines. The triple-plated chrome is not only beautiful but functional: it helps to prevent corrosion, maintain temperature, and ensure long-term durability. Flip the switch to warm up the boiler, and then use the lever to control the resulting cup of espresso rather than relying on an automatic function. The boiler, which can hold up to 20 ounces of water, takes a little more than five minutes to heat, and there’s also a steam wand to top your espresso with froth.

The Nespresso Creatista Plus makes solid, consistent espresso using capsules, which can help you make both americanos and espresso-based drinks. There is an attached steam wand for frothing, which allows you to turn your espresso into lattes and more. This machine particularly excels for making milk-based drinks, offering eight different milk textures and 11 different milk temperatures, in case you’re extremely particular. We also appreciated the settings to control coffee volume and ratios, as well as the fact that Nespresso promises to have a carbon-neutral footprint as of this year.

The illy iperEspresso Machine is an easy choice for convenience and simplicity, thanks to its small collection of pods to choose from. The one-touch brewing cycle makes your espresso, and the attached Panarello steam wand froths milk to create lattes or cappuccinos. We loved the beautifully round, vintage design (from Italian architect Luca Trazzi), which, coupled with the modern technology, makes this espresso maker an aesthetic boon to any home. This machine also requires capsules, though it doesn’t offer the myriad options of Nespresso.

The Breville Bambino Plus delivers the requisite nine bars of pressure in a small countertop model, extracting plenty of rich coffee flavor for each cup. It comes in nine colors?many of them featuring whimsical names like sea salt, champagne, and?our favorite, red velvet cake?so you can coordinate with your kitchen. This espresso machine claims to have perfected the combination of the right amount of coffee with the right amount of pressure at the right temperature, relying on a commercial-style 54mm portafilter (the spoon or basket-shaped device that holds the actual coffee grounds) that delivers an 18- to 22-gram portion of ground coffee, and a Digital Temperature Control system that ensures that water is heated properly for extraction. You can select one or two shots. The microfoam milk froth can be produced automatically or manually.

The Philips 3200 offers an automatic experience without the need for capsules. This machine comes with 12 grinder settings, a simple touchscreen display, and five beverage options (espresso, cappuccino, coffee, latte macchiato, and Americano). An aroma seal ensures that your coffee beans maintain their freshness, and the machine automatically grinds, tamps, and brews your beverage based on your selection. Reviewers note that some pre-ground coffee can clog the machine, so most recommend buying whole beans and using the machine’s built-in grinder. The automatic frothing chamber of the LatteGo milk system is a plus: there are no tubes for milk to travel through, which means there are no hard-to-clean crevices, and the whole chamber is dishwasher safe.

The Gaggia Classic Pro may have commercial-grade parts, but it’s still an excellent entry-level choice for serious coffee drinkers. It’s semiautomatic, which means that the machine only has three switches: an on and off switch, a coffee-making switch, and a frothing switch. With only three buttons, it takes the guesswork out of most of the process. The 58mm portafilter helps to keep high temperatures stable, thereby helping with maximum flavor extraction. There are both single- and double-shot baskets. You’ll have to grind and tamp the coffee to your liking and time your brewing process to use these, which means you’re still getting hands-on in the coffee ritual. For days when you want to be a little less involved, however, this machine also includes a pressurized basket for use with E.S.E. (easy-serving-espresso) pods.

De’Longhi’s automatic espresso machine does just about all of the espresso work for you, from grinding to tamping and timing your brew based on the kind of beverage you want. The choices for beverages include single or double espresso shots, milk-based espresso beverages, or hot water for Americanos or tea. This machine features a separate hot water spout, so there’s no risk of hot water staining your tea with a coffee tinge. A pressure gauge monitors the proper pressure levels, and a steam wand creates flat or foamy milk for your latte or cappuccino, and all you have to do is place the pitcher beneath it. The milk is heated by an independent heating system, which eliminates the pesky need to wait for the whole machine to get back up to temperature to top off your beverage. Thanks to six grind size options and a burr grinder (which results in more uniformly ground coffee than a blade grinder), you can rest assured that you’re getting the proper selection for an espresso versus an Americano, and the smart tamping lever helps you get your grounds properly packed.