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Affetto is on the expensive side, and as an automated machine it can be finicky. Just make sure it’s topped up with water and beans, and you regularly clean out the spent ground container and it works like a dream.
The most convenient, easiest cleanup
We love this machine. This is the best Keurig we’ve ever used (8/10, Wired recommends) and has the best sibling of any machine tested for this guide. While the K-Cafe doesn’t technically make espresso shots (the K-Cup system doesn’t hold its base under pressure), it still makes a delicious “espresso style” 2-ounce shot that tastes almost identical. Strong, though without the crema that you might want.
Real magic bro. It has three settings—cold, latte, and cappuccino—and makes perfect milk with the touch of a button. Once this is done, pour your milk through the side pouch. The jug is made of stainless steel, and the plastic spinner comes right off, making cleaning as easy as a quick run under the faucet. It’s so easy to use and clean that I sometimes froth milk with it even when I’m using other machines to make my espresso. I liked it so much, I didn’t even think the foamer pouch was designed for right-handed people. The left-hander was happy to adapt.
While Keurig’s single-use coffee pods were hard on the recycling system, they are now 100 percent recyclable. Unfortunately, the The world’s recycling infrastructure is in A bit of a crisis So for guilt-free sipping, you’re better off sticking with the Keurig Reusable coffee filter; We recommend sticking with the branded ones, as we’ve found the cheaper dupes to be unreliable.
Best handheld milk bro
Sometimes making a full latte or cappuccino using an automatic machine can be a time-suck. Not to mention, sometimes All you really want frothed milk That’s where milk frothers come in. These machines beat air into milk or milk substitutes to produce a nice creamy froth.
Most frothers create hard frothy foam on top of the milk, which is not good for lattes or cappuccinos. Properly textured milk is creamy, light, airy and never hard or separates. This is why our current favorite is subminimal to nanofoam.
The darling of Kickstarter, Nanofoam is now a real product. It looks like a very small immersion blender, which is more or less what it is. It has two separate screens that fit over the blades: one for fine-textured milk and the other for ultra-fine-textured milk. The difference is subtle, but the one that makes fine filter milk bit Bubblier than ultra fine filters. Filters allow nanofoam to do what vapor sticks do: it the texture Your milk for that perfect, creamy top.
Questions and answers
Photo: Jeffrey Van Camp
How we tested each machine
The key here is automation. We wanted to test machines that make you a cup of coffee with a single touch, or as close as possible. So the products on this list are mostly of the automatic and semi-automatic variety. You fill them in and they do all the hard work—or most of it anyway.
Setup and cleanup were particularly important as was durability. The whole point of such a device is to save time and energy and/or produce a higher quality drink than could be made without it, so we don’t recommend any product that doesn’t produce delicious espresso. And save time
Which beans should you buy?
Even if you don’t make espresso, the first and best thing you can do to dramatically improve your morning coffee is to buy locally roasted beans. Plug your city or region and “locally roasted coffee beans” into Google and you’ll be glad you did. The reason why your locally roasted coffee from a major coffee roaster (such as Starbucks, Ily, or Gevalia) will taste better than anything in the world is simple: coffee grows in only a few regions of the world and it begins to lose its flavor the moment it is roasted.
Try to avoid brands that advertise their European origin. Coffee isn’t grown in Italy or France or any other part of Europe, so you’ll always be buying beans roasted thousands of miles away that have spent an unknown amount of time in transit before reaching you. Even if you order a bag of killer coffee beans from (and roasted) a coffee-producing region of the world, it won’t arrive before those flavors are introduced. Trust me, buy from a local roaster. You will not regret it. For some of our favorite mail-order brands, check out our roundup The best coffee subscription service.
What else do you need?
Ground coffee: If you’ve never made espresso before and don’t have access to a coffee grinder, we still recommend buying locally roasted beans. Just ask your barista for a fine (espresso) grind. We’ve tried many pre-ground espresso blends from popular companies lavaza, GevaliaAnd Cafe Bustello. They were all very dark and very bitter, in part because they were all imported or roasted in large batches and shipped around the world. Coffee grinding is another thing that starts to erode it. Use your freshly ground, locally roasted beans within two weeks or you’ll end up with dark, bitter, acidic and funky coffee. Our roundup The best coffee grinder Can also provide some guidance here.
Distributor and Tamp: Many machines come with plastic tamps, but few come with proper dispensers and tamps. You will need to check the size of your portafilter (it will be stated in your machine’s instruction manual), but it is Combined distributor and temp A good choice for most machines.
