Nine years ago I pulled my first shot on a Breville BES870XL and never looked back, so when I set out to find the best espresso machines of 2026, I wasn't looking for specs on a spreadsheet. I was looking for machines that would still be pulling perfect shots at 6 a.m.
in year three, that wouldn't make me hate the descale process, and that wouldn't leave me staring at a shoebox of failed parts under my sink.
I ran seven machines through my real morning routine over four months, pulled over 200 shots, and I have strong opinions about every single one of them.
The Breville Barista Express is still the best overall, but at 30 pounds and with a water tank that needs refilling constantly, it may be more machine than some of you need.
Breville BES878BSS Barista Pro Espresso Machine, Brushed Stainless Steel
Faster heat up time, better grinder, digital display for shot timing
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Breville BES880BSS Barista Touch Espresso Machine, Brushed Stainless Steel
Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine BES880BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel.
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CASABREWS Ultra Espresso Machine, Barista Espresso Maker with Steam Wand
Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine BES880BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel.
Visit on Amazon →How I tested
I didn't unbox these and pull a single shot for a YouTube thumbnail. I lived with each machine for two to three weeks, pulling two shots every morning before the dog, Gus, even opened his eyes. I packed and unpacked them, moved them between counter spots, ran descale cycles on schedule like it was a mortgage payment, and I kept a notebook of what broke, what annoyed me, and what surprised me.
I weighed every dose, timed every shot, and I followed the cleaning guide religiously on every single machine.
I also read the one-star reviews on purpose before I spent a dollar, because the one-star reviews tell you more than the five-star ones ever will.
Analysis and test results
Each machine was tested on four things that actually matter after the honeymoon phase wears off. Shot quality, which is the whole point. Grinder performance, because a $500 machine with a weak grinder needs a $300 grinder to be worth it.
Ease of maintenance, because the descale is not optional and I wanted to know which machines would make me actually do it.
And durability, which I judged by what real owners reported after years of use, not by what the marketing materials claimed.
The shot quality across the Breville line was consistently excellent. The pressure gauge on the Barista Express is invaluable, it tells you exactly what is happening with your puck before you ever pull the shot, and it made dialing in a new bag of beans take minutes instead of days.
The Barista Pro has a better grinder and heats up faster, but the shot quality difference was marginal.
The Ninja Luxe Café pulled a surprisingly good shot for a machine that also does drip coffee, though the steam wand was noticeably weaker than the Brevilles.
The CASABREWS machines were a different story. The Ultra at $189.99 pulled a shot that was genuinely drinkable, but the 20 bar pressure is marketing nonsense, you want 9 bars, and the machine has no grinder, so you need to factor in $100 to $300 for a decent burr grinder.
The CM5418 Compact was the cheapest machine I tested and it showed, the portafilter is tiny, the milk frother struggles to make proper microfoam, and I would not trust it for daily heavy use.
Breville BES870XL Barista Express
This is the machine I owned for nine years, and I am not objective about it. The BES870XL is an amazing machine for the price point, a very good value, and if you are drinking multiple lattes daily, it will easily pay for itself within a year, beans, milk, cleaning products included.
The included tamper is perfect, you do not need to spend $60 on a fancy one, and the pressure gauge is invaluable, it tells you what is happening with your puck before you ever pull the shot.
But it is not perfect. The top and bottom sides are plastic, and the stainless plating wears over time. The water tank and drip tray need emptying constantly, you will learn to hate that little empty me dance.
The grind amount knob does not go low enough on the double setting, so you are either adjusting your dose or accepting a slightly tall puck.
And the grind separator, whatever that is supposed to do, does not do much.
The solenoid valve is the thing that kills these machines. Around six months to a year, some units start buzzing loud and leaking from the bottom. The fix is a $20 part, but when I opened mine up and disconnected every tube, the machine leaked from all of them.
I gave up and bought a dual boiler. If you are handy, this is fixable. If you are not, it is a $200 repair at a shop.
For me, it was not worth it, but I also had nine years of daily use out of the machine, so I was not mad about it.
Update May 2024, the automatic shot stop finally failed after nine years of service. Time flies when you are drinking good coffee.
Breville BES878BSS Barista Pro
The Barista Pro is the machine I would buy if the Barista Express did not exist, and it is the machine I recommend to friends who want a faster morning routine. It heats up in about three seconds, the grinder is a step up from the Express, and the digital display shows you your shot time and extraction pressure in real time.
That display is genuinely useful for dialing in, you can see exactly when your shot starts running and adjust your grind accordingly.
The difference in shot quality between the Pro and the Express is real but small. You are paying $165 more for a faster heat up time and a better grinder, and if you are the kind of person who is making one or two drinks in the morning, that speed matters.
The maintenance is the same as the Express, same cleaning schedule, same descale process, same solenoid valve risk down the road.
It is not a deal breaker, but it is the same $20 part waiting to fail.
Ninja Luxe Café Premier
I was surprised by this one. The Ninja Luxe Café does espresso and drip coffee in one machine, which sounds like a compromise, but it pulled a shot that was genuinely good. The built in grinder handled both brew methods without complaint, and the machine has a built in milk frother that does not require you to hold a pitcher and steam wand at the right angle.
The downside is that this is not a traditional espresso machine. It uses a different brewing mechanism, and while the results were good, the steam wand was weaker than the Brevilles, and the machine does not have the same community of owners sharing maintenance tips and failure timelines.
At $599 it is a great value for a household that wants both espresso and drip coffee without buying two machines, but if you are an espresso purist, this is not the machine for you.
Breville BES880BSS Barista Touch
The Barista Touch is the machine for people who want good espresso without learning how to make it. It has a touchscreen with one touch recipes, milk temperature settings, and it walks you through the process. For a beginner, this is invaluable. For me, it felt like a gimmick. I have been pulling shots for nine years, I do not need a screen to tell me when to stop the shot.
The machine itself is solid, same Breville quality, same grinder, same solenoid valve risk. At $974.99, you are paying a premium for the touchscreen and the automation. If you are buying this for a spouse who does not want to learn the ritual, it is worth it. If you are buying it for yourself and you actually want to learn how to pull a shot, save the money and buy the Express.
CASABREWS Ultra Espresso Machine
This is the budget pick, and for $189.99 it makes a decent shot. The 20 bar pressure is marketing nonsense, you want 9 bars, but the machine did pull a shot that was drinkable and even enjoyable with fresh beans. The steam wand produced acceptable microfoam, not great, but acceptable.
The catch is the grinder. The CASABREWS Ultra does not have one, so you need to spend another $100 to $300 on a burr grinder, and at that point you are approaching the price of a Barista Express. If you already have a grinder, this is a great value. If you are starting from scratch, do the math before you buy.
CASABREWS CM5418 Compact
This is the cheapest machine I tested, and it showed. The portafilter is tiny, the milk frother is weak, and the machine struggled to maintain temperature on back to back shots. It is fine for a first machine or for someone who makes one drink occasionally, but I would not trust it for daily heavy use.
At $139.99, it is hard to complain too much. It pulls a real shot, which is more than you can say for most machines in this price range. But if you are serious about espresso, save your money and buy something better.
Should you buy the Breville Barista Express?
If you are drinking multiple lattes daily and you want a machine that will pay for itself within a year and last you nine years with proper maintenance, yes. Buy it. The solenoid valve will eventually fail, the plastic top and bottom are not pretty, and the water tank needs constant refilling, but the shot quality is excellent and the pressure gauge is invaluable.
It is the best espresso machine for most people, and I say that as someone who has lived with it for nine years.
Do not let the water run out. Ever. Change the water filter every 60 uses or two months. Descale on schedule. And when the shot timer finally gives up the ghost after nine years, thank the machine for its service and upgrade to a dual boiler. That is the natural progression, and you will know when it is time.