What coffee machine should you get? A buyers guide

Pod coffee machines are by far the most popular in-home coffee solution in the country. According to 2019 data almost 50% of Aussies had a pod machine like Nespresso, or Aldi in their homes, and it is pretty easy to see why. Capsule coffee machines are generally cheaper to buy, require very little maintenance, and you don’t need any café style skills to operate them. Just pop in a pod, press a button and you’re ready to go. Many come with milk frothers and even steaming wands, or these can be bought separately to use in conjunction with your pod machine.

The mechanics of these machines have lowered the barrier to entry for many households, allowing a good chunk of Australians to step it up from instant coffee, to fancier instant coffee. The downsides however are based around the coffee itself. Comparatively speaking, prepackaged coffee pods are significantly lower in caffeine than a manual or automatic espresso machine. On average Nespresso pods contain around 55-65mg of caffeine, while a cafe espresso can have up to 126mg according to a University of Newcastle study. If you’re a big coffee drinker then chances are pod coffee may leave you unfulfilled.

Furthermore coffee pods are kind of an environmental nightmare. Australia alone contributes 8,500 tonnes of coffee capsules - or 2.4 million pods - to landfill every year. Globally the number is closer to 576,000 metric tonnes. Trends suggest that Australians are becoming more conscious of this however with more sustainable pod alternatives hitting stores, and pod recycling programs surfacing. If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of pods but still want the convenience they bring, look for compostable pods, or even reusable stainless steel options that you can put your choice of beans into.

Automatic coffee machines are another step up from pod coffee, to instant coffee in another format. As you may have guessed from the name, automatic coffee machines do all the heavy lifting for you. For the most part you’ll just need to pour in your beans, press a couple of buttons and you’ll have a freshly brewed espresso. The experience itself is very similar to pod coffee machines but because the beans are freshly ground by the machine itself you’ll get better depth of flavour, and higher caffeine content (depending on your beans and grind preference). When you first get the machine you will probably need to play with the grind settings a bit until you get it exactly where you want it. Once you’ve figured out these settings though, you’re ready to sit back and sip on fresh coffee til your heart’s content… or beating too fast.

This also means that you have the choice of any beans you want. Buying coffee beans in bulk can be quite affordable, and ultimately bring your cost per coffee down significantly from pod coffee. You also don’t have the environmental impacts to worry about, and your coffee grounds can be composted or just mixed in with soil for the garden.

Many automatic machines include a milk frother or a steaming wand too. Generally if you have a steaming wand you’re going to have to steam your own milk which can be a bit of a learning curve (pro tip, get a food thermometer and steam it to 60 degrees C). This also makes the process a bit more time consuming, but the payoff is worth it in my opinion.

Upkeep of automatic coffee machines is much higher than that of pod machines however. In my household we have the DeLonghi Magnifica S and an ongoing joke that it always needs something. Either the coffee catch area needs to be cleaned, or the water jug is empty, or the beans are running low, or it needs to be descaled, or the steamer needs a deep clean. Apart from descaling, none of these tasks take very long to do, but there are just more moving parts to consider day-to-day.

If you’re the kind of person who wants a manual coffee machine then you already know that you want it. We’re not going to try and dissuade you, but if you’re tossing up between a manual and an automatic there are a few things worth considering. 

Manual coffee machines have the advantage of letting you entirely customise your brewing process. You have control over the grind, the tamper, the beans, the milk- all of it. For coffee connoisseurs and those that love the ritual of pulling a cup of coffee this is a serious upshot, but for less experienced or time-strapped households it could be too much. There is a lot going on when it comes to brewing good espresso, so be wary that you’ll need to put in a bit of time to learn how to do it to your liking.

Many manual machines, especially cheaper options also may not come with an included grinder. You’ll either need to buy one yourself which is an additional set up cost, or buy pre-ground coffee. If you’re buying from a cafe you can usually just ask them to grind it up for you when you buy a bag.

Whether you have an external or in-built grinder, manual coffee machines make for a messier process. Since you’re dealing with loose grounds you’ll need to be pretty on the ball when it comes to cleaning your machine, less your future brews suffer.

Since filter coffee uses gravity rather than pressure to brew, baristas say that it can help unearth the more delicate notes from the coffee beans. It also means the brewing process is almost silent, and allows you to brew big batches at one time. While the coffee itself is well watered down (a 1:16 coffee to water ratio is recommended), it does require quite a lot of beans at once which can make it quite expensive. You’re also limited to just a big ole cuppa coffee, maybe with a splash of milk in there if you’re feeling it. Frothing and steaming is pretty much off the table with filter coffee.

As an Australian the only filter coffee machines that I picture are from American television shows, sitting behind the bench in a diner. According to known American and Reviews.org Managing Editor Adam Smith,

If that is you, or it strikes a chord, then maybe filter coffee is a good option.