The Rancilio Silvia’s massive 67 oz water reservoir feeds a 12 oz chrome-plated boiler, which is used for both pulling the shot and steaming your milk.

The small boiler size offers extremely fast recovery from shot to shot, meaning you can pound out an entire dinner party’s worth of espresso in just a few minutes.

And take a look at this thing's size and weight. It’s packing a ton of heft into a small package.

That’s because the Silvia is durable and made to last. Its brew group is commercial quality, so you’ll be pulling professional shots. With practice, you’ll probably be better than your local coffee shop!

Maybe you could charge for your espresso to offset the price?

I dunno, just thinking out loud.

Saeco is a great brand with high-quality products, and I doubt you’ll be disappointed owning one of their premium super-automatic models.

What do I love about this machine?

(Aside from the fact it’s a Saeco.)

The LCD screen is a great feature. You also get the water hardness setting unique to the Saecos on this list. The compact brew group is also removable for easy cleaning.

On the downside, this machine is not made with stainless steel. Instead it has a plastic exterior.

Aside from the couple other cons noted below, there aren’t many negatives I have to say about this machine.

The DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM3300 is an easy-to-operate super-automatic espresso machine that combines superb reliability with every feature you need (plus a couple nice extras).

It isn’t the flashiest model espresso machine on the market, but it’s a fantastic option in its entry-level price range and has been a fan-favorite since it first debuted in 2001.

Yes, you read that right. This machine has existed in almost the same form for nearly 20 years. Why?

Because it just works.

Of note, the Magnifica ESAM3300 has 2 separate thermoblock boiler systems

1. One for your espresso
2. One for your steam wand

This ensures rapid heating without any unnecessary waiting.

I’ll detail some of my favorite features below in our full DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM3300 review, but as you saw above, this machine scores highly across the board.

No wonder it's one of the best-selling super-automatic coffee machines on the market.

Nespresso has two lines of capsule-based espresso machines:

• OriginalLine: Their original line (duh) that used a 19 bar pump to extract shots from capsules
• VertuoLine: Their new line that uses Centrifusion (rapid capsule spinning) to extract shots from barcode-enabled capsules but also brews standard coffee up to 17 oz

For our money, OriginalLine machines are better than VertuoLine machines because their pump produces more authentic espresso, the coffee tends to be hotter, and there's no barcode scanning system meaning you can find less-expensive third-party capsules.

And no series of OriginalLine brewers tops the Creatistas, which includes the following 3 models:

• Creatista Uno
• Creatista (discontinued)
• Creatista Plus

Originally, the Creatista (now discontinued) was the sole representative of this series. Then Nespresso created the Uno (more basic) and the Plus (more premium).

The Creatista's draw is its swivel frothing arm, which gives you total control over your milk foam — something Lattissima Series doesn't offer. Instead, Lattissima machines are about one-touch convenience for people who want hands-off cappuccinos and lattes.

Note: You don't need to froth your milk manually! The Creatista is fully capable of frothing your milk for you. Just leave the milk frothing pitcher on the temperature sensor below the frothing wand and let the machine do its thing.

If that control appeals to you, take a look at one of the 3 Creatista models.

What are the differences? We'll cover that in the Buyer's Guide below.

Matched up head-to-head with most of the other super-automatic machines, the Gaggia Brera comes up short.

But the Gaggia Brera has one major advantage: its price tag.

While most super-automatic models tend to stretch your wallet, the Gaggia Brera is a little kinder.

Essentially, there are two trade-offs you make by settling for the Brera:

1. A lot of plastic components
2. Smaller reservoir, drip tray, and bean hopper capacities

The Brera is very capable machine, but swapping out stainless steel for plastic is a concern.

Still, a lot of Brera users report their machines lasting several years.

Ultimately, the Brera has everything you’d expect a super-automatic espresso machine to have, including a very intuitive user interface that allows you to easily refine your espresso to your tastes.

DeLonghi’s Magnifica ECAM22100 is similar to the Magnifica ESAM3300, except smaller and more compact.

(The “XS” in the model name stands for “Extra Small.”)

Yup, compact convenience is the calling card of this model.

That compact design does come at a small price, however, as DeLonghi had to go with a single boiler for the ECAM22110 instead of the dual boiler systems used in the ESAM3300 and Prima Donna ECAM28465.

On the plus side, this ECAM22110 is a newer version of the ESAM3300, and that means more programmable functionality and additional features.

For example, you’ll enjoy these upgrades:

• Brew as little as a single shot or as much as two long coffees
• Programmable water hardness setting
• Energy saving mode for up to 77% lower energy costs

Really, the biggest annoyance is the way the bean hopper is designed. Sometimes the beans don’t fall into the grinder and need a little help.

Honestly, this is something I’d classify as minor, but for others it’s a real deal-breaker. Your mileage may vary.

B+ coffee with A+ convenience.

That’s the Jura ENA Micro 9 in a nutshell.

And that makes it a solid option if you're looking at super-automatic espresso machines.

How can I advocate for B+ coffee?

The ENA Micro 9 delivers true one-touch brewing with a high quality beverage, and that’s no small feat.

It has an extremely intuitive and comprehensive user interface, which allows you to dial in your perfect beverage and then brew it in perpetuity at the touch of a single button.

Nespresso has two lines of capsule-based espresso machines:

• OriginalLine: Their original line (duh) that used a 19 bar pump to extract shots from capsules
• VertuoLine: Their new line that uses Centrifusion (rapid capsule spinning) to extract shots from barcode-enabled capsules but also brews standard coffee up to 17 oz

For our money, OriginalLine machines are better than VertuoLine machines because their pump produces more authentic espresso, the coffee tends to be hotter, and there's no barcode scanning system meaning you can find less-expensive third-party capsules.

The CitiZ & Milk is Nespresso's best mid-range OriginalLine machine. By "mid-range" we mean any of the machines shy of the Lattissima Series.

What makes the CitiZ & Milkstand out?

• Best-in-class 34 oz reservoir (10 oz larger than the Essenza Plus, Pixie, and Inissia)
• Powerful 1720W boiler for rapid heating speeds
• Durable aluminum housing (also found on the Pixie and U)
• Integrated Aeroccino3 frother for specialty beverages

Capable of brewing shots from 1.35 oz to 3.70 oz, the CitiZ & Milk has two programmable brew buttons that easily allow you to customize your shot size. Here's how it works:

1. Insert a capsule
2. Press and hold the brew button (either one) until your desired shot volume is reached
3. Release the button

The machine will remember that brew size for every future brew (until you reset it).

While the CitiZ & Milk doesn't come with a preset button for Americanos (espresso + hot water, like a regular coffee) like the Essenza Plus does, you can easily use the programmable buttons to set up your own Americano system:

1. Set one button to be your preferred shot size
2. Set the other button to be your preferred hot water volume

In between pressing both buttons, just eject the capsule.

With true one-touch brewing and myriad options for full customization, this impressively compact and slick-looking super-automatic espresso machine from Gaggia is truly deserving of its best-in-class status among the 3 models in Gaggia’s Anima series:

• Gaggia Anima
• Gaggia Anima Deluxe
• Gaggia Animal Prestige

What's the benefit of a super-automatic espresso machine? It does absolutely everything. You push a button, and the machine does the rest:

• Grinds your beans
• Doses the portafilter
• Extracts your shot
• Empties the portafilter

You don't need another grinder. You don't need a tamper. You don't even need to do much cleaning (aside from regular maintenance).

And for specialty beverages, the Gaggia Anima Prestige's attached Milk Crate an Automatic Frother takes care of all of your specialty beverage needs.

That's the biggest difference between the Animal Prestige and the other 2 Anima models. While both the Anima and Anima Deluxe froth your milk with the push of a button, neither has programmed specialty beverages that automatically combines your espresso and milk for you.

That's right.

• Both the Anima and Anima Deluxe have a button for Milk Froth that steams your milk in a separate container. You need to combine them.
• The Anima Prestige has buttons for Cappuccino and Latte Macchiato. One push and the machine goes through the whole process of extracting your freshly ground shot, steaming your milk, and combining the two into a perfectly balanced beverage.

Overall, the Gaggia Anima Prestige couldn't be easier to use.

The downside of a super-automatic espresso machine is what you may expect: A complete lack of manual customization, since everything is hands-off.

But depending on what you're looking for in an espresso machine, that may not be a downside to you.

Choosing the best single cup iced coffee maker is challenging because a lot of the best models that fit in this category really are cold brew coffee makers. You know, that lengthy process of letting coffee steep at room temperature for 12-24 hours?

Face it — it’s hard to get rich iced coffee on demand.

NESCAFE has a good product for iced beverages because of their concentrated brew technology, so they’ll continue to pepper our iced beverage-related lists.

Immediately, the DeLonghi DEDICA stands out from other espresso machines.

Look at how thin it is!

It also has a touch of programmability with these 4 functions::

• Brew temperature: low, medium, high
• Water hardness: soft, medium, hard
• Auto-off: 9 min, 30 min, 3 hours
• Programmable shot size: press and hold the single or double shot button to set

You can set the machine to brew low, medium, or high temperature shots, but let’s be real. You’re going to choose high.

You can set your water hardness to soft, medium, or hard to get a customized reminder of how frequently you need to descale the machine. That’s nice and all, but just descale every 2-3 months or more frequently if you have hard water.

You can set the auto-off mode to turn off between 9 minutes and 3 hours, depending on how you plan to use the machine.

You can customize your shot size by pressing and holding either shot button, which can either be great (if you want to permanently change the volume) or annoying (if you’d like it to go back to the original volume). I side with it being a great feature.

Those features aside, this is your standard pump espresso machine. It brews single and double shots and is E.S.E. pod compatible, and despite its sleek design there’s a milk frothing attachment on the right side of the machine.

How does the DeLonghi DEDICA perform?

Frankly, it pulls a very good shot. No complaints there. Issues sometimes arise with the frother. Sometimes you can make very thick, hot frothed milk. Sometimes it runs out of steam and doesn’t maintain the proper temperature.

My only other complaint is more me being picky than anything, but I wish the machine had more weight to it. I know it’s designed to be small, but espresso machines should have some heft to them to prevent the unit from moving around as you lock in or remove the portafilter.

The best quality of the Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma espresso machine is its durability.

If you read reviews for this model on Amazon, you’ll see a lot of users who report this machine lasting 3+ years.

That’s pretty great!

This model has a lot of stainless steel components, even on the inside of the machine, to keep it functioning well for years.

Though almost all of the machines on this list are stripped down to the essential features — that’s how they keep their price tag low — the Breville ESP8XL really takes that to heart. This unit is smaller and more compact than many pump espresso machines.

The downside of this machine, though, is the 40 oz water reservoir, which pales in comparison to Rancilio Silvia’s 67 oz tank.

This entry-level model has a lower price point and limited features, but DeLonghi did that with one goal in mind:

To make an affordable, fool-proof espresso machine.

Pull single or double shots with the included pressurized portafilter, or pop in an E.S.E. soft pod to get a rich, hot espresso with minimal hassle.

The Pannarello steam wand is a great addition on an entry-level machine — just submerge the wand in your milk and activate steam mode with no manual frothing required — and the whole unit is compact and durable.

The one feature I find sort of useless is the attached tamper. I’ve never been a fan of the up-press tamper affixed to the espresso machine.

One of the best espresso machines you can routinely find for under $100, the DeLonghi EC155 is a great starter model.

But let me restate what I said in the intro:

Espresso machines truly are a product where you get what you pay for, and there’s no chance this $100 model will seriously challenge machines pushing (or exceeding) $1,000.

It just isn’t going to happen.

But that doesn’t mean the DeLonghi EC155 doesn’t deserve mention.

First, it pulls a great shot for its price point. Sometimes the shot varies in quality, ranging — almost a random — from slightly watery to slightly over-extracted, and it’s near impossible to control for that.

Second, it’s very small but still has enough heft to sit firmly on your countertop when you’re twisting in the portafilter.

Third, it costs less than $100.

Incredibly simple and very affordable with some nifty features, the Capresso Ultima PRO is an intriguing espresso machine for those looking for something with more than just the bare bones espresso-making essentials.

Of note, this model has two standout features:

1. Self-tamping portafilter
2. Programmable shot sizes

Nifty features aside, this model pulls a strong shot with a rich crema.

The problem is that some users (not an insignificant amount of them) have reported pump failures around 4-5 months of use.

The unit has 5 buttons on its front interface:

• Single shot
• Double shot
• On/off
• Hot water only
• Steam

As mentioned above, an interesting feature of this model is its built-in tamper. When you insert the portafilter basket, the machine automatically tamps the grounds for you.

This can be construed as either a pro or a con depending on your preferences.

Some people, like myself, enjoy being able to tamp their own grounds. It affords a little extra control over my shot.

Others enjoy having this extra step being hands off.

When I think of Mr. Coffee the first things that come to mind are cheap, low quality coffee makers.

With their Cafe Barista Espresso Machine, cheap still applies — but it isn’t totally low-quality.

Featuring settings for both single and double espresso shots and the ability to make espresso, cappuccino and latte beverages, the Cafe Barista is able to brew 6 different beverage sizes:

• Espresso: 1.25 or 2.50 oz
• Cappuccino: 6 or 10 oz
• Latte: 12 or 15 oz

Plus, the built-in automatic frother takes the guesswork out of specialty beverages but allows you to manually froth if that’s your thing.

The only real drawback with the frother is it doesn’t quite get to the bottom of the frothing pitcher, consistently leaving you with an inch of wasted milk. Take care to clean the frother regularly, at least every few weeks, or it’ll stop performing.

The included 55 oz water reservoir is pretty large and compares favorably to other bargain espresso machines, which is exactly what the Cafe Barista ECMP1000 is.

The DeLonghi ECP3420 pressurized portafilter comes with an attachment making it compatible with espresso pods.

Not Nescafe or Nespresso pods mind you, but rather the E.S.E. soft pods available by companies like Lavazza. These are the ones.

The pressurized portafilter is great for novices as it helps ensure optimal pressure for a rich creme, even when using the E.S.E. pods.

The departure from a capsule system necessitates the use of a real frother for cappuccinos, lattes and other specialty beverages, and the DeLonghi ECP3420 comes with one built-in.

More complicated than capsule-based foam? Sure.

Better? You bet.

Add in the stainless steel plated exterior and internal boiler plate, the ability to brew two espresso shots at once and the stainless steel plated exterior and boiler plate (did I say that twice?) and you get a pretty nice machine for an appealing price.

I know what you’re thinking:

“Bryan, this machine sounds so great! Why is it ranked fifth?”

Two reasons.

First, while the machine itself is competitively priced you’ll need to shell out a little extra to purchase some necessary, yet not included, accessories:

• Tampe
• Frothing pitcher
• Grinder

Second, the frother sometimes fails to froth. It got my milk nice and hot, but sometimes the foam wasn’t as foamy as I’d like.