Best bean-to-cup coffee machines of 2024 in the UK — reviewed and ranked by the Ideal Home team

It's no secret that the best bean-to-cup coffee machines unlock the most elevated coffee experience possible at home, save from hiring a live-in barista. Whether you brew a fresh espresso or a tasty cappuccino, these machines are the way to ensure that your coffee straight from the bean is as freshly ground as possible.

Often working at the touch of a button, a bean-to-cup machine can grind the perfect amount of coffee for a well-extracted shot and then create the ideal pressure level to prevent too much acidity or bitterness in your final drink. Some even use automatic milk dispensers to make fine, frothy foam without hands-on work.

This type of the best coffee machine tends to be the most expensive. So that you can get an idea of what it's like to try before you buy, we've done the hard yards for you, and tested every top-rated option on the market, so that you can gauge the quality of every appliance for yourself before you splash out.

We've compared the ease of assembly and grinding and extracting of every machine and cross-referenced specialist features, as well as looked at each machine's capacity and milk frothing ability, as well as the price point of each across the board.

Here are our top recommendations for bean-to-cup coffee machines, curated from products we've tested from the likes of Sage, Beko, De'Longhi and more.

The best bean to cup coffee machines of 2024 in the UK

Looking for the most efficient way to shop for the best bean to cup coffee machine? Introducing our quick list, which lets you see the pros and cons of these products at a glance.

The best bean to cup coffee machine

We've already crowned this as our favourite coffee machine overall in our all-encompassing guide, but it would be remiss not to call it the best bean-to-cup coffee machine on the market too.

Yes, it's expensive, with an RRP of £729.00, but if you're looking to invest in your coffee set-up, then the investment will prove worth it even if it takes a lot of saving up. Of course, that's a big if, especially right now when you might not be in the perfect place to make this kind of investment.

Our reviewer rated the coffee from this machine an easy 10/10. Though it took a little getting used to at first, once set up with the perfect grind size and pressure level, the espressos that were made were perfectly well-balanced and creamy.

You can tell when you hit the right point by looking at the pressure dial on the front of the machine. If you are new to steaming milk, this will be a great machine to get you started on making your own lattes and cappuccinos too, thanks to the wand.

Our Sage Barista Express Impress review has the full details.

The best value bean to cup coffee machine

If you don’t want to spend a fortune, or take up too much worktop space, you should buy this Beko machine. With a narrow footprint (at 24cm wide) and a 19-bar pressure pump to make deep, full-bodied coffee, it's a perfect machine to opt for if your budget is smaller. You use touch controls to operate it, with icons running along the exterior of this machine.

Out of the box, our tester found that the coffee was a little bit mild, but there is a handy dial to adjust the grinder. Once the grind was finer, coffee was tastier with a better crema. Meanwhile, the froth from the steam wand was very powerful (maybe too powerful) and quick to get going.

You can adjust the grind and also the length of coffee shots with this machine. If you want a longer drink you can top it up with hot water from the wand or hold one of the brewing buttons down to make the shot longer or shorter. And its pre-brewing system wets the dose of coffee for a richer extraction, releasing oils to maximise aroma and depth.

We found the light-up touch controls on the top hard to see in bright sunlight from the skylight above. The steam wand also works at quite an awkward angle if you're really serious about your lattes. However, this coffee maker is hard to fault regarding bangs (beans?) for your buck.

Our Beko CEG5311X Bean to Cup Coffee Machine review has the full details.

Best automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine

Our expert tester Helen was won over to using a bean-to-cup machine by the De'Longhi Rivelia - that's how good it is. She likened this machine to having a barista ready and waiting for you in your kitchen, with a menu of 16 choices and an auotmatic milk frothing wand.

It's one of the priciest choices on this list, yes, but it's also unbelievably capable, and the automatic features take away essentially all of the guesswork when making coffee. Helen found testing the settings to create her perfect coffee was straightforward, with no need to spend hours poring over an instruction manual.

Once you've perfected your settings, you can save your preferences too. Timings-wise, Helen found this machine took 1 minute 30 seconds to dispense a flat white or a cappuccino. Her experience with the automatic milk frother was seamless, with the wand able to dispense milk to create glossy peaks in a cappuccino too, not something all milk frothers can do.

Every espresso that this machine dispensed had a good, thick crema according to Helen, and had a great fruity taste, one that she rated as even better than her manual espresso machine. The hot water dispenser on this machine is also a fast worker, and is perfect for heating up your coffee cup before your brew. Helen recorded the overall grind volume as 78dB, reporting that it didn't feel overly loud.

In short, this machine is pretty much perfect if you're looking for an automatic choice that can really do it all. You won't regret it if you take the plunge!

Our De'Longhi Rivelia review has the full details.

The best easy to use bean to cup coffee machine

If you're new to grinding beans for the perfect cup of coffee, then the Breville Barista Signature Espresso machine will appeal, with features to make getting used to the process that bit easier. And if you're a dab hand, then don't look away just yet, as this machine also has plenty of customisation options if you already know exactly what you want, and want to access those settings with ease.

Our reviewer Amy had never tried a bean to cup machine before this one and found using this Breville to be the perfect introduction. She gravitated towards the default settings, but there are 30 grind settings to experiment with once you're more familiar. When Amy got to extracting, she initially found getting the portafilter into place a bit troublesome due to stiffness, but over time did find that it loosened up.

Amy found the milk frothing up to standard too, with the wand offering good manoeuvrability and access to a good steaming angle. The auto-shut-off feature (also present in the Sage Impress Express) is fab too.

Overall, we're big fans of the Breville Barista Signature Espresso Machine, which is so good to use and yields such great results that it's completely converted our first-time reviewer to bean-to-cup machines!

Our Breville Barista Signature Espresso machine review has the full details.

The best bean to cup coffee machine for iced drinks

It can be common for people to shy away from bean-to-cup machines due to the level of involvement you need to put into operating one. That's where automatic machines really come into their own, like this, the De'Longhi Eletta.

There's no complication needed with the Eletta, which according to our expert reviewer Helen McCue is 'effortless' to use and set up. And not only is it perfect for hot drinks, but it also has an extensive in-built menu for cold brew and iced coffee. So if you're an iced latte lover even in the colder months, look no further.

It's quite a bulky machine yes, but it took barely any time at all to set up, and arrives at your home pretty much ready to go. There is an app you'll need to download in order to make use of the bean adapt brewing technology, and from there you can adjust the machine's setting to your hearts content. Our reviewer found the app helped immensely with getting the ideal settings for the grinder.

The touch screen has images of the drinks the machine can make, and you can save your favourite profiles for later, too. You get a complimentary travel cup when you buy the De'Longhi (which, if you're paying over close to £1000 is to be expected) and the spout on the machine moves up and down to accommodate to the size. You can also brew carafes of coffee in one go.

The long story short is the Eletta was a huge hit with our reviewer and easily earned five stars. It's seriously pricey yes, but it takes all of the work out of accessing delicious coffee at home. For automatic quality drinks, it won't do you wrong.

Our De'Longhi Eletta review has the full details.

The best bean to cup machine for long drinks

With modes for cappuccino, flat white, and even latte macchiato, the De’Longhi Dinamica Plus ECAM370 is a premium coffee machine that delivers on automatic systems with hands-free brewing. The menu allows you to adjust the drinks to different sizes and aromas, and you can completely customize the coffee-to-milk ratio by making a preset just for you.

The water tank sits at the front of the machine, and so does the grounds container. Both are very easy to access, and the bean dispenser sits at the top back which makes pouring easy. You'll need to clean the milk dispenser after every use, but all this requires is switching the dial to the self-clean mode.

If quality espresso is your top priority, you'll love the automatic grinding, which is sensitive for different types of beans. You can also pour grounds into a different dispenser for making decaff without emptying out the bean container. It's an expensive machine, but you'll often find it on sale, and it ticked every box in our testing.

Our De’Longhi Dinamica Plus ECAM370 review has the full details.

The best quiet bean-to-cup coffee machine

The Melitta Latticia OT gets a solid four-star rating from us after our review process. It's priced well, and makes an impressive brew. It lacks some of the refinement you'll get with a pricier machine though, and we were disappointed it didn't come with a milk dispenser.

On the plus side, it's one of the quietest coffee machines we've ever tested, and if you're willing to do some fiddly button-pushing it's very adjustable for your specific coffee preferences. Our tester also really enjoyed being able to simply turn a dial to choose the size of the drink, which is a lot simpler than having to navigate a touch-screen design.

Our Melitta Latticia OT Coffee Machine review has the full details.

Best bean to cup coffee machine for £500

It seems insane to put the Breville Barista Max Espresso Machine into the category of a 'budget buy' considering that it has an RRP of £479.00, but in the world of bean-to-cup coffee machines, it is on the more affordable side.

It's also a very capable coffee machine, with heaps of customisable controls that will allow budding baristas to really take control of their brewing process. When reviewing the Breville Barista Max+ our tester was struck by just how stylish this machine was, with a design that would fit nicely into most kitchens. Our tester also found the set up of this machine very straightforward, making it perfect for beginners.

After having it at home for a while, our tester did think the machine would benefit from an auto-dosing grounds feature. While it is not a cheap coffee machine by any means, we do think it is one of the more reasonably priced barista-style coffee machines on the market.

Our Breville Barista Max+ review has the full details.

Best looking bean-to-cup coffee machine

We think one of the main reasons to buy this coffee machine is the appearance, but it's most definitely not the only reason. Aside from the beautiful bold colours available and the style points it'll bring to your kitchen, it's also a stellar bean-to-cup coffee machine.

Our tester thinks that once you get the settings perfected on this machine that it can produce top-quality rich espressos. Plus the integrated bean grinder is great.

However, there is no getting away from the price - it is expensive and bulky too. But as long as you’re okay with the fact that you are paying a premium for the trendy retro style, then go for it.

Our Smeg EGF03 Espresso Machine review has the full details.

The best luxury bean-to-cup coffee machine

During our tester's months of use, she was consistently impressed by how well this machine steamed milk in particular, with a steam wand that is unbelievably clever and compatible with plant milks too. It also turned out some seriously tasty espresso.

If you're someone who wants the best of the best, and doesn't mind a more mindful process, you'll love how finely the Sage Barista Touch Impress adjusts depending on your specific bean and brew type. It's kitted out with a touch screen too, which recommends adjustments for different settings.

Of course, the price is astronomical. Anything over than a grand will always require a huge amount of consideration, but what you get in return is a real top-of-the-range machine. It combines everything people love about home brewing with the convenience of a smart machine that will take the guesswork out of every espresso you pull.

Our Sage Barista Touch Impress review has the full details.

Best adjustable Sage bean to cup coffee machine

We highly rate Sage machines, as you well know if you've read right to the end of this list. The Barista Express BES875UK is a machine less commonly found than the Express Impress, and is a little more involved in user experience.

Sage calls it a 'hands-on' machine, and our tester Amy found this to be true, with more effort needed to figure out grinding beans and using the trimming razor than with the Express Impress. For some, more involvement and customisation will be welcome news, while those looking for the most straightforward experience should look to other Sage models.

When we tested it, we found it is fundamentally tricksier than the other choices that we've rated more highly. It allows for fine-tuning of a brew perfectly but that also brings with it more mess and fuss than our tester was necessarily looking for. Our tester, who had tried the Breville Barista model at #3, also found it was louder than the Breville, and more time was needed to allow the steaming wand to heat up too.

Despite the extra effort Amy found this machine takes, she was very impressed by the taste tests she conducted - it extracted espresso with an eventual smooth, velvety texture. It also has the classic Sage look which makes up many people's kitchen daydreams, and can more often be found on sale than the Express Impress. It's one for the coffee enthusiasts for sure.

Our Sage The Barista Express BES875UK Espresso Coffee Machine review has the full details.

How we test the best bean-to-cup coffee machines

In line with Ideal Home's testing protocol, we've extensively tested every single machine in this lineup for at least two weeks and in most cases a few months. From getting to grips with the controls and finding the perfect grind settings, we know exactly what it's like to use these machines day in, and day out. And we're big fans of the 8 ones we've chosen above.

After thoroughly testing these models, we had just one concern: some are just too good. That sounds like a nice problem to have, but the ease with which you can make latte after latte means there is a risk of descending deeper into caffeine addiction. Proceed with caution. Or sometimes detox with decaffeinated beans.

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Who tested these bean-to-cup coffee machines?

Molly Cleary

Molly is Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, which comes with the fortunate job of drinking lots of coffee on the job. She's a certified Consumer Expert when it comes to coffee machines, which means she's qualified to test coffee machines both at home and at Future's dedicated testing facility - a very fun job indeed. Her favourite machine ever, and the one she has at home is the Sage Barista Impress Express – at this point, she couldn't live without it.

Is there a bean-to-cup machine you'd like Ideal Home to test before you buy? Email molly.cleary@futurenet.com with your suggestions.

FAQs

How much should I spend on a bean-to-cup coffee machine?

The bean-to-cup coffee machines tested here start from a compelling £250 and you can certainly get great machines for under £600. Above that, sense-check whether the machine actually does more or makes things easier. Sometimes you’re paying for the design or the brand.

It’s a lot of money, but to look at it another way, it’s £1-2 a day for a year. Not bad if you’re weighing it up against buying a fancy coffee on the way to work every morning.

How do I clean my bean-to-cup coffee machine?

There’s no such thing as a free lunch and there’s no such thing as a coffee machine that doesn’t need cleaning. But there are machines that need cleaning less. All machines here except the Sage automatically dose themselves with ground coffee and then deposit the used grounds in a bin, so you’ll need to empty the bin regularly.

You’ll also need to empty the drip tray – the water from self-cleaning ends up in it. Beyond that, you’ll want to give the machine a proper clean once a week to ensure it’s hygienic and tastes great.

Are there any downsides to bean-to-cup machines?

Aside from having to clean the things, other caveats are worktop space (they tend to use much of the depth of a worktop, but the width varies) and cost. And finally, note the above concern about some being too good: so easy to use that you can drink frothy but highly caffeinated drinks all day long. Of course, one of the best milk frothers will do a (very) similar job. Note that the milk frothers are great for making soothing hot chocolates, too...

What coffee should I use in a bean to cup machine?

It's all down to personal prefence which sort of beans will suit you and your machine best. In our tests trying out the best bean to cup coffee machines, we've tried Ueshima (available at Ocado), Grind (available from the brand's website), as well as Pact coffee, which is a subscription service. We'd recommend all of them!