The Best Espresso Machine With Grinder At Every Price Point

Looking for an espresso machine with a grinder built in? Here you can find your best options at different price points. In general, paying more will get you better coffee, more options and higher quality machines but of course not everyone has an unlimited budget. Also, not everyone needs all the bells and whistles that the expensive models have.

Take a look below to find the best espresso machines with grinder for your budget below.

Best Espresso Machine With Grinder Under $250

Under $250 you aren’t really going to find an espresso machine with built in grinder. Not new at least. And even second hand it’s going to be difficult to find a decent espresso machine with built in grinder but it’s possible to get good deals sometimes if you keep an eye out for a while. 

A separate espresso machine and grinder are an option in this price range though. They won’t be the highest quality products but you will be able to make some espresso at home. You can get a Flair Neo (amazon) hand lever machine and a TimeMore C2 grinder (amazon) for under $200 which is a good way to start making espresso on the cheap.

While the C2 grinder isn’t great for espresso, it will work well with the Flair Neo because of how it works. You can read more on the C2 in this article here.

Suggested: Do espresso machines grind beans?

Best Espresso Machine With Grinder Under $500

Under $250 there is no way you can get a (new) espresso machine with built in grinder. Between $250 and $500 there are a few options although not too many. You won’t be able to get one from a premium brand but you have a few choices. 

The Cyetus all in one is a decent choice. It does what is says on the tin. It’s a grinder and espresso machine. The design is OK, not the most premium materials have been used so how long it keeps looking like that is the questions. It has some cool features for the price though; There is a PID temperature controller which means consistent temperatures; a 58mm portafilter (lots of replacement available if necessary); dose controlled grinder. 

If you can stretch your budget a little bit, there are a few quite decent options between $500 and $600. Sometimes it’s possible to get a Breville Barista Express for under $600 new when there is a good discount. This would be a great choice. If you can find a deal like that, you’ll get a much better machine from a well-known brand which would well be worth the price difference. 

You can read my write-up of all the different Breville espresso machine models by clicking here.

Best Espresso Machine With Grinder Under $1000

Bean-to-cup machine

Between $500 and $1000 is where a lot of the major brands are offering their espresso machines with built in grinders. That means there are quite a few good choices here although there will still be some compromises you’ll have to make. Think about it like this; you can buy a good entry-level espresso machine and separate grinder for under $1000 so why not a combo? 

This is the price range where you can get a good espresso machine and grinder combination for domestic use. Don’t expect the absolute best espresso you can get but you’ll get a pretty decent shot out of these machines. 

If you want more information about if you should actually get an espresso machine with built in grinder, click here to find my article.

Often they only have one boiler which makes them a little less suitable for brewing many milk drinks after each other. You’ll also miss out on features like heated group heads which help brew much more consistent drinks. 

The grinder in this price range is adequate but not great. They do a good job for what they are supposed to be but there are better out there. (Which cost more which is why they’re not in these machines). For the average person that just wants an espresso in the morning, these machines are perfectly capable. 

The best choice in this category is the best selling Breville Barista Pro. That is an upgrade of the very popular Barista Express but comes with a better grinder, faster heating and LCD display. And the best part; it comes in well under $1000. This is the go to espresso maker for people that want one package that does everything. You still have to prepare the puck and twist it into the group head so it’s not fully automatic but it’s easy to use. 

The good thing about some things being manual is that there is the potential for better coffee if your skills are better. Puck prep, grinder settings and programming the shot volume can have big effects on the taste. 

If you’d rather have a super-automatic (just push the button and coffee comes out), you can look at a De’longhi machine. The De’longhi Dinamica specifically. This machine brews good espresso at the push of a button. You’ll still have to steam your own milk for cappuccinos. 

Best Espresso Machine With Grinder Under $2000

Between $1000 and $2000 there are quite a few options. You can’t really go wrong because most will brew good espresso and other drinks but there is definitely a difference in quality. And since you want the best you can get for your money, it’s important to pick the right one. 

If you’re looking for a super-automatic that brews great espresso, look no further than the Jura Ena 8. It has a great design that fits in any modern kitchen. There is a touchscreen that lets you choose different drinks and adjust settings to your liking. The espresso is good and the milk drinks come out almost like they’re made by a pro. The downside is that the milk jug is an external one that sits next to the machine.

If you like more control and to feel like a barista, take a look at the De’Longhi Specialista Maestro. It’s a beautiful piece of equipment with its mostly polished stainless steel skin. The grinder has a scale so it grinds exactly the amount you need and tamps it for you. That leaves very little room for error and you can make great espresso every time. 

Best Espresso Machine With Grinder Under $3000

At this price point, you have actually less choice than in the lower price range. On the plus side, it’s hard to go wrong with any of them. They all brew good drinks but some are better than others at certain aspects. 

  • Breville Oracle
  • Breville Oracle Touch
  • Jura E8
  • Jura S8
  • Miele CM63xx
  • De’longi Eletta Cappuccino Evo

Both Breville Oracle models are normal automatics. The other models on the list above are super-automatics. The Breville models are more suitable for the espresso enthusiast that likes to really dial in their espresso and likes the hands-on process. These machines are high quality machines that boast a double boiler design, have heated group head and professional 58mm portafilter.

Wondering if paying this much for an espresso machine is necessary? Click here to find my article on why espresso machines are so expensive and what is right for you.

They tamp automatically which means you just have to take the portafilter from the grinder and twist it into the group head. They are programmable so you can change; water temperature, shot volume and more. The Touch version has a touchscreen where you can select different drinks and it automatically changes the grind size, grind volume and shot volume to get the right drink. On the normal Oracle you still have to do these things yourself.

The other machines are better if you just want to press a button and get your drink. Out of those choices the Jura E8 is a good choice. You save a good chunk of change from $3000 and brew very good espresso. The S8 has a touch screen but the parts aren’t dishwasher safe, it has a smaller reservoir and fewer pre-sets. The S8 is also more expensive but unless you really want a touchscreen, it’s not really worth the price difference over the E8.

The Miele makes OK espresso but for the price you would expect better. Miele is a brand that is well known for the reliability of their appliances but the CM63xx series seems needlessly complicated in some ways. The way the dispenser moves up and down to accommodate the size of the cup for example. Looks cool but is it really worth it in lower espresso quality and potentially lower reliability. 

If you’re looking for great milk drinks, the De’longhi Eletta Cappuccino Evo is the best choice. It brews slightly less good espresso than the E8 but does a better job foaming milk which results in better milk drinks. The Eletta has a better grinder with more adjustability but the E8’s grinder is quieter. The Eletta also heats up faster (under a minute) where the E8 takes a bit longer (up to 2 minutes). 

Both the Eletta and E8 have pre-programmed drinks but the Jura E8 gives you more control over the presets. 

In short: The best espresso machine with grinder under $3000 is the Jura E8 for great espresso and good milk drinks. If milk drinks are more important, go for the De’longhi Eletta Cappuccino Evo. Like having that manual feeling without much of the actual work and skill? The Breville Oracle is for you. 

Best Espresso Machine With Grinder Over $3000

You don’t care how much it costs, you just want the best there is. At this price point, there are a few options. If you really want the built in grinder, there are only super-automatic machines. Those machines do everything from start to finish. Just add beans and milk and put a cup in the right place. Push the button and you’ll get any coffee based drink you could possibly want. 

Wondering if an espresso machine can make other drinks? Click here to find my article that outlines just that.

Jura is the brand to look for in this category. They make high-end domestic and professional super-automatic espresso machines. Most of their products are in this price range.

If you want something that is suitable for a small office and can hold two types of beans and brew all day every day, the Jura Giga 6 is your machine. It’s big and expensive but it does everything you could possibly want. It does have Bluetooth connectivity for if you really want to feel close to your coffee machine at all times. 

However, if you’re spending this amount of money and you don’t want the super-automatic and like experimenting to get the best espresso possible, I would recommend getting a machine with a separate grinder. If you’re willing to develop your brewing skills, you’ll be able to brew incredible espresso on a combination that costs over $3000. If you just want easy, stick with the super-automatic machines. 

Recommended Espresso Equipment

Besides an espresso machine, there are a few other tools that can make your espresso better. Here are my favorites:

  • Espresso Machine: The Breville Barista Express (Amazon) is the sweet spot in price and quality for most casual home baristas. It comes with a built in grinder and most tools you need to brew espresso.
  • Tamper: A nice tamper helps you tamp your grounds in the filter for the best result. Any correctly sized tamper can do the job but a nice heavy one just feels so much better in your hand than a plastic model. This Luxhaus one (Amazon) has a nice trick up it’s sleeve to make tamping very consistent.
  • Beans: Good espresso starts with good beans. Using fresh beans is a big improvement over pre-ground coffee.
  • Scales: Getting consistently good espresso means you have to know how much grounds is going into the machine and how much is coming out and how long this takes. A coffee scale is going to make your espresso much more consistent and also makes adjustments a lot easier. The Apexstone coffee scale (Amazon) is cheap and doesn’t look too sleek but is just as accurate as more expensive scales. The TimeMore scales (Amazon) look and feel a lot nicer but cost a bit more.
  • Distribution tool: After grinding you can get some clumps in the coffee grounds. Those clumps should be broken up so the water can extract all the coffee grounds equally. Distribution tools are very simple things but this one (Amazon) is beautifully made and will look good in your kitchen.

Matt

Welcome to CoffeeImproved! Since falling in love with coffee, I've been on a journey to improve my morning cup day by day. That means I've tried many different brew methods, beans and equipment and experimented with all of them to find what I like. This is where I share what I've learned with you.

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