A hot, comforting cup of coffee propels you into the day. But you don't have to visit your local cafe shop to start your day.
With a home coffee machine, you can prepare and enjoy your favourite coffee beverage in the comfort of your home. For the best, here are the top premium coffee machines available in Australia.
My Top Picks
For a quick pick, here are the top three premium coffee machines that stood out among the lot:
Breville Barista Touch Impress
Premium coffee machine with grinder, user-friendly aided tamping, Auto MilQ system, and a built-in grinder with 30 grind settings.
La Marzocco GS3 MP
Premium coffee machine for businesses with a professional-grade build, dual boiler system, 3.5 L water capacity, and manual paddle control.
Breville Bambino Plus
Mid Range home coffee machine with a compact build, easy-to-use features, simple control settings, and rapid heat-up time.
8 Premium Coffee Machines for Aussies
Let’s review each one of these premium coffee machines in more detail. We provide an overview, unique features, pros and cons, and the ideal use case for each model we reviewed below.
1. Breville the Barista Touch Impress
Best Convenience Premium Coffee Machine
Weight: 9 kg
Capacity: 1899 g
Warranty: 2 years
The Breville Barista Touch Impress is one of the simplest manual coffee makers on the market. The coffee machine combines the user-friendly aided tamping and auto-dosing of the Barista Express Impress with the intuitive touchscreen and automatic milk frothing of the Barista Touch. It has an equally good grinder with precision burrs and 30-grind settings.
For convenience, the coffeemaker guides you through adjusting the grind settings to achieve the right amount and coarseness. The built-in grinder and tamper also provide helpful feedback on the quantity of coffee in the basket, which is a nice touch. You also get the Impress Puck System, which simplifies coffee grinding, measuring, and pressing.
Now, let's talk about milk, often the most elusive part of coffee making. The machine includes an Auto MilQ system that ensures all your frothy dreams come true, whether you prefer oat, soy, almond, or classic full-fat milk. It provides the exact frothy texture and temperature with a personalised steam preset, demanding zero milk-handling expertise. The automatic wand and temperature gauge help deliver top-notch, café-quality milk and brew.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Built-in grinder
- Auto milk frothing system
- 2-litre water tank capacity
- 3-second heat up time
Cons
- Limited automation
2. La Marzocco GS3 MP
Premium Coffee Machine for Business
Weight: 33 kg
Water tank capacity: 3500 g
Warranty: 2 years
Get the La Marzocco GS3 for a premium, professional-grade coffee machine. It's made with high-quality components and is simple to use. It features a 3.5-litre water capacity, a transparent display, and simple-to-use buttons, making navigating and customising your espresso-making experience effortless. For a business setting, you couldn't ask for more.
The GS3's unique feature is its manual paddle control, which lets you adjust the water flow through the coffee grounds. This gives you total control over the espresso extraction procedure and allows you to create some of the most distinctive and subtle flavour profiles. Another feature is the dual boiler system, which offers reliable temperature control and guarantees that your espresso is consistently brewed at the ideal temperature.
While design can be subjective, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the GS3s. This machine’s overall aesthetic resembles some classic cafe coffee equipment, but I expected more with the price tag.
Pros
- Good build quality
- Consistent coffee flavours
- Manual paddle control
- Dual boiler system
Cons
- Premium price tag
- Basic and bulky design
3. Gaggia Classic Pro
Premium Coffee Machine for Office
Weight: 7.2 kg
Water tank capacity: 2100 g
Warranty: Register for warranty
The Classic Pro has excellent build quality. If you want a durable office coffee machine, look no further. The coffee maker includes a 15-bar pump and a 3-way solenoid valve for reliable and flavourful espresso shots. The boiler's temperature consistency throughout brewing ensures high espresso quality.
Gaggia also offers a steam wand with a rotating dial to control the steam pressure. The wand effectively froths milk for lattes and cappuccinos, providing enough steam pressure to create microfoam. The coffee maker comes with a stainless steel cup warmer/holder.
The Classic Pro from Gaggia has a strong, robust build quality suitable for vigorous everyday use. Its flavourful extracts and different brewing techniques make it ideal for staff who enjoy different coffee types. However, it does not have a built-in grinder.
Pros
- Easy to use and clean
- Excellent build quality
- Offers different brewing techniques
- Rapid heat-up time
Cons
- No built-in grinder
- Limited programmability
4. Breville Bambino Plus
Premium Coffee Machine for Home
Weight: 1.4 kg
Water tank capacity: 1800 g
Warranty: 2 years
The Breville Bambino Plus is compact but packs all the essentials most would need in a home coffee machine. It has easy-to-use features, simple control settings, and a user-friendly design. The machine heats up in three seconds and has a steam wand to manually or automatically create a fine microform.
Breville's Bambino Plus doesn't disappoint in terms of brew quality. It produces a rich, flavourful espresso shot using a 54 mm portafilter and a 4-hole steam wand. To ensure the maximum flavour of the coffee beans, the machine also contains a pre-infusion mechanism that moistens the coffee grinds before brewing. The espresso shots are impressively smooth.
However, because of its compact coffee tray, it must be cleaned frequently. There is also no dedicated hot water tap. So, if you're a heavy drinker of long black coffee, you must either boil your kettle separately or fill it using the steam wand.
Pros
- Rapid heat-up time
- Superior build quality
- Lightweight and easy to use
- User-friendly controls
- Includes a steam wand
Cons
- No built-in grinder
- Limited customisation options
5. Breville Dynamic Duo
Best At Home Coffee Combo Machine
Weight: 20.41 kg
Water tank capacity: 450 g
Warranty: 2 years
The Dynamic Duo offers prosumer-café level performance. Whether you're a barista or a novice, this machine will serve you well. It has two boilers to pull a shot and steam milk simultaneously and numerous opportunities for customising most brewing-related processes.
The high-end espresso machine brews coffee through pressure profiling. It starts with a gentle pre-infusion, then increases to 9 bars of pressure, and finally reduces a bit at the end of the shot. This process results in a more effective and uniform extraction of the coffee, and it's also more forgiving of small changes in the size of the coffee grounds and tamping technique.
Breville's Dynamic Duo includes a separate grinder, the Smart Grinder Pro, which enables direct grinding into the portafilter. The grinder has 60 different grind settings and various dosing possibilities. Its Dosing iQ technology also allows you to program grind time down to 0.2-second intervals.
Pros
- Fair price point
- Excellent build quality
- Includes a high-standard grinder
- Consistent coffee flavours
- Easy-to-use controls
Cons
- Takes up more counter space
6. Lelit Mara X
Premium Coffee Machine Brand
Weight: 18.8 kg
Water tank capacity: 2500 g
Warranty: 1 year
The Lelit Mara X uses a heat exchange system to offer a consistent espresso brew that reaches its maximum temperature in approximately 24 minutes. The coffee machine has two priority modes: brew and steam. In brew mode, the machine prioritises more accurate brew temperatures, while in steam mode, it boosts steaming capabilities.
The premium coffee machine includes a warming rack for cups and a small ledge. It's not a large heating rack, but it works well for home use. MaraX uses mechanical pre-infusion to create the best coffee flavours. It also has a high-end lever control and an optional kit that allows you to easily adjust the pressure during brewing, giving you even more control.
On purchase, you get all the essential accessories, including a double-spout filter holder, a tamper, a cleaning brush, and a water softener filter. The coffee maker's anti-burn steam wand and cup warmer show Lelit's commitment to functionality and safety. On the downside, cleaning proved more challenging due to the narrow two-way stream directing the espresso into your cup.
Pros
- E61 mechanical preinfusion
- Compact design with pro features
- Anti-burn steam wand and cup warmer
- Upgradable with flow control kit
- Brew and steam priority modes
Cons
- Challenging to clean
- Can improve portafilter design
- Heavier at 18.8 kg
7. Lelit Bianca V3
Speciality Coffee Machine
Weight: 26.5 kg
Water tank capacity: 2500 g
Warranty: 2 years
The Lelit Bianca V3 is a semi-manual espresso machine with a well-thought-out design that sits beautifully atop counters. It has a high-quality stainless frame, copper tubing inside, with knobs and buttons that feel premium.
The high-end Italian coffee maker has a dual boiler system with flow control technology to fine-tune your brew pressure. Lelit uses a PID controller to maintain the ideal temperature for its two boilers. Compared to traditional pressure stat machines, Bianca's PID technology offers a heating control that is more responsive, accurate, and consistent.
Bianca V3 has a simple electronic pre-infusion control that allows you to customise every aspect of the coffee brewing process, including minor factors like pre-infusion time and high or low-pressure settings. However, its pre-infusion has a pause limit: the 20-second maximum pre-infusion is restrictive if you want to enhance your brewing process with longer pre-infusion times.
Pros
- Solid build quality
- Electronic pre-infusion control
- Includes essential accessories
- Dual boiler PID control
Cons
- Poor metal sheet quality
- Pre-infusion pause limit
8. De’Longhi La Specialista Arte
Best Premium Coffee Machine for Coffee Art
Weight: 8.8 kg
Water tank capacity: 1500 g
De'Longhi La Specialista produces precise and consistent grounds thanks to its sensor grinding technology. It includes an active temperature control function that ensures excellent brewing and milk steaming. Beyond function and quality, I appreciate this coffee machine's classic appearance, albeit a bit bulky. It comes with a built-in grinder with eight grind levels.
I recommend the premium coffee machine with the MyLatte Art Steam Wand for its ease of creating beautiful coffee art. It produced some seriously silky microfoam I didn’t think I could achieve on the first go. I tried all the mainstream designs, including the quintessential tulip. But that's not all; the machine packs enough accessories to get going on purchase.
The machine's one-touch operation makes it intuitive to use. Likewise, cleaning and maintaining the De'Longhi La Specialista machine is simple. The device has an easily removable drip tray and a detachable brewing unit. You also get a descaling programme that ensures the coffee maker stays clear of mineral buildup that could affect the quality of your brew.
Pros
- Built-in grinder
- Easy to use and maintain
- Thermoblock heating system
- Good build quality
Cons
- Sharp learning curve
- Slightly bulky design
Home vs. Premium-Grade Coffee Machine
The key distinction between a standard home coffee maker and a premium-grade machine lies primarily in their construction, convenience, and brew quality.
Premium machines are made with higher-quality materials, which makes them more robust and durable. They also have more features for ease of use and offer consistent brew quality.
Some models boast advanced features and superior coffee-brewing techniques, offering a professional coffee-making experience. However, these enhancements come with a higher price tag.
How Much Should You Be Spending on a Premium Coffee Machine?
Generally, we recommend budgeting between A$700 and A$4,000. The pro-grade Breville Oracle Touch starts at A$3.699, while the home-friendly premium coffee maker, the Bambino Plus, costs A$549.
Remember that just because a machine is more expensive does not necessarily mean it is better (and vice versa). The amount you spend on a coffee maker should be within your budget while ensuring that your pick meets your coffee-making needs and required features.
How to Choose a Premium Coffee Machine?
If you're considering a premium coffee maker, there are several key features you should look for. Here’s the top three:
- High-Quality Construction: A premium coffee maker should look and feel solid. Stainless steel is typically used, ensuring your equipment is durable and lasts years.
- Advanced Brew Settings: Advanced brew settings, including temperature control, programmable brewing choices, and customisable grind settings should be included with a high-end coffee maker. You can then adjust the coffee to your specific tastes in this way.
- Powerful Dual Boilers: A boiler is essential for creating a good cup of coffee, and premium coffee machines tend to have two boilers so you can prepare milk while a shot of coffee is pouring.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about premium coffee machines.
What makes expensive coffee machines better?
The manufacturing quality of a premium coffee machine makes an expensive or premium coffee machine better. A durable, long-lasting machine will be able to produce more consistent cups of coffee.
What is the average life of a premium coffee machine?
Premium coffee machines can last more than a decade. But this depends on the coffee maker's build quality, frequency of use, maintenance, and other variables.
How much electricity does a premium coffee machine use on average?
Depending on your specific machine and usage, you could use 600 - 1200 watts of power. But, this will vary significantly on the features of your machine. Each cup could take more time and energy if it has a built-in grinder or milk frother. Always turn off your appliances completely when not in use instead of leaving them on standby to save more energy and electricity.
How should you maintain your premium coffee maker?
As long as you’re on top of cleaning your coffee machine after each use, you’re pretty much good to go. You should also regularly change its filters, descale the machine, and store its equipment properly. Following these steps play a significant role in maintaining your machine and extending its lifespan.
Darren Sherwood
Wrapping Up
Simple pleasures like a well-made cup of coffee can make a big difference in our busy lives. I've explored some of the best premium coffee machines, from customisable brewing options to sleek design aesthetics.
Embrace the luxury of convenience and quality with these coffee machines. Whether starting your day or taking a well-deserved break, these machines ensure every cup is a delightful experience.
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