De'Longhi
Magnifica Duo
Super-automatic
Recipes: 20 (hot and iced)
- Recipes
- 20
- Water tank
- 60.87 oz
- Milk
- LatteCrema
By the specs
Espresso machines for beginners, by the specs.
2 min readUpdated November 1, 2026
The short answer
By the specs, the easiest machines for a beginner are the ones that do the hardest steps for you: dosing, tamping and frothing milk. Super-automatics such as the De’Longhi Magnifica Duo and the Philips 5500 do everything at the touch of a button. If you want espresso from a portafilter with help along the way, assisted machines such as the Breville Barista Touch Impress, the Oracle Jet and the Ninja Luxe Café models help with dosing and tamping and froth milk for you.
How we rank them.
Who doses and tamps
First, how much of the shot the machine handles: fully automatic, then assisted, then hands-on. Dosing and tamping are the steps that take the most practice.
How the milk is frothed
Next, milk: automatic or hands-free frothing ranks above a manual steam wand, which takes practice to master.
Guidance
Some machines guide you on screen: Barista Assist on the Ninja machines, step-by-step guidance on the Touch Impress and Barista Guidance on the Oracle Jet.
What we leave out
Price and ratings: we do not show them, and we do not test machines. The ranking uses published specifications only.
3 models
Press a button: super-automatic
They grind, dose, tamp and brew on their own.
De'Longhi
Magnifica Evo
Super-automatic
Recipes: 5 one-touch
- Recipes
- 5 one-touch
- Grind settings
- 13
- Water tank
- 60.87 oz
Philips
5500 Series LatteGo
Super-automatic
Recipes: 20 (hot and iced)
- Recipes
- 20
- Water tank
- 1.8 L
- Milk
- LatteGo
5 models
Help with dosing and tamping, milk frothed for you
Espresso from a portafilter, with the hard steps handled for you.
Breville
Barista Touch Impress
Espresso machine with grinder
Assisted, 10 kg with a 7° twist
- Grind settings
- 30
- Heat-up
- 3 s
- Water tank
- 67.6 oz
Ninja
Luxe Café Premier
Espresso machine with grinder
By weight (built-in scale)
- Grind settings
- 25
- Water tank
- 70 oz
- Brew styles
- 3 in 1
Ninja
Luxe Café Pro
Espresso machine with grinder
Built-in lever tamper
- Grind settings
- 25
- Water tank
- 68 oz
- Brew styles
- 4 in 1
Ninja
Luxe Café Mini Plus
Espresso machine with grinder
By weight
- Bean hopper
- 250 g
- Dosing
- By weight
- Frothing
- Automatic
1 model
Help with dosing and tamping, manual steam wand
Breville
Barista Express Impress
Espresso machine with grinder
Assisted, 22 lb with a 7° twist
- Grind settings
- 25
- Water tank
- 2 L
- Portafilter
- 54 mm
3 models
Hands-on, but the milk is frothed for you
You dose and tamp, a skill worth learning, while the machine takes care of the milk.
Breville
Bambino Plus
Espresso machine
Milk: automatic or manual
- Heat-up
- 3 s
- Portafilter
- 54 mm
- Water tank
- 64 oz
Breville
Barista Touch
Espresso machine with grinder
Milk: automatic
- Grind settings
- 30
- Heat-up
- 3 s
- Presets
- 5 + 8 custom
Ranked by published specifications only. We do not test machines and we do not show prices or ratings.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is a super-automatic the easiest to use?
By the specs, yes: it grinds, doses, tamps and brews at the touch of a button. The trade-off is less control over each shot.
What if I want to learn latte art?
Choose a machine with a manual steam wand, such as the Barista Express or Barista Pro, or one that offers both automatic and manual frothing, such as the Bambino Plus or the Ninja Luxe Café Premier.
Do I need a separate grinder?
Not with the machines in the first three groups: all have a built-in grinder. The Bambino and Bambino Plus need pre-ground coffee or a separate grinder.
Do you test these machines?
No. We compare the specifications each model publishes in its Amazon listing and, where the listing is silent, on the manufacturer’s official website. We do not rank machines by our own tests, and we never show borrowed ratings.
Keep reading
