Compact automatic coffee machines

We already announced this in our guide to cheap super-automatic coffee machines. To enjoy an automatic espresso machine in your home, you basically need two things: firstly, a big budget. And secondly, a lot of space.

Super-automatic coffee machines do not fit into any kitchen: they are very bulky appliances, which, apart from having a lot of technology and internal components, are also prepared to provide many services.

One of the consequences of this is that the water tanks are very large (around or even more than two litres), and therefore the final dimensions of the machine as well.

Fortunately, there is a range of what we could call small or compact super-automatic coffee machines, which are characterised by reducing the dimensions and space occupied by each piece to a minimum.

How do you get a small automatic coffee machine? Well, mainly in two ways:

  1. By sacrificing capacity in the water tank. The tank is the largest physical component in a coffee machine… and most of the time, it is full of air. So compact coffee machines mount much smaller tanks than normal (usually between 1 and 1.25 litres) and thus manage to reduce the final size of the machine a lot.
  2. By opting for a very sober design, which dispenses with any useless elements: edges, gaps … everything is reduced to the minimum. Compact espresso machines usually have very straight lines and an almost perfect cube shape. They are very recognisable.
  3. You can dispense with more advanced functions, such as the milk frother or automatic cappuccinos, which require more technology and more parts in the machine. A true compact automatic coffee machine will serve you to make espressos and black coffees of different sizes, nothing more. Mixed drinks that include milk in the brewing process will rarely be included in the catalogue.

The Best Small Automatic Coffee Makers

You already know the benefits that you have to take on if you dare to buy a compact automatic coffee machine: smaller tanks (you’ll have to fill it more often) and inconspicuous, almost minimalist designs.

Here is an exhaustive selection of the most attractive models we have found on the market, always within the requirements we have already mentioned in the guide.

Later on, we will talk in more detail about each of them (although to have really complete information, we recommend going to the reviews of each machine that we have already written and are published on this website).

Jura Compact Automatic Coffee Machines

The Jura brand is possibly the reference and maximum exponent of small super-automatic coffee machines in the European market. It has in its catalogue not just one model but a complete line of automatic coffee machines of very small dimensions, with small tanks and bodywork reduced to the minimum.

We are referring, fundamentally, to the Jura Ena Micro coffee machines, which have various models with correlative numbering. They all follow the same guidelines and similar philosophies, but the superior models introduce some new features or premium functions such as water filters, intelligent dispensers, automatic milk foam preparations…

Of course, the price of these machines is very high, but they are perhaps the only compact automatic machines that can do exactly the same thing and with the same features as the large automatic machines. They have a capacity of 1.1 litres and a size of 32 x 23 x 44 cms (we have taken this as a reference).

The Jura A7 also has similar characteristics. It is not part of the Jura ENA range, but it is more recent (the year 2016).

Melitta Caffeo Solo

The most basic model of the famous Melitta firm also falls into the category of the super small automatic coffee maker. It is the Melitta Caffeo Solo, which has a capacity of only 1.2 litres and a quite spectacular straight-line design.

In the Melitta Caffeo Solo line, there are three different models or variants:

  • Melitta E950: has no steamer and only makes espressos (black coffee).
  • Melitta E953 (Solo & Milk): the same as the above, but with a steamer. We can froth the milk ourselves, manually.
  • Melitta E957 (Perfect Milk): apart from having a steamer, the coffee machine foams milk automatically and allows us to prepare specialities such as cappuccino or latte automatically.

Severin Piccola Semplice

This is the most basic and most economical of the two automatic coffee machines presented to us by the Severin firm.

The Severin Piccola Semplice has a twin sister with identical capacities and size: the Piccola Premium. The difference is that the latter has a milk tank and a plastic sleeve to prepare automatic cappuccinos and lattes.

The dimensions of the basic model are 38 x 23 x 32 cms. not bad for the storage capacity; it has 1.35 litres in the water tank and 140 grams in the grinder container.

Philips Saeco Series 2000

If you are familiar with this world, you will know that the Philips 2000 Series coffee maker came to replace a legendary and very popular model: the Saeco Xsmall. To do so, it slightly updated its interface but respected the classic and recognisable design that made the original Xsmall famous: a very small automatic machine, with only a 1-litre capacity, but which literally fits anywhere.

Its dimensions are almost unbeatable: 29 x 42 x 32 cms. Bear in mind that the Philips 2000 Series is marketed in several versions: a basic one and other somewhat larger ones (with or without Panarello, with or without additional milk jug…).

Other compact superautomatic coffee machines not in this guide

Naturally, we cannot dedicate space to all the small (or compact) superautomatic coffee machines on the market. So we would like to end the article with a small mention of very compact machines, which fall within the specifications of a compact coffee machine, but which have been left out of the above list. You can, for example, take a look at the Rotel Aromatica, the Krups Essential, or the Gaggia Besana.