Twenty or thirty years ago, domestic coffee machines were almost all the same, and there was very little room for innovation. Today, fortunately, that trend has changed, and there is much more choice. More and more customers are choosing to buy modern coffee machines for their homes, whether for aesthetic reasons, to complement a particular style of décor, or to enjoy the latest market trends or innovative coffee brewing methods.
What do we mean by a modern coffee machine?
This is a very broad concept, as you can imagine, and one that can be considered in many different ways. To us, who are experts in the field after having carried out more than 500 coffee machine reviews for this website, various images of modern coffee machines come to mind, and which have little or nothing to do with each other.
We can speak, for example, of modern coffee makers for the home from an aesthetic point of view, as opposed to the classic coffee makers that were all the same with unimaginative designs.
The term modern coffee machine also applies to those models that have just come onto the market. For example, the Philips LatteGo series is a coffee machine in the long-lived automatic sector, having appeared on the market at the end of 2019.
Finally, we have to make space in our report on modern coffee machines for those revolutionary models, which bring a breath of fresh air to the traditional methods of domestic coffee making. For example, car coffee makers, the Aerobie Aeropress or, of course, the most recent capsule coffee machines, which have been on the market for little more than a decade.
The best modern coffee machines 2023
Well, that’s enough of the talk. We suppose you’re anxious to know some concrete references, aren’t you? Well, here’s our top 5 modern coffee machines:
Rok Espresso
This is a modern coffee machine that if we saw it in a shop or in a shop window (which is difficult, as it is only available online), we would wonder if it really is a coffee machine. Because, at first glance, it is hard to believe.
There are no electrical components, as the water flow is regulated by turning the levers (or handles) up or down. It comes with a 10-year guarantee and a complete accessory kit. In addition, as it has no circuits or electrical elements, its size is smaller than the normal coffee makers we are used to seeing.
Flair Espresso
The Flair Espresso machine allows us to make espresso coffee 100% manually, i.e. without any electrical intervention. It is a hand crank (or piston) coffee machine, with a pressure of between 6 and 10 bar. It is very small and can be disassembled, stored/transported in a case and reassembled for use anywhere. Super ingenious!
Kamira
Another of those inventions that when you see it for the first time, you wonder… is this really the coffee machine? Modern or not, it doesn’t look like a coffee machine. But it is. With it, we can prepare espresso coffee in the traditional way, but this time regulating the water pressure with a crank as if it were a piston coffee machine. Like, the La Pavoni coffee machines, but smaller.
Melitta F850 Caffeo Barista TS Smart
When we talk about the German brand Melitta, we are referring to one of the leaders in the superautomatic coffee maker sector. And within its extensive range of models, one of the most modern and most innovative on the market is the Barista Smart (the Melitta F850).
Its most outstanding quality is that it includes a recipe book of up to 18 different automatic drinks and preparations, which can be enjoyed at the touch of a single button on the machine. It has an integrated milk tank and two coffee tanks (to select between two different types of beans).
Ikohs Potts
Capsule coffee machines are the most modern sub-genre of our industry, appearing on the market in the second half of the 2000s. And within them, multi-capsule coffee machines are the most recent novelty. In 2017, these machines, which accept capsules of several different formats, and in some cases even ESE single-dose or ground coffee, began to be marketed. The Ikohs Potts is by far the best-selling model in this class.
Small modern coffee machines
Are there small modern coffee machines? Of course, in fact, one of the most important features of a modern coffee machine is that they tend to have a much more compact design and size than traditional coffee machines, precisely to adapt to the lack of space and the narrow kitchens of our times.
In fact, some of the latest launches of the main capsule coffee maker brands, such as the Nespresso Essenza Mini or the Dolce Gusto Piccolo XS, emphasise their tiny size.
Modern Italian coffee machines
Modern Italian coffee machines are defined as those with a design far removed from the classic octagonal shape with a steel or aluminium body. Fortunately, there is life beyond the Bialetti Moka Express.
Modern Italian coffee machines are characterised by very clean designs, without edges, and generally stylised, where the base is almost as wide as the mouth. For example, any of the ones shown here:
- Braisogona A170403 Bali Stainless Steel Coffee Maker, Silver
- Monix Eterna espresso maker for 10 cups
Nor can we fail to mention the colourful Italian coffee machines, a large group of pieces that have come to bring some joy to a scenario – that of domestic Mokas – as classic as it is greyish and dull.
Modern electric coffee machines
Modern espresso machines (which is what we mean when we talk about electric coffee machines, as opposed to the Italian ones we have seen before) differ from the classics mainly in design and not so much in performance. At most, they may add innovative elements such as a temperature display or a pressure gauge to monitor the pressure. Still, for us, these are features that define a premium or mid-range coffee maker and not so much a “modern” electric coffee maker.
