The Best Espresso Machines with a Built-In Grinder

The picks at a glance

Why a built-in grinder, and what it costs you

The most expensive mistake in home espresso is pairing a capable machine with a poor grinder. A machine with a burr grinder built in removes that mistake, and saves the space of a second appliance.

There is one tradeoff, and the owner reviews show it clearly. The grinder and the brew head share one body, so a grinder fault takes the whole machine out of use. On the Barista Express, grinder failures feature in the durability complaints. Across espresso machines generally, the Espresso Machine Complaint Report found that durability is the complaint that costs a machine the most in its rating.

There are two kinds of machine with a grinder:

• You operate it by hand. The machine grinds; you dose, tamp and steam the milk. More control, more to learn.
• Fully automatic. It grinds, brews and froths at a touch. Almost nothing to learn.

Top pick

Breville Barista Express (BES870XL)

Noolaguide says

The all-in-one to buy if you want to learn espresso. A conical burr grinder, a manual steam wand and digital temperature control in one machine. It has a very deep owner record, and praise is ahead of complaints by roughly seven to five, led by quality, ease of use and easy cleaning. Durability is the main complaint, including grinders that failed, followed by value and the cost of repairs.

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What buyers praise

• Grinder, machine and steam wand in one
• Very deep owner record
• Owners praise quality and ease of use

What buyers flag

• Durability is the main complaint, including grinder failures
• Repairs are costly, per some owners
• Takes practice to use well

Espresso, drip and cold brew

Ninja Luxe Café Premier 3-in-1 Espresso Machine

Noolaguide says

For a household that wants more than espresso from one machine. Espresso, drip coffee and cold brew from one machine, with a built-in grinder and a hands-free milk frother. Praise is ahead of complaints by roughly seven to five, led by ease of use. The complaints are units that did not work, durability within months, cleaning, and some leaks.

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What buyers praise

• Espresso, drip coffee and cold brew in one
• Built-in grinder and hands-free milk frother
• Ease of use leads the praise

What buyers flag

• Some units did not work, or failed within months
• Some owners find it hard to clean
• A few reports of leaks

Best one-touch

Philips 2300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with LatteGo

Noolaguide says

For the drink with no skill. A fully automatic machine that grinds, brews, and froths and pours the milk at one touch, with presets for espresso, coffee, latte and hot water. Praise outweighs complaints more than five to one, the best record in the Philips range, led by ease of use and easy cleaning. The complaints are mostly missing instructions and cleaning. It is a newer model, so its owners have had it for months, not years.

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What buyers praise

• Grinds, brews and froths with no skill
• LatteGo milk system: no internal tubes, quick to rinse
• Owners praise ease of use and easy cleaning

What buyers flag

• Newer model: a shorter ownership record
• Four presets; no iced coffee
• Less control than a machine you operate by hand

One-touch with a milk carafe

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother

Noolaguide says

The fully automatic alternative. A fully automatic machine with a 15-bar pump, an automatic milk system with a carafe, and memory for your own recipes. It has the largest owner sample of the automatic De'Longhi machines we analyzed, and praise outweighs complaints a little under two to one, led by ease of use, easy cleaning and simple setup. The complaints are value, cleaning the milk container, and a few early faults.

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What buyers praise

• Automatic milk system with a carafe
• Owners praise ease of use, cleaning and setup
• 2 years' warranty, plus 1 with registration

What buyers flag

• Value is the most common complaint
• Some owners find the milk container hard to clean
• Large: about 12 by 20 inches and 21 pounds

Popular models we did not pick

• Philips 3300 LatteGo. Our previous pick here, and still a good machine, with six presets including iced coffee and praise about two to one ahead of complaints. The newer 2300 makes the same core drinks with a stronger owner record; choose the 3300 only if you want iced coffee or more presets. Which Philips espresso machine to buy compares the range.
• Breville Barista Pro. Faster to heat than the Express, with a display. Owner feedback is evenly split on a small sample, with durability the main complaint.
• Breville Barista Touch. A touchscreen and automatic steam wand. Praise is only narrowly ahead of complaints, with durability and the grinder jamming among them.
• Philips 3200 LatteGo. The older model. Complaints outnumber praise nearly two to one.
• Breville Oracle Jet. Thin owner evidence that leans toward complaints.

Our Breville guide compares the whole range on features.

How to choose

1. By hand or one touch? The Barista Express if you want to learn; a fully automatic machine if you do not. Super-automatic machines compared covers the second group.
2. Just espresso, or other coffee too? The Ninja adds drip coffee and cold brew.
3. Keep the grinder clean, and avoid very oily beans, which clog burrs. See how to clean an espresso machine.
4. Buy where returns are easy. See how long espresso machines last.

Would a separate grinder suit you better? See the best burr coffee grinders and the best espresso machines for beginners.

Methodology

We rank espresso machines with a built-in grinder on verified owner reviews across 40 espresso machines: how each one’s praise balances against its complaints, what specifically goes wrong, and how deep its owner record is, with reliability weighted most heavily. Where a pick’s owner sample is small, we say so. No sponsored reviews, no manufacturer units, and no invented reviewers. Noolaguide does not claim hands-on testing.