There are more espresso coffee makers on the market than fleas on a dog. Unfortunately, this makes deciding which one to buy a rather tricky proposition. Now – I do not claim to have tried every single maker on the market, but I have tried quite a few over the years. The basic models do not change much. A new knob or dial here, a new color scheme there – but how much can they really change?

After all – these machines are a way of forcing hot water through ground coffee. That is not going to change any time soon. My personal choice under $100 is the  DeLonghi EC 155 Espresso Maker as it is pump driven rather than purely steam driven. It is small and sturdy, and I have not found a single machine (other than a stove top machine) which will do as good a job as this one for under a hundred dollars. The price does vary – but I certainly recommend – especially if you are planning on trying several machines – buying it from Amazon.

The great thing about Amazon is their return policy. I hate to admit it – but on several occasions when I was doing a product review – I have bought from Amazon, knowing full well I would be sending them back after  a test run. Although, if you are planning on spending less than a hundred bucks on an espresso maker, I can pretty much guarantee this is the best one.

The only exception I would make is a stove top espresso maker like the Bialeti Moka Express. For less that twenty dollars – they are fantastic way of making espresso easily and cheaply. I admit it is all but impossible to get a good crema, but the taste and texture – done right is excellent. My preference is to bring it to the boil, take it off the heat, open the lid up and allow the coffee to gently percolate through. I have two of these as well as an espresso machine – a small and a large one.

I have also written a comprehensive guide to espresso coffee makers, which covers all models from budget to the more expensive Italian machines such as the La Pavoni and Caffe Novecento models. To an extent – which is the best espresso coffee maker is a subjective decision, but experimenting is half the fun.