Breville Bambino Plus
Breville's compact machine: ready in three seconds, with automatic milk texturing for consistent lattes.
Kitchen & Coffee
Coffee makers & espresso machines
6 kinds worth knowing, 16 picks, and what to check before you buy.
Most people in this group are buying for someone who already drinks coffee daily and has opinions about it — a parent, a partner, a student setting up a first apartment. What actually gets used is the machine that fits the counter and the morning routine, not the one with the most buttons. Someone who orders lattes out will use an espresso machine; someone who drinks iced coffee year-round gets more out of a cold brew coffee maker. Ask what they drink, where it would sit, and whether they want to fuss with it before work. Grinder, water tank and cleanup all matter more than feature lists.
Kind 1 of 6
Pulling real shots at home
A countertop machine with a portafilter and steam wand, for the person who orders lattes and flat whites out. These reward a bit of practice: dose, tamp, pull, steam. The Breville Bambino Plus keeps the footprint small and handles milk automatically, while the Breville Barista Express builds the grinder in so there is one less thing to buy. Before choosing, measure the counter and the clearance under the upper cabinets, since the water tank often fills from the top. Check whether they already own a burr grinder — pre-ground coffee holds these machines back more than any other single thing. Recipients who want coffee without a ritual are better served elsewhere.
Home automatic espresso machine
An excellent gift for anyone desiring café-quality espresso drinks at home with the convenience of automated brewing.
Kind 2 of 6
Everyday brewers for the whole house
A catch-all for the machine that handles ordinary mornings. Pod machines suit households where everyone wants something different and nobody wants to clean up; a french press suits one or two people who like a full-bodied cup and do not mind rinsing grounds. Pour-over gear is the cheapest way to make a noticeably better cup, and a gooseneck electric kettle with a set temperature makes that pour controllable. A travel french press covers commuters and dorm rooms where counter space is borrowed. Match the format to volume: a press that makes three cups frustrates a family of five, and a large brewer wastes coffee for a single drinker.
Classic french press coffee maker
A great choice for those who appreciate a rich, full-bodied coffee experience without needing electricity or complex settings.
Convenient single serve pod coffee machine
Ideal for individuals seeking quick, mess-free coffee with a wide variety of beverage options, perfect for busy mornings.
Kind 3 of 6
Smooth cold coffee, brewed overnight
Coarse grounds steep in cold water for twelve to twenty-four hours, producing a low-acid concentrate that keeps in the fridge for days. This suits iced-coffee drinkers, shift workers and anyone who wants coffee ready before they are awake. Most are a carafe with a fine mesh basket — no power, no heat, very little to go wrong. A cold brew coffee maker is a strong gift for someone who buys iced coffee out several times a week, since the payback is obvious. Check that the carafe fits a fridge shelf upright and that the lid seals for pouring. Wide-mouth designs are far easier to empty and rinse than narrow bottles.
Kind 4 of 6
Compact and manual espresso options
Smaller espresso gear for tight counters, first apartments and travel. The De'Longhi Stilosa is a manual entry point — you control the shot, and there is little to break. A compact espresso machine fits a dorm shelf or a galley kitchen where a full setup will not. A portable espresso maker runs on hand pressure and packs into a bag, which makes it a good fit for campers, hotel stays and office desks. Look at how the water is added and where the used puck goes, since compact designs trade convenience for size. These suit people who like the process; anyone who wants a button pressed once should look at an automatic machine.
De'Longhi Stilosa espresso machine
A slim manual machine with a 15-bar pump and a steam wand: the affordable first step into home lattes.
Kind 5 of 6
Set it and pour a pot
The default for households that go through several cups before ten. Grounds go in a basket, water goes in the tank, and a timer has coffee waiting. This is the least fussy gift in the category and the one most likely to be used daily by parents, roommates and offices. Look at carafe type — glass on a warming plate cooks coffee over an hour, while an insulated carafe holds it without the burnt edge. An electric percolator is the retro alternative, making a strong pot with a distinctive taste that suits someone nostalgic for it. Check the programmable clock is readable and the basket takes a filter size they can actually find.
Automatic drip coffee maker
Ideal for busy households, this machine brews a full pot of coffee with minimal effort, perfect for daily routines.
Vintage style electric percolator
A nostalgic gift for those who appreciate a robust, hot cup of coffee brewed through a classic, time-tested method.
Kind 6 of 6
Stovetop coffee with real character
A two-chamber aluminum pot that pushes steam pressure through grounds on the stovetop, making something close to espresso — strong, concentrated and good with milk. The Bialetti Moka Express 6-cup is the classic, and its six-cup rating means six small espresso-sized servings, not six mugs, so size it to how many people drink. It needs no power, packs for travel and costs almost nothing to maintain. Check the stove: aluminum pots do not work on induction unless the base is steel. Buy the size they will actually fill, since a half-filled pot brews poorly. A good pick for students, campers and anyone drawn to old, simple tools.
Bialetti Moka Express 6-cup
The Italian stovetop pot since 1933: two mugs of strong coffee from ground beans and boiling water.
Traditional stovetop moka pot
A classic choice for those who enjoy strong, rich, espresso-style coffee brewed simply on a stovetop.
How to choose coffee makers & espresso machines as a gift
- Start with what they drink out — lattes point to espresso, large black coffees point to drip or press.
- Measure the counter and the cabinet clearance above it before choosing anything with a top-fill water tank.
- A burr grinder improves every brewer on this list more than upgrading the brewer itself would.
- Check how the used grounds come out; anything awkward to clean gets pushed to the back of the cupboard.
- Match capacity to the household — one drinker and a five-person family need very different machines.
Usually safe to skip
- Elaborate machines for someone who wants coffee in ninety seconds — the ritual becomes a chore by February.
- Pod machines for people who grind their own beans; the format takes away the part they enjoy.
- Novelty single-cup gadgets with proprietary filters that are hard to replace once the first pack runs out.
Questions people ask about coffee makers & espresso machines
- Is an espresso machine too much for a beginner?
- Not if they already want to learn. A simpler machine with a manual portafilter teaches the basics without overwhelming anyone. For someone who just likes strong coffee and has no interest in technique, a moka pot or a good drip machine gets used far more often.
- What should you buy for a student in a small space?
- Look at footprint first. A moka pot, a travel french press or a compact espresso machine all work on a shelf and need almost no counter. Check whether the residence allows the appliance and what kind of stovetop is in the kitchen before settling on a stovetop brewer.
- Do you need a separate grinder?
- For espresso, yes — pre-ground coffee rarely produces a good shot, so either budget for a burr grinder or choose a machine with one built in. For drip, press and cold brew, pre-ground coffee works fine, though a grinder still makes a noticeable difference.
Looking for one person in particular? Shop by person.
Everything else
All coffee makers & espresso machines picks
Showing 1–16 of 16