Every setup we hold

Pick the morning, then read what it needs.

Each setup is judged against its own counter by the same engine. None is ranked; each opens with what decides it.

A coffee station in a kitchen nook where a low wall cabinet closes in just above a short counter: a plain grey machine with a bean hopper on top, one cup and a folded cloth, plain jars and crates behind, morning light from the side

Fits 47.2 in (120 cm) with room to work

All-in-one on the counter

One footprint, two jobs. The hopper needs room above and the tray needs room in front, and both lines are judged.

$250+1 of 1 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A coffee corner on a kitchen island in warm oak: a plain machine and a hand grinder with a crank handle, one cup and a folded cloth, a clean back wall with no socket anywhere, morning sun across the counter

Depth decides it

Budget espresso with a hand grinder

The grinder has no motor, so it takes no outlet and no counter of its own. What that saves goes into the machine.

$100-2501 of 2 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A worn pine side table against an aged plaster wall, used as a coffee station in a rented room: a small stainless machine and a plain grinder, a cup on its saucer, a jar of beans and a folded cloth, a woven mat on the bare wooden floor, low afternoon light

Height decides it too

Coffee bar under $250

Spend where you taste it. Skip the decorative extras and keep a clean way up later.

$100-2502 of 2 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A sunlit compact coffee station in a small kitchen: a stainless espresso machine and a grinder on a short oak counter under a white wall cabinet, a cup and a folded cloth, a window at the side

Fits 35.4 in (90 cm) with room to work

Compact first espresso (54 mm)

The 54 mm basket is the compact end of espresso. What decides this one is the counter it stands on, not the shot.

$350+2 of 2 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A short run of narrow terrazzo counter that ends at a tall window: a small dark espresso machine and a separate grinder side by side against sage green tile, a cup and a folded cloth, plain jars on a wooden shelf above, daylight and plants at the window

Fits 47.2 in (120 cm) with room to work

First espresso setup

Machine, grinder, scale, bought in that order, because that is the order they change the cup.

$350+2 of 2 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A small coffee bar on a wooden kitchen cart by a window: a glass pour-over dripper on a carafe, a hand grinder, a gooseneck kettle, two cups and a folded cloth

Fits 23.6 in (60 cm) with room to work

Pour-over brew bar on a cart

The kettle is the machine. The grinder and the kettle decide the cup; the dripper is a footprint, not a decision.

$250+1 of 1 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A coffee corner under a low cabinet: a compact black espresso machine and a small grinder tucked into the corner of a marble counter between dark green cupboards, a jar of beans and one cup

Width decides it too

Small-space espresso

The machine stands fine. The water tank is the part that catches people out.

$350+1 of 2 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A narrow coffee counter under a wooden wall shelf: a small single-boiler style machine and a separate grinder side by side, plain cups and a plain jar on the shelf above, a cup and a folded cloth, raking morning light

Fits 35.4 in (90 cm) with room to work

Step-up espresso (single boiler, 58 mm)

Keep what already works. What changes is the one thing you have outgrown, and nothing is bought to match what we have not seen.

$350+2 of 2 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

A long open counter of pale concrete along a bare plastered wall with nothing mounted above it: a plain machine with a bean hopper on top, a mug, a folded cloth and a jar of beans, open shelves beneath the counter, a window at the far end

Fits 47.2 in (120 cm) with room to work

Touchscreen all-in-one on an open counter

A screen instead of a dial, on a counter with nothing behind it. The tray needs its room in front, and that is the line judged here.

No price on record1 of 1 priced

Check Buy

See this setup

Side by side, every one of them against the same counter.Compare them all

The two pages under every setup, all 9

Each setup has a page that answers it against your counter and a page that says what to buy in what order. Both are one click from here.