Last Updated on October 6, 2021 by John Moretti
When it came time to upgrade my old espresso machine, a model with a grinder immediately caught my eye. These brilliant coffee makers are the epitome of convenience, allowing me to grind the beans and brew the grounds in the same machine. So, which are the five best espresso machines with grinders, then?
The 5 best espresso machines with grinders are:
- Breville BES870XL Espresso Machine with Grinder
- DeLonghi ESAM3300 Espresso Machine with Grinder
- EspressoWorks Espresso Machine Grinder Bundle
- Jura 15106 ENA Micro 5 Automatic Coffee Machine
- Jura Impressa XS90 One Touch Automatic Coffee Center
For the average person, space is at a premium these days, and money is too. I certainly don’t want to buy a hundred different gadgets and clutter my kitchen with them, and neither do you. That’s why an espresso machine with a built-in grinder is such a great purchase. It allows you to go from bean to cup with one device, saving you money, space, and even some time.
The 5 Best Espresso Machines With Grinders: A Quick Guide
When on the lookout for an espresso machine with a grinder, remember a few things. Firstly, you get different types of grinders. Depending on your preferences, this will affect the machine you choose.
The cheaper option is a blade grinder, which, like the name suggests, uses metal blades to chop up the coffee beans. However, their low cost comes at a different kind of price. The rapidly spinning blades generate a lot of heat, which can affect the taste of the beans.
Similarly, the blade grinder doesn’t always ensure a consistent grind. While a quality freestanding model can grind coffee very well, you need an extremely fine and consistent grind for espresso. And because the metal blades will dull over time, this fine grind isn’t always guaranteed.
If you’re looking to spend some more, however, you’re in luck. Burr grinders are an excellent choice for quality espressos. They have a grinding wheel that you can calibrate to ensure a consistent grind.
Furthermore, burr grinders also come into types. Ceramic burr grinders are the most common, and they don’t conduct heat when grinding either, which preserves your espresso’s flavor. On the other hand, steel burrs are sharper and more precise but will dull over time and conduct a small amount of heat.
Regardless, calibration remains the same. Just like you would with a standalone model, you can rotate the dial to change how close the blades or burrs are to each other. See, the closer they are, the finer the grind.
Correctly calibrating your grinder is important because it determines the flavor of your espresso. While a coarser grind will brew quickly and give a light taste, finer grinds are richer but take more time to brew.
These are the top five espresso machines with grinders, based on barista picks, customer reviews, and pricing.
| Machine | Features |
| Best all-round: Breville BES870XL Espresso Machine with Grinder | |
| Runner Up: DeLonghi ESAM3300 Espresso Machine with Grinder | |
| Best Value For Money: EspressoWorks Espresso Machine Grinder Bundle | |
| Best Compact Design: Jura 15106 ENA Micro 5 Automatic Coffee Machine | |
| The Top Of The Range: Jura Impressa XS90 One Touch Automatic Coffee Center |
1. The Best Espresso Machine With Grinder Overall: The Breville BES870XL Espresso Machine With Grinder
The Breville BES870XL truly knocks it out of the park as an espresso machine with a built-in grinder. For overall quality, availability, and affordability, it cannot be beaten. Not only is it the best-selling product of the Breville brand, but its simple design ensures that even a beginner can quickly come to grips with it.
However, the Breville BES870XL is no toy. Despite its accessible design, this machine can do it all, and it can do it remarkably well too. The hands-free grinding cradle automatically dispenses a set amount of grounds into the filter so you can get started immediately. It even steams your milk.
The Breville BES870XL earns a place at the top of the list with these features:
- Speed: No longer will you have to wait for the perfect cup of espresso in the morning. Expect a cup in one minute or less.
- Built-in, conical steel burr grinder: Equipped with a top-of-the-range grinder, the Breville BES870XL ensures that you can customize your grind size and amount perfectly.
- 360-degree swivel action steam wand: Not everyone is content with plain espresso, but this machine’s steam wand ensures that you don’t have to be. With its excellent microfoam, enjoy every drink from a latte to a macchiato.
- 67 fluid ounce water reservoir: Not only is the machine’s storage tank quite large at 67 fluid ounces (2 liters), but it is also removable.
- Low-pressure pre-infusion: A Breville signifier, this technique will wet the coffee grounds under a low pressure before their extraction. This ingenious design maxims their flavor and richness.
- 15-bar extraction: The ideal pressure creates the perfect espresso every time.
- PID temperature control: The PID, or Proportional-Integrated-Derivative, is a 1600-watt thermocoil heating system that ensures your coffee will always be brewed at the right temperature.
- Hands-free grinding cradle: The espresso grounds are dispensed automatically into the portafilter whenever you push it into the cradle.
- Semi-automatic: Although you can operate the machine automatically, you can also access its manual options for additional time and temperature control.
As well as the built-in grinder, the Breville BES870XL includes the following accessories:
- Razor dose trimming tool
- 54mm stainless steel portafilter
- One and two cup single & dual-wall filter baskets (stored in machine’s storage space)
- Coffee scoop
- Integrated tamper (with magnetized storage slot)
- Stainless steel milk jug
- Cleaning disc and tablets
- Cleaning brush, tool, and Allen key
- Water filter holder and water filter.
Despite its excellent overall quality, the Breville BES870XL isn’t perfect. Then again, no machine is. Regardless, the complaints are minor. You won’t be alerted when the water reservoir is empty, and the machine is noisy to run. Nevertheless, you won’t be disappointed with this purchase.
2. The Runner Up: The Delonghi ESAM3300 Espresso Machine With Grinder
If Breville isn’t cutting it for you, here’s the real Italian alternative: the DeLonghi ESAM3300. Effectively comparable to the Breville BES870XL, this machine nevertheless manages to stand out with its broad range of features and focus on specialty drinks.
The DeLonghi ESAM3300 has this bevy of functionality:
- Patented Cappuccino System: By mixing steam and milk in its patented system, the ESAM3300 delivers high-grade specialty drinks in the blink of an eye.
- Burr grinder: While the ESAM3300’s burr grinder is nothing special past being easy to clean, its direct-to-brew function is quite something. After their near-instant grinding, the freshest grounds are transported directly to brewing.
- Hot water spout: As well as the expected coffee spout, the machine comes with a separate hot water spout if anyone in the family or the office prefers tea and hot chocolate to espresso.
- Double boiler system: With a double boiler system, there’s no longer any wait between your espresso and your cappuccino.
- Automatic shutoff: After three hours, the ESAM3300 will automatically deactivate to save you the effort and save the planet energy.
- Decalcification Indicator: A built-in indicator will inform you whenever it’s time to clean the machine, which is particularly easy to do.
- Manual milk frother: With a manual frother, you can make foam the way you like it.
- Instant reheat: With the machine’s instant reheat system, you always have the ideal temperature for brewing.
- Height-adjustable coffee spout: The coffee spout is height-adjustable, letting you accommodate everything from a cappuccino glass to a travel mug.
Although this machine is versatile and quiet, make sure not to overload the bean hopper. Especially with dark roasts, it can be known to clog. And if you want an espresso fast, that’s the last thing you want.
3. The Best Value For Money Espresso Machine With Grinder: The Espressoworks Espresso Machine Grinder Bundle
An excellent choice for the more budget-conscious among us, the EspressoWorks is a fast-heating and affordable espresso machine. Instead of a built-in grinder, however, a separate blade grinder is packaged alongside every purchase.
The EspressoWorks has the following great features:
- Advanced Thermoblock fast heating system: The machine reliably heats up within four seconds thanks to its Thermoblock system, ensuring a precise temperature and near-instant steam.
- Single shot or double shot: With two portafilter baskets, the machine can easily alternate between pulling double and single shots for every extraction.
- Stainless steel grinder: The freestanding grinder is durable and easy to clean.
- Auto shutoff: After twenty-five minutes of inactivity, the EspressoWorks automatically shuts off, saving you the effort of unplugging it.
- Removable water reservoir: The machine can hold 1.25l of water. The tank is also front-facing, so it is easy to tell when it needs a refill.
- Built-in steam wand: The manual steam wand is easy to use and guarantees excellent milk-based drinks, especially when combined with the complementary stainless steam milk frothing cup.
In addition to the coffee grinder itself, the EspressoWorks bundle includes:
- Spoon/Tamper
- Portafilter
- Single Shot Filter Basket
- Double Shot Filter Basket
- 2 Ceramic Espresso Cups
- Milk Frothing Pitcher
Remember that this is a budget espresso machine, though. Despite producing a decent cup of joe, it won’t be as durable as a higher-end model. Being made of plastic instead of stainless steel has its downsides, and a blade grinder isn’t ideal either. Nevertheless, if it’s an espresso you want, this machine will give it to you and grind the beans for it as well.
4. The Best Compact Design: The Jura 15106 ENA Micro 5 Automatic Coffee Machine
Sometimes, space can be a premium, too, a real premium. But no longer will that disqualify you from getting an excellent espresso. Enter the Jura 15106 ENA Micro 5 Automatic Coffee Machine, a remarkably compact machine with a built-in burr grinder.
If you want your coffee from this little machine, you can expect these features:
- 23 x 32.3 x 44.5 cm design: An espresso machine reduced to its absolute minimum proportions, the 15106 ENA Micro 5 is ultra-compact and will fit in even the tightest of kitchens.
- Automatic one-touch coffee: The machine is fully automatic and can produce excellent coffee at only a single touch. Despite its small size, though, it can even pull double or lungo shots.
- Intelligent coffee spout: The coffee spout is height-adjustable and can pour up to two cups simultaneously in anything from a shot glass to a travel mug. The crema quality is consistently top-notch too.
- Aroma+ conical burr grinder: Not only does it have an airtight lid to preserve freshness, but the grinder itself is both gentle and surprisingly fast. Intelligent preheating then warms the grounds, ensuring that it always enters the brewing system at the ideal temperature.
- 1l water reservoir with filter: Even though this machine is about the size of your cat, unlike your cat, it comes with a 1l water reservoir with a built-in water filter.
- Programmable touch panel: The touch panel’s accessible three-button design is fully programmable. Each button has two pre-selectable strength levels for additional customizability.
Although this machine won’t be the room’s center point, it’s still a worthwhile investment. The Jura 15106 ENA Micro 5 is a practical, petite machine that doesn’t compromise an inch on quality. However, one feature it does lack is a milk steamer, so specialty drinks are unfortunately a no-go.
5.The Top Of The Range Espresso Machine With Grinder: Jura Impressa XS90 One Touch Automatic Coffee Center
If money is no object for you and a top-shelf grinder is an absolute necessity. The Jura Impressa XS90 One Touch Automatic Coffee Center is your machine. It’s like having a personal barista. It needs exactly as much effort as ordering in a café would, and the drinks can be even better.
This investment has a whole suite of excellent features:
- Automatic: The machine is fully automated, letting you give it a single touch before sitting back. At the same time, it quickly brews your favorite coffee.
- Two Thermoblock heating systems: The machine can simultaneously brew water and steam milk with two heating systems.
- Conical burr grinder: Being an all-in-one machine, the Impressa XS90 has a durable and precise conical burr grinder with six different grind settings.
- Programmable digital display: The machine is both accessible and rewarding to use with its user-friendly display. Its also fully programmable in seven languages, and it even comes with a walkthrough for extra ease of use.
- 12 drinks pre-programmed: You can make specialty drinks hands-free with the Impressa XS90, without even moving your cup. Not only that, but the machine comes pre-programmed with everything from cappuccinos to double shots.
- Intelligent Pre Brew Aroma System: This clever system gives you a perfect mixture of large and small grains with its precise grinder while also monitoring your overall grind quantity. Of course, it is programmable too.
- 15-bar pump: A high-quality 15-bar pump ensures excellent espressos.
- Energy-saving mode: With an energy-saving mode that you can toggle on and off, the Impressa XS90 can help pay back your original investment, both to your wallet and to the environment.
Given that this machine is of such excellent quality, it should be no surprise that the greatest complaint people make about it is the price tag. Nevertheless, you can legitimately taste the difference in the espresso it brews. With the Jura Impressa XS90, you don’t only have a coffee maker. You have a mechanical barista.
Conclusion
No matter your budget or kitchen size, there’s an espresso machine with a grinder for you somewhere out there. The Breville BES870XL is my first recommendation for its overall excellent design and for being a good compromise between affordability and quality functions. However, if cash isn’t an issue, buy the Jura Impressa XS90 and enjoy your new personal robot barista.
