Coffee & Espresso

I spent years assuming good microfoam required an espresso machine with a proper steam wand. Then I tried a $30 handheld frother and realized I was wrong. Not all of it was great, but the gap between a cheap frother and good one is smaller than the gap between a cheap espresso machine and a good one. If you drink lattes at home and don’t own a machine with a prosumer steam wand, a standalone milk frother will make a bigger difference to your coffee than upgrading your machine. ...

Let’s be realistic about what $500 buys in the espresso world. Not a La Marzocco. Not dual boilers or PID temperature control you can program from your phone. What it gets you, if you pick the right machine, is genuinely good espresso — thick crema, proper extraction, steam that doesn’t taste like hot foam. But the sub-$500 category is littered with machines that look the part and perform terribly. We tested the most popular models to separate the ones worth your money from the shelf queens. ...