Best Bean to Cup Coffee Machines of 2023

Last Updated on November 22, 2022

Our editors independently research the best products online to produce this list. We may receive commission on purchases made from the links below but this will never affect our product choices.

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Top 10 Best Bean to Cup Coffee Machines

1. De’Longhi Magnifica S (Editor’s Choice)
2. De’Longhi Eletta Cappuccino (Luxury Choice)
3. Melitta E950-101 (Best Value)
4. De’Longhi Magnifica (Best Easy to Clean)
5. Krups EA817040 (Best Compact Choice)
6. Sage BES875UK (Best For Professional Use)
7. Melitta SOLO (Best Intuitive Operation)
8. Melitta E970-101 (Best One-Touch Choice)
9. De’Longhi Fully Automatic (Best Quiet Choice)
10. Krups EA895N40 (Simple Choice)

As a coffee lover, making your coffee as delicious as the ones you buy from stores in the comfort of your home would be a dream come true. To make that happen, you will need an excellent coffee machine. Is it a good investment? Well, it is if you have made coffee a part of your daily routine!

With a bean-to-cup coffee machine, you can enjoy a proper barista-style coffee at home and no longer need to visit a coffee shop. But what exactly is a “bean-to-cup coffee machine?” These coffee machines can complete the entire process of coffee making, from grinding the beans to brewing them fresh—all within a single device and the touch of a button.

The search for the best bean-to-cup machines might be overwhelming as there are so many options to choose from. To make the job easier for you, we’ve selected only the best coffee machines in the market for home use.

Not everyone is looking for the same characteristics in a coffee machine. Some people may prefer ones with a self-cleaning function, while other coffee drinkers might just be keen on ones with different settings to personalise their cuppa. Our selection of coffee machines and our buying guide below should help you select the right one for you.

Without further ado, let’s start exploring our options so you can pick the best bean-to-cup coffee machine in the UK for your personal needs.

How We Compared Bean to Cup Coffee Machines

To find the right bean to cup coffee machines we considered multiple factors, including:

• Your Preferred Drink of Choice
• Cleaning Functions
• Milk Frother
• Capacity
• Personalisation
• Smart Settings
• Design

Our editorial team carefully researched and selected products that would suit a wide range of needs to take your kitchen experience to the next level. We set out this list after assessing customer reviews and evaluating pros and cons in line with the above comparison points.

Find more about our behind-the-scenes process here.

Best Bean to Cup Coffee Machine Reviews

De’Longhi Magnifica S (Editor’s Choice)

This bean-to-cup machine boasts a simple digital touch operation that can brew two cups of coffee simultaneously for exceptional results in the comfort of your own home. Its superb grinding technology ensures you have the freshest ground coffee, and you can customise the grinding level to suit your taste. Best of all, the conical steel grinders provide 100 per cent accuracy. 

This bean-to-cup machine can reduce the amount of coffee powder remaining inside of the grinder so that you only end up with fresh coffee ground in your espresso each time. Another fantastic feature of this coffee machine is the brand’s Thermoblock system, which ensures both an ideal brew temperature and milk temperature with minimal coffee preparation on your behalf. This is possible because this machine only heats the amount of water required for each cup of coffee, resulting in no waste.

Finally, we love the versatility of the De’ Longhi Magnifica S, as its silent integrated grinders come with 13 settings that you can use for whole coffee beans or ground coffee. It also includes a milk frother that produces a rich milk foam ideal for lattes and cappuccinos. 

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that this bean-to-cup machine might over-pour water into a cup, so you may need to purchase a larger mug. Additionally, it might take a while to clean itself, so you might need to plan when to use the cleaning function if you don’t like leaving appliances plugged in when you’re not at home.

De’Longhi Eletta Cappuccino (Luxury Choice)

Look no further than the De’Longhi Eletta Cappuccino bean-to-cup coffee machine for a premium machine. It’s bursting with a variety of hot drinks, thanks to its automatic milk menu that lets you choose your preferred beverage—including cappuccinos, lattes, or macchiatos— with one touch. 

With an intuitive touch panel display, you can personalise your coffee to suit your taste buds. Choose from a strong, medium or mild aroma and save the profile to return to next time.

This bean-to-cup coffee machine comes with a milk frother to create frothed or steamed milk for a foamy, hot drink. The thermal double wall keeps milk at the right temperature, ensuring the best results. 

You’ll love how the De’ Longhi Eletta has a slim and elegant design that will complement your kitchen. And when you’ve finished making a great coffee, you can use the automatic cleaning setting to descale, clean and rinse the appliance with ease. All components are dishwasher-safe, too.

Unfortunately, this coffee machine might only prepare one cup of coffee at a time, which might not be ideal for a household with multiple people. Plus, it might be slower at producing coffee than the other machines on this list.

Melitta E950-101 (Best Value)

The next on our list is the best option for you if you are looking for something that does not hurt your pocket but still delivers awesome results.

This is the best budget bean-to-cup coffee machine on our list that also offers an array of must-have features. Its standout characteristic is that it softens beans with water before brewing to enhance the flavour and make it easier to turn into ground coffee. There’s even a choice of three grinding levels, so you can choose your perfect brewing method to perfect your cup of coffee. 

Moreover, it’s super easy to use, and you have plenty of customisation options, including a choice of three brewing temperatures and three coffee strengths. You can even make two cups of coffee at once. 

Once you’ve finished using this coffee machine, it automatically switches to a shutdown mode while offering a standby mode to make it energy efficient. The built-in LED lights are kinder to the environment and your electricity bill than traditional lights. 

This bean-to-cup coffee machine, however, might not include a cleaning function. Therefore, you’ll need to manually clean components in the appliance by removing sections and washing them under running water. 

You should also note that this espresso machine might be noisier than others on this list.

De’Longhi Magnifica (Best Easy to Clean)

Consider this appliance for coffee lovers looking for an effortless bean-to-cup coffee machine. It sports an automatic cleaning function with cleaning and rinsing programs and a detachable drip tray and ground container, which are dishwasher-safe.

Thanks to the brand’s Thermoblock system that brews your beverages at the perfect temperature every time, you’ll never have to endure cold coffee again. It achieves this by only heating the exact amount of water you need, which also helps to reduce water waste. This bean-to-cup machine also grinds the number of fresh beans you need, not leaving any leftovers.

Perfect your coffee the easy way with the De’ Longhi Magnifica’s digital interface that prepares coffee at the touch of a button. You can even customise your coffee’s strength and amount via the control panel.

Able to distil two cups of coffee simultaneously and with the option of a milk frother, you can serve up delicious cups of coffee easily with this appliance. Best of all, it has a stunning glossy silver finish that everyone will love in their kitchen. 

Unfortunately, this coffee maker might produce weaker coffee than the other bean-to-cup machines mentioned in this article. Plus, you might encounter issues with the drip tray saying that it’s full when it’s not.

Krups EA817040 (Best Compact Choice)

Enjoy barista-style comfort in the comfort of your own home with the Krups EA817040. It boasts a 1.7-litre water tank and a 250g bean container and can prepare up to 10 coffees before you need to refill these components. 

Thanks to the large, user-friendly LCD screen that guides you through every step, making a coffee has never been easier. The “+/-” buttons put you in control of your drink’s strength and volume, and you can easily adjust the number of cups of coffee you’d like. 

You’ll feel like your own personal barista with a “favourites” button that lets you store two recipes and provides quick access to your go-to coffee. Plus, the milk frother creates milky coffee with ease, while the ultra-flat tamping offers balanced flavours for a full-bodied cup of coffee that’s never cold.

On the other hand, the nozzle from the milk frother can sometimes fall off and slide into your drink. Additionally, the built-in grinder might be fairly noisy during use, meaning that you’ll need to plan what times of the day you use this bean-to-cup coffee machine.

Sage BES875UK (Best For Professional Use)

This bean-to-cup machine is perfect for delivering coffee that tastes like it’s been made in professional coffee shops. In particular, it includes a powerful milk wand that enhances the flavour and texture of your drink for a creamy work of art. 

Thanks to the digital temperature control, this espresso machine dispenses water at the perfect temperature: not too hot and cold. Plus, it ensures that the water is at the optimum temperature for coffee extraction. Since the pre-infusion increases the water pressure gradually, you’ll get the exact amount required to create a perfectly balanced cup of coffee.

With all of these fancy features, you’d think this espresso machine was difficult to use; but it’s not. It has four keys that are clearly labelled to make every step—from grinding to serving coffee—effortless and in a short amount of time. 

Another impressive feature of this coffee machine is that you remain in control of grinding the fresh beans. So no matter what beverage you make, you can select the grind size accordingly. 

On the other hand, this appliance might be quite big, so it might not be ideal for small countertop spaces. Also, any coffee stains on this coffee machine might look obvious, so you need to clean the exterior regularly. 

Melitta SOLO (Best Intuitive Operation)

This bean-to-cup machine is suitable for cups measuring up to 5.3 inches in height and includes a height-adjustable coffee outlet to accommodate various-size mugs. 

You don’t need to be an experienced coffee connoisseur to operate this coffee machine since the Melitta app provides tips and tricks for creating delicious lattes, macchiatos and espressos.

Best of all, this coffee machine boasts a simple and intuitive control panel that easily grinds coffee beans and prepares your coffee with a simple touch of a button. It includes three strength intensities and an adjustable water quantity (from 30 to 220 ml). You’ll also receive a hot water dispensing table with an LED display.

Furthermore, this appliance comes with an automatic cleaning and descaling function, making it virtually effortless to look after, while its components are dishwasher-safe for ease of use. 

However, it’s worth pointing out that this coffee machine is only compatible with Melitta filter cartridges, which might be slightly difficult to purchase. Additionally, the machine’s sensor might not always detect when the tray is full of beans and might alert you to add more.

Melitta E970-101 (Best One-Touch Choice)

This is one of the best espresso machines on our list for many reasons. One of its main features is its memory function: this machine can store four coffee preferences that you can choose with one touch of a button.

It’s also designed to make espressos or cappuccinos and features three brew temperatures, four coffee strengths, an easy-to-use milk system and two-chamber bean containers. 

This bean-to-cup machine is crafted with a height-adjustable spout, and therefore it can accommodate mugs of various sizes. It also includes a cup warmer to keep your beverages hotter for longer.

Above all, this appliance boasts an energy-efficient design with LED lights and shut down and standby modes to preserve energy. It also offers easy-to-clean components and wipe-down surfaces to make life easier. Plus, cleaning this unit is easy with this push-button cleaning function. 

Unfortunately, this appliance might take slightly longer to make coffee compared to other coffee machines on this list. In addition, it might be slightly noisy when in use.

De’Longhi Fully Automatic (Best Quiet Choice)

When you’re using a cup espresso machine, the last thing you want is for the appliance to be loud and vibrate on surfaces during use. Fortunately, this is the best coffee machine with a grinder that remains extremely quiet during use. Its grinder also includes a 13-step grinding adjustment. 

The De’ Longhi Fully Automatic boasts an energy-efficient design, so you can use it every day without worrying about your electricity bill. The water indicator is accurate and guides you to the exact amount of water you need for your drinks. 

Moreover, this appliance allows you to choose the perfect coffee strength to suit your needs. So every drink will be perfected to your liking. All the while, it makes two cups of coffee at once. 

It is crafted with a removable brewing unit, and it requires minimal cleaning and maintenance; it even has rinse and decalcification auto programs. 

On the other hand, this machine’s milk frother doesn’t always create milky coffees or milky beverages. This unit might also require descaling quite often. 

Krups EA895N40 (Simple Choice)

Finally, if simplicity is more of your thing, this is the best bean-to-cup coffee machine in the UK for you. It provides all of the features you could need, including a function to save the preferences for up to 12 beverages, plus every drink’s customised grind, strength, and capacity.

It is crafted with a useful dual-cup function. This coffee machine lets you simultaneously prepare two barista-quality espresso or milky drinks with just one touch of a button. 

Sporting 17 drink options across 12 recipes, this superb coffee machine meets the needs of even the most demanding coffee expert as there are so many choices. 

Most impressively, you’ll spend less time cleaning up after this machine since it boasts automatic rinsing and cleaning programs. All the while, you can easily disassemble the milk system for thorough cleaning at your convenience.

However, this cup espresso machine may only offer up to five grinding settings, which may not be as many as the other coffee machines above. Furthermore, most of this machine’s components might be plastic, which isn’t an environmentally-friendly choice.

How to Choose the Best Coffee Machine for You

With an abundance of coffee machines to choose from, you might be feeling overwhelmed. Don’t worry—below, we have listed all of the most important factors to help you select the best machine for your needs.

Your Preferred Drink of Choice

The first consideration you’ll want to keep in mind is what your go-to hot beverages typically are. After all, there’s no point in picking a bean-to-cup coffee machine with an array of drink options if you only plan on making espressos; that’d be a waste of money.

Cleaning Functions

There are probably two main reasons you’re considering a bean-to-cup coffee machine: sipping some delicious coffee at home and ease of use. If the latter is a highly important feature for you, go for an appliance with automatic cleaning and descaling functions: you’ll spend less time cleaning and more time relaxing with your hot cuppa. Coffee machines that automatically remove pre-ground coffee make it much easier for you to deposit any used remains in the bun. 

Your machine will also come with a drip tray. So it’s worth looking into if it is removable and how you clean it. Otherwise, your unit will require a thorough clean around once a week (depending on how often you use it, of course).

Milk Frother

If you enjoy milk texturing in your drinks, you’ll need a coffee machine with a built-in milk frother—especially for making cappuccinos and lattes. There are three types of milk frothers to consider: an automatic frother, a steam wand and a frothing accessory. Let’s take a look at the features and differences of each.

Firstly, an automatic frother heats and froths the milk simultaneously within a built-in milk jug. Most of these jugs include an adjustable spout that makes it easy to pour the drink because it’s detachable. 

A steam wand, commonly found in barista shops, features a long, thin pipe connected to the side of the machine that requires steam pressure to froth the milk. 

Finally, another way for creamy milk within your drinks is with a frothing accessory that isn’t controlled via the machine. Instead, you’ll need to froth your milk manually, which requires some elbow grease. This accessory is typically cheaper than other built-in milk wands. ​​

Capacity

Another consideration to bear in mind is the water tank capacity. So if you want to make a large cup of coffee or two cups simultaneously, the appliance will need to accommodate this need.

Personalisation

If you’re very particular about how you like your coffee, we highly recommend selecting an appliance that lets you adjust the coffee’s strength, aroma and grind size. You can even save your desired settings on many coffee machines and select a button to choose them easily. Some espresso machines can even store up to five drink preferences, which is great for the entire family. 

Smart Settings

Make your life a little easier with a smart bean-to-cup machine. These smart devices allow you to control them via an app so that you can schedule the appliance to make your drink at a specific time. In addition, many of these app-enabled machines provide tips and tricks on perfecting your coffee.

Design

Finally, would you prefer a coffee maker with a smart control panel or one that’s simpler to use with one-touch buttons? Know what features you need first, and consider if you’re happier with a complex coffee maker with many functions or just with a more straightforward interface for grinding coffee beans and frothing milk.

Additionally, it’s important that you like the appearance of your coffee maker. So consider a colour that complements your kitchen’s aesthetics and materials that are easy to care for and provide a luxury touch to your space.

How Does Bean to Cup Machines Work?

Bean-to-cup machines are very clever appliances that might look user-friendly and easy to operate, but their technology is quite complex under the surface. 

These appliances feature a control panel with programs and functions that allow you to tailor your drink to suit your preferences. While not all appliances include an array of features, the simplest coffee machines feature an on and off button at the very least.

These machines are designed for grinding beans into coffee powder to make your beverages smooth and delicious. Most machines offer various grinding settings so that you can choose the fineness depending on the drink you’re making and your personal taste. 

As soon as the coffee machine has ground your beans, it’ll loosen the oils to protect the bean and enhance its flavour for full freshness. Without this function, you’ll just purchase a regular coffee machine where you insert store-bought pre-ground coffee. Above all, these machines let you adjust the coarseness of the grounds, which is especially important if you’re looking for a versatile machine that makes espressos, lattes and more. 

After this step, the coffee machine adds hot water to heat the coffee. For the best results, look for a bean-to-cup machine with Thermoblock technology so that it only heats the exact amount of water that you need to reduce water waste.

Once the water is heated, the machine will force this water through the ground coffee at high pressure (different machines offer different bar pressures). For the best results, consider 15 bars of pressure for smooth espressos.

The Benefits of Bean to Cup Coffee Machines

Wondering what all of the fuss is about with bean-to-cup machines? Let us share some of the main benefits of these appliances and why you need one in your life.

Firstly, these kitchen units are straightforward to use. You don’t need any experience operating smart appliances since they have one-touch buttons clearly labelled with their functions. Secondly, they are incredibly practical, thanks to their built-in coffee grinder.

Easy to Use

The only jobs you need to do are adding a mug underneath the water dispenser and selecting your desired coffee settings.

Environmentally Friendly

If you often visit a coffee shop, you’ll be aware of the amount of plastic used for takeaway coffee mugs. Fortunately, a home bean-to-cup appliance requires a mug with no plastic cups or filters, making them an environmentally friendly alternative.

Customisation Options

Not everyone likes their coffee the same way, which is why these commercial coffee appliances provide an array of customisation features, including coffee strength, aroma and capacity. 

Amazing Flavour

Enjoy great-tasting coffee with freshly ground coffee. It’s always advisable to drink freshly ground coffee to get the best flavour from it. Thanks to these machines’ built-in coffee grinder, you’ll get the freshest taste without any hassle on your behalf. 

Control Over Grind

Depending on the type of coffee you’ll be making, you’ll have the option to choose more than one grinding setting from the unit. Whether you prefer a finer or a coarser grind, these appliances can achieve that for you.

The Winning Coffee Machine

We hope you enjoyed these bean-to-cup coffee machine reviews, and hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how these machines work. 

If you’re still undecided, we would recommend our editor’s pick, the De’Longhi Magnifica S. We consider this the best bean-to-cup coffee machine in the UK as it makes two cups simultaneously and includes a simple interface with a soft-touch control panel. 

It’s also super easy to clean and includes a diverse range of 13 settings to perfect your cup of coffee. Best of all, it boasts a simple and elegant design for barista-quality coffee straight from your kitchen. 

Which of these bean-to-cup machines stand out to you the most? How was your experience? What did you like about these machines? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! 

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