By Mike Szostech Last updated
Looking for the best espresso machine Canada? Not all of the best-ranked espresso machines are available for Canadians…. we’ve done the work of filtering out the best home espresso machines that you can actually buy in Canada.
Beware of some other Canadian sites recommending the best espresso machines that make false statements like “an espresso machine can save you time”. While that is true, if you aren’t careful in your selection, you could end up with an espresso machine that takes 5 minutes or longer to reach temperature!
Breville espresso machines are currently at the top of the game with a 3 second heat up cycle. Here’s our top espresso machine picks, including one that we purchased 2 years ago and we still love using it every day!
For coffee lovers, just having a french press can be enough, but an espresso machine lets you enjoy a variety of ‘fancy’ drinks without visiting your coffee shop or Tim Hortons. Choosing the best espresso machine in Canada can be confusing, but once you’ve made the purchase, you’ll be able to enjoy espresso, cappuccino, lattes and even iced coffee without having to leave the house.
Plus you’ll save money in the long run as each espresso drink you make is much cheaper to make than it is to buy.
8 Choices for the Best Espresso Machine Canada Comparisons:
Hey Canada! This section helps you compare the features of these products to help you choose the best option for you! Click on the product name to jump down to that specific review.
Pump Pressure
According to Nick Baskett of Coffee BarTalks.net, 15 bar pressure is too much to make a good espresso with freshly ground coffee, and 9 bar is more ideal. Espresso originated in Italy, and Italians like strong coffee and 15 bar makes a very strong robust flavor from darker roasts. But if you move towards a medium or light roast, or if you don't want a super strong flavor, then you won't get the best out of your beans unless the pressure is around the 9 bar level. Is it any wonder then that the 'Made in Italy' machine in our roundup is right at 15 bar pressure?! And others, like the Breville units, seems to want to brag that their pump pressure is 15 bar but is dialed back to only output 9 bar pressure, which makes them a much more forgiving espresso machine.
Heat Up Time
Nothing beats the Breville's 3 second heat up time, which makes them the best espresso machines for a quick coffee on your way off to work. However, if you like the full experience of the espresso making activity, a slower heating time isn't necessarily a bad thing. And the slower heating machines come with a heat plate on top so that you can pre-warm your espresso cups to really make your coffee an event.
Water Capacity
The amount of water the espresso machine can hold isn't a real important factor for many, but if you have the machine far away from a water source, or if you don't want the hassle of refilling often, a bigger water capacity will suit you. This could be a consideration if you want the espresso machine in a home office or conference room that doesn't have a sink nearby. Or, if you typically make multiple espressos in a row (say for a family of 4), then you may not want to have to add water in the middle of the process.
Included
Best Features
This is a quick overview of what makes each of these espresso machines unique. With so many different espresso machines on the market, there are special features that could help you decide which is the best espresso machine for your needs. On our 'must haves' list, we wanted a small footprint and a fast heat-up time, and we were ok not having an integrated grinder since we already had a coffee grinder that can grind for espresso.
Best Espresso Machine Canada - Breville Bambino Plus
You can get the best espresso machine Canada for around the $500 mark, and enjoy a fast 3-second warm-up and high quality espresso flavour.
The frothing wand is one of the best at producing the fine textured milk that you're used to getting from a coffee shop. And it does it automatically, by placing the milk jug on a temperature sensor so that the machine can tell when the milk has reached the right temperature for perfect microfoam.
All of this in a small footprint that's only 7.5 inches wide, and 14 inches deep making it small enough to fit on almost anyone's counter, even in a trailer or tiny home!
If you make a lot of americano coffees, please note that this machine does not have a 'hot water' feature like the non-plus Bambino, so you'll have to get hot water elsewhere before brewing the espresso shot.
The Breville Bambino Plus delivers third wave specialty coffee at home using the 4 keys formula and is part of the Bambino Series that offers the faster way to professional results at home in a compact footprint: serious espresso, serious value
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Best Espresso Machine Canada - Breville Bambino Plus review details:
Breville Bambino Plus Reviews
Tom's Guide ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best espresso machine overall' in their product review. [May 2023]
The Breville Bambino Plus impressed us in our testing...It's difficult to produce a bad coffee from this particular espresso machine
Wirecutter ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best espresso machine for beginners' in their product review. [May 2023]
This potent little machine is fast and easy to use, and it will impress both beginners and experienced baristas with its consistent espresso shots and silky frothed milk.
Also Great - Breville Bambino Home Espresso Machine
Cheaper than the Bambino Plus, this is an older model with less control over the temperature of the steam wand. We purchased the Bambino Plus espresso machine 2 years ago and we've used it everyday without issue, and we love it.
The hot water feature is great for making an americano, or even if you just need a little bit of hot water quickly for some other use in the kitchen.
Just like the professional machines, the Breville Bambino can deliver barista quality performance with rich, full flavor and perfectly balanced taste. The Bambino is designed to use the right dose of freshly ground beans, ensure precise temperature control, optimal water pressure and create true microfoam milk essential for latte art.
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Also Great - Breville Bambino Home Espresso Machine review details:
Read our full review of the Best Home Espresso MachineBest Espresso Machine for Coffee Snobs - Gaggia Classic Pro
This machine has more knobs and buttons for really dialing in the perfect shot of espresso. For that reason, we don't recommend it to everyone but if you are the type to taste the difference, this is the best espresso machine to get complex shots and yet it's still priced at near-entry-level.
The Gaggia Classic Pro improves on one of the best entry-level semi-automatic espresso machines available. Texture milk for a velvety microfoam perfect for latte art with the new commercial steam wand.
The original Gaggia Classic (not the Pro) had a plastic 'panarello' wand for steaming milk, which was easier to use but just didn't make really great microfoam. The new professional style stainless steel wand has 2 small holes and does a great job of frothing milk. In addition, the manufacturing was brought back into Italy from Romania.
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Best Espresso Machine for Coffee Snobs - Gaggia Classic Pro review details:
Gaggia Classic Pro Reviews
Wirecutter ranked it as the #2 on their list claiming it was the 'Also Great' in their product review. [May 2023]
More nuanced espresso than the Bambino Plus, but mediocre milk frothing
Upgrade Pick - Breville Barista Touch Automatic Espresso Machine
If you like the idea of the 3-second heat-up that the Breville Bambino models provide, but you want an easier-to-use machine, check out the Barista Touch espresso machine.
It let's you make a variety of quality drinks at home without having to take any barista training.
With it's 3 second warm-up and it's one-touch to brew, this is the best espresso machine in Canada for entertaining. You can (or your guests can) easily make a different drink for everybody.
And if you want, you can also make advanced adjustments to get the perfect brew for the more discriminating coffee drinker. The machine has a built in temperature gauge, and you can also adjust the steam temperature in the frothing wand.
The touch screen display simplifies how to make your favorite café coffee in 3 easy steps: Grind, Brew and Milk; Easily adjust the coffee strength, milk texture and temperature to suit your taste; Create and save up to 8 personalized coffee.
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Upgrade Pick - Breville Barista Touch Automatic Espresso Machine review details:
Breville Barista Touch Reviews
Wirectter ranked it as the #3 on their list claiming it was the 'Upgrade Pick' in their product review. [May 2023]
An all-in-one machine that can hold your hand
Best Automatic Espresso Machine - Philips LatteGo
While this machine doesn't produce really strong espresso shots, with the built in coffee grinder it's literally a one-touch espresso machine. Then, simply remove the pieces that are dirty and put them in your dishwasher.
The shots are pulled in 15 seconds which tends to lead to a weaker tasting espresso, even though the pump pressure is high - which usually makes a stronger flavor.
For $100 more, there's a version of this machine that also creates iced coffees with one-touch.
With Philips 3200 Series easily make up to 5 black and milk-based coffee varieties at the touch of a button! Enjoy the delicious taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans at the perfect temperature. If you need more coffee varieties, they have the 3300 series automatic espresso machine with more drink combinations.
Although this costs much more than the manual best espresso machines in Canada, it's one-touch buttons make it so easy to use that it's the #1 best seller in Amazon's Super-Automatic Espresso Machine category!
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Best Automatic Espresso Machine - Philips LatteGo review details:
Philips 3200 Series LatteGo Reviews
Tom's Guide ranked it as the #5 on their list claiming it was the 'A user-friendly latte maker' in their product review. [May 2023]
Overall performance was average and the flavor wasn't as strong as we'd like, but the operation couldn't be more straightforward!
Best Budget Espresso Machine - De-Longhi Manual
If you don't have a very particular tongue when it comes to your espresso (perhaps you add flavored milk or sweeteners), then this budget espresso machine will get you going for the least amount of money.
For around $150, this espresso machine has a 15 BAR pump, a manual steam wand, and a stainless steel boiler to last for years.
Stilosa is an elegantly designed espresso machine that elevates your espresso experience at home. With its compact, contemporary design, innovative features and streamlined process, the perfect espresso is more accessible than ever before with Stilosa by De’Longhi.
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Best Stove top espresso maker - Bialetti
With an astounding 30,300 reviews on Amazon with over 4.6 stars, this Bialetti is the best stove top espresso maker - the competition isn't even close. In fact, most of the competition is just no-name brands that look exactly the same!
Classic Bialetti octagonal shape and triple-chamber design prepare rich, velvety espresso at home on the stovetop. A patented safety valve automatically releases steam to ensure the coffee is brewed at the ideal pressure.
Available in 3-cp, 6-cp and 12-cup sizes, and made of high quality aluminum that is easy to disassemble and clean. Comes with a 2 year warranty.
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Best espresso maker for portability - Aeropress
When it comes to low-tech, portable espresso, there is no competition with the AeroPress. It's the most popular espresso machine for hikers, campers, van dwellers etc. All you need is some coffee beans and hot water.
Using the ideal water temperature and gentle air pressure brewing yields rich flavor with lower acidity and without bitterness. Total immersion brewing results in uniform extraction of the ultimate in full coffee flavor. Micro filtered for grit free coffee - unlike other press-type coffee makers.
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Buying the best espresso machine Canada can still make bad coffee if you don’t…
Too coarse a grind, too little coffee, or insufficiently tamping the grounds before brewing can all lead to inadequate pressure for a proper brew.
It is also important to note that the amount of espresso extracted will vary depending on the size of the ground and the amount of grounds, and reprogramming or adjusting your espresso machine may be needed.
Things to consider when choosing the best espresso machine for your needs
A single burner unit will use the same burner for both heating the water for pulling the espresso shot (aka brewing the coffee) , and then it will change the temperature to froth the milk. If the machine has a slow warmup, that typically means that the time in-between the milk and the coffee part will take longer too.
More expensive espresso machines in Canada will have a double burner, and not only does this speed up being able to steam milk and pull the shot, but you can even do both at the same time which makes it a great feature for entertaining and creating multiple coffee drinks quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do more expensive espresso machines make better espresso?
Not necessarily! In the home espresso machine market, typically the more expensive models include more features, and the ability to fine-tune the water and steam temperatures, as well as the amount of water in the espresso shot.
There are some cheap espresso machines that make great coffee, and we've included them above in our list of the best espresso machine in Canada.
Also, the more expensive espresso machines typically have a higher-quality build that will last longer, and also have features like pre-wetting or built in coffee grinders, and higher water pressure bar ratings for making better tasting espressos.
What are the 3 kinds of espresso machines?
Espresso machines have typically been categorized into 3 levels - semi-automatic, automatic, and super automatic. The Starbuck's Mastrena machines are super automatic, basically a push button operation with very little oversight needed.
The best cheap espresso machines for home use will combine some of the features of a semi-automatic machine with a full manual machine. For example, the Bambino espresso machine allows you to customize the length of time it pulls the shot (increasing the water quantity running through the machine which changes the size of the shot and the flavour because of the longer or shorter brew time). Where as the steam wand is manual, meaning no timer is set and it's a completely manual and custom operation where you control all aspects of it.
The Philips LatteGo is more of a one-touch machine with built in steaming and frothing functions. It even grinds the beans for you, and so while it isn't a commercial machine like the Mastrena, it's really a super automatic espresso machine for home use!
What coffee is best for an espresso machine?
Dark roast works well for espresso. Especially when making lattes, a dark roast really helps the flavour come through the frothed milk. Medium-dark to dark roasts are the best place to start with taste-testing a home espresso machine and getting just the right taste you want!
Which espresso machine does Starbucks use?
Since 2008, Starbucks has worked closely with a company called Thermoplan to customize the Mastrena espresso machine to their specific needs. Thermoplan keeps thinking of ways to make the espresso machine faster and easier to use, so that Starbucks can make their espressos faster. The machines also cost more between $14000 and $18,000 USD!