With more Aussies making coffee at home to save money, CHOICE has revealed the espresso machines to avoid buying if you’re on a budget.
The consumer group found the $59 ANKO Compact Espresso Machine from Kmart and Target produced very average coffee.
“It’s the cheapest machine in our review, but while it’s wallet-friendly, it’s less kind to your palate,” CHOICE expert Alice Richard explained.
“Our coffee experts weren’t impressed with the espresso it produced, and the steam wand creates milk with large bubbles.”
Three coffee experts and veteran baristas blind-tasted espresso from 100 different machines, rating each one based on crema, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and aftertaste.
In the manual and semi-automatic machine category, the ANKO product received a CHOICE rating of 57 per cent and a taste score of 55 per cent.
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The $299 Sunbeam Prima Latte also nabbed a 55 per cent score, while the $189 DeLonghi Classic Manual Coffee Machine copped 45 per cent.
Overall the espresso tasted “average” and the over-bubbly milk didn’t make a decent brew.
The experts added that as it’s so cheap, the quality of the build is low.
“The supplied tamper is plastic and the machine is quite light, so you’ll probably need to hold onto it when locking [or] unlocking the group handle to keep it from sliding all over the bench,” CHOICE pointed out.
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The consumer group found the $59 ANKO Compact Espresso Machine from Kmart and Target produced very average coffee.
(Kmart)But there is a budget-friendly Kmart coffee machine worth your money
If you had $20 more in your coffee machine budget, a trip to Kmart is still worth it.
ANKO’s $79 Retro Espresso Coffee Machine outranked some of the world’s top-end brands, including Breville, Sunbeam, and DeLonghi in a previous CHOICE rating.
The affordable product received a taste score of 75 per cent in the blind taste test.
But there were some downsides, including it being lightweight, the accessories were “pretty ordinary”, and the milk frother was below average.
CHOICE’s tips for buying a coffee machine
Choosing a decent coffee machine can be a difficult choice as there is an abundance of options on the market.
CHOICE said your first consideration should be whether you prefer a pod or sem-automatic machine, as there are positives and negatives of both.
The consumer group revealed pod machines are generally cheaper, but the pods themselves can be expensive and can have a negative environmental impact.
It can take some time to learn how to use a manual or semi-automatic machine, and often isn’t as convenient, but the coffee produced tends to be better overall.
“Remember, a poor-quality espresso machine can deliver mediocre flavour, and a badly designed pod or capsule machine can still be tricky to use,” CHOICE warned.
“So always make sure you do your research before committing.”
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