If you’re a coffee lover, then you know the importance of having a quality espresso machine. But with so many options out there, it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. Super automatic espresso machines are becoming increasingly popular because they provide an easy way to make delicious espressos and other specialty drinks quickly and conveniently. These machines feature automated grinding, tamping, and extraction processes that take the guesswork out of making great-tasting espresso drinks at home. They also come with various settings that allow users to customize their experience according to their preferences. With a super automatic espresso machine in your kitchen, you can enjoy fresh cappuccinos and lattes any time of day!
One of the reasons why people could hesitate to buy a super automatic espresso machine is because of their high price tag. They don’t come cheap! But, as they become more popular, manufacturers are able to provide more models at an entry level price point.
In this post, I will list the best affordable super automatic espresso machines from highly rated brands.
What Is Considered a Super Automatic Espresso Machine?
- Bean-to-Cup Experience: it has to grind beans using a built-in grinder and brews the coffee grounds right away.
- Preset Coffee Drinks: Super Automatics have buttons for each coffee beverage.
- Customization: Allows you to adjust coffee strength and volume.
- Built-in Milk Frother: It can be a steam wand or an automatic frother, a super automatic needs to have a frother to allow you to make cappuccinos and lattes with a press of a button.
What Is Considered ‘Affordable’?
I will consider a price range of under $1000 to be affordable for a super automatic espresso machines. Normally, these machines will run for thousands of dollars, so a machine of such capabilities for the range of $500 to $800 is considered to be affordable.
This post will only include well-known brands. I see many generic brands with low prices, but as I can’t guarantee their quality, I will not list them.
Best Super Automatic Espresso Machines Under $1000
I will break this guide into two categories. First two models will have a classic frothing wand, which usually have the lowest price point. The next two models will include an automatic milk froth.
Philips 1200 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine
- With Philips 1200 Series enjoy the delicious taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans at the perfect temperature.Filter type:Reusable
- Classic Milk Frother System: Dispenses steam, allowing you to easily prepare silky smooth milk froth for your cappuccino
- Intuitive Touch Display: Select the perfect coffee for your mood with just one touch
- My Coffee Choice Menu: Adjust the strength and quantity of your beverage and choose from three different settings to suit your preferences. The Aroma Extract system intelligently strikes the optimum balance between brewing temperature and aroma extraction by keeping the water temperature between 90 and 98°C
- Powerful Filter and Easy Maintenance: Thanks to the AquaClean, enjoy clear and purified water - by changing the filter after being prompted by the machine, you will not need to descale your machine for up to 5000 cups
The Philips 1200 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is a one of the best selling super automatics due its nice features and entry level price point. This machine makes it easy to prepare delicious espressos and other specialty drinks with a press of a button. It also has various settings to customize your experience according to your preferences.
It features a classic steam frother, so you’ll have to manually froth your milk for your lattes and cappuccinos. If you want an automatic frother, you can upgrade to the Philips 2200 model instead.
When it comes to customization, this Philips machine has three of them: 3 strength settings, 3 temperature settings and 3 volume settings.
The built-in grinder has 12-grind settings allowing you to fine-tune your espresso shots. The bean hopper holds up to 9.7 oz of beans, and thanks to the bypass doser, you can use pre-ground coffee, too.
Gaggia Brera Super Automatic Espresso Machine
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use
The Gaggia Brera Super Automatic Espresso Machine is an excellent choice for the home barista who wants to up their coffee game. With a variety of features and an intuitive control panel, this machine allows you to make all your favorite drinks with ease.
The Pannarello wand frother makes creamy and delicious cappuccinos and lattes at the touch of a button. The wand doubles as a hot water dispenser for Americanos and tea, so you can enjoy your favorite hot drinks with ease. The coffee puck (used coffee grounds) drawer, drip tray, and water tank are easily accessible from the front of the machine for quick and easy cleaning and maintenance.
You’ll also love how user-friendly the machine is with its push-button controls and LED display with illuminated icons which make it easy to use. Its Rapid Steam Technology ensures that your espresso will be hot and ready quickly – even quicker than some other machines on the market today. The Gaggia Brera also supports both ground coffee or whole beans, so you can choose whatever type best suits your taste.
The bean hopper size holds about 9 ounces of beans. And thanks to its bypass doser feature, you can even use pre-ground coffee if you want convenience without sacrificing quality or freshness. Most users find this useful when the want to make a cup of decaf without having to empty the hopper.
Overall, the Gaggia Brera is an excellent choice for those who want great tasting espresso in a snap – plus it’s affordable too! With its intuitive controls, fast heat up time, adjustable grind settings and ability to support both ground coffee or whole beans.
Philips 1200 vs Gaggia Brera
Before we continue this list, I want to quickly compare these two machines as they are very comparable in features and price. Between these two, which should you pick?
Features:
Philips 1200 and Gaggia Brera are nearly identical in features, you get:
- espresso button and coffee button.
- 3 strength settings.
- hot water option.
Customization:
Philips 1200 has a volume selector to increase the volume of your espresso or coffee, and the volumes are preset by factory and cannot be changed. With the Gaggia Brera, you can reprogram each button to dispense more coffee to your liking and it will save the new volume setting. So both give you the choice of adjusting your drink’s volume, just in a different way. As for strength settings, both use the same 3-step selector.
Design:
Overall, Philips 1200 has a more modern design. It uses touch buttons and a light indicator for each setting you need. On the other hand, the Gaggia has a nice LCD display with buttons for selections. Switching between steam and hot water function is done using a knob.
Frothing Wand:
Both these machines use a classic frothing wand. You’ll need a pitcher to heat and froth your milk then add it to your cup. While having an automatic frother is easier to use, a classic wand gives you more control over your froth and the temperature of your milk, but on the downside, it will take some practice to use it correctly.
Country of Origin:
One of the nice things about Gaggia is that it is made in Italy, something that we rarely find any more. Philips 1200 is made in Romania.
Which To Pick?
Between the Gaggia Brera and Philips 1200, you’re getting pretty much the same quality of drinks and features. Apart from design differences, and slight difference in capacities, the overall experience of both machines is the same.
I like that the Gaggia Brera is made in Italy, it’s an indication of high quality design. Although Philips’ design is just as good.
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo with LatteCrema
- 7 ONE-TOUCH RECIPES: 7 one-touch or customized coffee drinks: espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, iced coffee, coffee, hot water, and My Latte
- PERFECT GRINDING: 13 grind settings means all of your bean varieties are optimally prepared for extraction. The conical burr grinder delivers a precise, consistent dose of freshly ground coffee for all your favorite espresso beverages.
- LATTECREMA SYSTEM: De'Longhi's proprietary technology textures both milk and milk alternatives and can be stored in the fridge to keep milk fresh when not in use
- PERSONALIZE WITH MY LATTE: Allows you personalize and save your own recipes
- EASY TO CLEAN: Removable and dishwasher-safe parts for easy cleaning
The DeLonghi Magnifica Evo with LatteCrema is an excellent espresso machine [also available from 1stincoffee.com] for those who want to make café-style drinks with a press of a button. It has everything you need to make delicious espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, iced coffee, and more. The built-in conical burr grinder can be adjusted to 13 settings to help you adjust the taste of your espresso and coffee. And the LatteCrema System ensures your milk is always textured perfectly while automatically cleaning itself when done. Plus, you can even save your own personalized recipes with the My Latte feature. In addition, all removable parts are dishwasher safe which makes cleaning easy peasy!
To make a latte or a cappuccino, all you have to do is press the preset button. The machine will heat, froth and dispense the correct amount of milk for your recipe. You can adjust the froth level, too. And if you have any left over milk in the frother, it can be detached and stored in the fridge for later use.
When it comes to customization, Magnifica Evo has 3 adjustable coffee strength and 3 temperature settings.
One of the special features of this model is the Iced coffee setting, which is a dream come true for all iced coffee lovers. What it does is brew your coffee longer for a bolder taste, and it brews at a lower temperature so it does not melt your ice quickly. The coffee still comes out hot, just not as hot as regular coffee selections.
Overall, the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo with LatteCrema is an amazing machine if you’re looking for quality drinks in a short amount of time. The one touch recipes featuring colorful icons make it simple to pick exactly what type of drink you’re craving. Thanks to its versatility and user-friendly features, this machine is perfect for coffee aficionados who love experimenting with different flavors and brewing techniques. Plus, since it’s from DeLonghi, you know that it’s trustworthy and reliable which means it’ll last much longer than other machines on the market today.
Gaggia Anima Prestige with Built-in Automatic Frother
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Gaggia Anima Prestige with Built-in Automatic Frother is equipped with a one-touch brewing and frothing system so you can make your favorite espresso, latte, cappuccino, or macchiato easily and quickly. Plus, it features three adjustable temperature settings so you can customize the taste of your drinks.
In terms of design, Gaggia Anima Prestige has a sleek and modern look that will bring sophistication to any kitchen countertop. The brushed stainless steel housing is durable and easy to clean. There’s also an illuminated control panel with a display for simple operation and an intuitive user interface for programming individual drink preferences.
The machine comes with a built-in automatic frother that allows you to get the perfect amount of foam for your chosen beverage in just seconds. This feature makes it easy to make authentic Italian-style drinks without needing any extra tools or accessories. With this machine, you can also program individual recipes so you never forget how to make your favorite concoction; thanks to its memory function..
For customization, this model has 3 temperature settings and 5 strength settings.
Another great feature of this Gaggia model is its removable 60oz water tank which sits conveniently on the top left side of the machine; this makes refilling simple and hassle free as there’s no need to move the unit around or take it apart like some other machines require. As far as power consumption goes, this model uses 1300Watts when heating up but drops down significantly when idle; making it an energy efficient choice for those looking for budget friendly options in their home espresso maker. Lastly, all removable parts are dishwasher safe which makes cleanup a breeze!
To sum up, Gaggia Anima Prestige with Built-in Automatic Frother is an excellent choice if you’re looking for cafe quality drinks right at home without having to worry about complicated brewing techniques or additional accessories. Its combination of modern design and intuitive user interface makes it incredibly easy to use while its plethora of features ensures perfect results every time!
Gaggia Anima vs Anima Prestige – What’s the Difference?
There are two models of the Anima model. Gaggia Anima has a classic wand, therefore, the buttons and presets will change accordingly. The Anima Prestige has an automatic milk frother.
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Gaggia Anima Prestige
While these two also offer similar coffee making experience, I find the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo to have a more modern design and user interface.
Control Panel:
The DeLonghi has a colored icon panel with a button for each setting: espresso, coffee, cappuccino, latte, hot water and iced coffee, as well as MyLatte memory function. This means that accessing your options is as easy as pressing a single button.
With the Gaggia Anima Prestige, there’s a button for espresso, lungo, cappuccino and latte. Then there’s a menu button that gives you access to other features like hot water, so for some recipes you’ll have to go into the menu with a few extra presses. The display makes it all easier to control though.
Customization:
DeLonghi’s machine has three strength settings, which is pretty much a standard in many super automatics. Gaggia’s offers 5 strength settings, which gives you even more control over the strength of your coffee. Both have three temperature settings.
Country of Origin:
the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo is made in Romania. As for Gaggia Anima Prestige, some units are made in Italy while others are made in Romania. Unfortunately, you can’t guarantee which one you’d receive.
Which To Pick?
Out of these two, I prefer the DeLonghi EVO for its modern and attractive design. I also like that it has an Iced coffee setting. The Gaggia Anima Prestige has a classic design and nice stainless steel front panel, I do like that it offers more strength settings, but the overall experience of the DeLonghi, with all options being on the panel and accessible, is better.
