Three of the best manual bean-to-cup coffee machines for an early morning boost

Making coffee can be as complicated as you want to make it, and these manual bean-to-cup machines are a bit more complex than spooning some brown powder into a mug. They make a much better brew, too, by letting you choose your coffee beans – which can come from all over the world and be roasted to many different grades – then grinding them yourself and brewing the drink in the same machine.

This gives you a better flavour and aroma than pod machines or filter coffee made from a packet of pre-ground beans that might have been open for a week already, and you also feel more involved with the process, getting a kick of satisfaction from a job done well when you take that first sip. Here are three of the best machines for coffee heaven.

De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro

Price £900 / go.stuff.tv/Specialista

What’s the story?

You control every aspect of coffee-making here, with cold as well as hot options. Cold brew, traditionally made overnight, takes less than five minutes, while ‘espresso cool’ is made at very high pressure, replicating nitro coffee. Just note that the automatic Eletta Explore model does one-button cold brew, plus cold milk foam, for about the same price.

Is it any good?

This is the biggest machine on test, with lots of buttons. Grinding, tamping and brewing all work well, and you can easily tailor your preferred coffee. It’s also versatile with foam: use the jug with the steam wand to perfect your arty patterns, or deploy the same jug with a special lid to automatically pipe frothy milk to your cup.

Smeg EGF03

Price £850 / go.stuff.tv/EGF

What’s the story?

It’s the smallest of the bunch but this one packs a punch, with twin thermoblocks so both coffee and steam are produced at the perfect temperature and pressure. It has Smeg’s usual styling in a choice of six colours, and the design is clever and tidy: behind the drip tray there’s hidden storage for the various filters. Capacity is similar to the other two at around 2.4L of water and 250g of beans.

Is it any good?

The controls are super-simple: two sizes of grind, two sizes of coffee. You get a manual tamper, not a built-in lever, and the lights are minimal – when one flashes to tell you it’s descaling time you’ll need to reach for the manual. You can adjust dose and length, but connoisseurs will want more fine tuning. Pick the Smeg if you crave simplicity.

Sage Barista Touch Impress

Price £1200 / go.stuff.tv/Impress

What’s the story?

The Sage has a colour touchscreen with lush swiping and pretty pictures, which makes it easy to control every variable. It also promises precise microfoam frothing for each type of plant milk as well as dairy (it adjusts to suit oat, almond or soy), and even comes with different filters for freshly roasted beans. Like the Smeg, it has clever storage inside.

Is it any good?

It’s stunning. The touchscreen talks you through setup, teaches you how to use it, makes adjustments easy and saves custom drinks. It’s intelligent too: it senses when you need more ground coffee and lets you add a bit, then updates the dosing for next time. If you love the ritual of making coffee, this is a fantastic all-in-one machine.