My First Espresso

Finally, an espresso machine of your own

Barista-style lattes. At home. Under $300.

The De’Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus is the one we’d point you to. Its automatic milk wand handles the frothing, so you get the café finish without the café line.

Quick pick

Start with the Dedica Maestro Plus for automatic milk. Same price: Bambino if you want a manual wand and a 3-second heat-up. Want to spend less? Stilosa, with a basic manual steam wand. Our $300 limit covers the machine; grinder, beans, and scale are extra.

Three picks

Illustrations shown. See each machine on Amazon.

Illustration for the De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M espresso machine

Start here

De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M

Automatic steam wand: milk drinks with less skill, at the same price as the Bambino.

Choose another if: You want a manual wand and a 3-second heat-up instead. That’s the Bambino, at the same price.

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Illustration for the Breville Bambino BES450BSS espresso machine

Also under $300

Breville Bambino BES450BSS

Manual steam wand and a 3-second heat-up, at the same price as the Maestro Plus.

Choose another if: You want automatic milk and would rather skip learning to steam. Take the Maestro Plus.

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Illustration for the De'Longhi Stilosa EC260BK espresso machine

Costs less

De'Longhi Stilosa EC260BK

A basic manual steam wand for less. You steam the milk yourself.

Choose another if: You want the automatic steam wand. That is the Maestro Plus.

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Buy the Maestro Plus. The $300 limit is the machine only. A burr grinder, beans, and a scale are extra.

The next machine up is over our $300 limit, so it isn’t in the picks.

Compare the three

De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus
EC950M		Breville Bambino
BES450BSS		De'Longhi Stilosa
EC260BK
Milk system Automatic steam wandManual steam wandBasic manual steam wand
Footprint 8.15 in W × 13.62 in D × 12.9 in H11.9 in W × 6.1 in D × 13.5 in H8.07 in W × 13.5 in D × 11.22 in H
Grinder included NoNoNo
Buy Check price on Amazon Check price on Amazon Check price on Amazon

We haven't tested these machines. Specs come from De'Longhi and Breville product pages.

What else you buy

The machine is only part of it. You'll also want a burr grinder (or pre-ground coffee to start), fresh beans, and a small scale. We don't pick those yet.

Back to the three machines ↑

If you are still choosing

Bambino vs Dedica Maestro Same price. Manual wand on the Bambino, or automatic milk on the Maestro Plus. Compact machine Check width and depth before it goes on the counter. First espresso machine Start with the Maestro Plus. Add a grinder, beans, and a scale after. Machine for lattes Automatic wand on the Maestro Plus. Manual wand on the Bambino and the Stilosa.

Get the most from it

  • Fresh grind is the biggest upgrade. Beans ground right before you brew do more for your shot than any spec on the box.
  • Budget for a grinder. None of our picks comes with one, and our $300 limit covers the machine only.
  • Read "15 bar" as a pump rating. It tells you how strong the pump is, not the pressure your coffee actually brews at, so don't choose on that number alone.
  • How we picked. We chose these on specs and features, not taste tests, so we don't rank the shots. It's a short list of machines worth owning under $300, not a best-of list.
De’Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus
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