Pat is an espresso machine enthusiast with a passion for perfecting every shot. With years of hands-on experience testing espresso machines, coffee makers and everything in between, Pat provides detailed, no-nonsense reviews to help coffee lovers find the right fit.
It’s that time once again - we’re celebrating our Top 3 Superautomatic Espresso Machines of 2023! We love revisiting old favorites and newer options in these lists, and this year is no different. While we technically have 4 of these machines on the list, the two Philips machines are sharing a slot since they have so many similarities. Let’s get started, in no particular order!
The Philips 3200 LatteGo is an excellent machine that finds the intersection of quality, price, and features that makes it a shoe-in for this list. But what makes this machine tick?
First, it’s the design. Easy to use buttons make brewing up your morning latte a breeze with just a few taps. You’ve also got conveniences like a front loading water tank and a compact, counter friendly footprint. Next, it’s the features. This machine combines a brew unit and the unique LatteGo frothing system to offer some incredible options for making your drinks. With up to six programmable recipes you can store everyone’s morning cup and make it easy to recall. This machine even works with AquaClean water filtration to extend the time between needing to descale. It’s an all around great combination of creature comforts.
But none of this would matter if it weren’t for drink quality. The 3200 LatteGo does wonders for milk frothing at this price point. The LatteGo system is inspired by the way carburetors work, and it creates some really excellent milk texture. Some of our baristas have even managed to pour some basic latte art with the milk from this machine. When you add in that the LatteGo disassembles for easy cleaning it’s not hard to see why this system has taken the under $1,000 superautomatic market by storm. We love the Philips 3200 LatteGo and we’re sure that you will too, especially if you’re in the market for an upgrade to automatic without the price tag of more expensive units.
What do you get when you take everything we love about the Philips 3200 LatteGo and bump it up a notch? The 4300 LatteGo!
This machine builds on the successes of the 3200 with an extra touch of user friendliness in the form of its 2 inch color display. It can do all of the things that the 3200 can do, but with the addition of the display you get even more programming options, user profiles to give two users their own set of recipes, and easy guided maintenance that helps you avoid pulling out the machine’s manual whenever it’s time for a cleaning.
What’s one of the biggest bonuses with this machine? A dedicated milk steam option in the menus that lets you heat and froth milk for hot chocolate without having to do a dance with menu options. Is this alone enough to warrant an upgrade? That’s up to you, but if you have the marginal increase in budget from the 3200 we think the 4300 LatteGo is worth every penny.
The Saeco Xelsis consistently makes our list just about every year we’ve been running it. This is a stalwart machine that offers some incredible features and usability. So what is it that has earned it such a frequent returning spot on our best of lists?
It starts with the design and user-friendliness of this machine. The Xelsis has a touchscreen interface similar to using a phone, and that makes it very intuitive. You get all sorts of options when building your drink menu, and can save tweaked recipes to over ten slots across multiple user profiles. When we say all sorts of options, we mean being able to adjust parameters like volume, strength, temperature, and texture. It means you can get a completely customized drink for you.
Next, there’s the HygeiSteam system. This milk frothing system produces seriously excellent automatic steaming. The system is convenient too, with an included milk container that you can store in the fridge for freshness. Once your drink has finished brewing, the HygeiSteam wand cleans itself in its holding slot. This self cleaning makes for some great peace of mind, as milk systems can often be the hardest parts of a machine to keep fresh and clean.
The Xelsis also just feels premium. This is a slick machine with smart design features like a front loading water tank, and it looks like a high-end piece of technology. It also features AquaClean filtration compatibility to keep it clean between descales. Oh, it makes good espresso too!
Jura’s Z10 is one of the biggest leaps in superautomatics since, well, the Saeco Xelsis. You can tell this machine is something special just by looking at it. Gorgeous flowing design and sparse but functional design elements speak to the premium nature of the Z10. But it’s not just a slick looking machine.
Much like the Xelsis, the Z10 features a comprehensive touch screen menu. Using this menu you can adjust all of the drink parameters you’d want and save your custom recipes. On top of using this touchscreen, you can even use the JOE smartphone app to control the machine wherever you are. Finally, Clearyl water filtration keeps it fresh. So what is it that justifies the heftier price tag over the Xelsis, and the spot on this list?
Cold brew. That’s right, while this machine doesn’t actually replicate the long, slow brewing of full on cold brew, it does have a brew option that coarsens the grind used and uses cooler water for a longer time. When you brew with these settings over ice you get a delicious cold coffee that is much closer to a cold brew that won’t taste watered down like shots pulled over ice can. It’s a pretty ingenious option that really puts the Z10 over the top for us.
So what do you think? Do you love these machines as much as we do? Head over to our Top 3 Superautomatics of 2023 video to see these machines and let us know!
