there are basically only two times a year when espresso makers or latte machines are deeply discounted for real: Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. In fact, Prime Day coffee or espresso machine deals are often the biggest sales of any given year.
One of the best-selling kitchen appliance companies, Breville, is hawking major discounts on its user-friendly java tech, alongside its wildly popular smart ovens. The Breville Barista Express is nearly $200 off, the lowest price we’ve seen in a half-decade, and it’s been the espresso machine we recommend for most people for at least that long. Breville’s Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is the toaster oven / air fryer that kitchen and coffee writer Matthew Korfhage recommends to anyone who’ll listen—and it’s a lovely 20 percent off right now, the best price it’s been this year.
Check out our deals page for the best discounts we’ve found on almost everything. Plus, here’s our roundup of the Absolute Best Prime Day Deals, and our Amazon Prime Day live blog that the Gear team updates in real time.
The Best Espresso Machine for Most
Breville’s Barista Express is a semiautomatic espresso machine, which is the best type for those new to the home barista game. This means the grinder and steaming wand are included in the machine, a one-stop shop for milk-frothy drinks. This Breville model has been the espresso maker we’ve recommended to most people for about a decade because it’s a great value, reliable, and easy to use. At nearly $200 off for Amazon Prime Day, this makes it the lowest price we’ve seen all year. The Express makes consistent, full-flavored espresso, especially on medium and dark roasts. Plus, Breville has a long-standing reputation for its robust warranty policy and excellent customer service, which is no small thing on a device that is meant to last years and years.
If you want to customize your espresso machine to fit seamlessly into your kitchen, the Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine also comes in Black Truffle, Black Sesame, and the classic Brushed Stainless Steel colorways, which are also discounted.
The Best Oven/Air Fryer Combo There Is
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Breville
Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
Breville mostly just competes with itself when it comes to toaster ovens: The Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, alongside the Joule version with upgraded software, is almost certainly the best of its kind. After living in a small apartment, I rarely use my large, wonky oven that heats up my whole (tiny) house. This air fryer/oven combo is the answer. It has incredible precision, it toasts evenly across the oven, and it can air-fry nuggets to perfect crispness, dehydrate fruit, and also roast an entire sweet potato. This is the cheapest we’ll see it until the holidays, and for a little more than $300, it cooks and air-fries everything to perfection (in a compact machine that’ll last for years, to boot). On an even tighter budget (or in a tighter apartment)? The Compact Smart Oven will still fit a 12-inch pizza, and it’s a mere $124 on Prime Day.
A Barista on Your Countertop
Breville
Barista Touch Espresso Machine
This is the higher-priced, touchscreen-operated big brother of the Barista Express, and it’s a great choice if you want café-level espresso at home without putting in much effort. It has a built-in touchscreen with step-by-step instructions, including an option to preprogram your favorite drinks, and it even automatically froths the milk to your desired temperature and texture—the steam wand even pulls out itself so you don’t have to worry about the timing. It has everything you’d want from a high-end machine: automatic water-pressure adjustment and a precision conical burr grinder with dose control for the perfect pull. With its thermoblock heating system, as with all Breville devices, the machine can pull espresso without waiting for it to warm up.
Our Pod Espresso Pick
Nespresso
Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Maker by Breville
If you want a one-stop shop for your espresso and coffee (and aren’t a huge snob), this nifty 2-in-1 machine does the trick. The coffee pod machine uses Nespresso Vertuo and Starbucks by Nespresso Vertuo capsules for a quick, compact, and sustainable pod brew. The one-touch brewing system also works with espresso, with single- or double-shot options, and optional iced or milk-frothing capabilities. With this compact machine, you can make cold brew, iced or hot coffee, lattes, and cappuccinos in a single (heavily discounted) machine year-round.
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