I’m an ex-barista and I recommend these 7 espresso machines for pro-tasting coffee at home — and they’re all on sale

The De'Longhi Stilosa is great for coffee lovers who can't quite afford Brevilles. I love this tiny little espresso machine — it has a powerful steam wand, an easy-to-use interface, and is super reliable. I'd recommend getting some aftermarket accessories, like a single-walled portafilter ($25 on Amazon), to get this machine making coffee-snob-approved espresso.

I'd recommend the Casabrews 3700 Essential for total newbies. This machine is just 5 inches wide, ideal for small spaces, and is super easy to use. You don't have to purge the boiler, unlike other uber-cheap espresso machines I've tested, and the steam wand is capable of making perfectly fluffy milk. It's a great machine to learn on.

This is the only machine I've ever given a perfect 5-star rating in our Breville Bambino review. Although under $300, it performs like a seriously pricey model. You get loads of coffee-snob-approved features like a customizable pre-infusion and a PID controller, which will help you make professional-level espresso drinks with very little head-scratching.

I've had a Breville Bambino Plus for almost a year, and I (almost) love it more than life itself. This straightforward, beginner-friendly machine is also a surefire way to get Starbucks-beating espresso drinks from the comfort of your own home. It has a near-commercial-quality 4-hole steam wand, customizable pre-infusion, and a PID controller for consistently lip-smacking espresso.

If you want a coffee grinder built into your espresso machine, we adore the Breville Barista Express here at Tom's Guide. This machine is relatively affordable — as far as bean-to-cups go — and has Breville's classic PID controller and customizable pre-infusion combo for barista-beating espresso.

The Breville Express Impress is basically an upgraded version of the Barista Express, with a built-in grinding, dosing and tamping system. This is for those who want a mess-free grinding experience and want the machine to deal with all those pesky coffee granules itself.

To this day, the De'Longhi Rivelia is my favorite automatic espresso machine. This surprisingly compact machine makes 18 preset recipes in seconds, and is actually capable of making soft, fluffy milk. It even talks to you! I'd recommend this for a hands-off barista who just wants reliably delicious coffee with little to no effort.