$300 vs $2,000 espresso machine — I ran a blind taste test to see if you need to spend $$$ for barista coffee at home

Very little comes close to the satisfaction I feel when I take my first sip of an expensive flat white from an equally expensive independent cafe. I love everything about frequenting coffeehouses: the adventure of actually going outside, deciding which of the plentiful bean varietals I fancy, then scrutinizing — ahem, watching — the barista as they make my oat milk flat white.

But patronizing cafes is costly, and I know I'm not the only one to say I don't have the money for it. But even if you want to make cafe-quality coffee at home, there's a catch. Many home espresso machines carry a staggering initial cost. Even the best-value stalwarts, like the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo ($699) and my personal machine, the Breville Bambino Plus ($499), are objectively expensive. And don't even get me started on grinders.

But could you get away with a cheaper espresso machine, and instead invest in a grinder and high-quality beans? To find out, I pitted two of my favorite espresso machines against one another in a blind taste test: the gorgeous prosumer Lelit Mara X3 ($1,999) and the cheap Breville Bambino ($299).

So which machine won — and which machine should you buy?

The competitors

The control

I used the same beans — Carter Coffee's Two Trees Geisha, £21 ($28) for 200g. With tasting notes of passion fruit, white peach, and an aromatic finish, I knew my espresso testers were in for a treat. When I first opened the bag, it made my brain light up like I was seeing my long-lost dog for the first time in thirty years.

I ground the beans using my Mazzer Philos ($1,500), the best grinder in the world. I'll acknowledge that this grinder is blindingly expensive, and not reasonable for most people at all. You do not need to buy this grinder to achieve similar results. I would recommend the Baratza Encore ESP ($199) or Comandante C40 MK4 (usually around $300) for most people.

A brief disclaimer: I use the Mazzer Philos in all my espresso experiments, so if any issues arise, I know it wasn't the grinder.

Admittedly, I ground the beans to slightly different sizes: click 22 for the Lelit, and click 25 for the Breville. This is because anything under click 25 resulted in an overextracted shot on the Breville, and anything over click 22 resulted in an underextracted shot on the Lelit. I dialed in my beans for each machine before commencing.

The test

I ran three blind taste tests: Black Americano, oat milk flat white, and pure espresso.

Black Americano

I made the black Americanos identically: 18g of coffee for 36g out between 25-28 seconds. Topped up with 8 ounces of thirty-seconds-off-the-boil water.

For now, we'll call them Coffee A and Coffee B.

My colleague Pete said Coffee A tasted "sour and bitter with less nuance, but still delicious." Lucy said A didn't have "much flavor," which was supported by James and Caspar, who said A tasted "a little thin" and "quite watery," respectively.

Josh was the only tester to prefer Coffee A: he reported it had a "richer aftertaste" and "more flavor in the afternotes" than Coffee B.

Lucy said Coffee B had a "more nuanced flavor than A," which was supported by James: "tastes a lot fuller and stronger," and Caspar, who enjoyed B's smoothness. Pete noticed the crema was thicker on Coffee B, which he thought meant it had a higher-quality group head. He preferred B overall due to the balanced bitter, caramel, and sour notes.

Josh was the only person to criticize B: he said it tasted "slightly more muted" and chose Coffee A as his favorite.

Can you guess which was which?

Oat milk flat white

The second test: oat milk flat white. I had a few fewer testers due to other responsibilities for this one.

Again, I made the coffees identically: 18g of coffee for 36g out within 25-28 seconds. I steamed milk using my usual barista-taught method (I am an ex-barista, after all).

Let's give them their names: Coffee A and Coffee B.

Pete preferred Coffee A, saying, "Milk is better textured on A. It's less aerated; smoother and silkier." He also preferred the coffee flavor on A. "Slight bit more flavor poking through. But very difficult to tell."

James said Coffee A was "really nice," but he liked the "darker, more intense flavor" on Coffee B more, so that was his favorite. Josh agreed with James, choosing Coffee B due to its "smoother" and "more coffee-like" flavor.

Espresso

Now for the most important test: straight espresso. There's nowhere to hide here.

I actually made a single espresso for this one, using 12g of coffee for 24g of espresso out. I don't have two espresso glasses, so apologies for the unconventional container in the photographs above.

Again, I'll introduce the players: Coffee A and Coffee B.

Pete said Coffee A had a better crema and smelled "more potently of chocolate." When he took a sip, he said, "Oh, that's good." Not really much else for me to say, is there? Overall, he said Coffee A had "a lot of body and a bit of acidity." Spoiler alert, but after drinking Coffee B, he said Coffee A was, and I quote, "So much nicer."

James and Caspar also preferred Coffee A; James said it had "a lot more going on, with more levels to the coffee flavor."

Josh mostly agreed — he said Coffee A had more fruit notes with a richer mouthfeel. I'll note here that Josh had the most sips out of anyone and mulled on his decision for much longer than anyone else, so his decision was almost too close to call.

Lucy was the only outlier, saying Coffee A had a "nice" espresso taste but not as rich as Coffee B, which had a more diverse flavor, with more dynamism in the sip. Interestingly, I also agreed — is this female vs male taste buds in action? (I'm joking — obviously there's no difference in female vs male taste buds).

What do you think? Ready for the results?

The results

And now I get to crown the $299 machine the winner! I didn't expect the Bambino to win — and neither did any of my testers. They were all shocked when I told them.

Of course, I tried all the drinks before I offered them to my taste-testers... and I preferred the Lelit Mara X3 every time. But is that because I knew it was the more expensive one, therefore I assumed it should have been tastier? Or because I personally prefer an acidic coffee, so this appealed to my unique taste buds?

I suppose I'll never know.

But taste isn't the only thing you should consider

Although I love the Breville Bambino — it's my favorite budget espresso machine, and there's literally zero competition — winning the taste test doesn't mean it's the best espresso machine in every situation.

The Mara X3 and Bambino are (mostly) intended for a different audience. You're not just paying $2,000 for coffee. You're paying $2,000 for a dual boiler, meaning you can steam milk and pull shots at the same time. You're paying $2,000 for the all-metal (+wood) construction, which might last longer than the Bambino's plastic. You're paying $2,000 for the steam, milk, and pressure configuration tools.

We're all thinking it, so I might as well say it: You're paying $2,000 for the Lelit branding and the Lelit design.

The Mara X3 is a work of art, and you should treat it like one.

If I had $2k, I know which machine I'd choose. The Lelit would already be in my kitchen.

Despite all of this, though, Lelit and Breville are part of the same company. Lelit is literally Breville's prosumer brand. The Baratza Encore ESP grinder I mentioned earlier? Also owned by Breville.

So, at the end of the day, your money's going to the same pocket.

If you want more coffee content, don't fret. I've got bucketloads (cuploads?). Every week, I release new episodes of The Coffee Lab, my series dedicated to forgetting coffee snobbery and figuring out what actually matters in your daily brew.

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