Everyone has a preference for how they like their coffee fix, and the best manual coffee machines are for those who are especially particular about theirs.
Offering greater control of the entire brewing process and, thusly, the drink that ends up in your cup, anyone who proudly identifies as a “coffee snob” (and wouldn’t be caught dead with a Starbucks olive oil cold brew) ought to have a manual coffee machine in their armoury.
Coming in a variety of styles, manual coffee machines range from small and affordable portable devices to immaculately designed brass or stainless steel appliances from brands steeped in Italian heritage. And, while they may lack the convenience factor that bean-to-cup or pod-compatible machines provide, they make up for it by facilitating the art of a more customised and consistent end product – all the better for your 9am fix.
Looking to make the switch to manual? Before you commit, here are a couple of things worth considering.
Why buy a manual coffee machine?
First and foremost, a manual coffee machine is for those who value the drink for more than its ability to make you look alive the morning after a late night. Think of them as you might think of a hardback book compared to a Kindle, or a Maserati Bora to a Tesla Model S. There’s an element of having to love the culture and the process that comes with manual machines that isn’t often required in today’s smorgasbord of on-demand varieties.
As a result, you’ll have much greater control of every step of the process and, once you’ve experimented with your ideal combination of grind size, water temperature and brew time, should have a cup much better suited to your preferences.
At the higher end of the market, manual coffee machines come built with high-quality materials and are therefore much more durable than bean-to-cup and pod machines, which are notorious for breaking down and require an engineer to repair. They also often come in smaller than the automated alternative if you’re working with limited counter space. The smallest and most affordable options also come with the portability factor, so you won’t have to get by on instant coffee when you’re in the sticks.
What to look for in a manual coffee machine
As we’ve said, manual coffee machines come in a variety of shapes, sizes and mechanisms, but when looking to invest, it’s worth thinking about the following:
- Water tank: Make sure the tank has enough capacity for more than just a single espresso – around 0.8L is a good benchmark if you’re looking to serve more than just yourself. Top-tier machines go up to 2L, while the most portable options will usually only brew a shot or two.
- Lever mechanism: These tend to fall into two categories. Direct lever machines are often cheaper and give greater control but are trickier to master. Spring piston machines, meanwhile, deliver more consistent pressure, but you’ll pay for the pleasure.
- Brewing temperature: Any barista worth their silver pot of mocha dusting knows that the optimum brewing temperature for quality espresso sits around the 93C mark. If you’re looking for a machine with an integrated boiler, make sure it can hit this.
- Materials: Certain materials are better at fending off corrosion and bacteria than others, brass, stainless steel and aluminium being the top three.
- Accessories: While high-end machines often tout in-built boilers and milk frothing wands, the majority don’t, so if you’re after more than just espresso and long black coffee, you’ll usually have to invest separately.
How do you use a manual coffee machine?
Don’t be fooled into thinking a manual coffee machine negates the need for a manual – by taking the whole process into your hands, there’s a slightly steeper learning curve than with coffee machines that boast LED screens and pre-set flat white options.
There are several different types of manual coffee machine, including lever-operated and pour-over contraptions, and the precise steps for using them will vary depending on which you opt for.
Whichever you choose, you’ll be working with ground beans, which can either be purchased as described at the supermarket or done at home by using a bean grinder. A medium to fine grind consistency tends to work best when making espresso in a manual machine.
For lever-operated manual coffee machines, ground coffee beans are loaded into a portafilter, then firmly pressed down using a tamper. The more you can cram in, the stronger the cup, but different bean varieties also play their part in that.
The portafilter is then locked onto the group head of the machine, ready for hot water to pass through at the pull of the lever. This process, which last between 20 and 30 seconds, forces water through the coffee grounds at high pressure and out into your coffee cup. Et voila, you’re a bona fide barista.
Best manual coffee machines at a glance
- Best for overall: La Pavoni Professional Lusso coffee machine, £849.95, Harrods
- Best for affordability: AeroPress, £35, Amazon
- Best for luxury: Elektra Micro Casa Leva, £1,319, Coffee Friend
- Best for enjoying the process: Flair Espresso Maker Pro 2, £435.06, Amazon
- Best for portability: Wocaco Nanopresso Portable Espresso Maker, £69.90, Amazon
- Best for rich crema: Rok EspressoGC Explorer Edition, £240, Maxi Coffee
- Best for simplicity: Bialetti Moka Pot, £29.95 John Lewis
- Best for strong coffee with minimal fuss: Barista & Co Strong Brew Coffee Maker - £33.99
- Best for chic stovetop style: Lavazza Carmencita Moka Pot - Classic - £30, Lavazza
See the best manual coffee machines below
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La Pavoni Professional Lusso coffee machine
Best for: overall
A renowned Italian brand with more than a century in the biz, La Pavoni’s manual coffee machines are truly the crema. The Professional Lusso machine is held in high regard by coffee connoisseurs well beyond the boot, lusted after by anyone who values an aesthetically on-point kitchen worktop.
So confident is the brand in its design that it’s remained virtually unchanged since its inception, with a high-quality, corrosion-resistant chromed brass build, finished with luxurious wood handles on its lever, tamper and portafilter.
A large boiler can handle as many as 16 cups of espresso in one use, while a delightfully retro-looking pressure gauge guides you on when it’s time to brew.
Completing its barista appeal, the addition of a steam wand means you can also foam milk for frothy cappuccinos.
Buy now £849.95, Harrods
AeroPress
Best for: affordability
More than being a manual coffee maker for budget-conscious bean counters, the AeroPress carries some serious clout even among coffee snobs. Compact and innovative, its conjoining plastic tubes assemble together and, alongside a paper or metal filter to remove sediment, utlises rapid, total immersion to produce a surprisingly smooth cup of Joe.
Get to grips with the mechanism and the process quickly becomes like riding a bike, plus there’s a vast catalogue of online tutorials that’ll help you get to grips with brewing time, grind size and water temperature.
Naturally, the lightweight build (and accompanying carry pack) makes this the perfect manual coffee maker to bring with you on hikes and remote holidays, but equally, you’ll come across many a coffee snob who swears by the AeroPress as their primary source of coffee at home.
Buy now £35.00, Amazon
Elektra Micro Casa Leva
Best for: luxury
Elektra’s Micro Casa Leva is a manual coffee machine that hits all the right design notes thanks to a luxurious handcrafted brass and copper build (other metal combinations are also available to tailor the finish to your kitchen).
Key to its appearance, an eagle sits atop the machine’s boiler; a common decorative motif for the Italian maker that symbolises strength, power and rebirth (three things we look for from a cup of coffee).
The emblem is to coffee machines what the Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet ornament is to a Rolls Royce – hence the rather elevated price tag. If you’ve got the cash to splash, though, this is far from a case of style over substance.
A 2L water tank ensures you’ll get plenty of pours from a single use, its spring piston lever makes the brewing process all the smoother, and a built-in pressure gauge assists with perfectly controlled extraction. Bellisimo.
Buy now £1319.00, Coffee Friend
Flair Espresso Maker Pro 2
Best for: enjoying the process
On first impression, much of the Flair Espresso Maker Pro 2’s appeal is its ability to pour coffee like you’re pouring a pint. In reality, this machine does a great job of capturing the many pros of owning a manual coffee machine, breaking down every step of the brewing process with multiple opportunities to leave your own stamp.
The seven-step making process might seem intimidating at first, but afficionados will quickly find enjoyment in the customisation opportunites, from boiling the water to preheating the brewing head to lowering the lever.
An upgrade of the brand’s original model, some of the Pro 2’s pros include a detachable stainless steel portafilter and an improved brewing head for better precision and control.
It also comes with a neat carrying case, meaning you can bring it with you on trips to enjoy freshly brewed espresso whenever and wherever you fancy. We’ll take that over a service station paper cup every day of the week.
Buy now £435.06, Amazon
Wocaco Nanopresso Portable Espresso Maker
Best for: portability
A manual coffee maker so lightweight and compact you could probably whip it out and brew up on a central line commute, Wocaco’s Nanopresso is a perfect travel companion for coffee obsessives.
Swapping levers for a manual pressure-generating hand pump that will pour a cup of coffee in approximately 25 presses, the compact design is made all the more impressive by clever space-saving accessories such as a scoop that doubles as a tamper.
Granted you’re relinquished of some customisation afforded by more countertop-friendly devices, but up to 18 bars of pressure is nothing to be sniffed at of a machine this size, and a built-in 80ml water tank will see you through several shots.
Buy now £69.90, Amazon
Rok EspressoGC Explorer Edition
Best for: rich crema
Offering the best of reliable manual coffee making and easy portability, Rok’s coffee machines are no-frills favourites among coffee lovers.
Thanks to three different portafilter options – standard, naked and crema-plus – despite its austere metal design, the EspressoGC Explorer Edition offers valiant versatility. Rok’s machines are easily identified by their two winged levers, supposed to be pushed down simultaneously a bit like a corkscrew.
Best for personal use thanks to relatively smaller volume capabilities, four rubber legs keep it stable on kitchen worktops and jagged rockfaces alike, should you want to use it as its name suggests it’s intended.
Buy now £240.00, Maxi Coffee
Bialetti Moka Pot
Best for: simplicity
In some Italian households, the Bialetti Moka Pot is as essential as pots and pans; knives and forks; salt and pepper (you get the gist). A staple for nearly 100 years, its appeal has extended far beyond the espresso’s European heartland. Sometimes referred to as a “stovetop” in this country, the aluminium, octagonal Moka Pot is known for making strong, rich espressos with next to no faff.
It’s operated by heating water in its bottom chamber, which then rises through a funnel and passes upwards through an internal basket of ground coffee beans, into an upper chamber that’s ready to be poured.
Imprinted with a moustachioed caricature of Bialetti’s namesake founder (known as L’omino con i baffi – the little man with a moustache), the Moka Pot is available in a variety of sizes to cater to your coffee needs, from miniature single-servings to the family-sized 12-cup capacity.
Buy now £29.95, John Lewis
Barista & Co Strong Brew Coffee Maker
Best for: strong coffee with minimal fuss
Barista & Co is an exciting and relatively new coffee-maker start-up, built first around an innovative single-serve coffee-steeping system called the Brew It Stick. The company has developed a team of brew systems, arranged by the strength of the coffee they produce. The Strong Brew Coffee Maker is their Level 03 entry, producing bold and short licks of maximalist coffee.
The Strong Brew is a hybrid coffee maker, combining immersion brewing with pressure – but with a (literal) twist. This unit uses a nifty screw design to mate its reservoir with its ‘plunger’; lateral force applied to its handles translates to downward pressure, giving you finer control of the pressure you exert on your brew. This makes the Strong Brew a safer coffee maker than the likes of other pressurised brewers like the AeroPress (reviewed shortly), as you aren’t placing a portion of your body weight directly on the vessel receiving your coffee.
In use, other little user-friendly flourishes stand out. The plunger part conceals a handy compartment (for coffee on the go, or various coffee-brewing gubbins) behind a rubber stopper, which doubles as a foot. The lower handle (which holds your filter, and into which the chamber slots) has two lips for gaining a sturdy purchase on your cup. Though the brewing process may be unfamiliar, these touches work to place the Strong Brew in your favour.
Using the Strong Brew takes a couple of tries, if only to perfect the timing with which you create a vacuum seal over the coffee. The resulting short black is powerful and savoury, an ideal early-morning hit or a flavourful base for something milkier. Ultimately, the Strong Brew’s portability and functionality beat out other pressurised manual brewers, and do so at a commendable price too.
Buy now £33.99, Barista & Co
Lavazza Carmencita Moka Pot - Classic
Best for: chic stovetop style
Lavazza’s Carmencita is a moka pot unlike any other you are likely to see, taking some style cues from a very peculiar source and winning some serious aesthetic points in the process.
The original Carmencita design was completed in 1979 by Marco Zanuso, as an homage to the puppet of the same name (and mid-century Lavazza mascot) from the Sixties Italian variety show ‘Carosello’. Carmencita’s big-nosed conical form turned out to be excellent for stovetop coffee-making, and the making of another moka-pot icon.
The Carmencita is pleasingly weighty in-hand, and its outstretched plastic handle is an ergonomic surprise; you have enough of a purchase on the finished coffee to pour it with ease, and your hand is kept reassuringly far from the hot aluminium itself. This is a sleek, chic and eminently user-friendly addition to your kitchen surfaces.
Buy now £30.00, Lavazza
Verdict
There’s a large disparity between the most basic, budget friendly manual coffee machines and the top-tier, but if you’re in pursuit of the perfect cup, an investment in La Pavoni’s Professional Lusso coffee machine is not one you’re likely to regret. Boasting durability, timeless design and additional barista-level features, it’ll be command all the attention in your kitchen and will last a lifetime if maintained well.
That said, there’s room in every coffee aficionado’s cupboards for something a little more portable, so adding an AeroPress to cart for on-the-go cups of Joe is also worth doing.
