The best coffee machines you could possibly wake up to

The best coffee machines you could possible wake up to

7 September 2010 11:00 GMT / By Lucie Clay

Ah, caffeine. We may be a nation of tea drinkers at heart, but you can't deny yourself the pleasure of a cup of freshly brewed Java. We've taken a look at the five best luxury coffee machines available to man (or technically available via retail channels in the UK) to bring you a caffeine-fuelled best of.

Whether you want an esspresso hit, a fancy-pants macchiato or just a plain old cup of joe, read on because we've got the coffee machine for you.

Dualit Esspressvio - £172.16

Coffee Type: Ground and ESE coffee pods
Tank: 1.5 litres
Froth: Yes, via "Easy-Froth" nozzle

Dualit describes the Esspressvio as a "barista for your kitchen" which seems like a fair shout, apart from the fact that you still have to actually make the coffee. However, until caffeine-toting robots finally arrive on our fair isle, this bit of kit will have to suffice.

Design-wise you're looking at a hefty cast aluminium and stainless steel body, available in cream, white or black while a nice design touch comes in with extra cup height clearance for mugs, so you don't have to fuss around with those teensy coffee crockery.

As far as features go the Esspressvio will go from nought to ready in 40 seconds, deliver single serve, dual serve and ESE pod coffee and offers an easy-froth nozzle for what's claimed to be "the perfect cappuccino foam".

Siemens EQ.7 - £1,299

Coffee type: Coffee beans and ground
Tank: 2.1 litres
Froth: Yes, via nozzle

You could practically buy an entire new kitchen with what the Siemens EQ.7 will set you back, but it's a desirable bit of kit and not aimed at those that don't mind going instant every now and again.

If you're seriously serious about your coffee consumption then this cutting-edge machine will walk you through how to make an espresso, white coffee, macchiato, cappuccino, hot water, hot milk (or your own pre-programmable choice) and then even auto-clean itself after use.

With a price tag like that you can imagine what the spec list looks like, but we'll bring you the highlights reel - cup warmer, ceramic grinding unit, aroma preserving bean container, seperate milk container, all kinds of adjustment and customisation options and an LCD display.

DeLonghi PrimaDonna - £999.99

Coffee Type: Coffee beans and ground
Tank: 1.8 litres
Froth: Yes, via milk carafe

The £1k DeLonghi PrimaDonna doesn't deliver just any old coffee, it delivers a patented "Autocappuccino System" for cappuccinos, Italian caffelattes and latte macchiatos. The bean-to-cup system means you're getting freshly ground coffee each time and there's levels you can set as to whether you want a mild coffee, a waker-upper or some rocket fuel.

As far as froth goes, rather than a nozzle, you're looking at a specially designed jug attachment, or as we should say "innovative milk carafe" for fluffy milk, which the machine can steam clean for you to save your silky smooth hands from extra washing up.

Gaggia Classic - £233.74

Coffee type: Ground and ESE coffee pods
Tank: 1.2 litres
Froth: Yes, via Panarello steamer attachment

Gaggia is a classic name in coffee machines, and the Gaggia Classic is an affordable (well, compared to the grand-and-up options) coffee machine that will give your kitchen worktop a bit of Italian chic and consistently deliver a nice caffeine hit.

With parts from Gaggia's pro range, the Classic can make one and two cups of ground coffee, and also boasts a special filter for ESE pods while the "Panarello" attachment will help you out with the necessary steam to turn your coffee into a cappuccino.

It may not boast an LCD display or the bells and whistles of more expensive machines, but it's a little bit of Italian espresso heritage just for you.

Buggati Diva Espresso Coffee Maker - £549

Coffee type: Ground and coffee pods
Tank: 800ml
Froth: Yes, via steam nozzle

Bugatti may not be the first brand name you think of when you ponder coffee machine makers, but one look at the Diva Espressp Coffee Maker and the design (available in a veritable rainbow of colours) will be burnt brilliantly on your mind.

As you'd expect from a car marque, the machine has a distinctly motor-themed look with a pressure gauge-esque dial to show you when the coffee is good to gulp. The Diva doesn't do skinny-mocha-lacca-choc-aitos, but what it does do is brew you 25ml of coffee from 7.5 grams of ground coffee in just 25 seconds, and boy, it looks good doing it.