Manual espresso machines are more work but generally have a better depth of flavour and let you make your coffee the way you like it. In this post, I'm going to be reviewing what I believe to be the best cheap espresso machines in the UK in 2023. The “bad” bits aren't really that bad, but I have to mention them. The main thing is that straight out of the box, the Classic isn't nearly as good as it could be, it needs some modding to really elevate its espresso quality.

By the way, when I say “semi auto manual”, this means manual espresso machines with pumps, not fully manual espresso machines that work with levers and pistons to generate the pressure, in case you were wondering what the difference was. I'm specifically talking here about semi-automatic, traditional espresso machines, also known as semi auto manual espresso machines, which I think is what most people will be looking for when searching for cheap espresso machines. Don't worry you have no idea what I'm on about, I'll explain :-). Preheat your cup: If you want to keep your coffee at the optimum temperature for longer (and preserve all those delicious espresso flavours), warm your mug beforehand. Simply fill it with hot water, leave it for few minutes, then throw the water away. The drip-tray thing is also something I've got used to. It's a small volume drip tray, and the auto-purge dumps quite a lot of water into it, one auto purge is probably about a quarter of the drip tray's volume.In a nutshell, I think this is a stunning little espresso machine, and don't let the word “little” fool you, it has a lot of power, both when it comes to espresso, and milk steaming. This is the new version of the Gaggia Classic for 2023, and this came as a bit of a surprise to me, as I didn't really see anything that was broken about the 2019 Pro that needed fixing. I think what Gaggia have done here is to mainly make changes to the Classic which makes things a bit easier for them, in particular for their manufacturing team, and I think they've timed the release of the new model with passing on crucial price increases. After having it at home for a while, our tester did think the machine would benefit from an auto-dosing grounds feature. While it is not a cheap coffee machine by any means, we do think it is one of the more reasonably priced barista-style coffee machines on the market. In the photos, they really look quite smart – in the flesh, they look and feel a bit cheaper in my humble opinion, although these days the price you can get often them for is very cheap too.

Our reviewer rated the coffee from this machine an easy 10/10. Though it took a little getting used to at first, once set up with the perfect grind size and pressure level, the espressos that were made were perfectly well-balanced and creamy. You can adjust the grind and also the length of coffee shots with this machine. If you want a longer drink you can top it up with hot water from the wand or hold one of the brewing buttons down to make the shot longer or shorter. And its pre-brewing system wets the dose of coffee for a richer extraction, releasing oils to maximise aroma and depth.The drip tray will still get full at some point as water is dumped into the drip tray via the solenoid valve after each shot.