There’s something about making a cup of coffee that riles people up. Somehow, each debate breeds its own sub-debates — brewer vs. pour over. Hario vs. Chemex. Medium grind vs. coarse grind, and so on.

Pair a $5,000 chromed-out Italian espresso machine with old or poorly ground coffee, and your ristretto will taste mediocre — or worse, like a cup of salty battery acid. But invest in a good manual ...

We have picks for espresso, drip, pour-over, and more. The best small espresso machine is the Breville Bambino Plus, which features precise brewing temperatures and an automatic steam wand while only ...