Automatic machines · review
A bean-to-cup machine that deliberately does not do milk, and is cheaper, narrower and simpler for it. If you drink your coffee black, you are paying for nothing you do not use.
The bottom line The right machine for a black-coffee household, and pointless for anyone else.
Almost every bean-to-cup machine is designed around milk. The carafe, the tubes, the frothing chamber and the automatic cleaning cycle exist to make cappuccino, and they account for a large share of the price, most of the width and nearly all of the maintenance. The Caffeo Solo simply removes all of it.
What remains is a competent grinder, a removable brew unit and three strength settings, in a housing twenty centimetres wide. It makes espresso, lungo and long black coffee, and does nothing else. Owners who drink their coffee black end up with a smaller machine, a lower bill and no milk carafe rotting quietly at the back of a cupboard.
The compromises are the ones you would expect at this price. The plastic housing creaks, the pump is audible across an open-plan kitchen, and there is essentially nothing to adjust beyond strength and volume. The grinder is fine rather than good, which caps how interesting a straight espresso can be.
It is worth being blunt about the one scenario where this is a mistake. If there is any chance that someone in the house wants a flat white in the morning, buy a machine that makes one. Bolting a standalone frother onto a Solo works, and it is still two appliances and two things to wash.
At 280 £, it is the 1 cheapest of the 6 models in this category published here.
| Burr type | Conical steel |
|---|---|
| Milk system | None |
| Width | 20 cm |
| Water tank | 1.2 L |
| Brew unit | Removable |
Only if you drink milk. The milk system is the most expensive component, the bulkiest, and the one owners abandon first because of cleaning. Removing it buys you a narrower machine at a lower price with less to go wrong. If you make one cappuccino a week, add a standalone frother for 60 and you are still ahead.
The Magnifica grinds a little better, offers finer adjustment and can do milk. The Solo is smaller, cheaper and simpler. If milk matters at all, buy the De'Longhi; if it does not, the Solo wastes less of your money and your worktop.
7.9/ 10
The right machine for a black-coffee household, and pointless for anyone else.
Espresso, lungo and americano drinkers who genuinely never make a cappuccino.
Same category, nearest prices. Only the specifications every one of them states are shown — a half-empty column compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Burr type | Water tank | Brew unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melitta Caffeo Solo | 280 £ | Conical steel | 1.2 L | Removable |
| De'Longhi Magnifica Evo | 600 £ | Conical steel | 1.8 L | Removable |
| Siemens EQ.500 integral | 750 £ | Ceramic | 1.7 L | Sealed |
| Philips 5500 Series LatteGo | 800 £ | Ceramic flat | 1.8 L | Removable |
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on August 8, 2026.
Specifications: manufacturer sheet and Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
13-step steel burr · manual or LatteCrema wand
The machine most people should start with. The grinder is ordinary and the coffee is good rather than great — but the brew unit pops out in two seconds, and that single design decision is why these are still running after eight years.
Best for: Someone moving off capsules who wants fresh coffee without a hobby attached.
≈ $600 / £450 / 450 €
Pulse Extraction · sealed brew unit · 17 drinks
The best espresso an automatic machine makes, from a company that will not let you clean the part that brews it. Extraordinary in the cup, uncomfortable as a ten-year purchase — and you should know both before spending this much.
Best for: Someone who drinks short black coffee daily, values the cup over the repair bill, and will pay for it.
≈ $2,000 / £1,300 / 1 200 €
Bean chambers ×2 · 21 drinks · app control
Two separate bean chambers, so a decaf drinker and an espresso drinker share one machine without either compromising. The app is beside the point; the second hopper is not.
Best for: A household where one person drinks decaf after six and nobody wants to swap beans.
≈ £900 / 950 €
