For most people, a personal espresso machine is a luxury that can be achieved in style with a reasonable investment. For a high-quality coffee shop, however, the quality of an espresso machine can make or break the business.
This is why many luxury coffee machine manufacturers have devised espresso machines worth dozens of thousands of dollars, equipped with numerous modern functionality features and an insane amount of technical customization.
Continue reading to learn about the 9 most expensive espresso machines that money can buy. To make things interesting, we limited it to one per brand.
9. La Cimbali S30 Super Automatic Espresso Machine
Brand: La Cimbali
Weight: 175 pounds
photo source: Majesty Coffee
The S30 Super Automatic Espresso Machine by La Cimbali gives your baristas plenty of options when it comes to timing the brew cycle and customizing the espresso process.
This machine does some things automatically, however, such as grinding the beans and steaming the milk so that every cup is as fresh as possible.
This espresso machine is high-tech, offering a 10.4-inch touchscreen display that makes it convenient and comfortable to navigate all its options with a fully customizable interface.
The S30 comes with dual hoppers and grinders to extend the sheer variety of drinks you can offer.
This espresso machine runs for around $23,300.
Did you know?
One of the advanced features of the La Cimbali S30 Espresso Machine is its app support. “Cup4You” can be downloaded for free to control the espresso machine from a phone.
This includes not only setting presets but also ordering drinks right from a phone. This could be convenient not only for baristas but for patrons as well, such as guests at a hotel or workers in an office.
8. UNIC Super Automatic Espresso Maker ST Duo
Brand: UNIC
Weight: 235 pounds
photo source: Liende
This UNIC Super Automatic Espresso Maker is marked down from $42,000 to a stout $23,510, making it one of the least expensive of the most expensive espresso machines out there.
It has a ton of luxury features that you would expect from spending that much, including two bean hoppers, 2 precision grinders, an integrated SteamAir wand, and an auto milk foamer.
The machine boasts programmable options as well, including temperature control and customizable recipes (you can store up to 48). It’s all accessed via a touchscreen display that brings modern convenience to the age-old espresso-making arts.
Did you know?
The machine uses independent boilers for both the steam and coffee to reduce recovery time between batches. It also uses 9 infusion parameters to provide higher quality extraction at each stage of the espresso-making process.
7. SanRemo Opera Volumetric Espresso Machine
Brand: SanRemo
Weight: 249 pounds
photo source: Majesty Coffee
The SanRemo Opera Volumetric Espresso Machine features modern ease-of-use features like an easy-touch screen setting where you can choose from six different profiles for each brewing group. The machine’s CDS or Coffee Delivery System offers full control over all the phases of coffee extraction.
The espresso machine uses dry stream power programable for pre-infusion for each batch, if preferred. The Opera 2.0 boiling system uses multiple boilers to separate each water circuit and extract, boil, and control each coffee batch on its own.
The group head is exclusively developed by Sanremo from AISI 316 Stainless Steel.
The SanRemo Opera Volumetric Espresso Machine retails for $26,500, plus a $700 installation fee from the company if needed.
Did you know?
This espresso machine can brew three different kinds of coffee per group, which can be fine-tuned through the machine’s proprietary integrated web app. This offers high-tech baristas the ability to customize everything. If you can afford this espresso machine, you’ll have a lot of features to take advantage of.
6. Rancilio Automatic Espresso Machine
Brand: Rancilio
Weight: 220 pounds
photo source: Katom
The Rancilio Automatic Espresso Machine is a four-group machine, more than enough as a commercial investment for your high-volume coffee joint. It can brew not only high-quality espresso coffee but lattes, cappuccinos, and ristrettos.
The machine comes equipped with an automatic cleaning program, a milk steamer, and a boiler with a 22-liter capacity.
Unlike some of the more old-fashioned machines on this list, the Rancilio Automatic has a touchscreen built for multifunctional display control, as well as USB connectivity for saving brewing parameters, drink preferences, and software updates.
This coffee machine retails for $28,500.
Did you know?
This machine evokes solid, modern construction. Its body is made from die-cast aluminum with chrome plating. A 4mm-thick sheet of tempered glass helps the machine resist scratches and drops to keep your investment looking pristine for years.
5. Slayer Three Group Commercial Espresso Machine
Brand: Slayer
Weight: 270 pounds
photo source: Prima-Coffee
The Three-Group Commercial Espresso Machine by Slayer is a commercial-level espresso maker for a high-end café setting. It has 1.2-liter brew boilers for each group, all of which have independent pressure, preheating, and steaming systems.
The machine features bottomless portafilters, 58mm precision baskets, articulated steam wands, and more.
Optional additions include a hot water tap, customized steam tips, and pre-brew timing gauges. This Slayer espresso machine retails for $29,690.
Did you know?
Slayer is one of the newer coffee brands out there, introduced in 2009 with its first handcrafted, stainless-steel machine. That first machine had not only advanced heating and pumping elements but featured a heavy brass construction with hand-carved wooden handles, offering an appearance of luxury that Slayer is now famous for.
4. Synesso MVP Hydra 3-Group Commercial Espresso Machine
Brand: Synesso
Weight: 190 pounds
photo source: Prima-Coffee
The MVP Hydra espresso machine is a commercial-level piece of tech from Synesso that includes 6 program positions for each brewing group as well as multiple brew modes for any experienced barista to go to town.
Mark Barnett, who founded Synesso, worked on the water inlet system of the standard espresso machine. He improved it by adding individual motors and liquid pumps to each brewing group so that they could be controlled separately.
This means that even in a high-volume brewing situation, every group has its own uninterrupted pressure to ensure quality in every cup.
The Synesso MVP Hydra 3-Group Commercial Espresso Machine costs $29,900.
Did you know?
The “MVP” in this machine is a bypass system that gives the barista control over the pressure profile of each group. Each stage creates different acid, texture, and sugar balances for each brewing group.
3. Victoria Arduino Black Eagle Gravimetric Espresso Machine
Brand: Victoria Arduino
Weight: 400 pounds
photo source: Majesty Coffee
The Black Eagle Gravimetric Espresso Machine from Victoria Arduino is a precise machine. Its gravimetric technology allows it to measure and extract the weight of the espresso liquid directly into the cup.
Basically, this means that unlike most sensor technology, other factors like the tamping, filter type, and showerheads don’t affect the machine’s accuracy.
With full control over every cup, any barista would be empowered behind this commercial-quality machine. T3 technology is how this machine gives the barista temperature control, including individual temps and steam levels for each brewing group.
This maximum espresso control will cost you $31,225.50.
Did you know?
In 1905, Victoria Arduino was responsible for the first espresso machine. In the face of changing technology demands, Arduino created a new way to integrate the boiler and brought his engineering experience to bear on his new concept. No list of espresso machines would be complete without one of his.
2. GB5 S Commercial Espresso Machine
Brand: La Marzocco
Weight: 198 pounds
photo source: La Marzocco
The GB5 Commercial Espresso machine by La Marzocco is full of the company’s advanced proprietary electronics. They give the machine superior temperature stability and control, wrapped up in a European-inspired design that’s built to perform in a commercial setting.
The original model came out in 2005, but La Marzocco has been improving on it since then. They even engraved two red lilies on the side of the machine to recall the company’s heritage as a Florentine coffee manufacturer. The GB5 S Espresso Machine retails in its current iteration for $32,990.
Did you know?
This incredible machine gives the barista a lot of advanced control over the espresso-making process. This includes being able to directly manage the brewing volume, boiler temperature, cleaning cycle, and more.
1. Eversys Enigma Traditional Superautomatic E6m ST Espresso Machine
Brand: Eversys
Weight: 280 pounds
photo source: Majesty Coffee
The most expensive espresso machine is the Eversys Enigma Traditional Superautomatic E6m ST Espresso Machine. It’s a commercial-grade espresso machine wide enough for two baristas to use the machine at the same time (it’s 84cm wide). The machine can pump out 350 espressos per hour if the baristas are on their game, making it perfect for a commercial coffee shop.
The Eversys machine comes with many attachments, including a crema nozzle, steam wand with Everfoam, coffee grinder, and a 2-gallon fridge by Vitrifrigo. This makes it great not only in a barista setting but also as a self-serve machine. This commercial espresso maker costs $46,800.
Did you know?
Eversys espresso machines are famous for a few key convenience features. One is the grinder with custom ceramic blades that allows the barista to go from beans to drink all on the same machine. The machine also features automatic leveling through vibration, which distributes the espresso powder more evenly.
