To the rest of us? Heck they're just another labour saving device. Let's face it if reports that Starbucks are starting to install them are true...........

So if you can't be bothered with the faffing about of a traditional espresso or if there are reasons why you need a push button machine which can be operated by anyone then browse on.

My apologies for sounding jaded here but when a manufacturer lists as a feature "Aroma preservation cover on bean container", which you and I would recognise as a lid, you will appreciate that it is hard not to heap scorn!

However in general all the machines listed below have common features ie they all have a container for beans (a bit difficult to make a bean to cup machine otherwise!), generally they all have a ground coffee chute to allow an alternative brew option. The grind is manually adjustable and you can program the electronics to allow at least 5 brew options - usually 1 mug / 1 (2) espresso / 1 (2) regular cups. They all have steam / water outlets. Finally they are all self contained - ie you could unplug them and move to a different location without any tools.

Differences are generally in the bells, whistles and capacity departments. Hopefully the list below will give you the main differences.