Anyone who’s tried to make cafe-quality coffee at home knows it’s harder than it looks. Walk into any appliance store, and the machines that promise barista-level results start at around $1,000 and climb quickly from there. So do you really need to spend a fortune to make a great cup at home?
To find out, we put a $2,299 Breville up against a $59 Big W coffee machine. Here’s what happened.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A $59 Big W coffee machine held its own against a $2,299 Breville in a taste test.
- More than 100 Better Homes and Gardens readers said buying a coffee machine saved them money.
- The biggest difference between the budget and premium machines was milk frothing performance.
- Whether a coffee machine saves money depends on replacing cafe visits, not adding to them.
Does a coffee machine actually save money? We asked, you answered
When we asked the Better Homes and Gardens community whether a coffee machine had saved them money, more than 100 people replied, and most said yes.
“We bought ours seven years ago, and if you calculate two coffees a day, we would have spent over $30,000 at a cafe,” says one commenter. “We’ve spent approximately $3,800 on beans and the initial outlay of $1,400. Huuuuge saving.”
A former cafe owner explained why the maths stacks up: “One kilo of coffee beans makes around 100 coffees. The milk is actually the most expensive part.”
Not everyone was convinced. Some readers admitted they simply drank more coffee once they owned a machine, while others said cafe visits were as much about the social ritual as the caffeine.
The consensus? A coffee machine only saves money if it genuinely replaces your cafe visits.
The test: $59 Big W Contempo vs $2,299 Breville
The espresso shot
The Breville is automated, so it runs the shot and stops according to its programming. The Contempo just keeps pouring until you stop it, so you decide how much goes in the cup. The Breville also has a built-in grinder, and the Contempo uses pre-ground coffee.
Side by side, the Contempo’s shot was noticeably strong, with a thick, deep crema. The Breville’s was more watery, with a thinner crema. Judging on espresso alone, our team felt there was little between them, and if anything, the $59 Contempo slightly edged out the Breville for a strong, concentrated shot.
If you drink espresso or long blacks, hot or iced, the Contempo is a real winner. It’s small, light and cheap.
Ease of use
This is where the Breville earns some of its price tag. It guides you from start to finish with a clear touchscreen, step-by-step how-to walkthroughs and a built-in tamping lever, so it’s hard to go wrong.
The Contempo has three buttons. They’re intuitive enough, but you’ll need to load and tamp the portafilter yourself. It’s a small learning curve, not a barrier.
The milk
Milk is where the gap opens up. The Contempo’s steam wand is far less powerful. It heats milk, but aeration is hard to control, and in our testing we only managed hot and bubbly. You may improve over time, but don’t expect cafe-style microfoam straight away.
The Breville’s wand is powerful from the first use and can produce barista-level milk for flat whites, cappuccinos and babycinos, depending on your skill.
So, how quickly does each machine pay for itself?
Let’s say a cafe coffee costs about $6, and making one at home is somewhere between 50 cents and $1 once you add up beans and milk:
Big W Contempo ($59 plus about $20 for a bag of ground coffee): If you swap just one cafe coffee a day for a homemade one, it pays for itself in about two weeks.
Breville (about $2,299): At one coffee a day, you’ll break even in about 14–15 months. If you’re making two a day, it’s closer to seven months. For two coffee drinkers in the house drinking two a day, you could pay it off in about 14–15 months.
At a glance
Contempo ($59)
- Best for espresso drinkers
- Extremely affordable
- Pays for itself quickly
- Basic milk frothing
Breville ($2,299)
- Best for latte and flat white drinkers
- Superior milk texture
- Easier to use
- Much longer payback period
The verdict
If you’re a black coffee or espresso drinker, the $59 Contempo delivers a shot that genuinely rivals a machine 40 times its price.
If milky coffee is your thing and you want foolproof, cafe-quality results, the Breville is a luxury that can still pay for itself. It just takes longer. And it’s actually on sale right now.
But if you’re still picking up a takeaway on your way to work, it’s just something fancy taking up space on your bench.
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The Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier
Not part of the official office test, but I picked up my Ninja Luxe Café Premier (RRP $849) a while ago, and it sits right between these two. It has a built-in grinder and walks you through each step, even recommending the grind size and adjusting the brew for you. It’s almost as foolproof as the Breville, but for less than half the price.
I’m a latte drinker, and I happily make two or three a day at home on my Ninja Coffee machine.
My only complaint is the milk frother. I’m not a fan of foam on my latte, but when I pick the no-foam setting for plain warm milk, the jug is so loud it’s almost unbearable. Now I just use the second foam setting instead, because the noise is too much.
At $849, the Ninja pays for itself in about five months if you swap out one $6 café coffee a day, or about 12 weeks if you’re making two a day.
If you regularly buy café coffee and will use the machine most days, it can be worth it. But only if you stop buying coffee out.
There’s no official rule, but some coffee drinkers use ‘80/20’ to describe the idea that good beans do most of the work, with brewing technique making up the rest.
