Aldi’s £49.99 espresso machine is back – it’s £10 cheaper than last year and features a touch control panel as well as a milk frother

by Furnishly | Dec 4, 2025 | Design Inspiration

It’s the most wonderful time of the year indeed, when Aldi‘s range of Specialbuys can double up as the perfect Christmas gift as well as being a total bargain.

I personally think there’s no better choice from the supermarket’s limited edition range than the new Espresso Maker for the coffee-lover in your life which will set you back just £49.99 and is available from this Sunday the 7th of December in stores.

Sure this compact espresso maker probably isn’t going to make it into our list of the best coffee machines but for anyone who wants to see if an appliance like this will actually be worth the investment in their kitchen, it’s a great place to start. Here’s the full details on this coffee maker.

This compact espresso machine might be hundreds of pounds cheaper than top-rated alternatives like the Sage Bambino but what can it offer in terms of features?

Well it’s kitted out with what Aldi call ‘touch panel control’, single and double shot options, hot water and steam functionality and a built-in milk frother wand. The drip tray under the wand and the portafilter can be removed for you to clean.

There have been so many coffee machine launches this year, including popular machines like the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Series and even the under £100 Salter Professional Espirista Coffee Machine – both of which we’ve reviewed here at Ideal Home. This version from Aldi is by far the cheapest one I’ve seen, though I can’t speak to the quality of this particular Specialbuy.

As with all of Aldi’s one-off kitchen appliances, like the brand’s under £25 hot chocolate makers, which are also back this week, this espresso machine is very much a limited edition buy, so make sure to be in store on the 7th of December if you want to grab one.

If you don’t manage to swoop at the right moment, there are plenty of other quality bean-to-cup coffee machines in our guide, all of which I’ve tried and loved as Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor. Below you’ll find my favourite pick (and it’s under £150).

Are you picking up a coffee machine as a gift this Christmas?

Nespresso’s coffee pod advent calendar has dropped – I had a sneak peek at what’s inside and the surprise behind door 24

by Furnishly | Nov 5, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Nespresso’s pod coffee advent calendar has made a return for 2025, with a shiny new design and limited edition festive flavours waiting behind the doors.

Now available for £43 for the Vertuo version or £39 for Original pods via Nespresso, these calendars make a great gift for anyone with one of the best Nespresso machines in their kitchen, as well as a serving as a practical way of topping up your loved one’s coffee supplies.

I’ve got my hands on the Nespresso offering for this year to check out how it compares to the other coffee advent calendars I’ve tried. Here’s what I thought of this year’s Vertuo design.

The breakdown of the Vertuo calendar (which is the one I’ve tried out) is as follows: 17 standard coffee pods, 4 flavoured pods and 3 decaffeinated pods. With 25 doors to open in total and (spoiler alert) a Nespresso mug thrown in for good measure, there’s plenty to unwrap here.

Within that selection, you’ll find a limited-edition black coffee and two new flavoured coffees as well as the porcelain mug designed by Kenyan artist Thandiwe Muriu.

After trying the calendar out for myself and trialling a few of the doors, I found this calendar to be high quality in the materials, with a Festive Double Espresso waiting for me behind one of the doors. The other festive flavours include Sweet Almond & Hibiscus and Cinnamon & Candied Tamarind.

For those with a Nespresso machine, this dedicated pod calendar would make a great gift. But there are plenty of other hot drink advent calendars on the market alongside this one if your gift recipient is more into speciality coffee, alternative drinks or one of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines. Here are the ones I’ve tried alongside this one.

If you’re a coffee lover, one of these advent calendars is the perfect way to get into the festive spirit without accumulating clutter that you’ll need to get rid of in January. Now all I need to do is wait for the 1st of December to come around…

If someone gave me this gorgeous coffee advent calendar as a gift I’d be so impressed – it features a different speciality coffee for every day of December

by Furnishly | Oct 16, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Pact Coffee has unveiled a new coffee advent calendar for 2025, with 25 portions of ground or whole bean coffee to unwrap every day in December for the price of £39.95 (via Pact Coffee).

I know what you’re thinking, it’s far too soo to be discussing advent calendars. But at the rate that these products sell out, it’s worth highlighting the ones that are actually worth your time.

And with an eye-catching, intricate gilded design and a focus on quality (with a range of origins, roasts and flavours on offer), this wouldn’t just make a fabulous countdown for yourself, but would also put you in good stead with whoever you gift it to, especially those with one of the best coffee machines. Here’s a full look at it.

I’m an advent calendar skeptic – most of the time it feels like brands take spare stock and shove them into a product with a much higher RRP for Christmastime, which doesn’t feel very festive to me.

That’s not the case with this, which has beans to last you throughout December with each parcel working out as about £1.60 in value. For that price, you don’t just get run of the mill coffee. You’re treated to exclusive limited edition coffees from the speciality coffee brand (I’m praying Pact’s Bourbon Cream Espresso blend is going to be in there), customer favourites and ‘rare micro-lots’ too.

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The thing that initially impressed me most with this calendar is the packaging. I opted for the wholebean version (to use with my beloved Ninja Luxe Café Pro machine) which comes in an emerald green with delicate gold accents, including illustrations of all of your standard coffee apparatus including a gilded mokka pot. I reckon it would make a very impressive gift.

This isn’t a traditional calendar design with pull-out drawers or doors, but it does mark each day with a pouch of coffee (of course) and a profile card which describes what you’re drinking and where it’s from, as well as giving tasting notes.

So if you’re more of an edible and drinkable advent calendar person or if you have a caffeine addict in your life that you need to tick off a Christmas gift for, I’m all in for this version from Pact. Now I just need to wait for December to roll around!

Cuisinart has a new small-kitchen-friendly collection of coffee machines to create a cosy café feel at home, with every budget covered

by Furnishly | Oct 15, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Cuisinart has unveiled a host of brand new coffee machines, including multiple bean-to-cup and espresso options, for those looking to create a cosy café feel at home.

This new collection, which includes a compact coffee grinder which will set you back just £24.99 (via Cuisinart), comes as a slew of rivals also attempt to create the best coffee machine for even the smallest kitchens – it’s hot on the heels of releases from Breville and Ninja just this month.

The most expensive machine in the range? That’ll be the Cuisinart Grind, Tamp and Brew Espresso Machine, which will set you back over £400 more than that small coffee grinder and promises to guide you through every step of the coffee-making process. Here’s a full look at this brand new collection.

The two bean-to-cup machines in this collection occupy very different spaces, with varying designs.

While the automatic version is designed for those who want to grab and go with their morning americano on their way to work, the more expensive Grind, Tamp and Brew offers more customisation and gives you that hands-on feel of being a barista in your own home. It will take a little longer to extract a coffee from it though.

Another highlight of the Grind, Tamp and Brew machine is its cold extraction setting, which gives customers access to cold brew at home which takes only a short time to dispense. It also has assisted tamping, just like the newer Ninja Luxe Café Pro series machine (which I recently awarded 5 stars to in my review).

The most affordable option is the brand’s Slim Espresso machine, which has 15-bar pressure and cold brew capability (just like Smeg’s much more expensive release), setting you back £179.99. It’s also a serious space saver at just 15.5cm wide.

With Black Friday just around the corner, it’s worth keeping an eye on the price of all of these brand new coffee releases as you might just be able to bag a bargain in November. I’d definitely decide which of these machines you want to bookmark for the sales!