I tested the tiny Russell Hobbs coffee maker that uses grounds or Nespresso pods — but I discovered one infuriating drawback

14 Mar 2026, 22:00 · TechRadar

TechRadar Verdict

Russell Hobbs' Everyday Espresso Machine is a cheap and cheerful coffee maker that helps you make the switch from brewing with coffee pods to fresh beans by allowing you to use both. Unfortunately, although you can brew a decent espresso if you grind your beans extra coarse, its pressure is on the low side, and you'll end up with a lot of water in the portafilter when you brew with capsules. The steam wand is the biggest disappointment though, making masses of bubbles so fast that you can't even heat your milk before your pitcher is overflowing. It's a shame because this two-in-one brewer is an interesting concept, but you'll be better served by a machine that does just one thing really well.

Pros

+Brews espresso with both ground coffee and pods
+Espresso is brewed consistently when you've dialled in your grinder
+Very affordable price

Cons

-Pressure is low, so you'll need to grind your coffee extra coarse
-Steam wand can't create fine foam, and is too short
-Brewing with coffee pods is messy, with water pooling in portafilter

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Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: one-minute review

The Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine is an entry-level coffee maker with an unusual twist: in addition to a regular portafilter for ground coffee, it comes with a holder for Nespresso Original style coffee capsules. A handy option if you’re making the switch from pods to fresh beans, or sharing a kitchen with someone who prefers a different brewing method.

It’s very cheap too, with a list price of just £149.99 / AU$189.95 (about $200). For comparison, my two top-rated budget coffee makers, the De’Longhi Dedica Duo, and Philips Baristina, are $299.95 / £279.99 (about AU$600) and $449.99 / £299.99 / AU$599. respectively.

At that price it’s no surprise that the Everyday Espresso Machine is made almost entirely from plastic, but it still looks smart on your kitchen counter with its silver and matt black finish, and guests won’t guess how little you spent.

The budget price is reflected in the accessories though, which are quite bare-bones. In addition to the two portafilters, you get just two filter baskets, a lightweight scoop/tamper combo, and a pin tool for clearing the steam wand. There’s no milk pitcher, water filter, or water hardness testing strip included in the box.

The Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine accepts both ground coffee and capsules (Image credit: Future)

What really matters is performance, and I was pleased to find that the Everyday Espresso Machine could brew a decent shot with fresh coffee once I’d identified the best grind size, and extraction was consistent. However, I found I had to grind my coffee much coarser than I would usually to avoid under-extraction, and the puck of coffee grounds was always quite wet at the end, which suggests that although the pressure was lower than optimal.

Brewing with coffee capsules was easy, but again, it was a soggier experience than I’d like, and the used pod ended up sitting in a puddle in the portafilter after brewing.

The steam wand is the real problem, though. It feels flimsy, wobbling as you move it into position, and its lower section is too short, making it hard to submerge in your milk pitcher. Worst of all, it has an air intake hole that creates so much foam, I had to stop steaming my milk while it was still cold to prevent the jug overflowing. The large bubbles aren’t fine or stable enough for a latte, which is a shame when you’ve just brewed a perfectly good shot of espresso.

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