Retro Caffeine

An independent coffee publication

Your daily coffee. Your favourite corner.

Discover coffee machines, characterful cups and practical ideas for creating your own coffee space at home.

Explore the setupCompare the machines
Sunlit coastal kitchen corner with colourful cups on a wooden shelf and a sea view

Coffee Setups

The coastal coffee corner

An approachable home setup for espresso and milk drinks, built around warm surfaces and colourful ceramics.

Researched selection. Not personally tested.

Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UKBK in black, pulling a layered coffee into a glass

Featured machine

Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UKBK (black)

An all in one machine with a built in grinder, coffee dose weighing, grind guidance and automatic milk frothing. It makes espresso, filter coffee and cold brew. A milk jug and tamper are included.

Suits:
People who want café style drinks at home with guidance along the way.
Worth knowing:
It needs a fair amount of counter space, so measure your corner first.
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What comes with the machine

The Ninja includes a built in grinder, a milk jug and a tamper, so there is no need for a separate grinder. It also weighs the ground coffee dose for you. A separate scale can still be useful for measuring the espresso in the cup.

Cosumy 90ml espresso cups and saucers, boxed set of four in speckled grey with colourful glazed interiors

Espresso cups

Cosumy colourful 90ml espresso cups and saucers

Small glazed cups sized for a single or double espresso, in a mix of cheerful colours.

Suits:
Anyone who enjoys espresso and likes a little colour on the shelf.
Worth knowing:
At 90ml they are too small for lattes or flat whites.
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Machines

Three ways to make it at home

No machine is best for everyone. The right one depends on how hands on you want to be, and which drinks you enjoy most.

Breville Barista Max stainless steel espresso machine with its box and milk jug

Lower budget, manual

Breville Barista Max

An integrated grinder with a hands on, manual workflow.

Suits: People keen to learn manual preparation without the highest spend.

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Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UKBK in black, pulling a layered coffee into a glass

Guided, versatile

Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UKBK (black)

Guidance on dose and grind, automatic milk frothing and several drink styles.

Suits: People wanting espresso, filter and cold brew with less guesswork.

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Sage Barista Express Impress in brushed stainless steel

Assisted, hands on milk

Sage Barista Express Impress (brushed stainless steel)

Assisted dosing and tamping, with a manual steam wand. Not to be confused with the standard Barista Express.

Suits: People who want help measuring and tamping their coffee, while learning to steam milk themselves.

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Turquoise, terracotta, mustard and cream glazed espresso cups on a stone table

Cups & Accessories

Cups with character

Colourful ceramics turn a coffee into a small daily pleasure. Little 90ml cups are just right for espresso, keeping it warm and concentrated.

Milk drinks like flat whites and lattes need a larger cup, so it is worth keeping one or two roomier pieces alongside.

See the cups in the setup

Lifestyle photography for inspiration. Not the exact products featured.

Our Approach

Inspiration, backed by research

Retro Caffeine combines home coffee inspiration with practical UK product research. We always tell you whether a product has been researched or personally tested. Everything on this page today is researched.

We do not show prices, ratings or stock levels, because they change. Check the retailer for the latest.

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