SCG's Best Videos: September 2026 Coffee & Gear Roundup

Our Top 3 picks of 2026, plus two Rocket deep dives, all in one place.

September was Top 3 season on the SCG YouTube channel. Every year we narrow down the espresso machines and grinders we actually use every day to a shortlist you can trust, and this year we split it by experience level: beginner and prosumer semi-automatic espresso machines, beginner and prosumer espresso grinders, and the year's best superautomatic espresso machines. (And yes, as always, there's a fourth pick in every "top three.")

We also went deep on two brand-new Rocket Espresso releases: a full review and unboxing of the Rocket R58 Tune dual boiler, and everything you need to know about the Rocket Spluga espresso grinder. Here's everything we published this month.

The Top 3 of 2026 Series

Every video in this series follows the same format: a Fan Favorite, a Best Features pick, an Ultimate Pick, and an Honorable Mention, because we can never stop at three. Start with the beginner lists if you're new to home espresso, or jump to the prosumer lists if you're ready to upgrade.

The BEST Beginner Semi-automatic Espresso Machines of 2026!

Ready to upgrade from a drip brewer or pull your very first shot? These are the machines we love for beginner baristas. The Diletta Mio wins fans with its compact footprint, side-mounted water tank (easy to refill under cabinets), and a PID with a shot timer right on the front. The Breville Barista Touch Impress guides you through every shot with calibrated tamping and hands-free milk steaming that works with dairy, oat, almond, and soy. Our ultimate pick is Fellow's first-ever espresso machine, the Series 1. After nearly a year of daily use, it's earned our trust for consistency, with guided recipes for beginners and deep profiling settings (from turbo shots to lever-style pulls) for when you want to get nerdy.

• Fan Favorite: Diletta Mio Espresso Machine
• Best Features: Breville Barista Touch Impress Espresso Machine
• Ultimate Pick: Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine
• Honorable Mention: DeLonghi Dedica Duo Espresso Machine, with surprising steam power for its size and cold extraction for iced coffee

Best for: First-time espresso buyers, drip brewer upgraders, and anyone who wants a machine that grows with their skills.

The BEST Prosumer Semi-automatic Espresso Machines of 2026

Getting more serious about espresso? This is the upgrade list. The Diletta Bello+ is a foundational heat exchanger with powerful steam, brewing consistency, a PID that doubles as a shot timer, and eco mode. The Breville Oracle Dual Boiler is for the home barista with high-end taste but no time to dial in every shot: it adjusts grind size automatically with Breville's auto dial-in feature, doses and tamps for you, and creates latte art–ready milk foam at the push of a button. Our ultimate pick, the Rocket Mozzafiato Fast V, keeps everything we love about the classic Mozzafiato but is ready to brew in just 12 to 15 minutes, with the PID tucked neatly behind the drip tray.

• Fan Favorite: Diletta Bello+ Espresso Machine
• Best Features: Breville Oracle Dual Boiler Espresso Machine
• Ultimate Pick: Rocket Espresso Mozzafiato FAST V Espresso Machine
• Honorable Mention: LELIT Elizabeth Espresso Machine, our most affordable Italian-made dual boiler, with true pre-infusion, shot protection when the reservoir runs low, and a cold water mixing valve for Americano-ready hot water

Best for: Espresso upgraders, home baristas ready for prosumer gear, and anyone shopping heat exchangers vs. dual boilers.

Machines are only half the equation. As our crew says in the prosumer grinder video, if you have to choose which to upgrade first, pick the grinder, because your grinder informs how your espresso will brew. The next two videos cover the best espresso grinders of 2026 for beginners and advanced home baristas.

The BEST Beginner Espresso Grinders of 2026!

Just getting started with home espresso? A quality grinder is a great place to begin. The Eureka Mignon Zero packs 55mm flat burrs (the same burrs found in grinders that cost hundreds more) into a clever single-dosing design. The Baratza Encore ESP Pro earns best features for its sturdier metal housing, digital readout, and a conversion that switches it into full single-dosing mode with a dosing cup. Our ultimate pick is the brand-new Fellow Opus Gen 2, a much-needed update with a stronger magnet, separate cups for filter and espresso, stepless grind adjustment, and larger burrs that grind faster and more consistently. It feels like it costs a lot more than it does.

• Fan Favorite: Eureka Mignon Zero Espresso Grinder
• Best Features: Baratza Encore ESP Pro Espresso and Coffee Grinder
• Ultimate Pick: Fellow Opus Gen 2 Espresso Grinder
• Honorable Mention: Ascaso H64 Espresso Grinder, with 64mm flat burrs, single dose or hopper-fed flexibility, and three timed profiles

Stick around to the end for a side-by-side noise comparison, so you can hear how each grinder might sound in your kitchen.

Best for: New home baristas, first-grinder shoppers, and anyone who wants one grinder for espresso and filter coffee.

The BEST Prosumer Espresso Grinders of 2026

These are our favorite advanced grinders for home baristas. The Eureka Atom W 65 is a grind-by-weight grinder with the sturdiness of a commercial model and the noise level you want at home, plus auto-tare, auto-grind, and a portafilter fork you can trust. The Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose Pro takes best features for its low retention and effective bellows, making it easy to switch between decaf and regular, along with a new king-size dial for more precise dialing in (heads up: it adds an Allen wrench step to cleaning). Our ultimate pick is the Rocket Spluga, a stepless, hopper-fed grinder with a great portafilter hook and a slow adjustment style that lets you get really precise.

• Fan Favorite: Eureka Atom W 65 Espresso Grinder
• Best Features: Eureka Oro Mignon Single Dose Pro Espresso Grinder
• Ultimate Pick: Rocket Espresso Spluga Espresso Grinder
• Honorable Mention: Baratza Sette 270Wi Espresso Grinder, a grind-by-weight jack-of-all-trades for espresso and filter (we have 40 of them on the wall in our retail store for coffee flights)

Fair warning: the Sette is loud. That's why this one ends with a side-by-side sound test, too.

Best for: Advanced home baristas, grinder upgraders, and anyone deciding between grind-by-weight, single dose, and hopper-fed workflows.

BEST Superautomatic Espresso Machines of 2026!

Superautomatics keep getting more technical and more interesting, and they've figured out their real competition: pod machines. The Terra Kaffe Demi is an excellent coffee-only superauto with impressive crema and one intuitive control knob, plus adjustable strength, temperature, volume, and added water. The DeLonghi Rivelia's dual hoppers make switching between caf and decaf (or light and dark roast) easy, and it prompts you to brew or purge leftover beans when you swap. Our ultimate pick, the Philips Café Aromis 8000, offers over 50 hot and cold drinks on a responsive touchscreen, a coffee assistant that walks you through different roasts, and a LatteGo Pro milk system with both hot and cold carafes.

• Fan Favorite: Terra Kaffe Demi Superautomatic Espresso Machine
• Best Features: DeLonghi Rivelia Superautomatic Espresso Machine
• Ultimate Pick: Philips Cafe Aromis 8000 Superautomatic Espresso Machine
• Honorable Mention: Jura E8 Superautomatic Espresso Machine, a quiet, unsung champion with rich PEP espresso, a smart water filter, and a milk system that handles oat, almond, and soy

Best for: Pod machine upgraders, busy households, split caf/decaf homes, and anyone who wants café drinks at the push of a button.

Rocket Espresso Deep Dives

Two of Rocket's newest releases got the full treatment this month, and they belong together. In the Spluga video, our crew recommends pairing the grinder with a Rocket machine like the Mozzafiato Fast V or the R58, because they share the same design language and look great side by side.

Our Review of the Rocket R58 Tune Espresso Machine (With Unboxing!)

This month's standout. A lot of you have been asking about the Rocket R58 Tune since it was announced at the World of Coffee convention, so we unboxed it and put it through its paces. It's a dual boiler (0.58L brew, 1.8L steam) with PID control on both boilers, a 58mm E61-style group, and new digital pre- and post-infusion powered by a solenoid at the pump, no plumbing required. The controller is now angled for easier reading and fully removable, and the new side-mounted legs make cleaning underneath easier (though we admit the look is a little divisive). Our favorite feature? Auto on/off scheduling, so the machine is warmed up before you even get to it in the morning.

The pros: Handles six or more drinks back to back at a professional pace, a quick and ergonomic steam purge function, and Rocket's three-year home warranty. The cons: The icon-only screen takes a moment to learn, and like all home machines, back-to-back large Americanos will cool the steam boiler (keep a kettle handy).

Best for: Experienced home baristas who want an end-game traditional dual boiler with modern conveniences built in.

Rocket Espresso Spluga: Everything You Need to Know

Named for the Spluga Pass between Switzerland and Italy, the Rocket Spluga is a fast, full-size espresso grinder with 65mm flat steel burrs that can grind a double shot in about 5 to 6 seconds. Its standout feature is a novel grind adjustment system: stepless micro adjustments for dialing in espresso, plus a macro adjustment on the back that lets you swing over to other brew methods, like cold brew or French press, in seconds. You also get a highly customizable touchscreen with shot counters and a PIN lock (handy if little hands like to press buttons), a 500g hopper, and an IP68-rated portafilter switch built to stay dry for the long haul. One heads up: it's designed to be hopper-fed, so it's not the best choice for single dosing or frequent bean swaps.

Best for: Home baristas who make several drinks every morning, Rocket machine owners, and anyone who wants one grinder that can occasionally handle other brew methods.

Missed One? Here's the Full Lineup

Here's every video we published in September 2026 — click to watch on YouTube:

1. The BEST Beginner Semi-automatic Espresso Machines of 2026!
2. The BEST Prosumer Semi-automatic Espresso Machines of 2026
3. The BEST Beginner Espresso Grinders of 2026!
4. The BEST Prosumer Espresso Grinders of 2026
5. BEST Superautomatic Espresso Machines of 2026!
6. Our Review of the Rocket R58 Tune Espresso Machine (With Unboxing!)
7. Rocket Espresso Spluga: Everything You Need to Know

Keep Watching

Like what you see? Subscribe to the SCG YouTube channel so you never miss a Top 3, Crew Review, or new release.

Want to be the first to know when machines like the R58 Tune drop? Sign up for the SCG newsletter for new arrivals, sales, and fresh coffee content.