Bugatti to ‘hourglass’, the weird and wonderful machines

1. Bugatti Diva Espresso €767

For divas who need a quick caffeine jolt, this is the Rolls-Royce of coffee machines – designed by the manufacturers of one of the fastest and most luxurious car brands in the world. It can pull two shots of coffee at a time, using ground coffee or pods. It has a steam wand for frothing milk and heats cups on the warming plate.

2. Elektra Micro Casa Semiautomatica SX €1,510

For those who favour design over practicality, this traditional lever espresso machine comes in three colours: copper brass, chrome and brass, and chrome. Designed by Italians, it is coveted by aficionados. If the coffee doesn’t work, the shiny surface is sure to wake you up.

3. Hario Coffee Syphon Technica 5 Cup €142

Invented in Berlin in the 1830s, this contraption would look more at home in a science laboratory than a top-of-the-range kitchen. Manufacturer Hario insists, however, that ‘nothing comes even close’ to their Technica vacuum coffee maker. This is one for the real connoisseur.

4. Handblown Chemex €59

According to Chemex, the best coffee in the world ‘comes only in one shape – that of a woman’s body’. Hmm. The 1941 hourglass design – made from non-porous Borosilicate glass – even earned the machine a place in New York’s prestigious Museum of Modern Art. Not one for feminists.