Mara Alvarez
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
A former café owner who pulled thousands of shots before going home-only. She obsesses over drip and pour-over and sets our editorial standards.
Drip Pour-over Editorial
Who we are
About Cuba Cafe
Cuba Cafe is an independent, reader-first coffee-gear publication that compares makers, grinders, beans, espresso machines, and brewing gear side by side. Every recommendation is backed by hands-on research and editorially reviewed guides — never a paid placement.
- 120+
- Guides published
- 850+
- Products compared
- 1,500+
- Hours of research
- 6
- Gear categories
Our story
Cuba Cafe started the way a lot of good things do — with a frustrating shopping experience. We wanted a better coffee maker for the kitchen, searched for honest advice, and found page after page of near-identical "best of" lists. They recommended the same handful of products, in the same order, without ever explaining why — or who each one was actually for. Most read like they were written to fill a page, not to help a person buy.
So we set out to build the resource we wished existed: genuinely useful, independent guides that show our reasoning, name the trade-offs, and tell you when something isn't worth your money. We obsess over the small details — how a portafilter locks in, whether a grinder retains stale grounds, how a carafe actually pours — because those are the things you live with every morning.
Today, Cuba Cafe is a small team of home-coffee obsessives — former café owners, appliance reviewers, and home roasters — who research, compare, and write about the gear that makes a real difference to your daily cup.
What we stand for
Our editorial principles
Independence
Our picks are earned, never paid for. No brand can buy a spot in a guide or a higher ranking within one.
Balanced reviews
We name the downsides and say plainly who should skip a product. No gear is perfect, and we won't pretend otherwise.
Real transparency
Clear affiliate disclosure on every page, and an honest explanation of exactly how we're funded.
Practical perspective
We judge gear on daily-use features — not spec sheets — because that's what shapes your cup every morning.
The people behind the picks
Meet the team
Daniel Okafor
Senior Coffee Gear Writer
An ex-appliance reviewer who has bench-tested more machines than he can count. He leads our espresso and grinder coverage.
Espresso Grinders Testing
Lena Pohl
Reviews Editor
She tests for small kitchens and tight budgets, making sure our picks fit real counters and real wallets — not just ideal ones.
Compact gear Budget Value
Theo Marsh
Coffee & Beans Writer
A dedicated home roaster who lives in the bean aisle. He covers roasts, freshness, and the brewing methods that bring them to life.
Beans Roasting Brewing
What we cover
We focus on the gear that shapes coffee at home, from the machine on your counter to the beans in your cupboard. For every category we compare the realistic options, weigh the trade-offs, and explain who each product is — and isn't — right for.
- Coffee makers — drip, single-serve, programmable, and statement designs. Start with our review methodology to see how we score them.
- Espresso machines — from beginner-friendly setups to home-barista builds.
- Grinders — burr, blade, compact, and budget picks for consistent grounds.
- Beans — roasts and origins for espresso, drip, and cold brew.
- French press & pour over — immersion and manual methods for full-control brewing.
- Milk frothers & storage — the accessories that keep your coffee fresh and your lattes smooth.
New categories and guides land regularly — the featured guides on our homepage are the best place to start.
How we're funded
Cuba Cafe is reader-supported. When you buy through some of the links in our guides, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — that's what keeps the lights on and the research going. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Crucially, those commissions never decide our picks. We choose and rank products before any link is added, and a higher payout has never moved a product up a list. For the full details, read about how we review and our affiliate disclosure.
Start with a buying guide
See our featured guides or read exactly how we test and choose.