CASABREWS CM5418 Espresso Machine 20 Bar, Stainless Steel Espresso Maker with Milk Frother, Compact Cappuccino Machine for Home, Small Espresso Coffee Machine for Latte, Black

This is an excellent espresso maker for the home. I had a KRUPS for over 20 years which still works, but I thought I would upgrade. This machine, when compared to others, appeared to me to be the best for the price. I was not disappointed. It works perfectly and makes a delicious espresso. Construction is solid and it doesn't take up a lot of space on the counter. You need to read the directions carefully and follow them. The directions are clear and straight forward. Be advised that this machine when operating, like most espresso machines, is a little noisy, but nothing unbearable.

Happy! I read the reviews. A couple of the reviews compared this machine to a more expensive mfg. model . They said it worked as well, with a better frother arm, which I needed. Setup was easy, and after a few tries & getting used to the brewing steps (read directions), I am happy to say the expresso shots are great, with good creama. The frother also creates good foam for a cappuchino. (practice, practice!) Heating the cup with hot water before brewing helps keep the shot hot as you froth the milk. Cleanup is easy. NOTE: the cup and machine move around during brewing. I found an easy fix - place flat rubber jar opener grippers under cup & machine. Any thin flat rubber mat will work. No shimmy at all. I’m happy with this little expresso machine after two months.

Compact, manual, functional, simple, it is easy to operate, easy to clean, and pulls good shots! It's not automatic in any way and it takes a few minutes to set up and a few more to clean the machine. It depends on your situation but I'll take a manual machine requiring more labor and a low price versus a more automatic machine that cost 3-6 times more money and has more things which can and often do break down. I gave it 5 Stars without hesitation as it meets my expectations and turn out a quality beverage!

This little machine does a pretty good job at making your cup of espresso. It does extract a lot of flavor out of your coffee. The milk steamer does work really good and makes a great hot froth for you espresso. The size is great as well since it has such a small footprint. The style is wonderful looking and makes it look like an expensive machine. It does have some issues as far as how much you will get out of an extraction. But I am comparing it to a friend's that is much more expensive. Another issue is once you use the steamer the machine get to hot. You will then need to either wait until it cools off to make another shot of espresso, or run the steamer to release the heat. One other thing, the grounds are not pressed into a hard puck after an extraction. They will be a little loose and still wet. Be careful when you empty the grounds since they are wet. It can splash a lot trying to empty them. The plastic press it comes with is very weak. You need the metal one with some weight. The machine is decent and will save you a lot in the long run compared to buying it from a shop every day.

Easy to operate straight from the box. Direction and videos made my entire experience amazing. Now I am a barista! JK. Love the new taste of coffee, did not know it could taste this good and to add to it the milk frother! Wow, just a great machine to have in your kitchen. This far I have used it for 2 weeks two cups a days and loving it.

I thought the barrier to entry into espresso would cost more. I assumed the machines under $500 would be absolute junk. I still have a $600 unit in my save for later that I was going to "graduate" to if it turned out I'm into espresso as much as I thought I'd be. Decided to get my feet wet with this unit fully expecting to eventually buy the $600 one I had my eyes on. Turns out, I could not possibly fathom what I'd need to replace this thing for? It does exactly as it should. Maybe the pressure isn't perfect or the temps are not 100% stable like a professional grade machine, but this makes a damn good cup of double shot espresso. The steamer wand works well. I will use this thing until it doesn't espresso no more. One thing I had to get used to is the order of operation: 1. Get the steamer going by spraying water/steam mix into your cup, when it's fully steam, use your chilled milk pitcher to get your steamed milk, 2. Clean off the steam wand, turn off the steam button, then open up the steamer again until it spits out nothing but hot water (no steam) because this cools down the machine's internals, if you try to brew a cup of espresso before this step, it will not work, it must cool down and the only way to do that is to send water through the steamer, 3. Brew a single cup with no grinds, just pass water through to pre-heat everything, 4. Load the grinds and make your actual espresso. If you're on the fence, don't hesitate, this thing is amazing for the price.

Updated 2/25/25 - after being contacted in January by Casabrews and keeping the machine rather than returning it… it now leaks water all over the counter out of the bottom of the water container when I’m adding water and when I’m making espresso. I’ve taken it apart and put it back together - didn’t help. Video attached. Turns out the Bambino is worth the price. I do not recommend this machine - it is NOT made to last. Alright… longest story short - I’m directly comparing this machine to what seems to be the highly coveted Breville Bambino Plus that costs 3.6% more than this machine. For the overall response without reading any further - get this one over the more expensive option! For the longer version keep reading. I need a new machine to replace my very old espresso machine that isn’t working properly anymore. I didn’t want to go too crazy with spending if I didn’t have to. So many people seem to LOVE the Bambino Plus. I bought one three days ago. I returned it two days ago. It made espresso, but not well, and the auto milk frothing, two out of three times, did not stop and boiled fairly hot milk over the pitcher and everywhere. Not a good feature. Not worth the extra $200 they add for that feature over the regular Bambino. The regular Bambino is still slightly more than 2x the price of this machine. This morning out of frustration I opened Amazon and looked for the highest rated/reviewed machine that I could get TODAY before 3pm. Helped narrow it down out of thousands of machines quickly. So here we are. Why 3 stars? Here are the pros and cons for me (and mind you I’ve made ONE drink - the video that is attached). Pros: It’s cute / kinda retro looking with the guage. Which due to filming and watching the coffee flow I realize I didn’t even look at it so I don’t know if it is helpful or not yet. It’s very compact and is smaller than most drip coffee machines. It should cause zero space issues for anyone. It seems fairly sturdy despite the price. It didn’t rattle my cup around etc. Yes I had to hold onto it for the portafilter - but not in an agressive way. The Bambino felt like I had to hold onto it more so. The box and the directions it comes with - they really do cover a lot of information for people who are new to espresso making - which I think is a nice added touch. Cons: The steam wand, turned all the way up, does a terrible job at frothing. If you want hot milk that doesn’t get any real texture - that was my experience. Again - first use - but I steam milk everyday and this steam wand was a let down. The portafilter, the baskets, the "tamper"…. All three need to be replaced immediately. The portafilter is very lightweight and the baskets have to be turned and placed inside with little slots. They feel very low quality overall. The tamper is the flat side of a plastic spoon. I didn’t open the bag with the spoon or the single basket - I didn’t bother trying to use it. I used one I already have. No milk pitcher included. Casabrews does sell upgraded portafilters and baskets and a tamper. I don’t know if I am going to keep this machine (I make milk drinks all day and that steam wand is rough for me) - but if I do - I will spend the extra for the better accessories (bottomless portafilter - non pressurized basket etc). For a budget machine though - overall I’d say this machines reviews are pretty accurate. I did follow all the instructions - and I’m going to go make another coffee now. Update: 1/7/25 - I will still leave my rating at 3 stars because of everything I said a couple of days ago. After a couple of days with this machine and many espresso drinks made - I wanted to add a couple things. First - it really does not froth milk. I’ve tried three different kinds and it just gets it really hot with zero texture and zero froth. Massive letdown for me since I like milk drinks. I also meant to mention in the first review, the steam wand is not the insulated kind - so it gets VERY hot. Just something to be careful with if you aren’t aware that not all steam wands are made the same. I tested the machine with coffee ground for espresso machines and it did not like it. With the pressurized basket it comes with, the machine does better with a more coarse grind (similar to a drip coffee/sea salt texture grind). That would be a plus if you want to use pre ground coffee from the grocery store. The instructions for the machine also say that you cannot use the steam wand and then make another espresso shot right after. If you try to do that the machine goes into heat protection mode. It locks the machine and there is a sequence you run that ends up using a lot of water in your reservoir to cool the machine back down. If you wanted to make a milk drink for someone and make another drink right after for someone else, you can’t. Or you can’t without either waiting an unknown amount of cool down time OR running the routine to cool the machine first. HOPEFULLY this review helps in someone’s decision making. If you ONLY drink espresso shots - this machine is probably tidally worth it! If you like milk drinks…. Maybe try it out and see if you have better luck than me. Today I had to use my old espresso machine’s steam wand to go with my espresso shot from this new machine.

I’ve had my little best friend here for a little over 2 years now. She has never let me down. Makes amazing espresso. Perfect froth. Easy to clean. And quick! What a great value when you want to step up your coffee game. I can’t drink regular coffee anymore because I’m so spoiled at home with this beauty. I only use a little half and half now, not even any sugar because it makes such a smooth creamy coffee that I don’t even need any of that. Looking for a “cheap” GOOD machine….this is your gal! Highly Recommend!