CASABREWS CM5418 Espresso Machine 20 Bar, Compact Espresso Maker with Steam Milk Frother, Stainless Steel Coffee Machine with 34oz Removable Water Tank for Cappuccino, Latte, Silver

I'm a trained barista who owns a cafe. We have a La Marzocco Linea and Mahlkonig grinders. This Casabrew unit is pretty amazing for the price. It makes great espresso, and the steamer, while not powerful like the one at the cafe, works fine (it just takes way longer to steam).I've used other 'at-home' units like Breville (also nice but 3x more $), and this machine performs right there with them. I even like it better in many ways. The look is simple and classic unlike a lot of the weird-shaped bodies and gizmos many home units tend to have (think - your parents robo-wine opener vs a simple, classic wine key). The pressure gauge isn't just for looks; it works great when pulling shots (nice to make sure you don't over-under tamp your grind, or over-fill the portafilter).Basically, all these little home machines are quirky and kinda wimpy tbh. They can't compete with the $10k+ machines. At least not on efficiency and power. You have to learn these quirks, and how each one works to get the most out of it. Otherwise your espresso will taste cold, bitter or watery, and your steamed milk won't have microfoam. Look, this thing is a pony, not a stallion, but it can still deliver. I use it daily, and takes me a few minutes end to end.If you get one, also invest in a small AND medium stainless steam pitcher. They come in handy for cortados vs cappuccinos vs lattes. Also get a scale. I use a Hario V60. When you weigh your coffee, it comes out better. I also use my electric pour over kettle to heat my cups so the espresso stays hotter. If you take too long, your espresso drink will be warm at best. Know what? Just nuke it until you get better/faster. No one will know but your pet rolling it's eyes at you. ;DMaking espresso:- hit power on the machine to preheat it.- Grind your coffee for espresso ONLY. A good grinder isn't cheap, but they last and really deliver. I use a Mahkonig.- Put dry/clean portafilter on scale and zero it out. Add 10-12oz espresso to basket. Pick it up, tap side gently til grind are flat-ish, then use the chintzy plastic 'tamper' to GENTLY tamp the espresso (don't push too hard or your coffee will be bitter when it takes longer to pull through filter!)- Heat your cup with hot water (ideally), empty water once it's hot to touch, then hit double pull button on the machine (not single)Note: Most espresso bar drinks are double shots. Using the double pull button on this machine allows you the option to cut a pull short, or do a full pull. I cut it a bit short when pulling into classic short espresso glass. The shorter the pull, the better the quality of espresso and crema. Otherwise, I let it finish out for drinks with dairy.Cap/Latte: This is a bit different.Get your coffee and cup ready.- Follow the steps above. You should have a loaded portafilter in the unit, ready to pull coffee. Just don't pull it yet.- also pre-heat your cup with hot water (if you want a nice hot drink)Now get all your dairy stuff squared away.- Put everything out on the counter so you're not frantically hunting it down while brewing.- Fill stainless pitcher 'almost' 1/2 way up with dairy (whole milk steams best because of the fat)- Hit the far right button to turn on the steamer. The pump starts building pressure.- Take a random mug and put under steamer. Then turn the knob all the way up and 'clear' the wand.- Once you see steam and not water, you're in business to steam your dairy — not until.Steam your dairy.- And don't move it all over the place when you do. It's just a few subtle movements, that's it.- In the pitcher, rest the wand head slightly below the surface to add some air to the dairy.- After some seconds, drop it down 2/3 depth along side of pitcher so it swirls and evenly mixes into silky microfoam. This unit is slow, so give it ample time to do it's thing.- Temp-wise, you know when it's done if it's too hot to keep your hand on the side of the pitcher.- Once steamed, QUICKLY set milk aside, putting something on top of pitcher to keep the dairy hot (dish?).- Then use hot water to wet part of a rag (aka a barista cloth) and wipe down the wand before the proteins can harden on it. Also blast steam out of the wand to clear it using the knob. All this should only take you 5-10 seconds tops to clean/reset wand.Pull your coffee.- Dump the hot water out of your cup and place it under the portafilter.- pull a double shot. Let it finish.- Grab the hot dairy with your other hand and pour it over the espresso (making the best damn latte art of your life of course!)Enjoy! Then clean up your mess. Or...TIP: I pull into a double-walled stainless tumbler. A smallish one. It heats way better, and has a lid so I can pop it on, clean up my mess, reset the machine, THEN go enjoy my still-hot drink.Beware: If the gauge is in the black, you probably over-stuffed or over-tamped your basket. It will taste bitter and undrinkable. If you don't tamp at all, it will be watery and weak with no crema. If you use old-ass coffee that's ground for drip, you will not be enjoying good espresso my friend. Just use your head.In the end, it takes time to get your routine down. Making good espresso drinks isn't hard. But it does take practice to get right. Most people can't be bothered. They will blame the machines, the beans, their spouses, anything but themselves.Coffee drinks want to be made right or they'll suck. Put in the effort, and you'll be a happy camper once you have it down. You might even impress someone! At minimum, your drinks will taste as good or better than many coffee bars out there. Not ours of course!It's nice to grab a great coffee drink from a local cafe we trust. But it has to be great for the price. When it is, we're getting so much more than just coffee; the whole ritual gives us a sense of reward, place, and being. It's what communities are all about. But it's also nice to make our own at home and save some money in the process. With coffee, I think people who love it can do both — have their cake and eat it too.Hope this helps anyone adventurous enough to actually read this long review!

Pros: Inexpensive; good looking; works well; has a functional pressure gauge; easy to adjust water volume on the fly or by re-programming.Cons: Uses a bump+ridge to hold filter basket in place rather than spring; warming area doesn't warm; tamper that comes with is flimsy plastic.Unknowns: Haven't tried to make steamed milk.I used a nespresso machine for years to make espresso but after a trip to Sicily I realized that the espresso it produces is not much like the real thing (though it helps to cut the water off early). I tried moka pots (here's a nice one that works on an induction range: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NZ4GPYJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1) which made nice coffee but not espresso. So I looked for an inexpensive "real" espresso machine -- there are many available very similar in price and features to this one -- probably the same internals -- but this is one of the few that has a pressure gauge (which I find works well, unlike some other reviewers). Also it is not too wide and the stainless version fit in well with our kitchen. The technical appearance of pressure gauge, along with having not too much plastic in evidence, gives an appearance vaguely reminiscent of much more expensive machines.Out of the box, using the pressurized filter baskets that come with it, and using pre-ground espresso coffee from the grocery store (Illy), this machine made espresso that was miles ahead of anything I ever got from the nespresso machine or the moka pot (but not much crema).My next step down the rabbit hole was to switch to unpressurized filter baskets. Here is an inexpensive one that fits in the portafilter that comes with this machine: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB3CHRKC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title also here is a well-priced substantial tamper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q1ZZ7MX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1. Now I could experiment with different quantities of coffee, tamped to different degrees -- the pressure gauge on the machine is invaluable for figuring out what is going on. Note the portafilter that comes with this machine does not have a spring to hold the filter basket, so the basket was not attached to the portafilter -- somewhat annoying but still usable (you cannot just bang the portafilter against something to get the used coffee puck out, the filter basket will go with it).Getting nice flavored espresso but with no crema, I realized the problem was that I was not using freshly ground beans. So the next step was to get some beans freshly ground at my local coffee roaster - another giant leap forward in flavor, viscosity, and crema. Support your local coffee roaster!My final step -- so far-- was to get a portafilter that uses a spring to hold the filter baskets - here is a nicely made, reasonably priced spouted one (I haven't gone bottomless yet) that fits this machine: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB7STNLY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1