CASABREWS PFAS-Free Espresso Machine with Milk Frother Steam Wand

This is my first espresso machine. I’ve used a Nespresso machine for years. So far, it’s makes a great espresso. The price is great and the machine is easy to use!

This thing is saving me so much money it's crazy. My husband was spending around $15 a day on Starbucks...which means this machine has already paid for itself. Now I've learned to make the syrups for his coffee at home and we spend $15 every 10 days on a bag of ground espresso. I'm mad I didn't do this sooner. I have never used an espresso machine before but it's so simple and the instructions are so clear that my kids can do it now too (youngest is 10). You just make sure all the plastic protective tabs are removed when you take it out of the box, then clean and fill the reservoir. There are quite a few "quick start" infographics that come with the machine in addition to the manual. Then you load up the espresso and turn it on. It takes a few minutes to get up to temp and then you just push the button you want and it starts. It takes less than a minute to brew a double shot. Cleaning the grounds out is a bit annoying because it's really packed in there and can be messy if it doesn't want to come out. People used to espresso machines probably wouldn't be bothered. I'm sure there are tricks I haven't learned yet. Anyway, it's a beautiful machine that is saving me a crazy amount of money and it feels like a quality product. I will be recommending it to all my coffee loving friends. Absolutely would buy again.

For the price, it’s pretty nice. Its compact size is handy too. I did run into some trouble initially though. The water, even after multiple flushings smelled like plastic. I did a bbuuunch of stuff and flushed at least 3 full tanks of water and it still smelled off. I almost gave up but I saw the descaling option which I used with some vinegar water because I didn’t have the descaling solution nor citric acid. That seemed to help a good amount actually. The water still has a very slight undertone of that smell but I pretend it’s not there lol. Otherwise, it’s been really nice and fun to use. I brewed a bunch of coffee and am still learning the right grind size and whatnot, which means I failed a lot. But I still am enjoying it. I hope it lasts a long time. I haven’t tried the steam wand yet, though I did use it for flushing the machine in the beginning. It worked pretty nice too. Though you can’t froth milk and make coffee one after the other; you gotta let it cool first. Overall, for a coffee newb or for anyone who’s just getting started with this hobby, this is a great choice. Especially if you buy some other tools to accompany it like a Wdt tool, a self leveling tamper, a bottomless portafilter, a puck screen, a kitchen scale with a timer built in and a portafilter funnel, the process and results become even better and more fun. Though to acquire those items, it would take some time since buying it all at once is pretty expensive. Which defeats the purpose of buying a budget machine. If you have the money, you can always get a breville machine that comes built in with most of the tools I mentioned. But to start off or to just have a machine that just makes coffee? I’d recommend this. Also, I seriously appreciate the fact that the Cm5418ECO version comes with internal tubing that doesn’t touch the actual hot water (as google mentioned at least) which I have not seen in any of the budget nor mega expensive machines! Like no other machine whether expensive or not, cares to separate the hot water from touching any plastic surfaces that can leech lots of microplastics into your coffee directly. This is the only company that seemed to actually care enough to make a whole new version that uses completely different parts and replaces the plastic from the inside and on the portafilter. This is basically the main reason why I chose this machine. So where did the plasticy smell come from initially? I couldn’t tell ya. Yesterday, I tried the machine with a bottomless portafilter along with the other tools, and the espresso that came from it immediately tasted smoother. I was shocked. I can see why people become coffee nerds now. You get a certain high from making coffee a little better than it was before with certain tools or even better quality beans. So you keep going in and learning more to make your coffee taste better and better. In conclusion, the machine is very beginner friendly. Happy brewing! P.S. the picture with the coffees have the new bottomless portafilter in frame 👍🏼 also, yes, I did edit the picture of the machine because I was too lazy to get better lighting. In my defense, I wasn’t even gonna show this picture to anyone but myself. P.S. #2: The foam you see in the coffee is not from the steam wand. Because I still haven’t tried it out yet. It’s from a manual frother I got a while back.

My husband got me this espresso machine for Christmas, and I love it! I’ve made coffee with it almost every day since then. It fits very neatly in my kitchen (I live in an apartment, so limited counter space). The instructions were very clear on how to get it started and how to make espresso. The tamper tool is kinda flimsy, but it gets the job done. I’m no pro barista or anything, so it doesn’t bother me. If it would bother you, I’m sure Casabrews makes sturdier ones you could buy somewhere. I felt misled by a lot of the reviews before picking this machine, so I kinda want to address what I thought would go wrong with my machine and what actually happened. First, I read some reviews saying it rattles too loudly. My machine does rattle some, but I notice it rattles more if there’s not a lot of water in the tank. The instructions manual says some rattling is normal and will diminish with use. I’ve only used mine for about a month, so not sure about that yet. But keeping the water tank full seems to help. Sometimes I gotta hold my cup in place while it’s brewing if it rattles lol. I also read that some people got used machines with water in them?? The instructions manual says manual has a note saying to contact them if your machine is used or broken. And it also says the machines are tested with pure water before being shipped, so it’s possible there is still some water residue. Mine was completely dry and in perfectly new, working condition. I read that some people think the machine is too light to lock the portafilter into place. Yes, that does happen sometimes. I have to grip my machine with one hand and lock the portafilter in with the other to keep the machine from sliding across the counter. Kinda annoying, but nothing huge. My biggest struggle was with the steaming wand. I could not figure out how to get foamy milk, and the steam wand screeched so loudly it hurt my ears! Turned out it was a skill issue. My barista friend told me how to steam milk properly, and it’s so much quieter now. Just a user error lol. Overall, the machine does have a couple flaws, but I find them easy to overlook. It works great, it looks adorable, and it’s so easy to use! I’m super happy with my espresso machine and would totally recommend it!

It’s a better machine than my previous machine. The shots are nice and smooth. Still learning the machine. I give it a low rating because the streamer blows out so much water it soaks my counters. I can’t use that feature, so then why spend the money?! A pro is it’s more compact then my pervious machine Customer service is awful and doesn’t communicate effectively

This is such a cute machine and I thought it would be perfect for me, but alas it isn't. You can only make one a cup of coffee at a time and then you have to wait for it to cool off. I looked online to see what was wrong and did what it recommended which was run steam through it to cool it down, but that hasn't helped either. This has happened numerous times. If you have a two-person household you don't get coffee at the same time. I hate this machine Don't buy it. It also has been leaking on the counter. After I submitted this I got an email letting me know that I could either get a refund or a different model. I chose a different model. I received the casa Brew Pro. It's a bit more expensive, but I recommend it. It heats up as soon as you turn it on and the frother works immediately. You can make numerous lattes in a row with no problem. It's not the pretty blue as my previous one. It's a stainless, but I'm enjoying it so much more. Amazing customer service!

I bought the Casabrew just over 2 years ago (11/23). The machine worked well for just under 2 years and then water started dripping from the steam wand while espresso was brewing. The drip got worse until it became a stream of water. Meanwhile the pressure dial showed less and less pressure when brewing. I tried a variety of ground beans to see if that changed anything, but it did not. Less and less coffee came out of portafilter over time. I descaled machine more than once, but nothing helped. At this point when I try to brew no water comes through the portafilter while a steady stream of hot water comes out of the steam wand. I have to go through the 2 cup cycle at least three times before coffee starts to drip from portafilter. I need to go through cycle at least 4 times to get a single serving. I’m extremely disappointed in this machine. I expect its lifespan to be more than two years. In addition, the temperature of the espresso never got super hot- a complaint I read about this machine. At this point I would not recommend this machine.

I'm in love. This machine has already paid for itself in a week and a half, if I count up what the equivalent number of $7 lattes would have cost me. I get to look forward to delicious daily espresso drinks without the outrageous cost hit. The machine is really easy to use. Yeah maybe it's not the ultimate coffee snob moment, but I'm used to drinking high quality lattes in San Francisco, and this is a strong contender if you get the right beans and the right milk.