CASABREWS CM5418 Compact Espresso Machine with Milk Frothing 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.

Great espresso machine for the price! It is fairly easy to operate, and cleaning is not difficult at all. I used a few cheap espresso machines before, and this one definitely at a much better experience. I use it every morning to make cappuccino or latte. Besides the little noise, there is not much to complain about. The milk frother is my favorite function. It makes very smooth foamy hot milk quickly and satisfying. It does take a few tries to get the correct grind size. But once you get it right, it works pretty consistently. There are a couple points can be improved, such as the metal plate where you coffee cup sits is too slippery, I wish it was a rubbery material instead; the frother nozzle is a little low, makes it difficult to make the milk with a larger cup. After all, I highly recommend this espresso machine to any casual coffee drinker that love to experiment different coffee drinks at home and not too picky about the brand. Great espresso machine for the price! It is fairly easy to operate, and cleaning is not difficult at all. I used a few cheap espresso machines before, and this one definitely at a much better experience. I use it every morning to make cappuccino or latte. Besides the little noise, there is not much to complain about. The milk frother is my favorite function. It makes very smooth foamy hot milk quickly and satisfying. It does take a few tries to get the correct grind size. But once you get it right, it works pretty consistently. There are a couple points can be improved, such as the metal plate where you coffee cup sits is too slippery, I wish it was a rubbery material instead; the frother nozzle is a little low, makes it difficult to make the milk with a larger cup. After all, I highly recommend this espresso machine to any casual coffee drinker that love to experiment different coffee drinks at home and not too picky about the brand. Great espresso machine for the price! It is fairly easy to operate, and cleaning is not difficult at all. I used a few cheap espresso machines before, and this one definitely at a much better experience. I use it every morning to make cappuccino or latte. Besides the little noise, there is not much to complain about. The milk frother is my favorite function. It makes very smooth foamy hot milk quickly and satisfying. It does take a few tries to get the correct grind size. But once you get it right, it works pretty consistently. There are a couple points can be improved, such as the metal plate where you coffee cup sits is too slippery, I wish it was a rubbery material instead; the frother nozzle is a little low, makes it difficult to make the milk with a larger cup. After all, I highly recommend this espresso machine to any casual coffee drinker that love to experiment different coffee drinks at home and not too picky about the brand

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.

I waited until the return window closed to write this review—I want to be honest. I had a similar machine (under a different brand name) that broke after just 15 days of use; it never turned on properly and took a long time to operate. This espresso machine really surprised me; it’s worth the price. I haven't bought a single coffee out since I bought it. The brew is exquisite, and the milk frother is perfect—I didn't know how to use it at first, but I watched a few videos and learned. I should also mention that it comes with a recipe book for creating different drinks. It’s worth the investment.

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.

For the price, this is a great little espresso maker. The espresso has a good flavor and a rich crema. We have our own grinder and have adjusted the grind from pretty fine to finer, but often, the puck is still sloppy. Besides that, I don't have a lot of complaints. I like that it's slim and doesn't take up much counter space. Because it's slim, the water reservoir is pretty small. The lid on the reservoir rattles a bit when it's full. I like that it gets up to heat and brews pretty quickly. We've had other equally inexpensive espresso makers and another couple which were double and four times the cost of this one that I can't say made better espresso. One thing I enjoy that others may not is that the pull is timed. I like being able to walk away from it once it's set to go. We've only had it for 5 months, so I can't speak to its longevity. Hopefully, it lasts a while. If it goes for 2 or 3 years, I'd buy another one.

This is a great, simple machine. Brews lovely espresso, easy to use, good crema and compact design. I’ve owned nespressos, keurigs, moka pots, french presses, pour-overs etc etc etc. I’ve now enjoyed this little machine for over 9 months. I don’t need fancy, just a good work horse without too many breakable bells and whistles. I did lose a screw from the internal shower head at one point and the company replaced the entire machine as replacement parts were not available. Easy peasy.

J'ai longtemps hésité à commander cette machine à espresso, cherchant à avoir un bon café de qualité sans trop y mettre d'argent. J'ai finalement passée ma commande et reçu la machine le lendemain. Je pensais sérieusement que j'allais devoir faire des essais-erreurs avant de réussir à avoir un bon espresso. J'ai préchauffé la machine comme recommandé par la marque, en faisant couler un 2 tasses, sans y mettre d'espresso, avant de faire une vraie tasse. Hé bien, mon tout premier espresso était vraiment excellent. J'ai choisi un sac de café Lavazza "crema e gusto" moulu finement que j'ai trouvé au supermarché, j'ai mis 11-13g dans mon portafilter, et dès ma première gorgée j'ai été grandement surprise. Aucun arrière-goût, aucune amertume. Un café très doux, mais fort en même temps. Points importants à noter: - Le mousseur à lait prend parfois un peu de temps à être bien chaud et je n'ai pas réussi à faire mousser mon lait au complet, mais ce n'était pas ma priorité. - Le mousseur est aussi très bruyant, au point de faire siler mes oreilles. - J'utilise l'eau chaude du mousseur à lait (sans mettre l'option steam) pour allonger mon espresso, mais parfois l'eau n'est pas aussi chaude que j'aimerais qu'elle le soit. Je suis très contente de mon achat, et après une semaine à me faire des café régulièrement je n'ai aucun problème majeur avec la machine. Je recommanderais clairement cette machine pour ceux qui souhaitent se faire des espressos, ou allongés de qualité, sans trop dépenser (surtout considérant que certaines machines à pods sont encore plus chères que celle-ci). Évidemment il est possible de "modder" la machine en changeant le portafilter, mais honnêtement, étant quelqu'un qui prend de 2-5 cafés par jour, je ne vois pas l'intérêt pour le moment puisque le café est très bon! Je recommande!!

Estoy muy satisfecho con este producto. La calidad y como se ve es muy buena!

Muy buena con accesorios mas adecuados hace maravillas

I've owned a fully manual Saeco espresso machine for 15 years. It did me fine, but I wanted to try a different model and to see what improvements have been made with a moderate price point. My Saeco was $500 US, I was skeptical about Casabrews reviews costing less. I decided to give it a try, if it didn't meet my expectations, I would return it. Well, this machine has exceeded my expectations❗️. 1st off, it's very stylish and perfect if you don't have a lot of space on your counter when you want to keep it out all the time After setting it up and turning the unit on, I ran the hot water through the frother. I like to grind my espresso, it give me that fresh and aromatic aroma that I want everytime I have an espresso. My Saeco had the single shot, but u had to buy the prepackaged perforated bags of espresso. It annoyed me because it's a cost that I didn't want to deal with so I always made a 2 shot espresso. During the morning, it's perfect but in the afternoon or evening, I prefer to have a single shot. With my Saeco machine, it had to Purge before I could use it. With Casabrew espresso machine, you don't need to worry about purging and you don't need to buy perforated bags of espresso for a single shot. A good sign of a espresso machine is the crema. Well, let me tell you, it blew me away when I saw the amount of crema it gave me on single shot. My old Saeco didn't come close. Another issue I didn't like with my old Saeco was plastic tube inside the water tank and the plastic piece that was on the end of the nozzle to make a cappuccino. Everytime you made cappuccino, with the Saeco, I had to take everything apart to clean it. With Casabrew, there's no tube in the tank. The water is pulled from the bottom of the tank. If I make a cappuccino, after I'm done all I have to do is get a cup of warm water and have the hot water come through the nozzle...that's it. I also like the pressure gauge to help you understand if the machine is maintaining a consistent level of hot water. It gives you the maximize or optimum quality of espresso. If I had to be critical about this machine, there's only one thing I wish Casabrew did...add some weight to the base. As you lock in the espresso, I find it sometimes may move around. Part of that is that the water tank isn't full. I prefer to put up with a slight move in the machine vs. having to buy perforated bags for single shots. I'm hooked with one, I have used it over a week and I've had more espresso than ever. I want to invite family and friends just to have a good brew. Highly recommended 👌🏻

This is my second expresso machine. It generally speaking is very good so far. It makes great expresso with a much better speed than my first machine(good name , entry machine). Great looking with a very compact size. The only issue is that it makes really big, sharp noise sound when doing milk frothing, my ears get hurting. That is why I just gave it 4 stars instead of 5.