CASABREWS Espresso Machine 20 Bar, Professional Espresso Maker Cappuccino Machine with Steam Milk Frother, Stainless Steel Espresso Coffee Machine with 49oz Removable Water Tank, Gift for Dad Mom

Capable espresso machine for the money! (With the right accessories)
TL;DRStock: Good, easy-to-use machine, espresso tamp not good, ok shots with pressurized baskets, needs milk pitcher, great milk texturing.With accessories (better tamp, portafilter, non-pressurized baskets, and milk pitcher): Good shots with good crema! Great machine for the price!I bought the machine for making espresso-based drinks at work and it works well! I have a Breville Barista Pro at home, which I can compare to.Unboxing and Instructions:Pretty easy to follow, both for prepping and using the machine. Straight forward with how to do each step of the process. Workflow-wise, pressing steam to warm up the machine for milk steaming is a little different, but ok. I also did custom volumes for the shots as this provided better control, both for the time of the shot and yield in the cup. Pretty easy to do!Tamp:Please get a different tamp, especially with non-pressurized baskets. Night and day difference with a better tamp.Portafilter:It’s decent. Comes with pressurized baskets with a weird plastic design underneath the basket for the spouts. Definitely recommend getting a different portafilter. The Casabrews 51mm bottomless portafilter works great with it!Coffee:I have only used fresh, locally roasted coffee for the machine. I also have a hand grinder to dial in the espresso. I have not tried pre-ground coffee in the machine, which can use the pressurized baskets.Espresso Pulls:With the stock machine, you only get pressurized baskets. When pulling shots with those baskets, flavors are ok but too light. Crema from the shot was also poor and too bubbly. After several attempts to try and make it work, I bought the bottomless portafilter from Casabrews. This comes with a non-pressurized basket. After dialing in on the espresso and doing a custom volume for the shot (much better for control), finally GOOD FLAVOR from the shot! The same type of shot I pull from the Breville I can get from the Casabrews. The shots are slightly better from the Breville, but for the price, it’s great.Milk Steaming:Doesn’t come with a milk pitcher, so you’ll need to buy one. Compared to the Breville, the wand is smaller, only a single nozzle, and much less pressure to texture/swirl the milk. It is also much slower to steam milk. Even then, I am still able to get a good, even texture on the milk. One thing that is annoying is the large range on the knob for milk steaming. Maybe I’m used to the Barista Pro, but having to twist the knob multiple times to get the steam maxed out and then to stop steaming is a little weird.Final Thoughts:After getting all of the accessories, great little machine! If you buy the stock machine, I think you will still be able to make decently enjoyable espressos and milk-based drinks. So much better than just Keurig coffee at work! Compared to the Breville Barista Pro, the stock machine is a bit underwhelming. With accessories, you can have a satisfying workflow and create some very tasty drinks! Definitely recommended if you can spend a little extra in accessories.

Wonderful Machine
I waited to review this machine until I had used it for a few months. It has held up extremely well. I’m extremely happy with this machine. It is really well built and a quality home machine for the average person. If you need all of the fancy bells and whistles then this one probably won’t suit your needs but for someone who just needs some good espresso and steamed milk, this is phenomenal. It is really well priced for what it accomplishes. I love the metal exterior and just how sturdy this machine feels. There seems to be very little plastic involved which is super nice.My only notes of things I didn’t like are the “factory smell” when it first came and how long it takes the cup warmer to get warmed up. Both are pretty manageable and aren’t super big issues. To get rid of the factory smell, rinse the heck out of it. It will linger for a bit but it does go away, trust me. The warmer can be “primed” by doing a clear water run first after you turn it on. It gets fairly warm after that. I barely use the warmer anyway but that does get it warmed up.The sound and noise of it is pretty impressive for a budget machine. It will make a loud grumble at first when pouring the shot but it lasts for maybe a second or two and then goes to a low hum during the rest.As for the taste, I have to say it’s very nice. I’ve used a few different types of coffee for it. My favorite so far has been from a local shop that roasts their beans in house and grinds them for you if you ask during the purchase. That’s my biggest recommendation for a nice beverage, is fresh quality coffee. I don’t have a grinder at the moment but I’m planning on getting one soon to just make it even better. That’s the only reason I don’t grind them myself. I prefer that type of coffee but I have used Cafe Bustelo with this machine and if you’re making lattes, it does the job. I recommend getting better coffee though if you can.The steam wand is one of my favourite parts of this machine and it was a major reason that I gravitated towards this machine. The wand doesn’t feel loose or flimsy like many budget machines do. This one is nice, hefty, powerful, and very nice looking.I highly recommend this machine to anyone who just needs a simple yet good machine. It is great for people who are on a budget and can’t afford the ones you see in the YouTube shorts from influencer baristas. This one is a great deal. Just work with it a bit and then it’ll be easy. It just takes acquainting yourself with it and getting a rhythm going.

Stopped working
Update: I had two baristas try this machine to see if it could work properly and my lack of experience was the fault. Neither of them could get the milk to froth. We tried several kinds of milk. I contacted the company and they were so good to give me my money back. I obviously got a faulty product. I appreciated their willingness to work with me since it is an elevated priced item.The Casa brew worked great for a few months. (I only used it on my two day weekends.) I have used it fewer than twenty times and the steamer function stopped working. When I turn it to that function after the heating period is over it just makes a “thunking” sound but nothing happens. I am past my return window and cannot get help with troubleshooting because it says it is not available.

 I already own the Breville espresso pro which on sale was $1000. I wanted a cheaper alternative for the cottage, and the Bambino model was still more than I wanted to spend. This Casabrew is excellent, at $180! Half the price of the Bambino. It took fiddling to getting the right grind and dose amount. Too much in the portafilter and it won’t lock in place. I had ordered a bottomless filter to see if it would improve my shot but it didn’t! What I have is already good! It doesn’t come with a milk pitcher but I prefer to order my own for latte art, the only thing I ordered was the 51mm distributor & tamper ($37). Take the time to test and once it’s all worked out, you will be rewarded with great coffee! Just-as-good lattes but at a fraction of the price. Perfect if you are new to the espresso world for an entry level machine, or need a cheap alt for cottage. Easy to clean and operate. Frother works fine, and it doesn’t take that much longer to heat up than my Breville. Yes, it is lighter and doesn’t feel as heavy but at $180 you can’t go wrong. Highly recommend!

It is the cheapest model I can find for a 20 bar machine. Very detailed instructions, easy to use, small sized so perfectly fit for my kitchen. Makes good coffee. Although, the new machine smell will last for a while.

Impressed with this machine so far. Make’s creamier espresso than my old Ascaso that actually caught fire and is a fraction of the price. If they provided a better quality tamper I would rate it 5*