CM5418 (CM5418BC-UL)

https://a.co/d/02nxVEVx I got this espresso machine on Amazon prime days two years ago and it is fantastic. I use cafe bustelo espresso grounds with it and some of the best coffee. This is after being used to my parents’ Breville for years, comparatively pretty good for the money. I did some research on it and it has great reviews plus a few YouTubers I watched liked it.

I’m hardly a connoisseur, but little unit has been amazing. It is my first and now I’ll never not own an espresso machine. https://a.co/d/0jbq5zQx

wow OP is like a coffee machine aficionado huh? that list is so good but i would also like to add the casabrew to it too, [this one in particular](https://dk5cnflyn7mcb.cloudfront.net/?q=GMKAO3529). your list of considerations for a machine is very nice and i know you made this post for new baristas probably or at home coffee brewers but i want to emphasize the importance of the performance of the machine too. the main idea is the full extraction of flavour from the coffee you’ve put in, and most coffee machines just dont do that the way you'd expect you know? and i feel like we ignore that bit bcs its easier to blame a packaged brand of coffee than the machine bcs we just assume the problem is in the potency or strength of the coffee itself. and obv i do believe the coffee bean makes all the difference in the world and the whole process of sourcing and smelling and then roasting and drying and grinding and all of that is the real experience to me at least. i feel like theres a few non negotiables when it comes to coffee and the bean choice is srsly #1 followed very very very closely by the kind of machine youre using and then what sort of coffee youre making. the choice of milk is obv anther factor but i feel like thats a topic for another post lol.

Casabrews is best out of your group you provided, but now you need a good grinder. DF54 is a good starting point, or a hand grinder like a Kingrinder K6 or 1zpresso J-Ultra.

i’m on the 5418 too, one thing i’d add is grabbing a decent tamper and a simple WDT tool. the stock stuff works, but these two make the puck spreads more evenly without spending much.