Who said Casabrews are not recommended?
Do the research on YouTube and make your own decision. I own the Casabrews Ultra and my family does lattes daily. I don’t need another espresso machine unless it’s for my own personal preference. Before I bought this one I looked at other entry level machines and I didn’t like their weight and size. Again personal preference.
Casabrews Ultra is nice. Button machine, quick to temp and no lever dance or heating parts. Once the grind clicked, shots got clean and pretty steady without me babysitting every pull. Had it a bit over a year now, nothing weird on my unit so I'm honestly HAPPY!!!
I use the Casabrews ULTRA now. It’s still within your budget and has been an upgrade in both build and coffee quality. Great for espresso and manual frothing, and super easy to clean and maintain. The build feels solid and it’s held up really well so far. It’s a great machine if you’re looking for something that’s beginner-friendly but also gives you more room to grow into.
Casabrew is nice I had the $99 dollar one for a few months and my only complaint was the brew temp was a bit lower than expected at times but overall great machine. Comes with just pressurized baskets,so you’ll have to upgrade to single wall baskets if you’re looking for that kind of brew.
Now I have the Casabrew Ultra $209 on Amazon right now and I can increase the temp on this one and very pleased with this brand, eventually I will probabaly get a prosumer one but I’ll be good for a while with just upgrading the portafilter and grinder (using Timemore manual grinder) comes with single wall and double (pressurized) wall baskets
Edit:words
Grinder is doing most of the heavy lifting for espresso, the machine way less so. With your budget you can push the grinder higher and not worry too much on the machine side. A simple and sturdy machine that doesn't get in the way is enough. For me Casabrews Ultra is an easy partner. Basic 58 mm setup, no weired stuff. My unit's been pulling 1~2 shots every morning for 4 yrs and still chillin.
ok so all of these are really good options but insanely expensive lol. unless you’re like super into fine tuning every shot, you honeslty don’t need to drop that kinda cash. something like this casabrews one (or similar mid range machines) will do the job well enough imo. Its got a 20 bar pump and a pretty solid steam wand so not exactly perfect, but 90% as good for way less money.
biggest tip: don’t sleep on the grinder. a good burr grinder + fresh beans makes way more difference than the logo on the machine. spend a little less on the machine, a little more on the grinder, and you’ll get cafe level results without wrecking your wallet. Trust me on this.
You can always upgrade later on.
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Bambino Plus
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Fast heat-up, easy for beginners; inconsistent shots, annoying cleaning.
imbored3469
