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Tom's Guide
06-07-2025
- General
- Tom's Guide
Could this $249 espresso machine be one of the cheapest ways to get decent espresso? Yes, but there's a catch
I spend a lot of my life thinking about, making, and drinking coffee. I'm the kind of person who would rather drink no coffee than bad coffee, so I'm adamant on finding the best espresso machines on the market. When I got the opportunity to review the Casabrews Ultra, I was so excited. I'm of the opinion you don't need to spend a whole month's salary on an espresso machine, so I'm always desperate to try budget options. I'm also of the opinion that no espresso machine is perfect. More affordable espresso machines tend to have more imperfections than others (obviously corners will be cut to keep that price down), and it didn't take me long to find the Casabrews Ultra's. But could it still be a worthy contender for the crown of best espresso machines? Hmm, it depends what kind of barista you are. Here's why I think the Casabrews Ultra is 70% of the way there. If you know anything about coffee, you've likely heard the term "PID controller". If you don't know what this is, it's basically a nifty piece of tech that controls temperature of the water so your espresso isn't too cold or hot. A PID controller is one of the best ways to achieve perfect espresso, and if you want seriously good coffee, you should always look out for machines that have them. You can also install them yourself, but that involves a serious amount of DIY. Anyway, the Casabrews Ultra has a PID controller, which is almost unheard of on a machine this cheap. So I was so excited to get started with testing and brew delicious espresso. Here's a shot of espresso pulled on the Casabrews Ultra, with default dose. I used 18.7g of coffee (much less than the recommended 21g) ground on the Eureka Mignon Specialita. I pressed the double shot button and let the Ultra do its magic. As you can see, the shot is neither perfect nor imperfect. It's simply... very mid. The crema is quite weak, which could be because of my beans, tamping, grind, temperature, or a plethora of other reasons. As I was using a $700 grinder and a machine with a PID controller, it's likely because of the beans (although I do use specialty wholebeans) or my tamping. This shot was quite bitter and not as aromatic as I'd hoped. So I pulled another shot, this time with my Fellow Tally Pro scale to measure dosage. I switched off extraction when the scale read 36g, but the portafilter dripped out another 7g of espresso. This was initially disappointing, but wow, this shot tasted amazing. It was light and balanced, with a nice juiciness at the back of the tongue, and had no bitterness whatsoever. From then on, I always stopped extraction manually, and I'd recommend you do the same on your Casabrews Ultra. I'll talk about this more in detail below. One of my favorite aspects of the Casabrews Ultra is the built-in timer I mentioned earlier. Having a timer is instrumental in brewing delicious espresso. Here's a quick coffee lesson: there are three flavor stages in espresso extraction. They are as follows: Ideally, you want more acidity and sweetness than bitterness. Or, I do, anyway. I like my espresso with just a touch of bitterness to round out the other flavors. So to ensure I stop espresso extraction before bitterness overwhelms the shot, I need a timer. Bitterness usually hits if you keep extracting longer than around 28 seconds. This all depends on the beans and grind size, though, so there's no one-size-fits-all. This is just my personal experience, and personal opinion. With the built-in timer, I can easily stop extraction at 25 seconds or so without needing to check my coffee scale. It's just more straightforward to have this displayed to me on the big screen. This timer includes pre-infusion time, for all the coffee nerds out there, and you can adjust pre-infusion to your liking. Although the Casabrews Ultra has a lot going for it — the LED screen, built-in timer, 20-bar pressure, PID controller — it's not perfect. In my review, I only awarded it 3.5 stars. Why not 4, if it can brew espresso almost as well as any other premium product? The issues all lie within the steam wand. Usually a poor steam wand is the marker of a cheap machine, and the Casabrews Ultra unfortunately falls into this trap. The steam wand is as weak as a sick little kitten. It's like coughing into a milk jug and hoping that will be enough. Unfortunately, it is not enough. I was completely unable to achieve thick, textured microfoam with the Ultra's steam wand. Usually, I'd blame the workman, not the tools. But I know I'm capable of steaming milk properly (I was a barista for 3.5 years), and I've used cheaper machines with better outcomes (the $149 De'Longhi Stilosa). Obviously these cheap machines can't come close to the best steam wand I've ever used (that would be the $1,800 Smeg Mini Pro), but usually, they at least try. I don't think the Casabrews Ultra even tries. This is the best milk texture I got, and this took me about 20 drinks worth of practice. As you can see, the milk is frothy and uneven. There are large bubbles instead of delicate microfoam. I was really frustrated with this steam wand by the end of testing. It's too weak to create the 'vortex' you need to gently agitate the milk and fold it within itself. Unfortunately, I can only recommend this espresso machine for one of three use-cases. If you fall into one of these categories, then I'm sure the Casabrews Ultra won't disappoint you. The PID controller and built-in timer are two major plusses that really separate this machine from the rest of the budget space. However, if, like me, you love flat whites and making latte art, then this isn't the machine for you. I'd recommend the Breville Bambino Plus, as always.
Tom's Guide
05-07-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Casabrews has changed the game with the $249 Ultra espresso machine — it has one surprising feature I've never seen before
Casabrews is one of the most famous budget coffee brands of the last few years. Considering it's only been around since 2020, that's no mean feat. The manufacturer's known for cheap and cheerful espresso machines, and the new Casabrews Ultra is no different. It's $249, which makes it one of the most affordable machines on the market. So there has to be something wrong with the Casabrews Ultra, right? Well… it's definitely suited to a certain kind of barista — one who has no need for a steam wand. Someone who drinks either iced lattes or black Americanos… because the steam wand is very poor. Anyway, I digress. Could the affordable price be enough of a trade-off? Could the Casabrews Ultra still be one of the best espresso machines? I'll discuss everything in this Casabrews Ultra review. Price $249 / £199 Weight 13.5 pounds Grinder No Dimensions 12.2 x 10.3 x 12.9 inches Heating system Thermoblock Pressure 20-bar Water tank capacity 73 ounces Accessories Scoop & tamper, separate tamper The Casabrews Ultra is $249 from Amazon U.S. and £199 from Amazon U.K.. This price makes it one of the cheapest espresso machines on the market, let alone espresso machines with a PID controller and temperature customization. Casabrews makes a whole range of budget-friendly espresso machines, including the Casabrews 5418, $169 from Amazon and the Casabrews 3700, $129 from Amazon. Casabrews' priciest machine is the $474 Casabrews 5700Pro, which has a built-in grinder. As I mentioned briefly above, the Casabrews Ultra has a PID controller. If you don't know what this is, it's basically a nifty bit of tech built into the machine that actively controls water temperature. Usually PID controllers are only found on pricier machines (one of the cheapest I've ever found is the Breville Bambino Plus, $499), so Casabrews' PID inclusion here is very unique. Considering the Casabrews Ultra is just $249, it looks surprisingly good. Yes, it's pretty lightweight and flimsy, but in terms of baseline appearance? It's not too shabby. I will note that the stainless steel chassis is prone to tarnishing — there's a small dark mark on the front of the machine after brewing just 15 or so drinks. The machine has four buttons: single shot, double shot, hot water, and steam wand. Yes, turning on the steam wand uses a button, not a knob or a dial. This is similar to the Smeg ECF02 espresso machine. I'll discuss the steam wand in full in the 'Milk' section below, but here's a little foreshadowing:… and I did not like the Smeg machine. The Casabrews Ultra has another unique design feature: the LED screen. This screen is used for customizing temperature, and it also has a timer! Yes, it counts precisely how long espresso takes to extract. This is one of the best things about this machine, hands down. However, the screen isn't all good. Despite having descale warnings, the screen seems to be incapable of showing water tank levels. Once, I was wondering why my espresso shot wasn't extracting (it can't be the grind size, I thought, because this grind worked earlier) and it was just because the water tank was empty. Why's there no alert on the screen? It doesn't make sense. The rest of the machine is as expected: the water tank has a 73-ounce capacity, the drip tray has a red tab that pops up when it's full, and it has a completely metal exterior. I also like the circular groove on the top of the machine, which holds the tamper perfectly. Before using the Casabrews Ultra for drinks, I ran about 150 ounces of water through the machine to clean out the insides. Other users have reported a slightly metallic taste to the espresso and hot water. I thought this might've been due to manufacturing residue, so I flushed out the internal mechanisms completely before using. I'll discuss Casabrews' recommendation for dose and portafilter now. Just as a pre-warning, do not follow Casabrews' advice. It was not yummy. Casabrews recommends a dose of 18-21g for the double shot portafilter. I dosed 18g every single time and had tasty shots, if a little bitter. Upping the dose to 21g resulted in overfilling the portafilter. I don't know where this recommended measure came from, but I would never do it. Casabrews provides a single and dual walled portafilter in both single and double size, but I only used the single-walled portafilter. It goes without saying that I would never recommend using a dual-walled portafilter as it physically cannot pull real espresso. I'll walk you through my routine so you can see how easy the Casabrews Ultra is to use. Using my Eureka Mignon Specialita, I ground my light-roasted Tanzanian coffee espresso-fine. It took me a while to dial in the correct grind: initially the grind was too fine and wasn't extracting at all, then it was too coarse and sour. I'd say it took me about four shots to perfect the grind size for these beans. Once I had my beans dialled in, I had no issues switching between different coffees. I also tested with some Rwandan beans, which required a finer grind than the Tanzanian, and the Ultra handled that deftly. Here's a photo of a shot I pulled on the Casabrews Ultra. I didn't alter the machine's settings: this is the default dose. I dosed 18.7g of finely-ground coffee, tamped, and pressed the double shot button. The Ultra stopped extraction at 64g of espresso, which is about a 1:3.5 ratio rather than the ideal 1:2 ratio. The shot was quite bitter, but overall tasted good when mixed with oat milk. Next, I manually pulled my shot. With my Fellow Tally Pro scale, I allowed the Ultra to extract until the scale read 37g. Unfortunately the shot kept dripping even after I pressed stop, which made the shot increase to 43g before I removed the cup. This espresso shot was much tastier than its predecessor: it was acidic and bright without being sour, and had no bitterness whatsoever. I would recommend reprogramming the Ultra's dose to under 40g to prevent the bitter burned notes from coming out. It's easy to do this with a bit of button-pressing, just as easy as on the Breville Bambino Plus. After the success with espresso extraction, I had high hopes for the steam wand performance too. Unfortunately, these hopes were quite quickly dashed. I have nothing positive to say about this steam wand, so strap in I guess. Firstly, the wand itself is quite stiff: I found it tricky to raise and lower, which meant I couldn't get a good angle for aerating. Secondly, it takes a while to switch between espresso and steaming. I had to wait up to about 30 seconds to purge my steam wand and then a further few seconds until the steam was dry enough to use. Thirdly, the wand itself is very weak. Fortunately the steam is quite dry, but it's not pressurized enough to generate velvety microfoam. I found it really difficult to blend in the larger bubbles and create the necessary 'vortex' for aeration. The steam wand wasn't powerful enough to blend the wet and dry layers of milk to create microfam. The steam wand is nothing compared to even the $149 De'Longhi Stilosa, let alone the best steam wand I've ever used: the $1,800 Smeg Mini Pro. Surprisingly, I found oat milk easier to steam than cow milk; usually it's the other way around. Still, the oat milk drinks I made were nowhere near as good as I would have liked, and I was completely disappointed by the Casabrews Ultra. Here's a shot of the best drink I made on the Ultra, and this is after about 20 drinks worth of practice. As you can see, the bubbles are large and many. The latte art is nonexistent (and I can do latte art). The texture was off. My coworkers reported that the milk was one of two things: 1) it reminded them of the milk they used to make when they were inexperienced (ouch), and 2) it was separated into wet and dry layers. In short, I wouldn't recommend this machine for latte lovers. I'd stick to something like the $499 Bambino Plus or the $149 De'Longhi Stilosa for decent milk texture. Maybe the Casabrews Ultra is just for iced latte girlies and brooding, enigmatic Americano drinkers. As the Casabrews Ultra is just 12x13 inches, it's pretty compact (all things considered). I was able to fit this nicely on my office kitchen counter. I especially like that the top of the machine is wide and flat to store a milk jug, the group handle, and the tamper without taking up further counter space. The drip tray is quite small: I had to empty it after about every 5 drinks. For me in the office, that was half a morning of making everyone coffees. If you're using this machine at home, I'd recommend cleaning the drip tray every day regardless of the amount of drinks made. You don't want to have stagnant nasty water in your house, lest you attract bugs and other unwanted creatures. The drip tray itself is metal, which means it'll likely last longer than an all-plastic tray. In terms of maintenance, Casabrews sells a $49 ' insurance package. You also get a 1-year warranty with the Ultra as standard. The De'Longhi Linea is $229, and is a touch smaller, at 11 x 12 inches. If you're very tight on space, it might be worth checking out. However, it doesn't have a PID controller and I haven't personally tested it, so I can't comment on its brewing abilities. Of the espresso machines I have reviewed, I must mention the Breville Bambino Plus. This tiny machine is $499, so almost double the price of the Casabrews Ultra, but oh boy is it a level up. It's got a PID controller, like the Casabrews Ultra, but the steam wand is actually legendary. It can aerate beautiful microfoam, much, much better than the Casabrews Ultra. The Bambino Plus also has an auto-froth feature for the more hands-off baristas in your life. If you want to save as much $$$ as you can, I'd recommend the De'Longhi Stilosa. It's just $149, and utterly excellent. While the U.S. version only comes with dual-walled portafilters, you can easily get third-party single-walled ones. I will always recommend the Stilosa as the best value espresso machine out there. The Casabrews Ultra is a good machine, but it's not a great machine. If it was just an espresso machine — sans steam wand — I'd be more inclined to call the Ultra a great machine. It's got the makings of everything I want: a built-in timer, a PID controller, and a 58mm portafilter. However, the inferior steam wand majorly affects the rating. I was unable to craft barista-quality drinks. Gone was my ability to latte art. Gone was my ability to microfoam. It's not a skill issue: any other machine, I'm more than capable of doing this. As a result, I'd mostly recommend this machine for ice latte lovers, black Americano enthusiasts, or simply those who want an espresso machine for cheap and don't necessarily care about latte art. For me, though? I think I'd go for the De'Longhi Stilosa.
