Sunbeam’s espresso machine with integrated grinder provides an all-in-one machine to easily make barista-style coffee at home Key Features All-in-one, easy to use espresso machine Tap & Go integrated grinder. Just insert the group handle and ‘tap’ to activate the grinder. Powerful steam wand. Unleash your inner barista and create velvety smooth micro-foam milk café style Café-size 58mm Group Head.
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can you give some more insight, what makes it hard to make good coffee?
Without actually having ever looked into the machine my assumptions for something this cheap are
1) a poor grinder so you can't actually get it fine enough for espresso
2) no temp control
3) portafilter basket looks tampered which would make it hard to get an even tamp
Though it's entirely possible they've managed to make a good machine under $500 but it's a difficult ask as you have to cut corners somewhere
My experience with the Sunbeam has been excellent. I can create better tasting coffees than some places in my area.
Haven't had a problem with the grinder, or temps being too high. It steams milk wonderfully.
Although the basket holder is useless, I just grind into a cup and dose it to the basket.
My partner used to own a cafe - we have this machine at home, because it was cheap as hell and I wanted one during lockdown.
The results relative to the cost are completely adequate at a minimum.
I don't love the single shot basket, and the steaming function can be a a bit finicky for a first time user (but easy to adjust to) but otherwise my complaints are slim relative to anything else in this price bracket. Obviously you can get better, but depends what you want to pay and how much you're actually into it.
At this price, with warranty, it's pretty hard to knock.
My sister got one 2 years ago, if you know what you're doing and have paired the machine with good beans it makes great coffee.
I went and got one myself and have been getting a lot of compliments from visitors.
The grinder is more than capable.
I use Caramba coffee from Danes which is nice, strong and smooth.
It's an okay machine and I would pay extra to get a better one. The shots are not consistent even at same grind setting. And it makes such a big mess after every grind. But in honestly, you shouldn't expect high cafe quality at a cheapest price point machine. It's okay if you're wanting to get into the whole fresh bean thing.
Slightly off-topic, brand-wise, but speaking of mess after grinding: Breville Barista Express just can't simply grind into a double basket in one go, can it? If using "double" setting on grinder, the heap of ground coffee is just impossible to handle in the small portafilter.
Stick your finger in front of it while grinding. Then before you pull the portafilter out, tap the side of it 6 times with the tamper. Solves 95% of the issue.
Like this? 🖕🏻
Mine developed a leak after 6 months. Full refund from Appliances Online.
This was my first machine and I got a bit more experience in coffee making. It actually worked out well because there were a few more features that I wanted.
Moved onto the Barista Express, no complaints so far.
Its a good entry level machine for those wanted to get into it, I think
I've had one for about 3 years. Fantastic coffee for the price.
Like with any machine, just need to play around with the beans/grind/extraction.
I have this and I love it. I'm sure there are other coffee machines out there are much better but you can't go wrong at this price. I'm pretty picky about my coffee and while this might not hold a candle to the best cafes out there, it's more than decent enough for a weekday coffee at a fraction of the price. I'm not a coffee aficionado by any means so I can't weigh on other people's past comments around the grinder being too close to the boiler which makes beans lose flavour etc. It makes good enough coffee for 90% of the people out there I reckon
The pros:
Great bang for buck
Good, consistent coffee once you've figured out the grind size (I find 15-16 setting to be the best for me)
Nice crema that more expensive machines struggle with (anecdotal but my friend's $650 Sunbeam doesn't extract with good crema)
Large 58mm group head
Cons:
Leak issue seems to come up a lot in other people's reviews (I personally haven't had this issue yet 14 months since purchase, but I took a 3 year extended warranty from Appliances Online just in case)
Messy: ground coffee goes flying out EVERYWHERE.
The tamper is cheap plastic and very light and isn't very even when tamping. This was easily solved by purchasing this $30 metal tamper (https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B082MKVYFV) which improved the consistency of my pours leaps and bounds.
All in all, a solid 8/10 machine for the price
Poor man's Breville Barista Express
Poor justification, there's almost always better if you're willing to spend more money. Relative value here is strong.
![[Afterpay] Sunbeam Barista Max Espresso Coffee Machine $352.75 Delivered @ Appliances Online eBay](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/67/634767.jpg?h=7d943837)
Not a good buy. I'm disappointed with mine. Hard to make a good coffee.