The Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine is a popular, sleek espresso machine with customization settings that even espresso aficionados would appreciate.
After garnering some popularity on social media, I enlisted the expertise of a professional barista to find out if the Casabrews ULTRA lived up to its reputation and how it compares to more high-end models. Spoiler: It brews rich, delicious, and full-bodied coffee with ease.
And thanks to its stylish stainless steel design, this is one of the best espresso machines for high-quality yet inexpensive espresso at home.
My One-Minute Summary
The Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine brews truly delicious coffee to a standard similar to that of professional machines. You can adjust pour time and temperature, although I found that the pour times we set weren't always saved accurately.
Its functionality is easy to understand for those new to espresso making at home – with four buttons for choosing cup size, hot water, steam, and adjusting the brew – and the steam wand does a great job at turning milk silky and thick.
For more customization options, I recommend the Breville Barista Pro, or if you're short on space, the KitchenAid Espresso Machine is a stylish, smaller alternative.
Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine: Specifications
Type |
Espresso machine |
Pressure |
20-bar |
Modes |
One-cup, two-cup, hot water, steam |
Water tank capacity |
73 fluid ounces |
Milk frother? |
Yes |
Size |
12.99 x 12.2 x 10.31 inches |
Materials |
Stainless steel, plastic |
Accessories |
Tamper, five portafilter, single wall filters, double wall filters coffee scoop, cleaning brush |
Warranty |
1 year |
Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine: Design
The Casabrews ULTRA looks like a compact version of the professional espresso machines you find in coffee shops. It's made almost entirely of stainless steel, and takes about 2-3 minutes to warm up.
Even if you've had no experience making espresso at home, the operation is straightforward. All the parts move and attach intuitively. The drip tray slides out easily with minimal spillage, and the portafilter slots in with a satisfyingly weighty feel to it – and there’s a stopping point, so it’s easy to know when it’s fully inserted.
The tamper feels a little cheap compared to the more premium materials used for the rest of the machine. Its plastic is BPA-free and food-safe, but feels a touch too lightweight for tamping. When you're pressing grounds into the portafilter, you want them to be evenly distributed, and if you’re pressing yourself – as opposed to using a heavier weight – there’s more room for error. During testing, my barista partner and I found that there were occasionally loose grounds on top after pulling the tamper away.
You can, however, easily make a good-quality espresso, and if you are more of a coffee aficionado, you can adjust each shot to precisely how you prefer.
That said, after brewing, the coffee grounds came out as a solid puck, a good sign that the tamper has done its job (and paired with the right pour time).
There are four buttons for the different modes: One-cup, two-cup, hot water, and steam.
To change pour time, hold the two-cup button down for five seconds to be able to change the settings (only the power and two -cup button lights will be lit). Then, press the two-cup to start pouring, then again to stop, and it will show you the pour time.
It is said to remember this for next time, to tailor the brew to your beans without having to adjust the settings every time, but strangely, it did not remember exactly to the recorded time during my testing.
When setting the time to 27 seconds, the next coffee was poured for 26. When set at 24 seconds, the next was 23.5. As it isn't quite accurate, I would recommend setting your pour time a little higher than needed.
A nice touch is that the top surface of the espresso machine is slightly warm as the water heats up. You find this feature in professional espresso machines, as it allows you to gently warm your mug while brewing the coffee. We found the mug to be ever-so-slightly warmer after 5-10 minutes on top of the machine, upside down.
Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine: Performance
The Casabrews ULTRA brewed delicious coffee that tasted almost the same as when brewed from a professional machine, which was impressive for such a small appliance.
During testing, I made espressos, Americanos, lattes, and cappuccinos to find out how the Casabrews ULTRA performed. We used coffee beans that my barista partner regularly tastes at work and is familiar with the flavor profile, to see how similar the pour was from this at-home espresso machine.
For the first espresso, we poured for 23 seconds, and it tasted great, but a little acidic and sour. The crema was present and looked good, but could have been thicker.
We increased the pour to 27.5 seconds, and it was perfect. Indistinguishable from the espressos made from a professional machine.
We brewed Americanos by brewing espresso, then adding hot water, then vice versa. Both ways, it tasted almost as good as when brewed professionally, although a little flat.
It also didn't quite have the same body, but it performed exceptionally well at extracting the flavour, as we could taste all the notes in the coffee. The subtle chocolate, berry, and acidic profiles were all present.
The steam wand takes around 45-50 seconds to properly foam the milk and heat it up, which is a little slow, but the result was a thick, glossy milk that is perfect for flat whites, lattes, and cappuccinos.
It also didn’t do what lots of cheap machines do, which is to just blow bubbles into the milk.
The lattes and cappuccinos that we brewed were delicious, full-bodied, and impressive enough that my partner would happily serve them at work.
Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine: Cleaning and Storage
The Casabrews ULTRA is easy to clean. The drip tray comes out, allowing you to clean it thoroughly, and the internal parts can be flushed and descaled. A light will show on the LCD screen when it's time to descale the coffee maker.
To flush the machine, following the manual's clear instructions, I ran hot water for 30 seconds through the steam wand, then stopped it manually. Then, I did the same for the group head, and it stopped automatically after 23 seconds.
Hot water comes out of the steam wand, so if you're making an americano, you'll have to flush out the wand after every time you've submerged it in milk.
At 12.99 x 12.2 x 10.31 inches, the Casabrews ULTRA will need a decent amount of space on the counter, but not too much more than some of the bigger Keurig coffee makers.
It's stainless steel, so it'll easily blend into different kitchen interior styles, and it easily fits under my kitchen cabinets. If you prefer to keep yours out of sight, prepare to lift a somewhat heavy (13.55lbs) and bulky machine in and out of your kitchen storage.
How Does the Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine Compare?
At $249.99 at Casabrews, and often discounted to around $180-200, the Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine is a modest investment, and a more affordable entry into at-home espresso machines compared to premium models on the market. It's relatively compact too, measuring 10.31 in (W) x 12.2 in (D) x 12.99 in (H).
One such example is the Breville Barista Pro, costing $849.95 at Amazon. It perfectly extracts notes of all coffee types, can adjust temperature, includes a coffee grinder, and has exceptional build quality – but it'll take up more space on your counter.
If you're short on space, the KitchenAid Espresso Machine is a slim, stylish alternative that is similarly easy to use, includes a milk frother, and makes delicious coffee, at $249.99 at KitchenAid. It measures 6.38 x 13.15 x 11.26 inches.
Who Would the Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine Suit?
The Casabrews ULTRA Espresso Machine is the ideal entry point for those looking to try their first espresso machine, and coffee aficionados who like to have some control over their brew.
Espresso purists may prefer a more comprehensive machine that can adjust the temperature and includes its own coffee grinder, to keep everything needed for precision and customization in one place, such as the Breville Barista Pro.
Next, see which models top our guide to the best coffee makers after our rigorous testing sessions.
