Priced like an ‘elevated’ model, but doesn’t meet expectations: Why a former barista wouldn’t recommend Cuisinart’s new espresso machine

I test loads of the best espresso machines, but the Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine is not one of them. Thanks to a dated, clunky appearance, a tendency to brew weak espresso, and flimsy accessories, I wouldn’t recommend this model.

To save you time, I’m going to tell you exactly which espresso machines you should look at instead: if you want to spend a little more, check out the $299 Breville Bambino. If you want to save more, then go for the $149 De’Longhi Stilosa.

If, however, you’re curious as to what makes the Cuisinart model such a disappointment, then keep reading this Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review.

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Cheat sheet

• Who is it for? Eek, no one?
• What does it do well? It’s very slim and easy to use
• What are its weaknesses? The price is bizarre, and it doesn’t make real espresso
• What should you use it for? I think you should get the cheaper De’Longhi Stilosa instead

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Specs

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Price & availability

The Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine (say that five times fast) is pretty cheap, all things considered. In the U.S., it’s $249 at Amazon. In the U.K., it’s £179 at Amazon.

Even though the Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine — which I will be referring to as "the Slim” from here on out — is relatively cheap for an espresso machine, this $249 price tag is a little perplexing.

$249 places the Slim firmly in the “budget” price range, yet other, more premium machines hover at a similar cost. The Breville Bambino is just $299, the De’Longhi Stilosa is just $149, and the De’Longhi Classic is $229.

If Cuisinart had priced the Slim around the $150 mark, I’d consider it a much better value product. $150 could compete with the likes of the Casabrews 3700 Essential or the Casabrews CM5148, $129 and $149, respectively.

As it only ships with pressurized filter baskets, a flimsy plastic scoop/tamper, and no cleaning products, the Slim certainly feels like a super-budget option. It treats me, the user, like it knows it’s a budget machine. But the price tag suggests an elevated budget machine, more Bambino territory than Casabrews. Hence my perplexion.

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Design

It brings me no joy to say this, but the Slim has a divisive appearance. Some of my colleagues commented on its look, suggesting that it’s quite eye-catching, but others found it dated and plasticky. I fall into that second category.

In my opinion — and this is just my opinion — I think Cuisinart really shot itself in the foot with this design. The Slim looks cheap. The metal-slash-plastic exterior is just the tip of the iceberg. On top of having a plastic-looking body, the buttons are tacky and dated, and the accessories are low-quality.

Bizarrely, the portafilter is 52mm, with a 49mm diameter. If you know anything about coffee, you’ll know that this is an anomalous size. Why not make it a 51mm, so you can use De’Longhi or Casabrews baskets? Why not make it 54mm, so you can use Breville baskets? Why 52? I just don’t understand.

Cuisinart markets the portafilter as a “bottomless portafilter”, but this is not entirely the case. A bottomless portafilter cannot be a pressurized portafilter, yet the basket is pressurized. Oddly, the basket has more holes than a standard pressurized basket, yet far fewer holes than your traditional bottomless. Cuisinart’s basket also has two walls rather than one, which tells me it’s pressurized.

Here’s a photo, so you can see what I mean. The lower portafilter is a true bottomless.

Some serious coffee nerds will say that only 58mm portafilters can create “true” espresso — due to the wider diameter ensuring water is evenly distributed across the grounds — but this machine isn’t for those people anyway.

The best part of the Slim is, well, its slimness. This would fit onto any countertop in even the smallest of kitchens, so I’d recommend it if you’re super short on space but still want to make fresh coffee at home.

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Espresso

As the Slim uses a pressurized portafilter basket, it physically cannot brew “technically” correct espresso. Complete beginners, or those who tend to drink flavored coffee, might not notice a difference, but coffee nerds, look away.

I found I could only get 16g of coffee in the double-shot portafilter basket, which is 2g less than the optimal dose of 18g. You can just adjust the espresso out amount to 32g to counteract this, though — this gives you a 1:2 ratio of coffee to espresso, which is more or less the default ratio to aim for.

Even so, I found the Slim’s espresso to be quite weak. Here’s a photo of an espresso shot I made on the Slim, using 16g of finely ground medium-roast El Salvadoran beans.

As you can see, the crema is overly fluffy, showing it was extracted through a pressurized portafilter. The body of the shot is monochromatic — this picture was taken perhaps three seconds after extraction — which means there’s not much nuance in the flavor.

Some of my colleagues reported that the espresso tasted good, with no bitterness or sourness, and had a perfectly balanced flavor. Others, however, said that their coffee tasted weak and watery. I found the espresso quite weak, too, without the delicate nutty flavors present in this roast of coffee.

Overall, I found the espresso performance relatively disappointing, even for a $249 machine. For just $50 extra, you can get genuinely excellent espresso with the Breville Bambino. I would recommend that everyone purchase the Bambino over the Slim, as it will impress serious coffee evangelists and newcomers alike.

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Milk

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Although the espresso performance fell below my expectations, I was more impressed with the steam wand performance. I was able to get half-decent latte art, which wasn’t the case with Casabrews’ budget CM5418.

As you can see, the milk is a little bubbly, but this is just a marker of a low-power steam wand: it’s trickier to get that all-important vortex for microfoam. With a little practice, though, you’ll be able to teach yourself how to steam milk like a barista.

I will note that switching from milk to espresso to milk again is quite annoying. Between drinks, I had to purge the steam wand, turn the steam off, on, and off again to activate the shot buttons. If you get this machine, don’t expect to be able to switch between steam and espresso quickly.

For those of you who will be making multiple drinks at a time, again, I’m going to recommend the Breville Bambino.

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Storage & maintenance

As the Slim is, well, slim, it’s very easy to store. This would be an ideal machine for those super short on space.

At just 5.5 inches wide, it’s the smallest espresso machine I’ve ever tested. The Breville Bambino is 7 inches, the Casabrews 3700 Essential is 5.7 inches, and the Casabrews CM5418 is 5.9 inches. If you really only have 5.5 inches of space, I recommend finding an extra two inches and getting the Casabrews 3700 Essential.

Unfortunately, the Cuisinart Slim doesn’t come with any cleaning supplies, so you’d need to source descaling solution yourself. You can get a universal descaler for $13 on Amazon, and generic espresso machine cleaning tablets for $16 on Amazon.

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: How does it compare?

As you might be able to tell from the 2-star rating, I think the Cuisinart Slim pales in comparison to similarly priced — and even cheaper — competition. For $50 extra, you could get the coffee-snob-approved Breville Bambino, which has zero flaws. I gave that machine 5 stars for a reason.

For $100 less, you could get the fantastic De’Longhi Stilosa, which remains the best cheap espresso machine I’ve ever used. For $120 less, you could get the Casabrews 3700 Essential, which is the cheapest espresso machine I’ve ever recommended.

At this price point, I just don’t think the Slim does enough. You can get a much better performance for $50 more — or $129 less.

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Slim Espresso Machine review: Verdict

If it wasn’t already abundantly clear, I don’t think anyone should buy this machine. There are far better options for less money, such as the $129 Casabrews 3700 Essential or the $149 De’Longhi Stilosa.

Cuisinart shot itself in the foot by pricing the Slim at $249. This makes it too close to the 5-star Breville Bambino’s MSRP of $299, meaning I just can’t recommend it.

Personally, I’d go for the $299 Bambino, but those looking to save as much money as possible won’t be disappointed by the $149 De’Longhi Stilosa.