If you're an espresso lover (nerd) like me, you'll have no doubt been a little put off by the price demanded for many of the best espresso machines. Thankfully, there are some decent machines out there for those on a budget, like the Casabrews Ultra, which is currently $60 off at Amazon.
While budget espresso machines (this one included) always come with some compromises, when we tested the Casabrews Ultra we were impressed with its premium features, including a PID temperature controller and shot time. We deemed it a solid little machine for the money and that's truer than ever with this deal, which knocks nearly a quarter off the MSRP.
As I mentioned above, cheap espresso machines usually come with compromises. And in our Casabrews Ultra review we found that applied to this machine, too. However, none of its shortcomings are too drastic, and are to be expected in this price range anyway. "One of the cheapest ways to get decent espresso," as we said in our review.
The Casabrews Ultra made very tasty espresso. I wasn't the tester of this machine, but we had it set up in our test kitchen for several days. Not only did I pull shots on it and make milks drinks with it myself, but I was also one of the samplers of the coffee our reviewer Erin Bashford made on the machine.
See, when we test machines, we always make drinks for each other in the office to get a balance of opinions on the results.
The Casabrews Ultra pulls at up to 20 bars, so it's more than capable of the 9-bar pressures required to extract proper espresso. It also has a PID temperature controller to ensure temperature stability and improve shot-to-shot consistency. The temperature can also be controlled and set manually so you can ensure the machine is at optimum brew temps. More expensive machines like the Gaggia Classic and Rancilio Silvia don't have PIDs.
The Ultra also includes a shot timer, so if you don't have a one of the best coffee scales with a timer, you can still assess your flow rate.
The flaws? Well, the steam wand isn't particularly powerful, so you'll need to be steaming for a while and it can be difficult to nail the right milk texture. I would advise steaming before brewing your shot (with the PID, that should be no issue) so your espresso isn't losing crema while you steam.
It also takes a while to switch between espresso and steam modes. For $189 though, those are not very serious complaints.
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