I tried this ridiculously cheap bean-to-cup espresso machine so you don't have to — and it's a total head-scratcher

The best espresso machines are expensive. That's just a fact of life. The cheapest espresso machine I've ever truly loved is the Breville Bambino ($299), and I've always recommended the De'Longhi Stilosa ($149) and cheap-and-cheerful Casabrews 3700 Essential. Of course, though, many of these cheap machines have drawbacks — well, the De'Longhi Stilosa and Casabrews 3700 do — because corners have to be cut to keep the price down.

But when I tested the Casabrews Marenza recently, I couldn't quite believe my eyes. What do you mean, it's a bean-to-cup espresso machine for just $349 — and often on sale for $299? What do you mean, it's got a tamping collar, a 58mm portafilter, and a built-in timer? All this for just $50 more than the Breville Bambino?

So where's the catch? Well, it breaks my heart to tell you this, but quite a few corners have been cut. The materials and build are pretty flimsy, the steam wand is quite weak, and the grinder is relatively poor. But might all this be a worthy trade-off for a machine that costs literally hundreds of dollars less than the next-cheapest alternative? Let's find out.

The pros

Don't get me wrong, the Casabrews Marenza has a lot going for it. The main one? The price. At just $349, this is one of the cheapest espresso machines with a grinder I've ever seen. The other one is the Gevi Espresso Machine with Grinder, which I wouldn't recommend due to its very weak steam wand and long boiler heat-up time.

If you have $349 to spend on a coffee machine, I'd go for the Casabrews Marenza over the Gevi. The Casabrews offers far superior espresso brewing. Take a look at this photo of an espresso pulled on the Marenza.

When I tested the grinder, I got pretty poor results. Because grind size is arguably the most important factor when making espresso I had low expectations — but I was genuinely really impressed by every shot I made on the Marenza.

If you're not the kind of home barista who desires a coffee scale, you'll love the built-in grinder on the Marenza. This is the most unique design feature on the machine.

I'm sensing a trend here, but was also disappointed by the Marenza's steam wand... on paper. In reality, I got beautiful milk texture and even more beautiful latte art, as you can see here.

So surely all these features make the Marenza a 5-star product? Espresso, check. Steam wand, check. Shouldn't I be singing this machine's every praise?

Yes and no — as much as I was impressed by these features, it's not all perfect. Now onto the cons.

The cons

While I was eventually won over by the milk function and espresso function, there are some major downsides to the Marenza.

The main one is the flimsy, plastic-heavy build. The grinder hopper actually broke (yep, broke itself...) while I was cleaning it. I removed the hopper to clean the burrs, it fell off my kitchen counter... and smashed all over the floor. You can see the broken hopper in the video above.

This plasticky, low-quality build is present over the entire machine, from the drip tray to water tank. I would proceed with caution to not accidentally damage it.

I'm not a huge fan of how the Marenza looks, but beauty is subjective. You may love it. In an ideal world, the Marenza would be a little more brushed silver, a little less black-cube-in-the-2000s.

But what do you think? Are you willing to put up with an inconsistent grinder and a slightly frustrating steam wand to save serious $$$ and get a bean-to-cup for about half the price of competitors?

Personally, I'd probably stick with my Breville Bambino and get a hand grinder like the Timemore Chestnut C2S ($60) — but what do you think? What would be your ideal home coffee setup? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to check back next Friday for the next Coffee Lab!

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