Casabrews is not a company that I was originally familiar with. Established in 2020, it’s a young American brand that makes a variety of compact and full-size espresso machines. I jumped at the opportunity to test the Casabrews 5700Pro, which, at first glance, looks comparable to some of my favorites, such as De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro, KitchenAid Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine, and pretty much all of Breville’s espresso machine offerings.
I did note that the Casabrew 5700Pro isn’t as expensive as some of my favorites, although it’s not really a budget-priced machine, either. I wanted to see how it compared in terms of design and performance with some of the best espresso machines.
Terri is a freelance writer living in Birmingham, AL. She has tested hundreds of products, including kitchen appliances, vacuums, bedding, furniture, luggage, and tech gear. Terri has bylines at Architectural Digest, Forbes, Popular Science, CNN Underscored, NBC News Select, The Daily Beast, USA Today, US News & World Report, Tech Radar, Homes & Gardens, and Tom's Guide. Follow her adventures @Territoryone.
Terri drinks (decaf) coffee daily and has tested the Casabrews 5700 Pro on and off for over 2 weeks, evaluating design, user-friendliness, flavor, and consistency. She was allowed to keep it for ongoing use.
Casabrews 5700Pro: Price & availability
The Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine is available on Amazon for $599. At the time of publication, there is a $100 coupon that can be applied, which reduces the price to $499.
On the Casabrews website, the espresso machine also retails for $599, and is on sale for $499. This steep discount makes it easier to consider this item if you’re on a budget.
However, it’s still a good value for the money, even when it’s not on sale. The various features, ranging from the integrated grinder with adjustable settings to the commercial steam wand, 20-bar pump, and such accessories as the coffee distributor, tamper, and tamper mat, make it a worthwhile investment.
Score: 4 out of 5
Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine: Setup
The Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine arrived in a company-branded brown box, and inside of that, a white branded box. It was securely packaged to keep the contents secure during the shipping process. Inside of the box, the machine was surrounded by molded Styrofoam and covered in a sheath to provide additional protection.
The espresso machine includes an attached milk frother, drip plate and tray, and removable water tank. The other contents include the bean container and cover, grind bracket milk frothing pitcher, frothing art pen, portafilter, single and double espresso filters, tamper, distributor, tamping mat, spoon/scooper, cleaning needle and cleaning brush. There’s also a quick start guide, and a full manual.
Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine: Design
The Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine has a sleek design that rivals more expensive competitors. The high-quality build adds the to the machine’s weight (20lbs), with dimensions of 16.5 x 11.2 x 12.8in (h x w x d).
I enjoyed leaving it on my kitchen island while testing, and visitors never failed to comment on the attractiveness of the design.
The only negative I encountered with the design was the large sticker on the front, which proved to be very hard to remove. I pulled it from each of the four corners and they all left paper behind. First, I used damp paper towels with soapy water, which removed some of it. Then I sprayed cooking spray on a paper towel and wiped it again, which removed some of the other paper. Finally, I resorted to lightly applying fingernail polish remover to remove the rest of the sticker. And then I applied another layer cooking spray to quickly counter the acetic effects of the fingernail polish remover.
The generous water tank can hold 91 ounces of water, and the bean counter can hold 200 grams.
The control panel includes an LCD display, on/off button and four additional buttons: Menu/Exit, Dose, Single, and Double.
The Menu button controls the shot temperature, and it’s where you’d flush, descale, or reset defaults. grind settings: single or double ground amount, and it’s where you increase or decrease the grind time. The Dose button navigates through the menu. And it’s where to select the shot temperature. And the LCD also shows the extraction pressure. The ideal pressure is between 6- 12 bars.
On the right side of the espresso machine is the steam knob. It can be set for Steam, Steam Ready, Off, and White Water.
Score: 5 out of 5
Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine: Key specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| Model | 5700Pro |
| Capacity | Water 91 ounces; Beans container 20 grams |
| Grinder? | Yes |
| Frother? | Yes |
| Dimensions | 16.5 x 11.2 x 12.8in (h x w x d) |
Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine: Performance
After unpacking the Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine, I washed all of the parts. Per the instructions, I filled the water tank, attached the bean container and filterholder bracket, and filled the bean container with coffee beans. After pressing the Power button, the machine started preheating (it took about two minutes). Then I placed an empty cup under the steam wand, turned the steam knob to Hot Water for 8 seconds, and then turn it back off.
I poured out the hot water, then placed a glass mug under the brew head, and selected the single button to let a cycle brew. This gets any dust or debris from the manufacturing process out of the machine.
There are actually several steps that need to be taken for a good cup of espresso from the Casabrews 5700Pro. First I needed to select the grind size (there are 15 grind settings). Casabrews recommends setting it an 8, and then make adjustments. If the pressure gauge showed below 5 bar, I would select a finer setting. When it was over 12 bar, I would select a coarser grind. Keep in mind that the type of coffee beans used will also affect the grind setting.
Then I selected the filter size (sometimes I used single espresso filter and other times, the double espresso filter. This also adjusts the grind amount. Sometimes, I used the automatic grinding feature, which defaults to 14 seconds for a single espresso and 21 seconds for a double espresso. (This time is shown on the LCD panel.) In addition, sometimes, I used the manual grinding setting, which consists of just pushing and holding the portafilter in bracket. As long as it's pushed in, the ground coffee flows out into the portafilter (and the timer counts up to let me know the grind time).
After removing the portafilter, filled with ground coffee, the next step is to tamp it. I placed the tamping mat on the edge of my countertop, and then used the distributor. It’s the round device on the left side of the tamping mat. The distributor is placed on the portafilter, and then rotated to even the surface. The next step was to use the tamper to tamp down firmly, then wipe away the overflow. Sometimes, I had too much coffee, and the portafilter would not lock into place in the brew head. So, I would need to remove some more and then distribute and tamp it again.
The next step after inserting the portafilter, was to choose a single or double shot. As I experimented, sometimes, the espresso was over-extracted, and sometimes, under-extracted (although they all tasted good to me).
I will admit that this was a new process for me. The other espresso machines that I’ve tested seem to compensate for users who may tend to over- or underextract coffee and make adjustments accordingly. This is the first espresso machine that didn’t. Maybe that’s why it’s called the 5700Pro. However, I enjoyed learning the more minute details of pulling expresso shots.
The steam wand was easy to use. I turned the steam knob to the Steam Ready position so it could preheat. The indicator flashes while preheating, and remains a solid white color when ready. Then I turned the knob to Steam, and frothed the milk, keeping the wand just below the surface of the milk.
On other occasions, I also turned the Steam knob to Hot Water and used the steam wand to produce water to make hot chocolate.
The noise level was around 67.3.8dB, which is about as loud as a traffic.
Cleanup is as easy – albeit espresso machines are more tedious to clean than coffee makers. The steam wand needs to be cleaned whenever milk is frothed. A damp cloth is sufficient. However, the steand wand also needs to be purged by turning on the Steam knob while the want is pointed toward the drip tray. I also removed, emptied, and cleaned the drip tray.
I also cleaned the brew head with a damp cloth, and rinsed the filters and portafilters under hot water. When the grinder needs to be cleaned, it should be removed and cleaned with the cleaning brush.
At least once a week, the machine should be flushed, which entails inserting an empty filter into the portafilter, and putting the portafilter into the brew head. Then a empty cup is placed beneath the portafilter and the Flush feature is selected from the Menu button/Dose dial. Descaling should be performed once a month. Casabrews recommends using a descaling agent.
Score: 5 out of 5
Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine: User reviews
On Amazon, the Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine has 56 reviews and an average 4.2 rating. Buyers liked the quality build, ease of use, appearance, and value. Some people noted that it took practice to get it right, and one person said the grinder broke the first time.
On the Casabrews website, there are currently 26 reviews and an overall 4.72 rating. Buyers loved the easy operation, price, and grinder. Some buyers noted that there was a learning curve.
Should you buy the Casabrews 5700Pro Espresso Machine?
| Attributes | Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Price & availability | Plenty of features for the price | ★★★★ |
| Design | High-end design that's sleek and elegant | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Learning curve but performs wells | ★★★★★ |
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How does the Casabrews 7500Pro compare?
The De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro ($1,159.95) is one of my favorite espresso machines. It also has an integrated burr grinder and bean hopper, tamper station five temperature controls, MyLatteArt Steam Wand, and automatic milk solution. It may seem similar to the Casabrews 5700Pro, but this is a top-of-the-line machine with a price to match.
If you're looking for a budget-priced option, consider the L'OR Barista ($189). It has double spouts, produces a rich crema layer, and is compatible with both espresso and coffee capsules. However, it has plastic components and there's no milk frother.
How I tested the KitchenAid Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine
I test the De'Longhi TrueBrew Drip Coffee Maker off and on for a year, trying different sizes, types, and strengths of coffee.
When testing, I evaluated build quality, ease of use, performance, ease of cleaning, and, of course, taste.
Read more about how we test.
- First reviewed: August 2024
