HIBREW H10A 58mm Espresso Machine, Compact Design with Stainless Steel Portafilter, Customizable Temp & Coffee Volume, Smart Display + 20Bar Pressure Gauge. (Black)

Paired with a high quality espresso grinder, the Hibrew H10a makes an amazing cup of espresso. To my taste, it’s nearly in the same league as top-tier Italian machines. The Hibrew exceeded all my expectations.Decades ago, I started down the road of buying larger and fancier Italian espresso machines to use at home. When my big Italian machine broke down and stayed in the shop too long, I looked for a temporary workaround. First, I borrowed a friend’s old, Starbucks-branded, Saeco machine with a pressurized portafilter. It’s an entry-level machine than makes a consistently acceptable, average espresso. I couldn’t adjust the flavor much, for example, by grinding finer or tamping harder, because the pressurized portafilter overrides everything.The Hibrew H10a costs about the same as the Saeco, but the Hibrew has some features that I prefer. First, it has a plain, unpressurized, metal, portafilter like the big Italian machines. With the plain portafilter, I can adjust the grind exactly the way I like it, and it makes a difference. The Hibrew controls temperature/pressure digitally. Few entry-level machines ever did this until now. It keeps the flavor in the Goldilocks zone: not too bitter, and not too acidic. Just right!I’m cheating a little bit by using a $500 Eureka Mignon grinder. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to spend twice as much on a grinder as the espresso machine, but I already had the grinder. The results are fantastic. The flavor is very close to the best.The obvious difference between the Hibrew and the big, commercial machines is volume, and the time it takes to warm up. The big machines take 20 minutes to warm up, but once going, I could make triples and quadruples back-to-back, and steam large pitchers of milk simultaneously. I could easily serve a large crowd. In contrast, the Hibrew takes less than a minute to warm up to coffee temperature, and another 30 seconds to get to steam temperature (It takes longer to cool down, about 4-5 minutes to get back down to coffee temperature after steaming, a minor inconvenience.) The Hibrew can make a “double” espresso, but it’s a small double. The steam is sufficient for a small, single serving of very nice quality.The Hibrew is the right size for serving a small family. Paired with a good grinder and some experience grinding and tamping, it’s a fantastic machine, and an amazing bargain.

This is the best machine you can get at this price point. I was staring at the Gaggia classic for weeks deciding if it was worth it but was hesitant because it lacked a PID (the thing that keeps the temperature stable). People buy the Gaggia and then have to mod it to get that function. This has it built in.Not only that, but you can program the temperature you want it to sit at, customize the shot output in ml, and customize the temperature of the steam for frothing milk.It is quite a bit of trial and error to dial all of that in, but once you do, you will be able to pull a consistent shot every time.This has everything you need to get started, and unless this is a serious hobby for you, you won’t ever want anything beyond this.This is plastic, so if you’re wanting a metal finish, you’ll have to get the stainless steel, but it looks sleek on my counter and I like darker colors, so I got the black. It has a good water capacity. You could go weeks without needing to refill it. I’d definitely recommend this if you want an all-in-one without breaking the bank.

I previously owned the original Saeco/Starbucks espresso machine for over 15 years until it finally stopped working. After doing thorough research, I chose the HiBREW over more expensive and fully automated options, and I’m pleased with my decision.Initial Impressions:Pros:- Lightweight design makes it easy to turn and access the water chamber- Operates relatively quietly compared to other machines- Delivers a good espresso once properly set up- Nice price point- Excellent and responsive customer serviceAreas for Improvement:- The portafilter is difficult to insert- Portafilter drips and a solenoid valve would be a bonus- Drip tray is quite small- Filters baskets are hard to remove without tools- Instruction manual lacks clarity- Including temperature in Fahrenheit in manual would be helpful for U.S. users- A slower-paced setup video with audio guidance would improve the user experience

I've had this machine for 7 months now and it's a great machine. My wife appreciates the footprint as it's fairly compact and doesn't take up too much counter space. I really like the ability to adjust everything from temp to pre-infusion time. From power on, it's ready to pull a shot in ~10 seconds and can go from hot water to steam in about the same amount of time. It actually takes longer to "cool" the machine down to go back to hot water from steam than the other way around.I've been able to dial in both of the types of beans I use the most and am getting really great espresso. It also froths/steams milk of all kinds really well. The included pitcher has measurements on the inside wall which is really helpful when making specific recipes.One thing to mention, a month or so after purchase, the steam wand started leaking water from time to time, both when I was pulling a shot as well as just with it on. This problem became more prevalent over the last couple months, so I reached out the HiBrew support and they were great! I sent them a video of what the machine was doing and in a few days, they shipped me a brand new replacement! This new machine has not leaked a bit.Overall, this was a great purchase and welcome upgrade over the Calphalon machine I had previously.