Sunbeam EM5000K Caf Barista Coffee Machine One Touch Espresso Latte & Cappuccino Maker 2L Water Tank

We have two of this model bought a year apart. Why did we buy it again? It was a broken machine out of warranty. Well, the second one now has the same problems as the first one. After about 12 months, the flow of the hot milk becomes totally unpredictable. One coffee this morning took 9 shots with the 'froth' option just to fill the cup. And yes, we have meticulously followed the troubleshooting guide, and we are getting sick & tired of 'priming' and ultra cleaning it, just in case. We have had more than a dozen different brand machines over a couple of decades, but never anything like this model and its unpredictable operation.

Best bang for buck

This is a great coffee machine for the price. Unfortunately we have been through 3 of these over the course of 5 years. The pump ceases in these machines. We make 6 coffee's a day throughout the entire year, so it get hammered.We keep buying the same one due to not having a milk wand. Plus this machine is super cheap for the quality coffee it makes. We like the milk feature on this machine because it's easy to clean. There are no other brands you can purchase with this feature.

Disappointed, disposable machine

Had this machine for only 3 months and cleaned it after each use. At first, it was okay, although the milk frother is quite loud and produces more bubbly milk, not thick and creamy milk and the espresso takes a bit too long to come through, resulting in watery grinds left behind. Gradually, it started making more noises and it was only producing enough coffee for one cup even when the two cup button was pressed. Yesterday, it stopped producing frothed milk altogether, only a tiny drop comes out. It appears as though the pump does not have enough pressure anymore to suck up the milk. I did a thorough descaling, didn't work. All in all, I expected a lot more from a Sunbeam branded machine. Many other people have experienced the same issue with the milk frother, just ... MoreHad this machine for only 3 months and cleaned it after each use. At first, it was okay, although the milk frother is quite loud and produces more bubbly milk, not thick and creamy milk and the espresso takes a bit too long to come through, resulting in watery grinds left behind. Gradually, it started making more noises and it was only producing enough coffee for one cup even when the two cup button was pressed. Yesterday, it stopped producing frothed milk altogether, only a tiny drop comes out. It appears as though the pump does not have enough pressure anymore to suck up the milk. I did a thorough descaling, didn't work. All in all, I expected a lot more from a Sunbeam branded machine. Many other people have experienced the same issue with the milk frother, just look online :(

Extremely Disappointing Machine

I've been a user of manual Sunbeam Expresso Machines (like the EM3820) for about a decade and decided to upgrade to the EM5000. What a mistake that was.My first machine never really made a consistent latte or cappuccino and the amount and quality of the frothed milk varied each time the machine was used. I eventually returned the machine for a replacement prior to the warranty expiring as it got to the point that it virtually made no froth at all - either in the automatic or the manual settings. The replacement machine was exactly the same and after just over a year it did the same thing and can now only be used for making expresso. I religiously followed the cleaning instructions and even used to soak the milk reservoir lid in water overnight and occasionally run ... MoreI've been a user of manual Sunbeam Expresso Machines (like the EM3820) for about a decade and decided to upgrade to the EM5000. What a mistake that was.My first machine never really made a consistent latte or cappuccino and the amount and quality of the frothed milk varied each time the machine was used. I eventually returned the machine for a replacement prior to the warranty expiring as it got to the point that it virtually made no froth at all - either in the automatic or the manual settings. The replacement machine was exactly the same and after just over a year it did the same thing and can now only be used for making expresso. I religiously followed the cleaning instructions and even used to soak the milk reservoir lid in water overnight and occasionally run descaling solution through it to keep it clean.I can see very similar experiences detailed in other reviews I have read online, so I am clearly not alone.Contacting Sunbeam was a waste of time as all the staff member focused on was the fact that the warranty had expired and also said any warranty actually expired after the first machine was 12 months old and didn't apply to the replacement machine.In my experience the EM5000 is not fit for purpose - for what Sunbeam advertise it to do and for what I purchased it for. As far as I am concerned that should qualify me for a refund. I certainly cannot recommend the EM5000 to anyone based upon my experience with 2 of the machines.

Milk frother letdown

This Sunbeam machine produces a great coffee. Excellent crema and brew itself the right strength. I use the double shot which gives the strength akin to a single shot from a good commercial barista. Biggest disappointment is the frother. Second machine in a row where it’s broken. After around 6-8 months it loses its power & ability to froth and chugs along like there’s a blockage despite efforts of cleaning after each use. Luckily was under warranty both times so this time going for a machine with a steaming wand.

NEVER AGAIN.

I purchased a cafe barista coffee machine for my new house it stopped working properly after about6 months. I purchased another one thinking I just got a dud same thing happened. I contacted sunbeam not happy with a $250 machine being faulty. They sent me out a new one as a good will gesture in October then in February it stopped working completely no power no nothing. I contacted them again and they told me as it was a good will gesture and my faulty one was out of warranty they could not do anything. Never again will I buy anything sunbeam. Three coffee machines in 2.5 years what a joke.

Our first coffee machine

Inspite of mixed online reviews we decided to go with this coffee machine with Appliances online, due to the following reasons. We love this machine now after using it and our friends like it too .Our 7 year old can make her own babyccinos :)- for the price, size and features there is no other equal in the market- the preset and customised coffee features given in the machine are ample- we get to use our own choice of beans altough we grind our coffee fresh and in small quantities weekly. But we also keep a pre ground pack.- the price with AOL for this machine was lowest comapared to anywhere else- we discussed the return policy with appliance online and it was fair and easy incase we did not get the coffee we wanted from this machine. This gave us confidence ... MoreInspite of mixed online reviews we decided to go with this coffee machine with Appliances online, due to the following reasons. We love this machine now after using it and our friends like it too .Our 7 year old can make her own babyccinos :)- for the price, size and features there is no other equal in the market- the preset and customised coffee features given in the machine are ample- we get to use our own choice of beans altough we grind our coffee fresh and in small quantities weekly. But we also keep a pre ground pack.- the price with AOL for this machine was lowest comapared to anywhere else- we discussed the return policy with appliance online and it was fair and easy incase we did not get the coffee we wanted from this machine. This gave us confidence to go with this machine.We can say that we live this machine and works very well for us.

Such a good purchase!

This is the first at home espresso machine I’ve owned and used. I’ve had it for 4 months now and it is seriously so amazing. The automatic milk frother is so easy to clean. I was scared that i would end up having milk chunks and gross dried bits in the little nooks and crannies of the container, but even the little pieces are detachable and easy to wash!It’s a little noisier than I thought it would be, but it’s not that bad! The coffee comes out nice and hot too, but I’ve read other reviews saying it was producing luke warm coffee..One weird thing was that appliances online sold me this machine with a pack of cleaning tablets (as a bundle). Some other models of the machine have a cleaning function that use the tablets, however this one doesn’t. So I’m not sure ... MoreThis is the first at home espresso machine I’ve owned and used. I’ve had it for 4 months now and it is seriously so amazing. The automatic milk frother is so easy to clean. I was scared that i would end up having milk chunks and gross dried bits in the little nooks and crannies of the container, but even the little pieces are detachable and easy to wash!It’s a little noisier than I thought it would be, but it’s not that bad! The coffee comes out nice and hot too, but I’ve read other reviews saying it was producing luke warm coffee..One weird thing was that appliances online sold me this machine with a pack of cleaning tablets (as a bundle). Some other models of the machine have a cleaning function that use the tablets, however this one doesn’t. So I’m not sure what to use the tablets for. Instead of simply putting the tablet into the machine and pressing the “descale” button, i dissolved the tablet in water and soaked the parts in the solution. Obviously not how the tablets are supposed to be used, but it did the job at the end of the day. So it was a little misleading for it to be sold with the descaling tabletsLastly, The tamper at the end of the coffee scoop is a little flimsy for my liking, so I bought another metal one from kitchen warehouse for 8 dollars and it’s perfectWould highly recommend buying, and as always, appliances online does such a great job with delivery

Unpredictable frother

We have two of this model bought a year apart. Why did we buy it again? It was a broken machine out of warranty. Well, the second one now has the same problems as the first one. After about 12 months, the flow of the hot milk becomes totally unpredictable. One coffee this morning took 9 shots with the 'froth' option just to fill the cup. And yes, we have meticulously followed the troubleshooting guide, and we are getting sick & tired of 'priming' and ultra cleaning it, just in case. We have had more than a dozen different brand machines over a couple of decades, but never anything like this model and its unpredictable operation.

Worst coffee machine I've owned or used

This machine was purchased 18 months ago, based on all the good reviews I saw online and the price point, which was within my budget at the time. It worked well for the first 2 months, and then I had nothing but problems with it. The water would constantly stop flowing through, or flow through one group hole but not the other, so I would clean it with VERY EXPENSIVE CLEANING TABLETs after each use which seemed to help, but only until the next time I used the machine. The milk frother is also very inconsistent in that it would not issue an equal amount of milk each time. At times I would only get a couple of teaspoons of milk in a the cup. When it worked properly, the milked frothed, but it was just so inconsistent that I couldn't rely on it to produce a good froth ... MoreThis machine was purchased 18 months ago, based on all the good reviews I saw online and the price point, which was within my budget at the time. It worked well for the first 2 months, and then I had nothing but problems with it. The water would constantly stop flowing through, or flow through one group hole but not the other, so I would clean it with VERY EXPENSIVE CLEANING TABLETs after each use which seemed to help, but only until the next time I used the machine. The milk frother is also very inconsistent in that it would not issue an equal amount of milk each time. At times I would only get a couple of teaspoons of milk in a the cup. When it worked properly, the milked frothed, but it was just so inconsistent that I couldn't rely on it to produce a good froth every time, or even twice in a row. Also, the buttons on this machine are very frustrating and just would not go on the "clean" setting after 3 presses, no matter how many times I tried after resetting the machine countless times. So, I was unable to even clean this stupid machine after 4 months. Aesthetically the machine is appealing and doesn't need a huge amount of space, but it's lacking in substance and weight, which indicates to me that it's housed and made of cheap of components. This morning, I pulled if off the shelf again after 6months of not using it to give it one last chance. Still, the same problems persist. It is now on the verge for council collection.After this experience with a Sunbeam coffee machine, I will never buy one of their coffee machines again. I had a perfectly good barista machine for years before I purchased this one that I gave away to a struggling student to on-sell. That machine was far superior and made by Sunbeam's biggest Australian competitor (you can guess who that is, I think). I don't regret helping a struggling student, but lesson learned - don't expect excellence from bargain basement priced products, like this one.