Sunbeam Compact Barista Manual Coffee Machine

I have had 2 of these machines. Both have developed leaking steam wands within 12 to 24 months. There is a basic design flaw and inferior parts in the selector switch. DO NOT PURCHASE.

Steam wand has started leaking as per many other reviews. Worked well for approx 3 years.. still I would expect to get longer. Planned obsolescence at work I think sadly. No way to repair it which is silly considering it’s obviously a rubber seal that’s corroded and would be cheap to replace. Throw away society, it’s awful.

Terrible product. It produces an absolutely rubbish, watery crema. The steam wand alternates between water & steam, effectively ruining the milk. I have read the manual and have tried four times, with each time producing a substandard coffee. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this product.

Not great. They no longer make single wall baskets for this model. Seems like a huge miss

I wanted a second mini barista but this is it's replacement. Nowhere near as good. The coffee utensils are much poorer quality and the tamper is cheap (and I have to say, nasty) item. The cups are very low quality. Which is contrary to the machine which, although small is well made and fast to heat and deliver. It was also set up to deliver twice the amount of hot water stated in the manual. I was getting 100ml rather than 60ml. Not a bad unit but in no way a replacement for the mini barista and I would have paid more for a better machine. Just too much cost cutting on the tools makes this a poor experience esp when the mini was brilliant.

Making a single coffee takes far too long, and the milk frother rarely works properly — water consistently comes out before the steam, which ruins the milk. Overall, the product feels very poorly designed and disengaging to use. It’s impossible to make two coffees and enjoy them together, as the machine takes too long to be ready for the second cup. Based on my experience, some of the positive reviews are questionable, as they don’t reflect the performance I encountered.

A great little machine for making 1 or 2 daily coffees. It froths just as well as my previous more expensive machine. Can be a bit light in weight as you hook the arm in, so you just need to hold it carefully. I also worked out that initially I was tamping the coffee too hard and the flow wasn't working. I love the very smooth action lever to move it on and off the frothing control.

I see other people with the same problem[s] which might say something about this product and the manufacturer. I've had two of these and exactly the same thing has happened. After 15 or so months the valve on the steamer leaks profusely when the coffee making button is pressed. Lots and lots of water comes out of the steam nozzle which should not happen. Water everywhere and potentially dangerous. It's obviously happening consistently to some degree, so what is the answer from JB HIFI & Sunbeam, please? Is this yet another invisible American corporation without accountability and a retail corporation distancing itself from faulty products?

14 months in and the milk wand leaks everywhere and has reduced flow through the head, I have regularly cleaned the machine but it is now out of warranty and useless

Machine was alright up until it started bypassing the the perc head and dribbled/spurted out the wand during extraction. This implies the twist knob valve is failing at about 16months...4 months after standard 1 year warranty. You will never use the small grounds pot. It's only viable for a single mug and the double shot. I don't think its does black coffee very well. So white with sugar only. Made an ok morning brew but I will never buy Sunbeam again and do not recommend this product as it will need replacing...or pay for extended coverage.

Bought this in May 2024 and it’s now broken and unrepairable, will need to go to landfill. It worked fine for the first 12 months (I’m sure it’s no coincidence that’s the warranty period) and pretty much one week after the 12 month period, water started dribbling out of the steam wand. I contacted Sunbeam and they told me to descale the machine, which I’d already been doing regularly as per their user instructions, and even with their branded descaler. Over the past 2-3 months the problem has gotten so bad that water is now high pressure jetting out of the steam wand and redirecting water from the group handle, so that you get 1/4 of the coffee shot you’d normally get. It has also now started hissing steam when the steam function is activated but not turned on. I did a search of Google reviews and if you look at the 1 star rating this issue is mentioned so frequently. Have now upgraded to a Lelit as it has a longer warranty, made from better materials and is actually serviceable. If you’re happy to take your machine to landfill every year and by a new one, this one is fine - but personally I’m not.

This is hands down one of the best coffee machines you'll every buy for the price tag... I've used expensive machines and the Crema I get from this machine is consistently better and the milk frother is also awesome!!! Super easy to clean, WELL DONE SUNBEAM 💯!!! ONE WORD BRILLIANT

This coffee machine is absolutely spot on! No unnecessary buttons and very easy to use. Steam wand makes perfect silky milk but I would suggest to buy a bigger milk jug as it makes an huge difference in the milk quality and will be a lot easier to practice with. Also recommend to buy a temperature gauge if you prefer a hotter coffee!!

Where to start? I've worked as a barista for 10 years and work at a coffee roaster, so I'm always using freshly roasted and ground specialty medium roasted single origins. Normally I make pourovers but decided to try espresso at home. I've spent weeks trying to dial this machine in to find a good recipe and finally settled on something either like a 1.5 ristretto or a lungo shot. The two shot basket only holds 14g MAX even though the 2 cup button dispenses 60ml of water? The pressurised basket is standard, I get that, but there's no options for bottomless or bigger baskets out there for this machine. None of the 51-52mm grouphandles I purchased ever fit. And get this, the shot volumes are automatic with no way of reprogramming them. Huh? Sunbeam are forcing me to create a bad shot every time with absolutely no options for customisation (half the fun of espresso). If you drink long blacks or have no sugar in your coffee - DON'T BUY THIS. The shot you get will be borderline undrinkable without sugar, milk or chocolate to mask your poor ruined coffee. I feel Sunbeam has taken me for a fool, even the instructional video mentions NO recipe for weighing out the correct amount of beans. I know it's a cheap machine but it's all manual, and customisation/ dialling in is the whole point of a manual machine. For a similar price just buy the Delongi Dedica. There are mountains of aftermarket products for it, the volumes are reprogrammable and there is much more information on how to create a good brew.

As stated by another user, when trying to brew coffee water comes out of the steam wand rather than through the group head. We've only had the machine 18 months and no way to repair. Definitely would not recommend.

had this machine for 6 months now when I brew a coffee, water comes out the group head and the steam wand at the same time. I will never buy sunbeam again.

The best looking piece of rubbish I have purchased. I bought this as a cost effective coffee machine for a fishing shack. It is now in the middle of the back yard. If you want a coffee machine don't buy this.

Packed it in after 14 months. Milk foamer stopped working. Neither Sunbeam or JBs would help. Avoid both

Absolutely tick all the boxes i required from a coffee machine except after two years of use the machine ceased. I do regular cleaning, descaling with recommended only sunbeam descaling tablets unfortunately it cant be fix. Luckily i purchased an extra care pack and it was no issue, they gave the fully amount which is good. I recommend this machine for a smaller space and enjoyable espresso.

After 12 months the steam wand started dripping during brewing cycle. At 18 months, the steam wand freely flows hot water. Pressure has drastically reduced. The quality of the brew is very substandard. Research indicates that this is a common problem with the model. No way to repair and is now a disposable item.

Great coffee machine which is easy to use and looks great. Just as good as the big, bulky machines. Highly recommend.

Nice little coffee machine. Easy to use. Steam wand not as powerful as other machines I have had but does the job.

Can't make make a stong coffee. Better off buy a pod coffee machine. Limit volume.

I love the simplicity; it makes good coffee, and the wand has a lot of pressure allowing me heating and frothing milk very easy. The machine is small (fits conveniently in a standard shopping bag) and light enough to move around often, which I need as I live in a caravan and need to store it away every time I travel. Suits my needs perfectly.

A very compact and efficient machine. Makes a very good cup of coffee.

Great machine, the steamer is a quite loud. If not for that it would get a 5 star review

I'm very happy with my new coffee maker. It makes great coffee and looks very stylish without taking up much kitchen bench space. Well worth the price.

This is a great machine. You can’t go wrong! Only downside - I would recommend buying yourself a decent tamper. The flimsy plastic one that comes with it is horrible.

Only pours shots As I have long black I still have to boil the kettle to fill up my cup