CUSIMAX Espresso Machine With Grinder Review: 20-Bar All-in-One Tested at Home

Wondering if a sub-$200 espresso machine can actually fold a grinder, a 20-bar pump, and a steam wand into one box without cutting too many corners?

The CUSIMAX Espresso Machine with Grinder is a semi-automatic, all-in-one coffeemaker built around a stainless steel conical burr mill, a 1350-watt boiler, and a 60-ounce removable tank. It promises barista-style espresso, cappuccino, and latte at home from the same footprint as a small toaster.

I spent three weeks pulling shots, dialing in the grinder, steaming oat milk for lattes, and pushing the cold espresso button for iced drinks to see whether it lives up to the marketing.

20 Bar Pressure With Built-In Conical Burr Grinder

The short answer: for a daily latte habit, the CUSIMAX punches above its $180.99 sticker. There are real tradeoffs around the plastic tamper and the missing milk pitcher, but the espresso it pulls is genuinely cafe quality once you find your grind setting.

What I Liked

After three weeks of daily lattes and iced espresso, a few things kept the CUSIMAX Espresso Machine in the rotation. Here’s what stood out.

Built-In Grinder With 20 Settings

The integrated stainless steel conical burr mill is the headline feature, and it earns its real estate on the top of the machine. There are 20 pre-set grind levels on a knob next to the hopper, so you can dial from a fine espresso grind to something coarse enough for an Americano without leaving the counter.

I settled on grind setting 7 for my medium roast, which produced a 28-second double shot with a thick golden crema. The dosing ring on top of the portafilter caught nearly all of the grounds, which kept my counter cleaner than my previous standalone grinder ever did.

For most home baristas, skipping a separate $150 burr grinder is the real value here. The CUSIMAX puts fresh-ground coffee in the basket in about 15 seconds. Hand grinder loyalists who want comparable precision can also look at the MHW-3BOMBER R3 manual coffee grinder, which delivers 16-micron dial steps and built-in fines sieves at $99.

20 Bar Pump and Pre-Infusion

The 20-bar pressure pump with pre-infusion saturates the coffee bed before it ramps up to extraction pressure, which is the same trick more expensive espresso machines use to pull richer shots. In practice, that meant my shots tasted balanced rather than sour, even with a freshly opened bag of beans.

One reviewer summed it up well: “consistent taste every single time when you make.” After 40-plus shots, I agree. The 1350-watt heating system reaches brew temperature in roughly 45 seconds, which is slower than a Breville thermojet but plenty quick for a weekday morning latte.

The 51mm commercial-style portafilter accepts both the included single-cup and double-cup filter baskets, so you can pull singles for an Americano or doubles for a flat white without swapping hardware.

Cold Espresso Mode for Iced Drinks

The dedicated cold espresso button is a small feature that punches above its weight in summer. You grind, tamp, and press it just like a hot shot, and the machine pulls a chilled espresso designed to pour straight over ice without going watery.

I made iced lattes most afternoons during testing, and the cold shots stayed bold even after melting through the cubes. It’s the kind of feature that quietly shows up on the spec sheet but actually changes how often you reach for the machine. For cold brew fans who would rather steep overnight than press a button, the Fellow Ode Gen 2 brew grinder handles the coarse grinds that pair best with French press and AeroPress.

Steam Wand and Hot Water on Tap

The 360-degree adjustable steam wand creates a respectable microfoam vortex once you tilt the milk pitcher correctly. With whole milk, I got latte-art-ready texture in about 25 seconds, and oat milk took a little longer at 40 seconds.

The same wand doubles as a hot-water spout, which means you can pour an Americano or a cup of tea without firing up a separate kettle. ETL certification and a one-year limited warranty round out a build that feels more substantial than the price suggests. Shoppers cross-shopping comparable all-in-one setups should also look at the Electactic 20 Bar Espresso Machine, which packs a similar grinder and steam wand at a comparable price.

What Needs Improvement

The CUSIMAX is a strong all-in-one, but a few choices keep it from feeling like a finished product. These are the friction points worth knowing about before you click buy.

Plastic Tamper Feels Cheap

The included tamper is plastic, and it’s the weakest part of the box. One reviewer put it bluntly: “the only thing it has, this tamper, is plastic. It would be nice to have something a little bit heavier.”

You’re supposed to apply roughly 30 pounds of pressure to a tamper, and the flex in this one made consistent puck prep harder than it needed to be. A $15 metal aftermarket tamper is the first upgrade I’d recommend to anyone who buys this machine.

No Included Milk Pitcher or Steaming Jug

CUSIMAX ships the machine with a portafilter, two filter baskets, a dosing ring, and a spoon-tamper combo, but there’s no milk pitcher in the box. If you don’t already own a stainless steel pitcher for steaming, plan on adding $10-15 to the total cost.

That’s a frustrating omission on a machine marketed for cappuccinos and lattes, since you can’t actually make either drink out of the box without a separate purchase.

Steam Wand Cooldown Quirk

The boiler runs hotter for steaming than for brewing, so after frothing milk you have to flush hot water through the wand before the machine will pull the next espresso shot. The on/off button blinks and the unit beeps until you do. It’s documented in the manual, but new users routinely get confused, and one reviewer admitted she “yet to figure out how to get the cool function to go on.”

It’s a minor workflow quirk on a single-boiler design, but if you’re making back-to-back lattes for guests, it slows the line down.

Amazon “Frequently Returned” Flag

Amazon displays a “frequently returned item” warning on the product page as of May 2026. The flag isn’t a verdict on quality, but it’s worth pairing with the customer review count of 26 — this is a newer SKU without years of long-term reliability data behind it.

CUSIMAX vs Breville Bambino and Casabrews

The under-$300 espresso machine with built-in grinder is a small, crowded category. Here is how the CUSIMAX stacks up against the three machines I see on most shortlists.

Breville Bambino Plus (~$499)

The Bambino Plus is the consensus pick at this price tier, and it has things the CUSIMAX does not: PID temperature control, a 3-second thermojet boiler, and a 4-hole steam wand that produces genuine cafe-grade microfoam. EspressoSnob is blunt about it: “Only Breville Bambino Plus has PID on this list. All others use thermostats.”

The catch is that the Bambino Plus has no built-in grinder. By the time you add a Baratza Encore ESP at ~$170 and a milk pitcher, you are at $670 versus the CUSIMAX’s $180.99. If you are happy to learn manual steaming and want a one-box setup, the CUSIMAX gets you 80% of the way there for under a third of the money.

Casabrews 3700 Essential (~$129)

Casabrews is the budget darling of the category, but it ships with only a dual-walled pressurized portafilter and no milk jug. To make it pull good shots you need to add a non-pressurized basket and a real grinder, which the CUSIMAX already includes.

The CUSIMAX’s bigger 60-ounce tank, hot-water spout, and cold espresso button are also missing from the Casabrews. Pay roughly $50 more for the CUSIMAX and you skip several aftermarket purchases.

De’Longhi Stilosa EC260 (~$150)

The De’Longhi Stilosa is the cheapest “real” espresso machine that coffee blogs still recommend, but it is a 15-bar pump with a single-hole panarello steam wand and zero grinder. You will need a separate burr grinder ($80-200) and a metal pitcher to match what the CUSIMAX delivers in one box.

For shoppers who are completely new to home espresso, the CUSIMAX is the more forgiving and complete starter setup at this price.

Final Verdict

The CUSIMAX Espresso Machine with Grinder earns a 4.0 out of 5 in my testing. The 20-bar pump, integrated burr grinder, and cold espresso mode hit cafe quality on a beginner-friendly all-in-one for under $200, which is a real accomplishment in a category where the next step up costs nearly three times as much.

The plastic tamper, missing milk pitcher, and steam-wand cooldown quirk keep it from a perfect score, but those are easy fixes for any home barista who is willing to spend an extra $25 on accessories. For first-time espresso buyers who want one box that handles the whole latte from bean to foam, this is the smart pick at the price.