Customer Ratings & Reviews

I will preface this review by stating that I’ve never worked a professional espresso maker prior to this unit. For the test, I used Starbucks Café Verona beans, ground for the maker using a Breville burr grinder. The Brim espresso maker was intimidating for me right out of the box. For that reason, I didn’t use it right away. I had to work up my nerve, which is very rare for me. Today I felt confident enough to try. Even so, I had to read and re-read the directions several times. There are a lot of steps to making what appears to be a simple espresso. The portafilter was hard for me to use; it took a bit more strength than I had anticipated to get the unit to lock into place. The instructions also didn’t explain that the filters would have to be snapped in using some pressure to do so. I was afraid to force it at first but ended up having to do so. There should be a better explanation for the non-pressurized vs. pressurized filters. The diagrams were not helpful. That all said, I was able to make myself a Mocha using some Hershey’s Syrup that I had on hand. I put a small layer of chocolate on the bottom of a latte cup, poured one shot of espresso, stirred a bit, then added my steamed milk. The quality was OK. The espresso had cooled quite a bit so I didn’t find it very hot, but it tasted OK. I think that if you have experience with these kinds of machines, then the Brim may be a good choice. For a novice like me, you may want to look at something simpler.

Stopped working two weeks after I got it. It was not brewing anymore. I took it to the store and now they told me that they don't have records about that. I was not happy with the service.

The Brim 19-Bar Espresso Maker provides a high quality product for making espresso in your home or office, without the needs of running down to a local coffee shop. The espresso maker provides a myriad of extras such as a heated diecast top plate to keep your cups warm, a commercial-style steam wand for creating a perfect layer of foam for barista-style espresso creations, a hot water dispenser to prepare other drinks such as tea or hot chocolate for those days where you don't want an espresso, and much more. Initial setup from getting it out of the box and onto a counter for cleaning was fairly simple. After cleaning the internals by running a few cleaning cycles, we were up and running to make espresso. It was surprisingly easy to get started once the system was cleaned out. The machine works well with either pre-ground or freshly ground beans. If you enjoy your espresso drinks and would like to make them from the comfort of your home or office, I recommend going out and getting yourself a Brim 19-Bar Espresso Maker.

It worked great for the first two weeks and then stopped working I returned it.

Poor compared to all the others I’ve owned. Complicated, leaks, and Never goes to espresso range

Don’t buy please, It’s no good………………………………………………..

As soon as I got it working I realized it has a leak when I make a americana. I can't find the receipt

This is probably the best espresso maker I have even seen, used, and enjoyed. Unboxing is a simple affair. It was delivered with a estimated weight of 22 pounds it is obvious this is one heavy duty unit! The boxing is tightly packed so you will need to either rip the box to shreds to get it out or use the help of another to remove it from the box. Inside the box you will find (in non-coffee technical terms), the makers, the water jug, four filters both pressurized and non-pressurized and two shot / one shot. The filter holder thingie (not an expert on coffee terms), a tamper, a milk frother cup, and a measuring cup. There are no samples in the box which is fine, I went to the closest grocery store and ground up some beans in the espresso setting and ran home to play with the new toy. The instructions are thorough, and I recommend one or two read throughs unless you are already familiar with making espresso based drinks. When you first use it, you will want to clean it. Obviously wash out the important parts and the instructions will have you use the steam function, hot water function, and go through a few cups of water. This also gets you familiar with all the features. My first drink I tried making was an Americano. I was very much impressed by the quality of all the parts involved. The machine is heavy and stable, it is loud as expected but not too loud. The water jug is in the back which can be an issue if you have a shelf above it since you will lift it relatively high to remove it. Placing a cup on top to warm up the cup (love this feature), you turn on the machine, make an empty shot to warm it up. I found the filters to be an extremely tight fit and you will need some effort to push it in which I was not expecting. Not an issue once you know. I then made a shot and added it to a cup with along with hot water from the hot water spout. It came out perfect. My second try was a latte. This took more effort and I am still working on this, but practice will make perfect. After brewing the espresso, there is a steam spout on the right side. You will preheat the steam and shoot some out to get rid of the water until it becomes steam. After applying the steam to the milk just below the surface it makes a great deal of micro foam and works as advertised. My only hiccup is I haven’t found the right angle and position to ensure the milk is heated enough, I am getting better at it though after a few attempts. Like any espresso machine, expect to warm it up before use and clean it after each use to ensure it doesn’t get clogged. This one takes a lot of time and maintenance, but it is well worth it for the high-quality espresso, americano’s and lattes it produces. It looks amazing in the kitchen as well! My only complaints are the water tray being in the back and the difficulty to remove the filters as it takes some effort. Now, I am going to make a shot of espresso and pour it over some ice cream. Affogato time!

I was a little intimidated at first since I had zero experience making coffees. After reading the directions, it was simple to use! I could actually steam milk and make a cappuccino. Selecting the right coffee bean is the next challenge. The machine is compact and doesn't take up a lot of counter space. I expected the already brewed coffee in the handle to be hard like a puck after brewing, but mine comes out kind of soupy. Maybe I'm not packing the coffee well enough? Overall it's a good machine.

The Brim 19-bar espresso maker is a professional looking espresso maker for the home. The 19-bar in the name refers to pressure, that's the top end of the pressure you can get for a shot. In line with it's pro look is a pro weight. This thing is surpisingly heavy - you're not going to accidentally knock it over on your counter. The machine has two swiveling wands, one for hot water and one for steam - try not to get them mixed up! The top serves as a warming plate though your mugs or cups will need to sit for a bit for someone to really notice. I can see it being a nice touch if you're moving from an immediately washed cup to sitting it to dry and warm up a bit, but at home, I don't think this feature adds much value. After running a "clean cycle", the espresso maker is pretty easy to use. Load up either the pre-ground (with a filter) or not ground coffee into the measuring scoop, tamp it down, attach scoop, select cups size if using the pre-programmed selection (just one or two cups) and go. You can use the steam want to foam up the espresso or the hot water to clean out a cup if things didn't work out the way you expected. What's cool is that you can program your own blend into the machine though I pretty much stuck to the one cup pre-programmed shot. I think there's enough different buttons and indicators that this can look intimidating but it's not that difficult to keep track of things. Light to let you know steam is ready, another for the bottom spill tray being full, buttons for the two basic espresso shot sizes. I think also most people will end up making things the same way so once you've established a routine, you'll be good to go. The machine is pretty easy to use, cleans up quickly, and puts out a very consistent espresso. It is majorly convenient for an espresso loving household or someone who entertains a crowd who enjoys their beans. It doesn't take much practice to put out espresso that rivals whats available at the local coffee store, the main edge they have is artistry with the steam wand. It supports coffee pods as well which is pretty nice for those who don't grind their own or just prefer the convenience of pods.

Espresso is my fav coffee - perfect with milk and on ice! the Machine is sleek, not too big and looks great in my kitchen - at first i was intimidated, i have owned other machines and have burnt myself on the steam wand so i was very careful reading the instructions and running the machine through the initial process and testing the features. Once i followed along the basics it became pretty apparent that it was overall easy to use. i do wish the baskets were labelled as the pictures are not really clear. I also looked for a video on Brim or your youtube channel but had no luck - i love a good run through visually. Now, Once this was all done by first double shot was great! adding the right Espresso is key. Can't wait to start using this daily! I own a the cold brew and Brim Grinders - this is a great addition to the Brim line!

The Brim 19 espresso maker is a great little machine. I like the overall aesthetics of the design and it does not take up much counter space at all. I originally thought it would be bigger but it sits nice upon my counter space with room to spare. At first glance at the instructions it may seem intimidating but after you pull your first espresso shot it comes naturally and easy. It comes with everything you need including 2 filter baskets of each for 1 and 2 cups of pressurized and non pressurized filters. Measuring spoon with tamper and even a metal cup to steam milk in. Like I said before the machine is easy to operate and is simple once you learn so don’t be afraid. I can make two cups back to back without waiting because only my wife and I drink coffee in our household so I don’t know how it would handle more than that all at once. There are a couple of things that kept it from a 5 star rating, one was the bottom tray for spills or overflow fills up when using the steam feature I guess because I had thought the machine was leaking because my counter top was wet upon investigating I realized it was the overflow tray and it just needed to be emptied even though I had not spilled anything in there. I guess the steam exits the machine through there. But it’s not a big deal just remember to empty it out after a couple of use and there is also a little red bobber thing that lets you know it’s full. Then other thing is this machine is quite loud when steaming milk but that’s expected when performing this kind of action. On the plus side I don’t spend money on coffee shops and make my own espresso at home which is saving me money and is fun.

Quality machine This is a high quality espresso machine. It even has a heated plate on top to warm up your cups! I personally enjoy americano coffees in the morning and this machine has a hot water dispenser as well so it really has it all; tea, cappuccino, latte, americano or the perfect shot of espresso. Of all the machines I have owned this one has every feature. On top of it all it is easy to clean, has a sleek look and isn't too bulky. Great deal!

This is my first experience with a true Espresso machine so it was quite a learning curve to get everything figured out. But overall the machine works great. I had to get a proper bur grinder for my coffee as store ground coffee would not really work well and my blade grinder could not get a consistent grind either. Once I had the grind dialed though the machine worked great. It comes with both pressurized and unpressurized baskets for the porta filter and the fact that it does steam is great for the steamed milk and foam. Once everything was set and I learned what I was doing it was a great machine to use for my daily coffee or three, without to much hassle. I would however note that this machine might be difficult to use at first for someone with no experience with espresso style coffee, otherwise its great.

I like how it looks. It has that vintage look with the big gauge in the middle and the side outlets. Nice that the switch (steam water) is on the side. It is very handy where it is. Just in the right place. The water tank is quite large. Thus, less frequent refill. It is a solid build machine and very capable. It gives the coffee that special espresso taste (at home). I find myself liking the idea and that it does less waste (comparing to other coffee makers). The espresso making process is really fast. It gets ready for work in a very short time. I am really enjoying using it every day and every time.

Purchased ths machine in August for our cabin, after initially purchasing (and returning) another frand from another store. Note : we also have a Breville Barista at home but were not going to spend that many $$$$ for our cabin. The Brim machine is very solid and makes a decent espresso and latte. The steam wand has a screw-on wand tip which is interesting (ref other's comments on leaks) but have had no issues. The one problem is that there is seemingly constant leak from the water tank, thus preventing a 5-star rating. Initially we believed that this was related to seating the tank after a refill but the leak appears to continue at other times. Having investigated other components such as the drip tray, we can only deduce that the bottom seal on the tank does not interface correctly (we have never had an issue with the Breville but at that price one would hope not !!). I am pleased with this machine (Brim) but need to resolve the leak to rate back to 5 stars.

I must first say this is a very well-built machine. Once I set it up and got it going, I was in esspresso heaven. The froth is amazing. I love love love it.

I have never owned an espresso maker prior to this one, and I was a bit intimated when I got it out of the box. It is very heavy and well built. It looks amazing on my coffee bar. I had to read the instructions and use it a couple of times to get the hang of it, but once I did, it is so easy to use! The instructions were easy to follow and the machine is also easy to use. I have made several different drinks and have not been to Starbucks once since I got this. I am enjoying trying new recipes and perfecting my skill, I feel like a barista in my own home! It was also a huge hit over the holidays when we had guests staying with us. It is so convenient not having to go out to buy coffee. I would highly recommend this, especially if you really enjoy those fancy coffees. Do not be intimated if you have never owned an espresso maker before!

Just pulling it out of the box, I could tell that this was a high quality machine. It was heavy and solid and looks beautiful on my counter. I was very intimidated to use it at first, but followed the instructions and a few minutes later I had my very first eggnog cafe latte, which in my opinion, was even better than the one I order at Starbucks. I am so impressed with it and can't wait to explore other coffee drinks and see how much money this saves me. Even my neighbors keep coming over asking me to make them one in the morning. I definitely recommend trying this... I'm sipping my latte as I type this. Delicious.

I wanted to wait until I had the chance to use my Brim 19 Bar Espresso Maker a few times before submitting my review. Simply AMAZING is the only way to put it. I am saving so much money by making my own Espresso & Latte's at home in the morning! And I get to skip the lines at my local Starbucks and other coffee shops :) The design is so sleek and looks wonderful on my counter top and clean up is a breeze! I too am one who likes to use an appliance without reading the instructions but they were so easy to follow that I am a Pro now! I would highly recommend this Espresso Maker to everyone!