Shot Quality and the Pressurised Baskets
The 3700 Essential ships with one-cup and two-cup pressurised baskets, which create pressure at a small exit hole and add crema whatever the grind. Tom's Guide pulled a 15 gram dose to 30 grams in 23 seconds in the supplied basket and found it strong and a little bitter but not well rounded, decent but unlikely to impress coffee enthusiasts. Swapping to CASABREWS's bottomless portafilter, which comes with a puck screen, changed the result: Tom's Guide described rounder, sweeter shots and, in a later piece, tart berry notes with an oily mouthfeel. TechRadar's first shot was flavourful and pleasant to drink black, but over three weeks with a Baratza Encore ESP grinder it found the shots became a gamble, and that with the same beans and recipe the CM5418 produced more balanced results. TechRadar also found the plastic tamper slightly smaller than the basket, which made an even tamp difficult. The user cannot set the brew temperature, and Tom's Guide notes there is no PID control, so a consistent medium or dark roast is the safer choice.
Steam Wand and Milk
Milk is where the two reviews agree most. The 3700 Essential has a single-hole manual wand, started by pressing the steam button, waiting for it to heat, and turning the dial on the right. TechRadar called its steam performance top-notch, producing both silky microfoam and airy cappuccino froth, and liked the silicone grip on the knob. Tom's Guide made what it called barista-quality microfoam, a touch bubblier than ideal, found the wand's joint more flexible than the CM5418's, and judged it needed a little more finesse than a De'Longhi Stilosa's wand. The catch is the same as on the CM5418. After steaming, the shot buttons flash and the machine will not brew until the thermoblock cools; Tom's Guide's routine is to switch off steam and purge the wand for about ten seconds, which clears it. The manual stops continuous steaming after three minutes. TechRadar steamed oat milk alongside dairy but reported no separate plant-milk result, and the single-hole wand is modest in power, so we rate it three of five for plant milk.
Mess After the Shot
The 3700 Essential has no three-way solenoid valve to release pressure from the puck after brewing, which is normal at this level, and TechRadar found the consequences worse than on the other CASABREWS machines it had used. It reports dripping after shots, soupy pucks and one occasion where wet grounds sprayed across the drip tray and counter when the portafilter was removed. Its workaround is to wait a little after the shot before taking the portafilter off and to learn how fine you can grind before the machine chokes. Tom's Guide did not report this, but did find a large screw in the centre of the shower screen that pressed into the coffee bed, and fixed it with the puck screen supplied with CASABREWS's bottomless portafilter. No cleaning tablets come in the box, and Tom's Guide noted that CASABREWS recommends cleaning the steam wand with an ordinary pin and advises against taking the brew head apart. The manual asks you to descale when the power light flashes after 500 brew cycles.
Design, Size and Accessories
The 3700 Essential measures 14.5 centimetres wide, 32.0 deep and 31.8 tall by CASABREWS's figures, slightly deeper than the CM5418 to fit the bigger tank. Tom's Guide called it one of the smallest coffee machines it had seen and suited to the tightest kitchens. Instead of the CM5418's pressure gauge there is a CASABREWS logo on the front, which Tom's Guide preferred, and the buttons are round rather than oblong. Shot volumes are preset at 30 and 60 millilitres and can be reprogrammed. In the box are the portafilter, two pressurised baskets and a plastic scoop-and-tamper; there is no milk jug and no proper tamper. TechRadar called the accessories bare-bones, and Tom's Guide lists the missing jug and flimsy tamper among its reasons to avoid. Because the stock portafilter uses 51mm pressurised baskets, better espresso means buying a 51mm single-wall or bottomless portafilter made for CASABREWS machines. The weight is the least certain figure: TechRadar lists 4.65 kilograms and Tom's Guide 8.1 pounds, about 3.7 kilograms. It comes in five colours, with some costing more than silver and black.
3700 Essential vs CM5418
The 3700 Essential and the CM5418 share the 51mm portafilter and baskets, the 20 bar pump rating, the 1350 watt heater and the four-button layout, and Tom's Guide reports that CASABREWS confirmed they use the same steam wand. The 3700 Essential costs less, has a larger tank and drops the gauge. The reviewers split on which to buy. Tom's Guide found the 3700 Essential smoother to steam with and less frustrating to use, and recommended it over the CM5418 on value. TechRadar, which tested the two side by side with the same grinder and beans, found the CM5418 gave more balanced espresso and the 3700 Essential more mess, and called the CM5418 worth the extra cost. Tom's Coffee Corner, which tested only the CM5418, describes the 3700 Essential as essentially the same machine without the gauge. Our reading is that the difference between them is small and the evidence on espresso is a draw. Choose the 3700 Essential to spend the least or for the bigger tank, and the CM5418 if you want the gauge. Either way, put the savings toward a capable grinder.
What This Review Is Based On
This review is a synthesis of published evidence, not a test of our own unit. Specifications come from CASABREWS's 3700 Essential product page, its instruction manual, its US warranty policy and the Amazon listing, all read in October 2026; where CASABREWS's own page disagrees with itself, it gives both 43.9 and 49 ounces for the tank, we use the specification table and the listing. Hands-on evidence comes from two reviewers: Tom's Guide, whose tester is a former barista and also wrote a follow-up on fitting a bottomless portafilter, and TechRadar, which tested the machine for three weeks alongside the CM5418. Neither says whether it bought the machine or CASABREWS supplied it, and both published in September 2025, so this review rests on a smaller body of evidence than our CM5418 review. CASABREWS's page lists PID temperature control, but the user cannot set the temperature and Tom's Guide reports no PID, so we do not count it as a feature. Nobody measured brew pressure or temperature, and no source has long-term reliability evidence. We found no safety recall for CASABREWS espresso machines in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recall database, checked in October 2026.
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