Shot Quality
With a good grinder and the single-wall basket, the Ultra can make real espresso. Tom's Guide ground on a Eureka Mignon Specialita, needed about four shots to dial in a light roast, and then switched beans without trouble. Its first double ran to 64 grams on the factory volume, about a 1 to 3.5 ratio, and tasted bitter; stopping near 37 grams gave a bright, sweet shot, so Tom's Guide recommends reprogramming the double below 40 grams. Tom's Guide also found Casabrews' suggested 18 to 21 gram dose overfills the basket, and TechRadar hit the same problem, with the puck pressing against the shower screen. TechRadar's experience was worse overall: its first shots were under-extracted, and even after improving the extraction it got a metallic, battery-like taste that bottled water, cleaning and descaling did not remove. TechRadar suggested this may be specific to the unit it tested. Tom's Guide flushed about 150 ounces of water through before its first drink after reading owner reports of a metallic taste, which is a sensible first step.
Steam and Milk
Steam is started with a button rather than a knob, and both testers who timed it found the switch slow: Tom's Guide waited up to about 30 seconds to purge and then a few more for dry steam, and TechRadar described a delay of a couple of seconds after pressing the button that made purging awkward. Their results then split. Tom's Guide found the single-hole wand too weak to roll the milk, could not make microfoam or latte art after about 20 drinks, and said the milk separated into wet and dry layers; it found oat milk slightly easier than dairy but still poor. TechRadar, steaming whole, semi-skimmed and almond milk from a chilled jug, managed microfoam with a silky texture and a pleasant sheen once it adjusted to the timing. BrewCoffeeHome called the steam power modest but enough for home use and made latte art. Because the best tester result still needed technique and the plant-milk evidence is weak, we rate it two of five for plant milk.
Controls, Temperature and Shot Timer
The Ultra has four buttons, for a single shot, a double shot, hot water and steam, plus a power button and an LCD. Holding the hot water button for five seconds opens the temperature setting, where you choose 90, 92, 94 or 96 degrees Celsius, and holding a shot button for five seconds sets that shot's volume. The screen also times every shot, which Tom's Guide called one of the best things about the machine. Casabrews describes a low-pressure pre-infusion, and BrewCoffeeHome observed about five seconds of it before full pressure. Tom's Guide and BrewCoffeeHome say the temperature control is a PID; Casabrews' own manual and product page do not use that term, so we describe it as four selectable temperatures. After steaming, pressing the hot water button returns the machine to brewing temperature. Tom's Guide found the screen gives no warning when the tank is empty, which it once mistook for a grind problem, and the machine shows a descale alert when descaling is due.
Build, Size and Everyday Use
The body is brushed stainless steel, about 31 centimeters wide, 26 deep and 33 tall, and weighs about 6.2 kilograms, which TechRadar notes is a wider footprint than Casabrews' other models. The 2.2 liter tank is removable, the drip tray has a red float that rises when it is full, and the top holds cups and the tamper. Two testers found the moving parts stiff: TechRadar had to brace the machine to lock in the portafilter even with an empty basket, and both TechRadar and Tom's Guide found the steam wand hard to angle. Tom's Guide also found its drip tray needed emptying about every five drinks and saw a dark mark appear on the front panel after about 15 drinks. TechRadar found the cup warmer did not get cups warm, and used the hot water outlet instead. In the box are a 58mm portafilter, two pressurized and two single-wall baskets, a metal tamper and a plastic scoop; there is no milk jug, so budget for one.
Who It's For and Value
The Ultra makes most sense for someone who already owns, or will buy, an espresso-capable burr grinder and wants 58mm single-wall baskets, temperature choice and a shot timer without paying for a premium machine. The pressurized baskets give a beginner a fallback with pre-ground coffee while they learn. It is a harder recommendation for someone whose main drink is a flat white or latte, because Tom's Guide could not texture milk on it, and for anyone who wants a machine that works well from the first shot, because both TechRadar and Tom's Guide had to change the factory dose or volume. TechRadar put it in an odd middle ground: too demanding for a casual beginner and too limited for a dedicated hobbyist. Tom's Guide pointed latte drinkers to the Breville Bambino Plus for its stronger steam wand, so the decision comes down to whether you drink mostly espresso and Americanos or mostly milk drinks.
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' ULTRA user manual, its US product page, its warranty page and the Amazon listing, read in October 2026. Where Casabrews' own figures disagree, as with the water tank, which the product page lists at 2.0 liters and the manual at 2.2, we use the manual. Size and weight agree closely with TechRadar's measurements. Hands-on evidence comes from TechRadar's three-week review, Tom's Guide's review by a former barista, and BrewCoffeeHome's several-week review. None of the three says whether it bought its machine or Casabrews supplied it. BrewCoffeeHome publishes a Casabrews store discount code, so we treat it as supporting evidence and do not rely on it alone for any judgment. The three disagree on espresso and on steam, and we report both sides. No reviewer has multi-year data. We found no safety recall for Casabrews in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recall database, checked in October 2026.
As an Amazon Associate, CoffeeLabAdvisor earns from qualifying purchases. Prices are live from Amazon and may change. Product details are drawn from the manufacturer and specialist review consensus at review time; always confirm specifications before purchase.
