Kmart Espresso Coffee Machine

What Else Would you Expect from Anko Mart? – I bought this to replace a Breville model. Being a former cafe owner, I knew I didn't need anything too fancy. The coffee produced by the machine is only ever going to be as good as the beans you put in, the grounds consistency and the skill of the barista. In that respect, I suppose it was acceptable. First thing I had to do however, was remover… Read more

the frother nozzle. The most useless extraneous equipment I've ever seen. All it does is fill your mug with half a cup of froth. Worked much better without it as you could control the amount of froth......if you like froth. Second problem was the steam wand. Waaaay too much water comes out at the start which just fills your milk jug over the top and dilutes the milk. Easy fix was drain the water into another jug first and even blow it onto a cloth just before you go into the milk. Final straw was that the steam wand leaked more and more, which usually indicates a dodgy seal, then it died halfway through a coffee and wouldn't turn off. Probably my fault for buying cheap rubbish from AnkoMart.

Really good for value – With the many drawbacks that it has and learning curve (such as slow single operation), it out performs other machines in the low budget category. It lacks the ability to fully customise parts and buy the bits and bobs you could want with a locked ecosystem, bits feel a bit cheap and can be very questionable at the worst of times with the need to… Read more

also invest in things which don't come in the box, such as milk pitcher. It does automatically foam up milk due to the air hole on the side of the steamer, it is on the really user friendly side. It is easy to mess up without realising, even if you're a barista. Let the steamer completely blow off the plastic residue within the system. If you've switched modes from steamer to espresso, you have to let the temperature drop as the machine refuses to pump out the coffee due to the user-friendly nature of the machine When Steaming milk, it will shake the entire table

It draws includes how much pressure the espresso can come out, it does have a milk steamer wand for its low price. The coffee can come out at a maximum of 12 bars, with 9 bars being standard on commercial machines, so it is fine to grind slightly finer. When measured against other machines within the low price range, you'd have to look to spend closer to $900 before finding another automatic machine that can out perform the espresso quality it pumps out

Great Coffee, but has it's issues – Have had this Machine for two years now, and I am very happy with it. I would generally never have brought such a cheap coffee machine, but I had a couple of clients who raved about their new Anko. Then our pod machine died, the replacement they sent had been redesigned, and wasn't nearly as good as the original. So I decided $87.00 wasn't a huge… Read more

risk, and decided to give it a go. On setting it up I pretty much immediately got coffee as good as our pod machine, and sometimes it was excellent, consistency was the issue. I was using a bladed coffee grinder and the coffee had a slightly muddy taste, after watching many youtube videos I went and brought Sunbeam EM0440 coffee grinder for $99.00, a highly recommended buy. With the new grinder and a steel coffee tamper from Amazon I started to get consistently excellent coffee. The coffee grinder improved consistency in flavour, and got rid of the slight muddy taste, and the steel tamper just improved overall consistency. This has been a great little machine, after some work I am getting consistently excellent flavour. The temperature of the coffee is consistent over two or three cups at one time, more than that, I sometimes find I have to wait a bit for it to build back to it's working temperature. The Machine is $87.00 so there are issues, The steam wand does not stretch the milk like a commercial grade machine can, it doesn't even do a great job of heating the milk, it simply lacks the needed pressure. What the wand does do, is aerate the milk like no cheap frother can. Either way this is not an issue for me, my girlfriend and I rarely use it, generally the only time the steam wand sees use is when friends are visiting. I found the plastic tamper which comes with the machine is less than useful, it contributed to the lack of consistency I was getting. Good steel tampers are expensive, but I found some decently priced ones on Amazon, order one and put the plastic one in the bin when it arrives. If you want consistently good coffee out of this machine then the real price is $87.00, plus grinder, plus decent tamper. For me this worked out to a total of $216.00. Overall I have been very happy with this machine, and I find the cost of my coffee habit is considerably lower than with the pod machines I have owned in the past, but this will vary depending on the quality of coffee you buy. But the machine does have it's issues, the build quality is not great, and I would be very surprised if I don't have to buy a new one sometime in the next year or two. I would probably still be happy if I had to buy a new one every two years, which is about how long my pod machines tended to last.

3rd time lucky..and still going after 2 years! – Makes great coffee and frothy milk! Unfortunately the 1st one blew up/apart..the pressure blew the bits and pieces out from under where the coffee comes out! The second machine(replacement) didn't work properly. But the 3rd(2nd replacement) works great and still going strong 2 years later :) Show details

Not built to last, it seems – Fantastic at the start, until the rubber seal stopped working as it should and then the milk frother decided not to do anything anymore. The lights come on when buttons aren't pressed in, or stay on once buttons are released. Got a lot of use out of it before these issues, but I haven't even had it a year...  Show details

If you like dirty water – Always sold out so got an anko from ebay. Disapointed with it. Coffee comes out in seconds and its weak with absolutly no crema. My pod machine is better. Maybe my coffe is to course but still it seems like the pressure or heat is not enough. Ive had tap water nescafe better than this.  Show details

Good while it lasted – This machine started out great. The coffee tastes at least as good as our old Nespresso machine, probably better if we've got fresh beans . The problem I have is with the rubber seal in the grip handle. The seal sits between the ground coffee and the coffee basket, and it's supposed to stop the coffee grinds from getting into your drink. The seal… Read more

in the small basket broke almost immediately after purchase, and the seal in the larger basket lasted 7 months. Now we're having to order a new basket from overseas, because the grip handle/coffee basket is not a standard size. It's annoying that we can't use the machine because of this silly design flaw.

Full disclosure: I've never used the steam wand, we have a Lavazza steamer that we use instead. So I can't comment on the steam wand.

For the price: amazing coffee – Can't beat the price to make cafe style espresso drinks from home--frothy milk without the carafe, etc.. Worked like a charm for a year and just now starting to show some wear. Only one small complaint: getting the grime out of the bottom of the water carafe is hard. Otherwise a great buy. Show details

The steam wand failed on two units in a row – I took good care of this machine and wanted to like it, but I have gone through two of them now and they both only lasted four months. I was impressed when I first bought it, the espresso was consistent and ok for the price and the steam wand did a reasonable job of heating the milk (but the wand was a little short and made it difficult to get… Read more

good creamy milk rather than just a lot of aerated milk froth). I never had the issues others had with a burning plastic taste/smell. After a few months however, the steam wand failed. It didn't appear to be blocked, it just spat out lukewarm low pressure steam that couldn't heat the milk above room temperature. Kmart were easy about giving me a replacement unit under warranty so I gave it another chance.

Unfortunately the replacement unit they gave me has failed the same way. I've since upgraded to a Breville and hope it lasts longer than this one did.

If you have a tight budget, only make espresso occasionally and accept that you'll likely be sending the machine to landfill after less than year than I suppose it can work for you.

Good Machine for budget – PROS: Cost $89, Coffee taste good (depending on beans!!!), Easy to use and good for first timers, Easy to clean, heats up quickly. Cons: Steam/hot water tank too small, gap for cup could be taller, milk straw too short, can't make adjustments to pressure or temperature, can't dispense coffee and froth milk at same time. If you are willing to overlook some of the cons it is a good machine for a low budget or as a second machine. Show details

Didn't work from the start – Purchased this as a gift for someone, so it was unopened for 6 months. Turned it on and ran through water - temp got to about 30, then immediately dropped to 15 and stayed there ever after. Will be returning but probably had it too long to get a refund so will have to get exchange under warranty. $89 is a lot to pay for a door stop. Useless, can't recommend it. Show details

Does the job – Very satisfied with this machine, upgraded from our stovetop espresso maker and have enjoyed some amazing coffee. The machine brews coffee at the perfect drinking temperature and not boiling hot. The steam wand leaves a lot to be desired, in saying that, i didn't buy it to use that function. Very happy overall with this machine. Show details