Sunbeam Cafe Crema EM4800

Great little machine. Lives up to its name – True. If you're like me and love crema on a black coffee, then with this machine you can get results to rival most from any cafe. You will need a couple of other things to achieve this: a proper tamp, a good burr grinder, a little time and patience to experiment to get the right procedure and finally consistency in executing your procedure. I've… Read more

had this machine for 6 years. I only use it to make about 10 coffees per week but it still works as well as it did when it was new.

It had / developed two minor defects; hard to turn control knob (this has freed up over the years), and some corrosion in the drip tray (does not affect the performance at all).

I'm getting more and more attached to it because when away from home I have to deal with the trend away from the crema rich Italian style coffees to the terrible hipster "coffees" that have next to no crema and taste wise have more in common with fruit juice.

So, I hope it doesn't pack it in and if it does, that Sunbeam have a current product that's as good.

Well done Sunbeam. You got a lot of brand loyalty from me on this one.

Suggested Improvements – I have a Sunbeam Piccolo as well, and I like it better. The Coffee quality both machines produce is excellent, but the Cafe Crema 4800 has superior milk frothing, producing finer milk bubbles and thus creamier froth. The EM4800 Cafe Crema is heavy in weight, with quality finishing and stainless steel parts highly polished and attractive to… Read more

display on anyone's kitchen bench-top. My criticisms are: 1) There is not enough room between the coffee holder and the base tray for anything but the small espresso cups. This makes it harder to clean, as you want to put milk jugs and such under the expresso outlets while steaming it through to clean it, as well as larger capacity cups to catch more than the recommended 35ml espresso extraction mentioned in the supplied booklet. 2) The rubber nozzle cover for the wand works well but complicates the cleaning process. 3) It takes twice as long to froth and heat the milk as the Piccolo model takes, ( I feel it takes too long). 4) The "float indicator" on the drip tray is unnecessary as a full drip tray is easy to empty, and this indicator with its plastic part that straddles the whole drip tray is further complication to clean and re-assemble. 5) The lever lock has a detachable catch on the top which can get in the way while you are attaching the lever pot, so I took it off to make it easier. 6) There are nylon nozzles protruding from the coffee holder which probably assist in the final flow of crema extraction, but if you want to put extra pressure on the tamper while loading, these will crush inward, so I feel they are hindrance. 7) The water tank at the rear is very narrow and requires good aim and steady pouring if you fill it with a jug from the top. It also has an over-complicated lid rather than a simple flip top. As to longevity, I will just have to wait and see, but the little piccolo is simple to use and clean.

I love my Coffee Machine (and coffee)! – I have had my Sunbeam coffee machine for over a year now and am still raving about it. Whenever anyone talks about wanting to buy a coffee machine I am quick to recommend Sunbeam and tell them how happy I am with mine. Previous to purchasing the Sunbeam Cafe Crema I had a Delonghi and was extremely disappointed with its performance and the coffee… Read more

it made. The Sunbeam is far better quality and considerably cheaper in price.

The Sunbeam Cafe Crema is stainless steel, including the steaming wand which is a big plus because this means the milk heats up quickly and it is easy to create froth if wanted. It produces lovely creamy coffee (I use ground Lavazza) and the coffee tastes wonderful every time. This machine is essentially a miniature version of industrial/professional coffee machines (which I use in my employment) and I find it just as good as an industrial. It also came with a stainless steel milk jug which was a great surprise after purchase of the Delonghi which as mentioned was more expensive and came with no jug.

I have had absolutely no issues with my Sunbeam at all and am extremely pleased with it on all levels. Everything! Heats milk up quickly and makes lovely tasting coffee.

Good budget coffee machine – Bought as a gift for my partner a few years ago and it is still going strong. Sometimes gives the coffee a slightly burnt taste if the head isn't cleaned thoroughly enough, but that is to be expected. After 4 years the only issue with this machine is that the milk frother doesn't seem to get as hot as quickly as it used to.  Show details ·  1

Great machine, great coffee but didn't last long enough – I really like this machine, it is easy to use and the coffee quality is very good. I use a professional two group head machine in an organisation I am involved in and I can get the same quality out of my little Café Crema, however, at a much slower rate. I only have two gripes, I had to modify the drip tray cover so it would fit properly and not… Read more

keep falling off and secondly after two years the machine started to leak internally. I am in the market now for a new machine as I need my home coffee and I would consider buying another one to replace it.

Gets the job done – At first i didnt know how to use it and i made bad coffee. I then watched some videos on youtube then my coffee tasted the same as retail coffee. This product gets the job done and can create micro foams for your cappuccino. Easy to clean with tablets if you are not lazy to rinse it multiple times. This product gives you the power to manually pack your grinds. If you dont care, then just spend extra on an automatic machine.  Show details

Great coffee machine but wont last – I'm on my third machine now, the others were perfectly timed to expire just after warranty ran out. So every 3 years I get a new one! Great for Sunbean but so dissapointing. Makes great coffee and quite easy to use but...quality is not there. My current unit is leaking steam internally and losing wand pressure. May have to try another brand? Makes great coffee and easy to use Dont last long.

Great for beginners – Bought this as my first coffee machine and it serves the purpose well. I worked as barista at a cafe and knew this was just a beginner's machine so I did not expect much. The pump is slow and leaks at times, and the overall build and quality of the unit isn't perfect.. the espresso tends to spit out as well at times. I have recently sold the… Read more

machine to another guy and will be upgrading, but to all the other posters out there - this was one of the lower price range machines and for that I think you should expect that it's a very basic model with basic features, simple to use and good for beginners..does the job just fine.. but not meant for serious coffee lovers :) Affordable, easy to use, does the job Low quality

I need a coffeeb – We brought our first Cafe Creme about 2 years ago. The first had to be returned as it was a complete dud...didn't turn on. The second had a crack in the coffee holder and leaked everywhere. It was also replaced. Our third machine is now leaking everywhere...just out of warranty and the store we got in from has closed down.Makes great coffee but not very reliable Good coffee maker Unreliable

Great value for money – I've had my Crema for 8yrs and use it almost daily. It started spitting steam out the side of the seal, with some investigation I found that bettween the two layers of metal in the coffee cradle it had blocked with coffee granules. A new cradle(the part that holds the coffee) and I'm back to a perfectly good operational machine. Story is don't grind you coffee too fine. Show details

EM4800 still going strong after 18 years – We bought this machine 18 years ago. After numerous moves (including living overseas for 5 years), and two double espressos a day, this machine is still going strong. I love this machine, and with my favourite coffee brand find I just can not buy a better coffee anywhere. I don’t know if it’s applicable to the new Sunbeam models, but if your… Read more ·  1

coffee tastes burnt, just run some water through the machine after frothing the milk and before brewing. If this thing ever fails I’ll be replacing it with another manual 15 bar Sunbeam. Just brilliant.

Can’t face the morning with out it – Love using this machine for my morning before the work coffee. It is so easy to use even my husband and 12 year daughter can make delicious coffees with it. Not hard to clean, it also has some great options for different types of coffees. Definitely one of my favourite appliance in the kitchen.  Show details

Makes superb crema on delicious coffee. BUT drip tray corroded almost right through in places. Wher – The EM4800C makes beautifully rich coffee with great Crema. Easy and quick to use , not noisy, looks good on the kitchen bench. Can be cleaned efficiently . Cannot bear to get rid of it but new drip tray is required to replace corroded original. Where can one be purchased if the EM4800C is discontinued?  Show details

Best coffee machine i have ever had – Have had my sunbeam EM4800 for over 6 years and couldn't be happier. Never had any issue with it, always got crema on my long black even for my ('very long') early morning coffee (full mug or even bowl). Recently relocated to Japan and had to purchase another brand (De L.) as my old aussie sunbeam unfortunately doesn't work here without a… Read more

transformer and have to say the coffee is nowhere near as good as the one I made with my old Sunbeam. No or minimal crema, quite messy leaking etc. Hope to one day find your brand in japan.

Mechanically good; visually lacking – Makes steadily coffee with crema for nearly eight years. Minimal maintenance required: changed only used filter (2 cups) recently, plus occasional descaling. Drawback: drip tray using plastic veneer simulating stainless steel is utterly ugly for a while by now. Most simple to use and makes milk froth nicely. Good overall nevertheless.  Show reply

Great machine – I have found this machine easy to use and it makes great coffee, 9 out of 10 times. The switch can be really hard to turn and the drip tray has corroded badly on the inside but it is still powering on so I can live with that. Instead of buying a coffee I'm happy to wait to get home and make my own which I have found I enjoy more.

Great but doesn't last much beyond 1 year – We have loved our coffee crema and have used it everyday. We are onto our 3rd or 4th (I've lost count), all of the previous ones broke within 12 months but Sunbeam replaced it. Our current one is on it's last legs and has lasted just over a year. Good value, easy to use but won't last much beyond 12 months with regular use.

Long lasting and reliable – I was bought this machine over 10 years ago and today it finally decided that it no longer wants to froth the milk. I have been so happy with it. It is simple to use, easy to clean and makes a great coffee, chai and hot chocolate. The milk wand produces high pressure and froths the milk really well. It was regularly cleaned but I never had it… Read more

serviced all I had to but was a replacement rubber which goes around the filter, less that $5. I'm off to the shops tomorrow to buy a replacement, I hope it lasts over 10 years again. Easy to use, reliable, long life, inexpensive My cups don't fit under the coffee spout somI have to use tiny cups and then transfer.

Value for money – I received this machine as a Christmas gift 2 years ago and it works amazingly. The only time i ever had a problem with coffee spitting out was when the coffee beans were not ground properly. The knob can be quite difficult to turn at times but honestly for the price that is ALL i can fault. Considering a coffee costs $5 every time you buy one it has been an excellent money saver. Everything Nothing

Knob difficult to turn – I have had the same machine twice, as the first one didn't seal properly and spat coffee everywhere and had a very difficult knob to turn. I returned the first machine and got a new one, exactly the same model and although makes a really great coffee again the knob is very difficult to turn. This caused my sister to exchange hers (I bought her one also) as she just could not turn the knob. Great tasting coffee Knob difficult to turn

Good machine for beginners – I bought my machine secondhand and when I took it home the frother didn't work properly. I ran descaling liquid through it and now it works like a dream. I frothed a full mug of soy milk...It's true the drip tray has corroded but I'm not too worried, because it doesn't affect the coffee. Burnt my tongue on the coffee so it's hot enough! It's a… Read more

pretty basic machine but it's good enough for a beginner like me :) The water tank. Other budget machines have an internal water tank that is under pressure like a car radiator which makes it hard to refill when hot. This tank is easy to refill or top up. Although it doesn't affect the coffee quality, the drip tray is flawed design. Why did sunbeam use cast instead of stainless steel?

Barista quality coffee – I was a barista at Dome cafe for several years and this coffee machine makes a great quality cup. To be honest, I was really surprised at how good the coffee is from this machine (I know how tricky it can be to get the right mix of grind and pressure) and this machine has given us perfect coffees day after day (and I'm picky). We have used… Read more ·  1

several brands of store bought ground coffee and they all work reasonably well and we also use our own ground coffee beans with no problem at all. (Tip: Cafe Aurora from Coles does an inexpensive ground coffee that seems to work perfectly in this machine).

The water reserve is large enough to make 8 or so coffees easily, so you can make several cups in one sitting. The steamer wand is a good length and froths well, and the cup warming tray is large enough for 4 mugs / glasses.

Things that could be improved:

- There can be quite a bit of rattle when you pour the shot.

This means that your glasses vibrate all over the place when you turn on the shot. (Update: I'm on my 3rd machine now and this one doesn't rattle nearly as much)

- The drip tray locks into place requiring that you tip it backwards to get it out for cleaning. Don't let it get too full!

Other than this, very happy with this machine - it makes a great cup of coffee. Great coffee, creamy shots, compact, sturdy Noisy, rattles, drip tray locks

Love my cappucino – My husband bought me one about 3 years ago, and I use it at least once per day. To make both my cappucino and hubby's hot chocolate. I am quite a heavy coffee drinker which probably isn't too good, but I use my drip coffee maker during the day and my crema at night. I just love it and find it makes cappucino's just as nice as the ones in a cafe… Read more

sometimes even better. reliable, inexpensive, makes great coffee. It's just a personal thing, but having to dismantle everything to descale. Is there a way that you can just descale it through the water container?

Morning Cuppa – Sturdy Machine with clean lines and good looks. Frothing is hard to achieve when in a hurry but the coffee taste is great. Water storage could be a little larger when you have a crowd over and the spill catchment area at base, fills quickly. Was the first coffee machine ever owened and since son (that used to make the coffee for us) moved out… Read more

it can be a bit of a process and often too much trouble. Very easy to clean, good looks, nice coffee. Bit complicated and froth/crema sometimes hard to achieve.

Pretty good for a cheaper machine – For a cheaper coffee maker, this one is pretty good. Easy to operate and, with a bit of coaching, makes an awesome cuppa! It looks great and is lightweight so easy to store away if you want. It's a bit annoying that you can't fit a mug under the head but I just use a small cup and transfer to a mug. Easy to use and relatively cheap Can't fit a mug, or big milk jug, under the head.

Great machine for the amateur barista – I purchased the Sunbeam Cafe Crema four years ago. I did read the instructions thoroughly, and have been able to create a great coffee from the get go. The steam appears to be a little lack lustre, but that may be my impatience for a java in the morning .Recently I stayed in a B&B with a similar machine, and it made a terrible coffee. Its… Read more

group handle hadn't been cleaned since I guess its inception. So cleaning the machine is obviously essential to producing a consistant favourable flavour. I would recommend this machine as an economical and solid machine to start making coffee at home. Solid machine, with good instructions to make it perform well. Could have more steam, to speed up the milk frothing and texturing.

Sunbeam Cafe Crema II – This was my first espresso machine ( a Christmas gift) bought less than 12 months ago. I took a baristas course so I would know how to make a decent coffee and realised that this is very much the bottom end of the market. For the first few months it has worked fine. My main complaint is that coffee grinds get up into the machine from the basket… Read more

and requires regular cleaning. Over the past few months the seal has started leaking and today it just totally broke down and sprayed water and grinds everywhere. In addition the plastic covered base plate under the drip tray is now corroding with the plastic flaking off. So in ten months making 3 cups a day it has failed big time. Overall very disappointing. There may be a replacement warranty, but I wouldn't buy such a cheap machine again. Simple to use Loss of pressure. Severe leaks (silicone seal has failed). Base has corroded badly.

worth every cent!! – i never thought an espresso machine under $1000 could ever make a decent cup, but this one has proved me wrong. i use it nearly every day and have never had a problem. it's very easy to use and clean and never disappoints . for under $200 you can't go wrong t!! highly recommended inexpensive, quality coffee, value, easy to use

Sunbeam EM4800C On my 3rd replacement since november 2011 – This has a wonderful taste and works easily with no real issues other than complete failure iminant . KEEP YOUR WARRANTY AND RECEIPTS. I am the only coffee drinker in my house so it hardly gets a work out. Today from the goodguys i was given my 3rd replacement machine due to power being always on to the pump. The only way you can stop it is turn… Read more

it off. It wont make coffee, it just leaks . So far the most amount of coffee i have been able to make is about 50 cups before total and complete failure causing the risk of electrical shock. good thing i have a rcd fitted . this product should be withdrawn from sale now. First looks price Stainless steel is crappy, rusts inside a month. leaks like a sieve and continually fails . poor build quality

Coffee Maker – I purchased this 4 months ago and we love it. Its simple to use and with no a fuss cleaning process. My husband uses it every day. No fuss, fast and no mess, this great coffee maker is the best. It froths really well even soy milk and gives a creamy texture to the coffee. The only negative about is that its a little noisy when frothing the… Read more ·  1

milk but apart from that its an inexpensive and great looking machine that takes pride of place in my kitchen. Its very very quick for heating the water and it very easy to use/ Nothing really, just a bit noisy when milk frothing but that could be normal when frothing milk.

Love it!!! money well spent – After extensive searching and reading product reviews to try and find a half decent machine for under $200 I decided on this one, which by the way was cheapest at The Good Guys. Anyway I've had it for probably about 6 weeks now and have been using it at least once a day. I was a bit disappointed to begin with as the coffee just ran into the… Read more

cup basically but I have invested in a stainless steel tamper instead of continuing with the plastic one that came with the machine and it is much better. I'm also thinking I may need to grind the coffee finer. As well as the issue with the coffee just running out I was disappointed that I just couldn't get any froth no matter how hard I tried and I was thinking maybe it was the machine. It was also extremely noisy when I was trying to froth/ heat up the milk...

BUT today I made a cappucino complete with heaps of froth so I can no longer blame the machine... just how I was using it. To make lots of froth you need to hold the tip of the steam wand literally just under the surface of the milk- like less than a millimetre, and you will get oodles of froth with minimal noise. I also think that it makes a difference whether you buy homebrand milk or something like dairy farmers for example (if you ever needed proof that maybe the price does make a difference I think I found it)

So besides the teething issues (basically me having to learn how to make coffee because I have never ever made a REAL cup of coffee in my life) I am really happy with this machine. It heats up really quickly, just a couple of minutes after you switch it on the warm up light goes off and it is ready to use. The only other disadvantage I can find is that the knob is somewhat tight so if you have trouble with your hands, as in arthritis or something, it would probably not be wise to buy this machine.

Overall I would highly recommend this machine to anyine that wants a machine that is cheap and relatively easy to use as long as you're willing to spend a bit of time practicing with it to get what you want. inexpensive, heats up quickly, relatively easy to use plastic tamper that came with it was basically useless... buy a 51mm stainless steel one

affordable – I've had this coffee machine for over 4 years now and it is probably time to replace it. It works pretty well and makes pretty good coffee. it is easy to use and clean. It is really affordable, but I guess you get what you pay for. I don't bother using the frothing device as I think it makes better froth without it. The drip tray has corroded over time.

Good coffee, easy to operate, long lasting – We purchased our Cafe Crema in 2004, just before taking off around Australia in a mini-bus. My father attached the machine to our very basic kitchen bench with a metal bracket. There it stayed for 30,000 kms over 18 months, even on some pretty rough roads. It saved us money on coffees and now in its 8th year, is still making a good coffee. We… Read more

have replaced the brew head silicon seal every 9-12 months ($5.00). We clean the machine thoroughly every 6 months (with descaler), we use filtered water and always remove the cup immediately after making every coffee and rinse it thoroughly. After using the milk frother (which works well - its all in the way you hold the tip of the metal steamer to the rim of the milk in the jug for very fine creamy milk froth). After use, we run steam through it for a few seconds and wipe it down. We are impressed with its longevity, though, as you can read here, we do look after it. We have just replaced the brew head lock ($22.00). We have never had it professionally serviced and all parts have been replaced by us. For what its worth, this machine has worked very well for us. The drip tray has corroded, though only minimally in one corner. The weight inside our handle has come loose, though this does not effect its coffee making ability.

Great for the price – This is the third expresso machine I have purchased for our house ( we drink A LOT of coffee)and this one is by far the sturdiest. Easy to use,makes great coffee, easy to clean and saves us a fortune on take away coffee. The secret is to find some preground coffee that you like and stick with it! I have found some brands don't grind their… Read more

coffee beans fine enough for the smaller machines and it can cause them to block.

I've been really happy with this machine Reliable, cheap and makes great coffee Some brands of coffee will clog it