Sunbeam Cafe Latte EM5600

Great Domestic Machine- Hard to Fault! – I have had my EM5600 Sunbeam coffee Maker for 10 years, used everyday at least once and sometimes 2-3 x. I loved it! Has always made a great tasting coffee. A bit slow if you are making more than 1 cup at a time. Sadly the hard plastic Head piece has cracked, so no longer works. But over the last 10 yrs I have only had to replace the plastic seal… Read more

3 x. I always turn it off at the wall after use, and clean after every use, I put this down to the machine lasting as well as it has. Maybe buy another the same, but my only fault was the slow milk frother. Would prefer something a bit faster.

Had our machine for five years and it continues to go well – Just about to replace my second group head seal but that is the only issue that we have had with the machine. It is cleaned regularly and continues to deliver good coffee. Frother works well but can clog if you don't clean it after each use but that is as simple as running boiling water through it and wiping it clean. Only real complaint is the… Read more ·  1

cost of the group head seal on line at around $30.00. It makes 16-20 cups each weekend and fewer mid week.

Need to remember that it is a manual domestic machine and is relatively inexpensive.

Slow, but good coffee – I bought the Sunbeam based on the rating in Choice Magazine. The machine generally works well, though it takes a long time for the steam wand to heat up. The rubber seal in the group head tends to wear out and there is only one place in Canberra to buy the replacements, which is hardly ever open. Customer Service is not one of Sunbeam's strong… Read more

points. They do not answer the telephone or respond if you leave a message. Easy to use, very nice coffee It takes a long time for the steam wand to warm up. It would be better if it warmed up at the same time as the coffee machine

Made great coffee but sadly it only lasted two years – I loved this coffee machine when I first got it and it made great coffee. I used it on daily basis and never had any problem. But sadly one day it just died. The heating element had died. it only lasted about two years. I understand these things won't last forever but I was hoping it'd last longer than that.  Show details

Energy usage – This uses about 150kWh of power in standby mode, so it will cost you an additional $40 per year in power costs when compared to other models. I have to use a separate power switch to avoid this issue. Other than that, it makes coffee which tastes good. It is still functioning quite well even after much continued usage.  Show details

This is my 5 1/2 year on update. It seems that if you buy the extended warranty it will last! Still – You need to preheat the cup(s) as it takes quite a few minutes to make the coffee and steam the milk (prob better to do milk first). I don't think our cutter grinder helps as the variability of grind may be bad and can block the head - trouble is a good grinder almost the same cost as the machine! Never leave it on as even in standby the thing… Read more

stays hot which seems stupid. It works OK for about a year. Coffee OK but not fantastic. Milk froths OK most times once you have the hang of it. First one died after 11 months when the pump lost pressure - could have been left with a lemon if it lasted the 12 month warranty. After 3 weeks at the repair place we got a letter from Sunbeam to get a replacement from retailer. Bought an extended warranty at that stage as I figure that the next one will die in a year (had 2 cheaper ones that both died within a year). You definitely near ear plugs as the steamer is ear splittingly load for a start and the pump gets louder after a few days use.

You definitely

Fast heat up, great coffee – This machine is great. Warms up in less than a minute. Makes a great crema. I got it 2nd hand and I'm very happy. I have my coffee black, so I can't really comment on the steamer Show details

Excellent and durable – Had this machine for 7 years and it’s still going strong. We use it everyday. I descale mine every couple of months and do switch it off at the wall. It is small and compact, don’t take up a lot of space. You need to watch the dvd to know what you’re doing. Love my little machine!  Show details ·  1

Dissappointed, it offered so much but was erratic in it's performance – My son bought this coffee machine as a Xmas present for my wife in 2009. It was the first present he bought her after getting his first job. I helped him select it based on price and features. He was so proud, but unfortunately we had nothing but trouble with it. We rang up support at Sunbeam when it was 18 months old but they could not help.… Read more

After lots of nursing and cleaning we managed to eek out a couple of coffees a day but finally it gave up the ghost in mid 2014. The problem on this occasion was when the machine was turned on it would just pump all the water through the bypass and out onto the bench. The cost of fixing the Appliance when we live in regional Qld just didn't stack up so we turfed it, much to our sons disappointment, as the price he paid was at the high end of his budget and he felt it was a premium home Coffee maker.

I suppose of the 5 years we had it, it was useful for half that time and when it worked it made a great Latte. We just never new what problem we would have next. We performed regular de-scaling.

Cheers

Geoff Style and features Erratic performance, couldn't be trusted to deliver a coffee without nursing it through the process.

Still going well – Just an update on my previous review. After 2 years this machine is still going well. All I have had to do is replace the rubber seal on the group head a few times and that's pretty much it. I have made 2-4 coffees every day since I bought the machine 2 years ago (this works out to between 1400 and 3000 cups of coffee!!) This machine is still… Read more ·  1

being sold in the shops, and in my opinion is worth buying if you are after a cheap machine that is reliable and does a really good job.

5000 cups in 7 years – Well my EM5600 was purchased in 2007 and finally this morning gave up the ghost. It has been brilliant. I have always made at least 2 espressos per day, probably 1/3 black and 2/3 white. I grind my own beans and use the same tamper that came with the original unit (as well as the free stainless steel cups). This machine does require one to have… Read more

some understanding of the espresso making process so is not for everyone. At the very least watch the DVD, or have a friend show you how to make a decent coffee.

7 years for a modern appliance is a long time, especially one subjected to daily use.

And it's still in production! I'm 50/50 as to whether I get the same machine or maybe go for a more expensive model. I think it will be one of these. Very very consistent. Simple to use. Reliable and long lasting.

Great Machine – I have had a machine for over a year and have been extremely impressed with the ease of use and the good taste & quality of coffee it produces. It requires a little bit of skill which is easily learnt and you have to start with good coffee. I rarely buy coffee when I'm out as I prefer the coffee I can make at home. You can make the coffee as… Read more

strong or weak or frothy or not...just as you like it. Cup warmer stays on but I just turn the power switch off and it stops using electricity.

Avoid – Coffee tasted great at first, but after less than one year filters clagged up and had to be replaced. After 18 months coffee started tasting terrible. This happened even though I usually made only one espresso per day, never tried the milk option, and followed cleaning instructions as best as I could. Inexpensive Hard to clean properly. Needs frequent replacement parts.

Not happy Jan – I purchased this recently as a gift for my partner and we are definitely not happy with the product. I don't know if it is broken or if that is how the machine works but there is no automated self stop on the coffee/water pour. As an amateur coffee maker we do not know when to stop the pour to get the right tasting coffee and it will just keeping… Read more

pouring water through until we turn the switch off. Not an easy user friendly machine!

No automated pour stop, results in terrible tasting coffee

Outperforms machines well above its price point – Had my machine for 5 years now and have enjoyed the results throughout this time. In the past year I have been able to refine the brewing technique through introducing a conical grinder and pro tamper and these have taken it to the next level. This machine punches way above its weight!  Show reply

Never worked properly – This machine has never worked properly, I thought it was my technique that I couldnt get the milk to froth but now the steam wand doesnt work at all. It is only 5 months old but as it was a gift from someone who has returned overseas and not kept the receipt have been told we will have to pay for repairs. Dont think it is worth it. Never worked properly.

EM5600 Coffee Maker – Complete dud. Nothing but trouble with it. Trouble with temperature & took it to repairer who said works ok but didn't fix & charged $50 for it. Took it home, problem reoccurred, so husband (electrician) took it apart and connected wiring which was loose & fixed it. Now steamer blocked & totally stuffed. Summary machine bad & service terrible. Don't buy. So unreliable

Simple and wonderful – I love this machine. Initially I was looking for a posh, fancy looking one, but I kept seeing Choice and productreview.com.au reviews that were really positive. It just makes great tasting coffee. I've read a few machines have rusted and this has never happened to me in the 18 months I've owned mine (and we live by the beach). My parents… Read more

recently replaced their Krups machine with the Sunbeam and are just as happy. Great coffee. Great price point You do need to run a bit of water through the machine to get the best results

only 5 months of coffee from sunbeam cafe latte em5600 – machine worked great at first.. then started to taste horrible even after soaking and cleaning for a week with solution and vinegar. 5 months on the machine stopped pumping and i have had to return it for store credit as the machines are discontinued. at $280 new plus the cost of coffee and only 5 months of use = expensive coffee! good at first hard to clean. failed completely after 5 months and needed replacement.

An expensive disappointment – I bought this machine over 2 years ago based on a Choice review. It never worked properly. The coffee temperature was always rather tepid and the coffee weak. In addition, the milk frother stopped working correctly after a few months.I live alone and for the past 2 years, I have mostly used it for making the occasional long black. Yesterday, I… Read more

thought I would investigate having the milk frother repaired. I called Sunbeam and they recommended calling a Sparkies to do the repairs. When I called the shop, I was politely told that they didn't bother repairing this mid-range models as it costs too much. I called back Sunbeam and they supplied a second address. This time I learned that it would be $120 to investigate the issue and I would have to add the cost of spare parts, etc.

The irony is that while looking for the model number which Sunbeam was asking me to check, I turned the machine upside down and this must have caused something else to go awry as now the thermostat is dead. The water is effectively cold. I don't think I can afford the repairs. I hate the idea of putting such a machine that still looks fairly new in the bin, but I have no choice.

I used to trust Choice reviews and I have successfully followed their advice on several occasions, but this time, I think that the Sunbeam Latte machine passed their tests on a fluke.

I won't buy Sunbeam again and I will broaden my search to find reviews beyond Choice in the future.

By the way, I had also bought a conic Sunbeam coffee grinder which is a shocker - it cannot produce the correct grind for a machine.

Water tepid, frother didn't work, broke down too soon... and too expensive for these reasons!

Decent machine – This model can produce a good coffee, better than I've tasted on other similar machines. So far, I've found I can make a better coffee than a "bad" one at a coffee shop - but not as good a coffee as one by a good barista at a coffee shop (partly due to their higher pressure machines, but also not doubt due to their skill!). The milk frother is… Read more ·  1

also extremely good.

Two significant faults: 1) the inside of the drip tray has corroded badly and is flaking (you don't see it unless you removed the top plate to clean it, but it's a pretty basic thing to get right). And (2), the machine is permanently warming the cups on top unless you turn it off at the point - which makes the clock pretty pointless and I've never bothered looked into any timer function as a result. But, it's serving its core function well, and that's what I'm basing the rating on. Does the core coffee-making and frothing well. Reasonably priced Inside of tray corrodes quickly. Needs to be turned off at the point

Coffee tastes delicious! – We have had this machine for 5 years. We We are about to buy exactly the same one The coffee tastes far better than any of my family's or friend's coffee machines. The crema and froth created are excellent. Our model was the older model and has corroded somewhat however we gave 3 family members this same machine at Christmas time and the new… Read more

plastic drip tray and new updated design has not caused any of the same problems for them. For me, the quality of the coffee is most important and this provides a delicious cup every time. Produces delicious cup of coffee

The worst appliance I have ever bought – Bought this due to the Choice review. It was good for one day. THe second day the milk steamer stopped working and the machine failed to heat water beyond luke warm. THe thermometre on the machine doesn't work and the machine says "ready' the minute you turn it on. I have never bought an appliance that has broken on multiple fronts so quickly The box that it came out of didn't break See review - it doesn't work

Great coffee maker, very poor build quality – I was given one of these as a present and I loved it. Made really nice coffee with freshly ground beans using the Sunbeam conical burr grinder. Even though I cleaned it after each use the drip tray started to corrode. This is just poor quality/design and I see the newer units have a plastic tray. Just before my warranty ran out the digital display… Read more

started to intermittently reset the clock. I had it replaced under warranty and all was good....for a while. Within about 12 months I walked into the kitchen there was a very strong smell of something electrical burning. It was the coffee maker. I turned it off at the powerpoint and never left it on for longer than required to make a coffee. This defeated the purpose of the sleep mode on the machine and the prewarmer. This strategy worked for a while but then the heating unit would not reach the temperature intermittently. Sometimes turning it off for a while and then back on worked, but not always. Often it would cut out mid-brewing and I'd end up with a luke warm, not so nice coffee. Finally it just refused to heat at all. The drip tray rusted just as fast the second time around.

So in conclusion, when it worked it was great especially given it's price. However it didn't work for anywhere near long enough. It would be better value to just buy a more expensive machine (if it would last longer) but this is risky if this model reflects the general build quality of other Sunbeam coffee makers. Great coffee Very poor build quality

Really love my coffee machine – I have had this coffee machine for around 18months now and I really like it. It produces a lovely cup of coffee, and textures the milk just like a bought one. I find it easy to use and clean. I did have an issue with a seal breaking down quite quickly but Sunbeam replaced the whole machine under warranty(I was just expecting a new seal!) The… Read more

only thing I don't like is the warming plate on the top warms all the time, so I turn it off at the power point, which makes having the clock on the LCD a bit pointless, but I did find the LCD to be very bright - illuminating our kitchen in the middle of the night! But I am happy to say overall I am very happy with this machine and it is a great entry level coffee machine for beginner baristas. Good value, textures the milk very nicely, easy to use and clean The warming plate warms all the time, bright LCD screen

Too difficult to use – This model was recommoned by Choice magazine but I was unable to use the machine. Far too difficult to turn filter handle after placing it into the group head (page 10 of instruction manual). I rang Sunbeam call centre 3 times, waited on hold, left a message but no-one returned my call.

The machine is terrible... Here is why! – I had this for about few years now and the only reason it survived is probably because I use it occasionally. Positives first, milk frothing works well... And it stops there. Here are the negatives; the pewter shell starts bubbling up and the drip tray is almost rotting. Very port quality material. The compression does not work any more and there… Read more

is no drip. All up, very disappointing. I'm looking to replace this but certainly will not touch sun beam.

A pretty cheap construction and most importantly, does drip well. The drip is like brewed coffee and gets burnt

Good for the price – You get what you pay for, very happy with the coffee it makes and no problems with the drip tray (but I always wipe it over regularly), does need to be cleaned and descaled as instructed. Noise is fine by me. However after 11 months the group head started to leak, descaled it and found the rubber ring was deteriorating, rang Sunbeam who tell me… Read more

you have to replace this every 6-12months, and it's considered "normal wear & tear" so not covered under the warranty. Only costs $6 but still...........Next time will spend more, don't like the thought of all these old machines going into landfill after a few years. Makes good coffee once you learn its ways, inexpensive Pathetic warranty

great value. Makes great coffee – At first I was concerned about the reliability issues raised in these reviews. But, what the heck, Choice said it made good coffee and for $230 that's all I wanted. No, isn't noisy. Unless you run it without water. No, the knob is no stiffer than you would expect for a valve that seals 15 bar of steam. No, the tray does not rust. Its made of… Read more ·  4

plastic. After a month the metal grill on top of the tray has not rusted either. I can cope with it if it does.

No, the coffee is not too cold.

No, its not too slow.

Yes, there are plastic components. The fact that anyone can manufacture a product like this and retail it for less than $250 is a miracle. Even if they did replace some of the brass and stainless steel with plastic. As for people who go through 2 or 3 machines in 12 months I really wonder what they are doing to the poor thing. Here's a few tips. Don't run it dry. Always clean the sealing faces before every use. Always remove the portafilter, rinse the machine, clean the tray and turn off at the power point after use. If you would rather not do this buy another machine. Remember it’s operating steam pressure is the same as the Titanic boilers that propelled it across the North Atlantic so it needs care and attention. Look what happened to the Titanic when it was abused.

I’m saving $15 a week with this machine. I get my money back after 4 months. If it dies the day after warranty (12mths) my $230 investment will have saved me $780. Why bother with an extended warranty? Save the money you would have spent on the extended warranty and buy another machine.

Oh, by the way, it makes great coffee! Great coffee

OK – Consulted barista; bought expensive grinder; changed grind; changed to Southern Italian blend; changed volume; changed tamp method - still inconsistent taste. Neat, compact, makes good quality froth Coffee shots not hot enough; inconsistency in quality of shots; machine drips from group head for around 5 mins after brewing is done; can only make… Read more

up to 2 cups of coffee (ie. after pouring 2 cups and refilling group basket with fresh coffee the machine just floods the group head & makes a lot of noise); clock never maintained correct time.

Good – I think for the price it actually produces a good cup of coffee. It is very important to follow the instructions and clean and purge the unit after use. I would have been happy to endure its shortcomings however it flipped out and died after only 19 months which is a bit shonky. Purchased this machine based on CHOICE magazine review which rated it… Read more

very highly and good value for money. It made a good coffee with a hearty crema.Friends with more expensive machines honestly thought it produced a nice brew. The steam spout operated fairly promptly- about one minute or so after switching from pouring coffee to steam. It was easy to clean. The machine groaned and buzzed a bit too loudly and the steam spout heating the milk in the metal jug made such a racket that it caused my ears to ring. The metal drip tray corroded quickly. The access hatch at the top of the water cassette opened in a weird way and was flimsy, requiring careful operation. While the wait between producing the coffee and frothing milk was tolerable, the end product could have been slightly hotter.I bought the machine in May 2008 and it died last week. The LED control unit gave up the ghost.

Good – We also bought this as a result of the Choice survey, and we think that the Choice advice was accurate. The problem with Choice, as always, is that durability is not assessed, nor is the quality of the service infrastructure assessed. Our machine has already paid for itself in that it has made us over 2000 cups of excellent coffee in two years. It… Read more

doesn't look like it will last much longer, and, based on what I have read, I am not optimistic about the process of getting it serviced or repaired. Gives absolute control over the coffee making. Makes better coffee than 95% of cafe coffees. Drip tray corrodes rapidly (chromed mild steel). Milk frother very noisy. Internal seals failing, after two years, so that it leaks quite a lot of water that misses the drip dray, although the coffee-making has not yet been affected. Backlight on the LCD display failed after a few months, but this doesn't make any functional difference. Group head is only just large enough for a decent cup of coffee if you use the "two cup" insert.

OK – Just like the last lot of reviews my pump just died - bought May 08 also on strength of Choice review. Made two coffees this morning, then the pump died on no 3. Was enjoying greatly other than it is too loud, however 21 months is not acceptable for a machine being used twice on weekends. If it saw out 3 years i would recommend, however finding… Read more

rest of reviews very similar I say not. I will be looking for a different machine, probably next level up around $600 I think it makes (made) a great cup of coffee. Was a great entry level machine. Agree free barista course helped my skills heaps. Very noisy. Drip tray corroded after a couple of months and seals also making a mess underneath drip tray every time.

Good – I read the reviews on this site about failing pumps and this worried me a great deal , however after looking through the warranty papers I noticed it has a *5* year warranty on the pump so thats great news and has alleviated any fears I had about that ... so don't let that stop you purchasing this fine machine! Only just purchased it today but made a beautiful cup of coffee first time...easy to use and clean Nothing so far ...