Sunbeam Compact Barista Espresso EMM2900SS

Recommendation: Close Steam Valve Gently! (+ repair suggestion) Yes, this one also started leaking from the steam pipe shortly after warranty period ended. First a thank you to posts from Trev QLD and Vic S. on repair suggestions (do look those up first if you have a go at repairing) Repair summary: I inserted a tiny piece of Aluminum foil (folded… Read more

a couple of times) below the red plastic steam stopper. First, I thought I was about to break the lid pulling it off after removing the 2 screws at the back. In the end, 2 clips did "give" without breaking. I attached a photo marking those 2 clips. You may be able to push them in from the side to avoid that risk. To get the steam valve out, after removing the 3 screws, it did not want to come out. Note that the white "rod" from the steam valve freely slides in and out of the knob on the housing (first I thought they were firmly connected, and was puzzled how to get it out). The knob stays put, you need to pull the valve out at an angle, the white plastic rod being the primary item resisting. Finally able to unscrew the valve "tap" from its seat, the red stopper emerges. It sits inside a cylinder recess of the tap, and barely stuck out, say 1/2 mm. That is the problem, the red stopper is no longer able to seal against the face of the mating valve seat. I took out the red stopper, and inserted a tiny piece of Al foil, folded a couple of times, and put the stopper back in (in reverse to make use of the other side of the stopper). Now the stopper sticks out say 2mm (sorry, missed chance to take a photo). Put it all together, and it works a treat (though only used it a couple of times so far). Key insight: the harder you turn the steam knob to the off position, the higher the force on the red stopper. From now onwards, I will only turn the steam valve off GENTLY - no more than is needed to stop the steam, and I suspect it will last for years to come.

Bought because my EM 2800 was good, until I cooked it when I didn’t turn it off during a descale. Had purchased the EMM 2900 on sale, as a backup, in case anything like this happened. So in storage for quite a while. Was in use for less than a year,… Read more

but obviously out of warranty. Have been happy until 2nd descale warning, though like many reviews, water streams from the wand when pouring the shot. Descaler did nothing to resolve. Not really confident enough to try and fix it myself, as others have. Doubtful that customer service can assist with this one. Customer service contacted me and confirmed this model had known issues regarding the steam wand, I should take it to be repaired. If these are known issues, take it off the market!

works great but after a year or two (2 coffees a day) the steam stopper wears then water mostly comes out steam pipe when "pulling" a shot of coffee... can fix: - need tri-point screw driver, flat screw driver, philips screw driver, small pliers - remove reservoir, remove 2x tri point screws (top back) - remove two tubes from part attached to… Read more ·  1

outside "knob" (use pliers to straighten clip legs, remove clip, gently pull out tube end) - remove 3x screws holding the part in (one horizontal, two vertical down beside the case) - twist backward + rotate + lift the part till it comes out - remove the small screw on top of the part, twist out the inner sleeve (turn the plastic bit that sits in the knob anti-clockwise) - in the end of that there is a stopper like the eraser in an old-school pencil see photo... end-for-end it, maybe put a small piece of plastic behind it so it sticks out 0.2mm... reassembly... if there's no steam it might be sticking out too far... before screwing the part in you can line it up to the "knob open" position and make sure you can blow in through it

Love this machine. Don't know if I'm lucky but had mine just over 1yr and it's a gem. Only make 1 to 4 coffees a day so not heavy use. Always flush both coffee and wand after each use, use filtered water and don't tamp too hard... Think getting coffee grind and tamping pressure right is maybe secret to it's success for me. Makes a better coffee… Read more ·  1

than most shops around me but I'm limited in choice. Think got it in sale for $200 but probably paid for itself. Keeping fingers crossed don't hex myself with this review but been a good investment. Good value for money.... have had much dearer machines that haven't lasted this well. One very happy customer :)

Small but packs a massive punch! – Small compact size perfect for my kitchen as it doesn't eat too much space. More so, the quality of espresso and the frother is excellent! Making your own cappuccino or latte ain't bad at all! A great inexpensive coffee machine for starters. You can't go wrong with this! Show details

The more I use it the happier I am – I used to have a Semi Pro Breville that had an inbuilt grinder and was solid, cost around $1k, I loved it, felt like I used it on a commercial scale during lock down. But when my ex-husband left I realised that he loved that coffee machine more than me a took it with him (ha ha). I felt a bit bereft and drank powered coffee for a year and I… Read more

wouldn't justify spending that kind of money on myself as a single mum. So when a friend suggested this machine at Value-for-Money price I decided to take the plunge (forgive the coffee pun) back into Cafe Style Coffee at home! Yes I know all the purists are whining that it's not the same as a fully manual machine but seriously who cares, this little bench saver delivers a perfect shot every time! I used to drink Soy Flat Whites because I always found Espresso and Long Blacks too bitter, and I started doing that with this machine too, but I gave it a go (and it might be the beans talking) but I'm now a convert to Long Blacks! There is zero bitterness, only creamy silky delicious coffee. There are so many pluses with this machine, it's compact as the name suggests, it's simple and easy to use and it's consistently good. It's perfect for me as an individual and it would work fine for 2 people too. I get freshly ground beans from my local roaster and I find that this works perfectly and saving on the bench space in my minuscule kitchen has been a life-saver. I'm very happy with this little work horse

Perfect for beginners – I have used it for 2-3 weeks now and I absolutely love it. It is slim and fits well in the kitchen. Its metal finish also adds to the aesthetic of the kitchen. The set up and installation is simple and the quick guide is easy to follow. Perfect for beginner like me. The quality of coffee is not compromised though the milk froth can be a bit loud… Read more ·  1

at times.

The milk froth function can be confusing to use especially when the steam button wasn’t turned on and the hot water came gushing out instead.

Overall it’s a great product and it’s perfect for those wanting to get a cafe style coffee at the comfort of home.

I owned four Sunbean coffee machines since 2018 and they all failed within a couple of years. My most recent one was the Sunbeam compact barista coffee machine model EM2900SS. It worked fine until just over two years, when water has increasingly started to come out of the steam wand when expressing coffee. It got to a point where the expressed… Read more

amount was very little and not enough, I would have to express it three to four times to get the amount equivalent to a double shot.

I contacted customer service, but they told me they could not help me since it was not under warranty. From my personal experience with Sunbeam coffee machines, it seems that they are built to break within a couple of years, which is very disappointing.

After reading the reviews here, I found out that this is a common issue with this machine.

Moving on to a different brand now.

In May 2024 I purchased a Sunbeam Compact Barista coffee machine through Catch. By November 2024 I had a problem with it because the water container began to leak and I had water all over my bench top. I contacted Sunbeam, sent through all of the photo’s and video they requested and ultimately they replaced the machine, once I’d sent photo’s of me… Read more

cutting the cord and it disabled. The Customer Service was good. Then in April 2025 I went to make coffee and the machine stopped working and flashed that it needed descaling, which I did. I only ever use filtered water in it and I always clean the machine after each use. Tried again to make coffee. Same thing, cleaned again, same again. It didn’t matter how much I tried it wouldn’t pass the descaling stage. Back to Sunbeam with photo’s and video. They sent back an email, ‘try this, do that’ which I did but to no avail. Back to them again and more photo’s and video and again, cut the cord, disable the machine and send photo’s and a video and we’ll replace it. I requested a refund instead, no can do because I bought it through Catch and they’ve have gone out of business. The couple of days after receiving the new machine it was producing coffee but no crema, flushed it several times and it seemed okay until today May 22nd when again I went to make coffee then heat the milk and the bar pump wouldn’t work. It kept spitting out water then stopped halfway through. I re-primed it and it started again but I ended up with a watery cup of coffee. The group handles which came with the 2nd and 3rd machines fill with water too and leak everywhere if I don’t remember to drain them properly. I have wasted so much time and expensive coffee with these machines I’m done. I won’t even bother going back to Sunbeam because the machines are useless. Three in 12 months is ridiculous. Looks like this machine - version 3 - will be bin fodder and I’ll be buying another brand. NOT at all happy!

I bought this little machine on sale about 2 years ago from Harvey Norman $158 It is slim and fits on our limited bench space. This little nugget of a machine gets a work out. It's used at least 3 times a day, sometimes more. Has not missed a beat in two years. Makes a perfect coffee with a a good amount of crema. I do descale and keep up regular maintenance. Happily recommend. Show details ·  1

Great ......to begin with. Lasted one week after warranty ran out. Dangerous steam leak , could not be taken out of descale mode , no matter how many times you followed manufacturers instructions. Should have stayed with my old Aldi machine which I pulled back out and carried on making delicious coffee. Very unhelpful service centre so I will not purchase ANY Sunbeam made product to save any further disappointments. Show details

Purchased in Dec 2023 and lasted less than 2 years. Started leaking (out of steam spout during coffee pour) after 12 months and had electrical conniptions frequently (lights flashing for no reason), and I would get it working again, but finally gave up in Feb 2025. Before that made a decent cuppa, but it appears not to have been made particularly… Read more

well. Took it apart to recycle the metal bits and there was a lot of rust internally, in the area where you attach the coffee holder; where all the electrical bits are!! I won't be buying another one.

Disposable machine - only lasted 10 months – Machine started leaking water from the steam wand after 10 months. Contacted Sunbeam directly and they palmed me off telling me to go to retailer - which is JB Hifi - and a nightmare to deal with. Never again Sunbeam.

Unusable after a year - water leak through steam wand and no pressure – This machine just lasted for about a year (and thus can't use warranty anymore), and started leaking water from the steam wand and almost no water or pressure while making the coffee. Became useless now, can't recommend this product. Show details

Not for black coffee drinkers – As a black coffee drinker, this machine is a fail. little to no Crema is a give away. Coffee is always burnt and bitter reguardless of the amount of grains in the basket. I am using the same coffee grounds I've used for years with other machines (which unfortunatly died - due to leaks - boiler heating). Having tryed several machines with thermoblock heating I suggest this is the difference. I suggest don'tuse tea drinkers to carry out your Q&A Show details

Good, but time will tell – Bought this to replace leaking Sunbeam Cafe Crema ii (5 years old) based on reviews. Ok, had to get pliers to pull in spring to get double shot filter basket to fit group handle. Feels very plastic compared to my last machine but no surprise. I used the same coffee amount from my breville grinder and same milk level from my Lavazza frother and it… Read more ·  2

made a nice cappaccino but it was a little weak, like all these machines not very hot and will not match a commercial machine. Good value for money so little to complain about.

Great size, very inconsistent coffee, very limited support – This machine is inadequate. It’s really not worth the money; I’m glad I got it on special. I was disappointed that the manual has only very basic trouble shooting information, and the customer service number is a computer voice recording asking you to send a message from the website before hanging up. At this rate it’s going to take a week just… Read more

to get help fixing what should be a very minor problem; the pour takes less than 5 seconds after it infuses and I get a small, pathetic puddle of espresso at the bottom of my cup, no matter what grind I use, how full the filter is or how much pressure is used tampering. Im using new (and expensive!) beans which are all ending up in the bin. I’m trying to figure out if I’m supposed to program this thing myself or if it’s pre-set, because if it’s preset, it’s really really off. If you are supposed to program it yourself, it’s not mentioned in the quick start guide. At this rate I’m going through so much coffee just trying to figure out the issue by myself. I’ve started trying the troubleshooting advice from a Breville reddit page, which took some serious deep diving on the internet to find.

The steamer is pretty good, my son makes himself a few hot choccys and he’s enjoying that, but man oh man the coffee this thing produces is a huge disappointment.

Sunbeam, please have more detailed troubleshooting instructions if you are not going to have any actual customer support.

Great little unit – After a few days of fine tuning this machine makes a great espresso, nice crema ,full body flavour.The first tip is throw away the useless plastic tamper and get a aluminium tamper.The plastic tamper doesnt tamp even so alway get channelling!!so far this is the only negative, small and compact for small kitchens .The steamer froths milk for latte art ,and also creates a velvet milk froth!!best starter machine for all!! Show details ·  1

Regrettable buy – I am yet to make a decent brew. . Had it for 2 weeks, went off all the positive reviews here and elsewhere and as an espresso only/no milk drinker I thought this would be ideal, I've programmed it to my taste and it still makes lacklustre coffee, I'm not impressed, and hope my review helps someone save their money and invest in a better machine,… Read more

the quality of machine is good, and aesthetically pleasing.. but who cares when the coffee is substandard? I'm returning mine. And I buy my beans freshly roasted from a bean house...its not cheap coffee! Other reviews are written by people with lesser taste or standards..real coffee lovers beware.

Perfect for tight spots! – Benchspace is premium real estate, whichever way you look at it. The coffee machine is an always on top appliance and as such anything that helps minimise space loss deserves a look in. I initially spotted this whilst bargain hunting, I needed a new machine and wanted to see where the market was - criteria was a Thermoblock for fast heat up and… Read more

a proper flavour delivery - ie pre infusion. At $269 this was bang on, the small footprint sealed the deal. It really delivers - great taste, consistently delivered, a joy to be around.

Perfect for home and makes good coffee – I have been using it for a week and it is a good coffee machine that makes great coffee. The installation is very simple. I scanned the qr code provided in the box, which directed me to the introduction video. It's easy to follow. This machine allows you to take control of how you want your coffee (regular or large) with easy use touch… Read more ·  1

buttons. Less is better, the user-friendly designed is good for coffee begginer. The quality of the coffee produced is very good. The milk frothing is a bit noisy but acceptable.

It's easy to clean and perfect size for home. Simply a joy to have in the kitchen.

Great mindfulness exercise – With the price of takeaway coffee going up my work colleagues decided to chip in for a coffee machine for the office. The Sunbeam Compact Barista Espresso machine was purchased as it was slim and compact to fit to the counter space in the office kitchen, had a nice metal finish and easy to use. For a novice who haven’t used an espresso coffee… Read more ·  1

machine, the quick start guide was easy to follow and a QR code opened up to an online instruction video of a barista providing helpful tips and tricks to make the perfect cup of coffee each time. I found the overall process of making coffee with the compact barista easy to use even on my first attempt. A good volume of the coffee shot came out and heating the milk was simple to do. Not surprisingly, the motions of making my own cup of coffee is actually a great mindfulness exercise - from the fast heat up to prime the machine, tamping, extraction and heating the milk. It takes less time for me to make my own cup of coffee than to walk down to the shops and queue up, and I savour the coffee. Plus, it leaves behind the wonderful aroma in the office. Now I need to start working on my coffee art to make it more cafe style like in the shops!