I’ve been testing the AMZCHEF CM5560 for the past few weeks, and here’s the thing—this $200 machine represents exactly what beginners need: an espresso maker with a built-in grinder that doesn’t require you to piece together separate equipment or learn an overwhelming workflow.
You can watch my detailed AMZCHEF CM5560 review on my YouTube channel for the full visual walkthrough.
What’s in the Box
The machine includes a 51mm spouted portafilter with both a 14-gram double shot basket and a 7-gram single shot basket.
There’s also a dosing ring that sits on top of the basket—this catches grounds while you’re grinding and prevents coffee from spilling everywhere, which I appreciate during my morning routine.
Now here’s something that surprised me: instead of the usual flimsy plastic tamper that comes with budget machines, AMZCHEF includes a solid metal tamper. It feels substantially better in your hand and gives you more control when you’re packing the puck.
For an entry-level espresso machine, the accessories are genuinely impressive. Many brands in this price range only give you a plastic scoop and call it a day.
Design and Build Quality
This machine prioritizes value, so the body is mostly hard plastic with decorative metal panels on the sides. The plastic feels solid enough for daily use—not premium, but definitely not cheap either.
What impressed me is how compact it is despite having a built-in grinder.
It’s roughly the same size as many standalone espresso machines, so it won’t dominate your counter space.
Up top sits the bean hopper with an anti-popcorning lid that holds around half a pound of beans.
One limitation I noticed: you can’t remove the hopper to access the burrs directly for deep cleaning.
Key Design Features
51mm brew head: The clearance underneath is generous enough to fit taller cups, and I can even squeeze in both a small scale and my cup when pulling shots, which is incredibly handy for weighing output
20-step grind adjustment: The dial is on the left side, and I typically start around setting 5 for espresso and adjust from there
Steam wand with hot water function: The control knob on the right operates the single-hole steam wand, and when steam is off, you can dispense hot water
1.8-liter water tank: This holds enough water for several drinks before needing a refill
The steam wand moves easily to different angles, and while the steam pressure isn’t super powerful, it’s enough to texture milk for your everyday cappuccinos and lattes.
Touchscreen Controls and Brewing Modes
The full touchscreen control panel is straightforward to use. Press the power button once to turn it on, but keep in mind the machine doesn’t start heating at this point—you need to select your brewing mode first.
The machine offers two brewing modes: hot espresso and cold espresso.
The cold espresso feature extracts at very low temperature (around 35 degrees Celsius in the cup), producing lighter coffee that’s perfect if you don’t like intense flavors.
For regular hot espresso, tap the hot button and it starts flashing while the machine preheats.
This takes about 40 seconds, which feels quite fast compared to other entry-level machines.
Once ready, choose single or double shot and the display shows your brew time. You can long-press the single or double button to program your preferred shot duration.
Temperature and Pre-Infusion Settings
- Three temperature levels: Match different roast levels to your beans
- Adjustable pre-infusion time (0-10s): The machine dispenses a bit of water to wet the puck, waits for your set time, then starts full-pressure extraction
The Built-in Grinder
When you press the grind button, the factory default is 14 seconds of grinding. Here’s where you’ll need to make an adjustment: at grind setting 5, 14 seconds only gives roughly 6 grams, which isn’t enough for a double shot.
To fix this, long-press the grind button to switch to manual mode—you’ll hear a beep, and it keeps grinding until you press again. The machine remembers this custom time, so next time it automatically repeats it.
At setting 5, grinding for about 30 seconds gives me 13-14 grams, which lines up perfectly with the included 14-gram basket.
The grounds come out fluffy, and the grind size looks appropriate for the pressurized baskets.
Espresso Performance with Stock Baskets
Let me be honest about what you’re getting with the stock pressurized baskets. They’re incredibly beginner-friendly because they’re not extremely sensitive to grind size or puck preparation.
Even if your grind is slightly off, you still get thick-looking crema most of the time, which helps build confidence when you’re learning.
If you want stronger flavor, move a little finer on the grind dial; for lighter coffee, go coarser. I’ve been using fresh dark roast beans from my local roaster, and the results consistently beat pre-ground coffee.
In the cup, the espresso is rich and intense with quite hot temperature. This makes it perfect for milk drinks. The trade-off with pressurized baskets is that they sacrifice some flavor clarity.
Upgrading to Non-Pressurized Baskets
Once you’re comfortable with the basic workflow, I highly recommend trying a 51mm non-pressurized basket.
This type of basket relies entirely on the resistance of the coffee puck rather than a pressurized mechanism, so it needs more precise grind size. However, it unlocks better flavor and more complexity in your cup.
You can drop a non-pressurized basket straight into the stock portafilter, or pick up a third-party three-tab bottomless portafilter—as long as the tabs match, it locks in fine.
For non-pressurized baskets, I grind one step finer to setting 4. The basket I tested holds around 16 grams, so I adjusted my dose slightly from the 14-gram stock basket.
The crema with a non-pressurized basket is the real thing—formed directly by the coffee bed, not by a secondary pressure mechanism. The espresso texture feels thicker, and the flavors stay more intact, so both complexity and mouthfeel improve noticeably.
Temperature in the cup measures around 57 degrees Celsius, but preheating your cup makes it come out significantly hotter.
Milk Steaming Performance
The steaming workflow is straightforward: pull your shot first, then press the steam button to switch modes. Because this uses a single heating block design, it needs to heat from brewing to steam temperature, which takes around 30 seconds—actually quite good for an entry-level machine.
Before frothing, I always open the steam wand briefly to purge out water so the steam is drier. Keep in mind the metal wand gets very hot during use, so don’t touch it directly.
The wand moves easily to find a good angle in your pitcher. Like most beginner machines, the steam pressure isn’t extremely strong, but it creates a proper vortex in the milk.
Starting from cold milk, it takes about one minute to reach hot-to-the-touch temperature. After steaming, wipe the wand with a damp cloth and purge it immediately to prevent milk from drying on the tip.
The microfoam quality is quite nice—smooth and silky with good flow. It’s more than enough for tasty milk drinks and perfectly fine for practicing basic latte art at home.
Maintenance Considerations
One limitation worth noting: the built-in grinder cannot be disassembled by users, so you don’t have access to the burrs for deep cleaning.
If the grinder feels tight or clogged, try turning the grind setting to the coarsest level and running it for a moment—this often knocks out fine particles stuck inside.
Is the AMZCHEF CM5560 Espresso Machine Worth It?
At under $200, this AMZCHEF espresso machine delivers solid value for beginners. If you bought a separate entry-level espresso machine and grinder, you’d typically pay more and use significantly more counter space.
This machine handles everyday drinks confidently and gives you room to grow with upgrades like non-pressurized baskets.
If you’re just starting your espresso journey and want a first machine to explore home coffee-making, the CM5560 is a practical choice that won’t overwhelm your workflow or your budget.
