I feel like I have teased this post for a while now – I’ve mentioned my new espresso machine in quite a few posts at this point! But before I posted any sort of review, I wanted to make sure that I’d been using the machine for a while and really had a handle on how it worked so I could write an accurate review.

I’m going to go into the details below, but the short version of it is – I love this machine. It is absolutely a splurge, and I always hesitate to say if something is “worth it” or not – what’s worth it to me might not be for another person. But I have no regrets in getting this machine.

The Details

I am a huge coffee person – I drink multiple cups daily, and I prefer espresso-based drinks. This is partially a taste thing, and partially because then I can get in more caffeine while still drinking less liquid overall, which means less trips to the bathroom for me and less transfers in and out of my wheelchair. When I was working in the office, I’d stop at Starbucks at least once a day. But now that I’m spending so much more time at home, that wasn’t an option anymore. So when I started looking at machines, I knew that I wanted one that made high quality espresso, and didn’t really focus on it’s ability to make regular coffee.

I also knew that I wanted a “super automatic” machine – basically, a machine that does all the work of grinding, measuring, and tamping the beans for you. I knew that I wouldn’t have the strength or mobility to use a more standard espresso machine by myself, and since my parents or personal care attendant would be helping me make my drinks, I didn’t want anything that required barista-level training to use. So it was really important to me that whatever espresso machine I got be really easy to use. And the more touchscreen friendly it was, the better, because it was more likely I’d be able to use it more independently. And because my favorite drink is a macchiato, I knew that the machine needed to be able to steam and froth milk, too.

I ended up with the Miele CM6360. This fit all of my qualifications, and then some. To use it, you put in whole beans, and it grinds them, measures and tamps, and makes your drink! You can make almost any drink you want – espresso shot, flat white, latte, macchiato, and more. You can steam milk and dispense hot water, separately, too. There’s a ton of adjustability, too – you can customize the strength of your espresso shot and the amount of foam / steamed milk in your milk-based drinks. And there’s even a separate small chute you can use for coffee grounds, so that you don’t have to empty out the standard beans to make a decaf drink.

The Good

My absolute favorite part of the Miele machine is how easy it is to use! You put your coffee beans in the container, attach the milk jug, turn on the machine, and just press the button for the drink you want. The most common ones are pre-set buttons on the front of the machine, so you only need to go into the “additional drinks” menu for the less frequently used ones. Macchiato, latte, cappuccino, and espresso are all pre-set button options. The first few times I used it, I had to look at the instruction booklet to make sure I was choosing the right button for my drinks, but it’s second nature now.

This is probably not something that many people will care about, but for anyone else with limited strength and mobility reading this – the buttons are SO easy to press. I barely touch it and it registers! It’s more like a touchscreen than a physical button – that’s how easy it is. This is something that I really appreciate!

The other major pro is how delicious the drinks taste. I had a Nespresso for years, and the drink I’m making now in my Miele are a huge step up. It has completely curbed my urge to order Starbucks via UberEats – my macchiatos taste just as good as the ones I’d order at a coffee shop, and now I can make them on demand. In my opinion, finding beans that you love is a key piece to making a really good drink – I’m currently using (and loving) these from a local coffee shop.

The Bad

This isn’t really a con, necessarily, but just something to be aware of – the maintenance! Because of the superautomatic nature of the machine, it has more maintenance needs than a standard espresso machine. It rinses itself every time you turn it on and off, you have to empty the grounds container and drip tray every few uses, and because of all the rinsing, the water tank needs refilled frequently. None of these are deal-breakers for me (though, to be fair, I can’t do most of these myself!), but it is something to be aware of. The machine also needs to be de-greased and descaled occasionally, but the machine alerts you ahead of time so that you’re not locked out of making your drink when you’re really looking forward to your coffee!

My other minor issue is that the secondary coffee chute – the one that you can use for grounds and not beans – is very small! You can only use it to make one shot at a time. So to make a double shot latte, you have to fill that container two separate times. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me either, but again, something to be aware of.

Overall Thoughts

I really, really love my Miele. I know that it’s an investment, but for me, it has been worth it, no question. I look forward to my macchiatos so much, and now that I’m spending so much time at home, I was really finding myself missing the coffee shop caliber of drinks! I’m so much happier now, and I’m finding myself saving money on coffees out, too. If this is something that’s in your budget, I highly recommend it.