End Game Under $300?: HiBrew H10A Review 

Controversial, but I think this is better value for money than what James reviewed today.

"It's that. Whatever that means, that's what it is." I laughed out loud.

I own this machine some months now. By opening the steam wand at the later half of the brewing time to sort of pressure profiling is a revelation! I bought the machine from mainland China from Taobao which costed less than US$180. Very enjoyable little machine indeed.

Man, it is nice to have a low budget espresso machine option. I will probably buy it.

These are the best videos, IMO. I understand the appeal and insterest in innovation and cream of the crop tools, but I can't help feeling a bit "bad" when watching something I could never afford in a million years. Thanks for the review, Lance.

That included tamper puts a lot of "premium" manufacturers, with their embarrassing plastic tampers to shame.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Great review and I just ordered mine here in Thailand on Lazada for $232 USD including shipping. Ive been in the market for a new machine since the steam wand on my 2.5 year old GemiLai Model CRM3605 snapped off. A cheap plastic connection inside the top section of the wand started splitting and leaking then finally snapped off. Also, in the brew cycle, for some reason the pressure now won’t build past 3 bars. Meanwhile, this HiBrew H10A has all the features I’ve been looking for in a moderately priced machine. After much research I was unable to find anything even close to the features of this machine. So lucky I stumbled onto this review. Can’t wait to receive the HiBrew. I’ll be using this excellent expert review as my guide in setting it up and using it!!!! Lance, thank you again for this excellent review! I’m now a subscribed fan.

Are we actually looking at a bargain here….I think we are, Lance being excited about it is huge

Thank you for doing a review of this budget option 🙌

Lance I found your channel about a month ago when I decided it was time to up my espresso game, and I LOVE it. While this machine may not be in my future plans, watching how you analyze the intricacies of these machines, and how you alter variables inspires me and I really appreciate the content!

I dig reviews like this. Love seeing the full capacity of options that a budget machine creates.

I always enjoy the stream of consciousness commentary. It’s why I subscribed. I do the pressure bleed off with my Starbucks Barista and naked basket.

Great review Lance! Please keep reviewing equipment at all price points.

This might be my first espresso machine thanks to this review haha

I appreciate you bringing your knowledge of how machines work and applying it to getting a tastier shot. While it totally makes sense you can manipulate the pressure at the group head by opening up the steam valve on a thermoblock machine, I wouldn't have made that connection without you mentioning it. It didn't feel pretentious either, really just a "Hey here's a neat thing you can do, no big deal", makes it feel really approachable. This style of video too was pretty fun for me, I hope you do more like this!

I've had mine for 3 months now and I really love it. Use it 1-3 times a day with a Kingrinder K6. I've learned a ton so far and am very happy with the results for like 400 bucks total. I'm going to do my first big clean and descale soon and will use it until it breaks, then I'll know enough to buy something more serious.

I have got one as of August 2023. Still very happy with. My first experience with an espresso machine. With this review I am even more happy with this machine. Thanks.

❤ Thanks so much. I have this machine in the kitchen. Doing blooming style tomorrow then.

I really like the texture of the machine, it is very simple to use, I make a cup of coffee every morning, I really like this machine.

im a noob coffee enthusiast so i thought to have this machine. its been more than a month now that i have this and i don't even thought about this things done by by mr lance. thank you for this review and experimentations. it really maximizes the machine's full potential. ☺️🙏🙏🙏

Im glad he got to review the Hibrew H10A, i got this machine around 3 months ago ever since i got really mesmerised watching people make espressos or latte. I got anxious if i need an upgrade since im still fresh to the coffee community with no knowledge on whats good and bad but i think ill stick with it ^w^

Cheaper machines are always of interest. So much of what we watch as coffee nerds, is high end, stuff-to-dream-about equipment. It's great to see that we can get good results with reasonably priced kit.

I am so blown away by using the steam wand to lower pressure on the puck. I’m going to use the hell out of this.

This is a video about shocking value. Superficially it's about the $280 HiBrew H10A which can make amazing espresso drinks under the guiding hand of a master. More importantly, it's about the shocking value delivered by Lance Hedrick day after day, video after video. His knowledge, delivery, and generosity of humor raises my spirits in an ever darkening world. I recommend his video to my non-coffee-drinking friends and family because he is a fount of joy. Someone recommended Masterclass. We have one right here which is why I give back to Lance at Patreon. Thank you sir. You are appreciated.

I really like seeing a cheap machine with some capability. I bought a Bambino because it had PID (and was cheap) only to find out it wasn't adjustable (sad face). This seems more gooder.

You are a mad coffee scientist! Thanks for the review and your expertise. Goals! 😊

It's glorious to see how you pull a very appetising cappuccino from such a budget product. I'm glad to hear that I no longer need to sell both kidneys to buy a hand grinder. Great content, Lance!

This machine is like the single "boiler" version of my apex. Great value. Thanks for the review, Lance!

No regrets having this over a Gemilai 3605/3609. My H10A also survived when our house burned down last year. Surprisingly, it's still working well with just a few burn marks. I make 2-4 cups daily. Also, it's quite challenging getting a bottomless portafilter for this but I was able to get one online.

just ordered, will be my first expresso machine, thanks for the video, very informative.

About 10 years ago I sold my Rancillio Silvia and a lever machine (can’t remember the brand, the logo had a bridge). At the time I needed money and counter space. I saved my Mazzer SJ though! This little machine might be the perfect thing to allow me to get back into pulling shots. I’ve missed it. I was researching the lever machines with no boiler(ie Flair), but this little fella may fit my needs even better. I’ve never left coffee….have always roasted my beans and make a pour over daily. The home barista space has changed so much in 10+ years! I added a PID to my Silvia and used non fancy tools like cut yogurt cups and dissecting needles instead of WDT. lol Glad I found your channel recently. Very good stuff! Makes me excited about coffee again.

Got the mini version recentlyas my first machine, which has a 51mm basket, but the internals are the same. I'm glad this was a good buy. Now, at least, I know it will have been my fault if the espresso sucks ^^

So much to learn so little time...thank you Lance for helping out the brew challenged !

Hell yes! I’ve long been a proponent for utilising cheaper machines. While I’ve been pretty settled with my BDB for a few years now I’ve used lots of cheaper machines in the past from the likes of Sunbeam, Breville, Delonghi etc. and have always been able to get decent quality coffee from them.

The tip to use the steam wand to lower the flow rate towards the end is so simple and brilliant, thank you Lance!

This type of video was great, both informative, structured and "controlled chaos" at the same time :)

This looks great for $300 I'm really impressed with all the cool stuff the Chinese are coming out with in the coffee realm.

Glad that you and Morgan are show case cheap espresso machines and technoques to get the best shot out of them.

Lance, thank you , I appreciate everything you do!, now! This showed me that you are one of the best!

I have been using this machine for some time now, never realized I could do pre-infusion like this, and that flow control hack! Thanks for this awesome review and tips!

Nice! It is truly fascinating how the quality coffee sphere becomes more affordable to people of different wealth😍

Thanks for thir great review Lance ! I just bought it on Aliexpress for 180€ shipped from and to France !

This was fun. Thanks mucho for reviewing a budget machine.

Machines like this make me want to frankenstein some of their components to create an even better machine

Love this review! Great job!

thank you. I just bought this machine after having a quickmill Orione 3000 which I liked but got fed up with temperature surfing. this one is quite fun and the steam power is great for such a cheap and small machine. I did own a bambino plus before all that but got rid of it within a few days because temerature seemed inconsistent and I did not like the steam function.

I think for the money is a viable option for those getting into espresso. However, I'd still recommend the Breville Bambino over this - A few bucks more and much better all round quality, especially in the build.

I have mine for 9 months already here in the 🇵🇭. It's pretty decent for a home espresso machine. 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽

I just bought this machine and I love it because for the price you get many functions on machine. I switch this machine from delonghi ECP 3531. I only have one minus that the water from the grouphead doesn’t have a road to the drip tray, so you can’t backflush

Peace be with you! Fantastic review as always. It's great to see inexpensive expresso machines being reviewed. I own KitchenAid's Model# KES6403 Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine. The KitchenAid doesn't have some of the features HiBrew H10A has, nonetheless it does produce a shot of tasty expresso and came equipped with an auto Milk Frothier. Its Porta Filter was replace with a Bottomless Porta Filter. The coffee grinder I use is a Turin SK40. Thanks again!

Lance Hendricks' improvisational skills in this one was on point! :)

Thanks for the reiview Lance. Will this be the machine to buy instead of the bambino? Asking as someone thinking of getting the first machine

Got one of these for budgetary reasons. Great video. Got their grinder as well. Good shots below $450!I I like it a little bit too much! 😎

This is follow up to my last comment regarding my ordering this machine based on your review Lance. I’ve been playing around with it and the various settings, and those you recommend in this video, for the last 5 days. Conclusion: this is a very good machine at an excellent price point making it a fantastic value!!! It’s fast warmup to temperature, the ability to micro-adjust settings, and the powerful stream generation put my broken down 2 1/2 year old GemiLai model CRM3605 to shame. I love it. Thank you again for this great review.

Dude, your on a different level. Well done!

I own this machine and have had it for a while. I initially had somehow mixed feelings with it in the beginning, especially with lighter roasts. No matter what I did, I always got super sour espresso with it. After trying out the blooming techniques on the machine, I feel like it is really capable machine. I also own a flair58, and use both of machines. Although the flair58 gives you full control over the shot and you can make better espresso, but it is still a double edged knife (you can end up messing it up) I do feel like you need to grind a bit coarser for this machine, because of the high preassure the machine creates. I’m not sure how it compares to the gaggia classic pro, but I can say it is great value for the money - with the right workflow-techniques. Hibrew also makes grinders, and I own their g5. I’m eager to watch a review for it, because I was thinkinng of getting eureka mignion specialista or niche zero, just to see if it is worth upgrading.

I had this as my first espresso machine. It is indeed incredible value for money. I originally contacted the company about the pressure gauge, and they said the green zone is 7-16 bar, and having my shots all come out at the upper end of that range had me really concerned and I was ready to open it up and mod it. The Russian guy’s teardown, which I originally watched to find out where the opv is, eventually just gave me comfort that I wasn’t getting any higher than 10 bar which is fine by me tbh. Glad to see a more “mainstream” channel review this machine, it’s a good one. I don’t think daddy Hoffman will like it though. He’s very particular about the UX and build quality 😁

Seems like a decent machine and good way to experiment with it. The breville bambino non plus also doesnt have a solenoid and can do the super long bloom or pre infusion similarily. But no temp control on it and its a 54* ish mm portafilter not 58mm. Nice to see more advanced features coming out even on these lower end machines ! Adjustable steam temperatures!? I can't even do that on my old breville dual boiler (latest version you can)!

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm gonna buy this because of this review.

Super interesting. Love your reviews!

After seeing this I looked into it a bit more, and there's a good chance that this would suit me for a start.

Great review and reveal of blooming capability on a budget machine with no solenoid valve! So how hard would it be, to have an enable/disable switch on a solenoid valve? I see expensive machines with no pre-infusion/flow control functions able to overcome with such a possibility?

Got it for my parents with varia vs3 , a really nice setup , the steam is more powerful than breville barista pro which i had at one time and milk is much Smoother .

Interesting content. Thank you for showing the whole gambit of machines

I'm a newbie here simply because I got a machine for the same price as an average Nespresso order. Now I've got almost as much in upgrades and accessories. But the way you riff on the creative manipulations is freaking amazing. The cost ????? $100-300 for something thats won't last forever anyway, and now that I now its ok to stop the pump anytime is a revelation

thank you for ur review in it . its in my wishlist for couuple of month now

Omg I can’t wait for that next review. I am so excited

Long time drinker, first time viewer. Good review. Thanks.

Thoughts on this vs a bambino plus?

I bought this same machine some time ago, but unfortunately their customer service is not very helpful. I had problems maintaining a 9 bar pressure and they couldn't help me even if I was asking about an OPV valve. Didn't have the confidence to open the machine, but big thanks to Lance and the other source for pointing out that there is one.

I have a gaggia that I modded with a pid. It was an adventure. If I breaks, I see myself buying that machine instead. The black exterior looks nice too.

This was very fun! For these types of machines this feels like a great format but maybe an extra video, maybe an unfiltered, would be good with more interesting cheaper end machines to really go more in-depth on them. But this was very fun! You've definitely got my favourite unboxing skills

Very interesting especially some comparison against the infamous delonghi, breville you reviewed earlier is what I, and probably all who consider buying something in that price range, are interested.

Amazing video, totally for more of this kind !

always a good job Lance! enjoy this review....

Interesting and I’m loving all these low budget machines kicking out decent shots. I have my DeLonghi 3630 pretty dialed in so good for now waiting on that big lottery hit to upgrade.

Thank you sir.

how do you think this compares to the bambino plus

Just great! I'm poor so this will have to do. For now. And I'll probably be able to pull good shots. Yay!

Like the smartphone market, the budget end of espresso machines is becoming more and more competitive and the flagship end becoming more niche. As this is a Lance video, at least we'll know if this thing is capable of creating a decent shot.

What a cool little machine! So cool, and great review!

I believe those are 4mm tubes? Just like the sage dual boiler? Could it be possible to put the same needle valve,.? Just bringing crazy ideas to the table

Oh, so letting it bloom after you've clogged it by grinding too fine is actually a technique? That's what I did two days ago on my Dedica with the new coffee I got. Ended up with an over 1 minute shot that I expected to taste awfully but was pretty good...turned out even better than the next shot which was much closer to properly dialed in. I might start pulling exclusively blooming shots from now on. :D

This is incredible. The only thing that would worry me is the longevity of such a product. It’s probably fine but you’re always a little more worried when you have cheaper materials.

This one or Bambino? Similar price point.

Looks exactly the same as my Gemilai C3605. Has pre-infusion and a thermoblock as well but no PID temp control. Got it for around $200

Nice machine. nice and fun review! Thank you bro!

Great video, loved it!

I think its funny that it includes a premium feature like pre infusion control but it's actually made redundant by the lack of over-pressure valve.

It's not the brush, it's the artist. ☕

Surprisingly, it pulls shots better than my previous Oscar with opv kit.

i like the idea of this for the camper. I just need to find a grinder that will work as well without the price and weight of my Eureka

Nice detailed review man! 🍻

Huh, this is an interesting alternative to a modded Gaggia Classic, which is what I was thinking about getting.

How is Lance pulling this off every time? Going in depth this far with the machines is just crazy!

I didn't understand well the difference between the pre-infusion and the blooming. I would've loved to see a comparison of actual shots and what it does for their quality. The new H10 Plus adds a solenoid valve to discharge pressure, does that mean blooming is no longer possible, ergo the H10A might be the better choice? It does add an improved pump, does that make the pre-infusion more useeful?

Love me some 16 in 300 out shot

This is a great review. Would you say it's worth picking up for a coffee newb who can't justify $500 on a basic espresso maker or is there a more preferred option?

The thermoblock is a nice touch!

This is actually very cool, for the price, seems pretty good. Personally I think it's more of a fun machine to try different things because the lack of the valve , but as an everyday machine seems a bit annoying.