Is the EM550E a bean-to-cup or a portafilter machine?

The EM550E is a bean-to-cup machine.

Does the EM550E have a built-in grinder?

Yes, the EM550E grinds beans itself. You can also use pre-ground coffee if you prefer.

How does the EM550E froth milk?

The EM550E froths milk: with a steam wand you control yourself.

How much water does the EM550E hold?

The EM550E's water tank holds 1.5 litres.

What is the EM550E's model number?

The model number is EM550E. Compare on that rather than the name: makers sell near-identically named versions side by side, and the prices differ.

Cuisinart

EM550E

Name: Cuisinart EM550E
Brand: Cuisinart
SKU: EM550E
Availability: InStock

A compact bean-to-cup for espresso, americano and cold brew

€355.00

Price verdict from 5 Dec

We have measured this price since 5 November (5 days). Lowest measured: €355.00 on 10 November. A price verdict follows on 5 December at the earliest, and only after 2 more readings.

Where to buy

Updated on 10 November 2026Updated on 10 November 2026

Daily price history

Last 6 days

Lowest €355.00Now €355.00

5 Nov7 Nov8 Nov10 Nov

View as a table

Date	Lowest price that day
10 November 2026	€355.00
9 November 2026	€355.00
8 November 2026	€355.00
7 November 2026	€355.00
6 November 2026	€355.00
5 November 2026	€355.00

Price alert

When the EM550E drops

Espresso machines drop hardest around Black Friday and in the weeks before Christmas. Leave your email address and pick below what you want to hear about.

The EM550E is Cuisinart's bean-to-cup: a stainless steel conical burr grinder, buttons for espresso, double espresso and americano, and a cold brew button that brews coffee without heat, in under 5 minutes according to the manual. A favourite button remembers your own setting.

You froth milk yourself with the steam wand, which also gives hot water. There is no button for cappuccino or latte; anyone wanting those at one touch looks for a machine with a carafe or a milk tube.

Who for: Anyone who mostly drinks black coffee and cold brew and froths milk by hand.

Compared with similar machines

Against 30 other bean-to-cups between €284.00 and €529.00, on the specifications the maker publishes.

Warranty: 36 months, longer than most (usually 24 months)
Bean hopper: 150 g, smaller than most (usually 250 g)

Specifications

Making coffee

Type: Bean-to-cup
Grinder: Built in
Milk system: Steam wand you control yourself; After every use, a short burst of steam or water and a wipe with a damp cloth.
Drinks: 4 recipes
Burrs: Conical steel burrs

Capacity

Water tank: 1.5 litres
Bean hopper: 150 g

Technical

Pump pressure: 19 bar

Model

Warranty: 3 years
Model number: EM550E

This is what we know for certain. Dimensions and capacities the manufacturer or the shop does not state are left out rather than estimated. A measurement or a tank volume that is not there is one we do not have.

What does it cost a year to maintain?

A worked example, not a specification: 2 cups a day (730 a year), the intervals from the maker's manual, with the water filter the maker recommends, and the lowest price in our catalog today.

Descaler · 12 a year: Not in our catalog; Cuisinart: descale at least once a month, with the supplied descaler. Cuisinart requires its own descaler, which our catalog does not carry.

We cannot price anything for this machine: what the maker requires is not in our catalog, or the maker gives no interval.

How often you descale depends on your water hardness. Where the maker gives no interval for it, we leave it out rather than estimate it.

Beans, counted separately

6.57 kilos a year at 9 grams a cup: €108.34 with the cheapest kilo in our catalog, €445.45 with the dearest.

Frequently asked about the EM550E

Is the EM550E a bean-to-cup or a portafilter machine?: The EM550E is a bean-to-cup machine.
Does the EM550E have a built-in grinder?: Yes, the EM550E grinds beans itself. You can also use pre-ground coffee if you prefer.
How does the EM550E froth milk?: The EM550E froths milk: with a steam wand you control yourself.
How much water does the EM550E hold?: The EM550E's water tank holds 1.5 litres.
What is the EM550E's model number?: The model number is EM550E. Compare on that rather than the name: makers sell near-identically named versions side by side, and the prices differ.

Drinks it makes

Espresso
Double espresso
Americano
Cold brew

Accessories that fit this machine

Picked on what this machine does and does not do itself

Maintenance

Essential

Descaler

Limescale is what most machines die of, and vinegar attacks the seals. A liquid descaler declared suitable for espresso machines does the same job as the maker’s own branded fluid, usually for less.

€15.90

Go to bol

Milk

Essential

Milk jug

A stainless jug of around 600 ml is the difference between milk that froths and milk that boils. The shape of the spout decides whether you can pour anything with it.

€12.95

Go to bol

Maintenance

Recommended

Cleaning tablets

For flushing the brew group. Coffee oils settle where you cannot reach, and a bean-to-cup with a cleaning programme expects a tablet to go with it.

€13.50

Go to bol

Beans for this machine

Every bean fits every machine. What differs is the order: on a bean-to-cup the 100% arabica beans come first, because dark-roasted blends carrying robusta give off more oil and that clogs a built-in grinder sooner.