Cuisinart Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640) vs Lelit Anna
A thermoblock against a single boiler — two philosophies of the same morning.
About CA$275 apart — the split below is what the gap buys.
Cuisinart
US$599–649 · CA$555–800
The EM-640 packs a grinder, assisted tamper, cold-extraction, and manual steam wand into one cabinet at a price that puts it in direct competition with more refined machines. What you must a…
Full record & live prices →
Lelit
Strong consensusUS$599–699 · CA$830–1,075
The Anna PL41TEM puts real espresso infrastructure — brass boiler, PID, manometer, 3-way solenoid — into one of the narrowest footprints in the segment, hand-assembled in the same Italian fa…
Full record & live prices →The split
Where they actually differ
Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640)
Anna
Ready when you are
Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640) leads, decisively
30 sec· ~10 min
Parts & repair
Anna leads, decisively
The price
Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640) costs less, decisively
CA$555–800· CA$830–1,075
Reliability record
Anna leads, clearly
Push-button convenience
Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640) leads, clearly
Value per dollar
Anna leads, clearly
weakerstronger
The counter’s vote
Looks barely figure in either machine’s record — the counter can sit this one out.
Anna: Polished steel exterior with metal switches and manometer cited repeatedly as "premium for the price" and kitchen-approval talk; design is functional elegance, not polarizing.
Only the Anna: PID temperature control.
Only the Anna: the standard 58mm ecosystem.
Only the Anna: no accessory lock-in.
Where they tie: milk & steam · back-to-back drinks · forgiving to learn on · quiet operation — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
On the counter
The size difference, to scale
So — which one?
Take the Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640) if —
- Patience is not your virtue at 6 a.m.
- The difference stays in your pocket — or goes into beans
- You want a button, not a ritual
Take the Anna if —
- You plan to fix, not replace
- It has to just work, every day
- Every dollar has to earn its place
- The shot itself is the hobby
Both columns reading true? Take the Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640) and put the difference into fresh, roast-dated beans — they move the cup more than this choice will.
Known weak points
Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640)
Frother wand durability concerns; proprietary portafilter and parts limit long-term serviceability.
Anna
Steaming capacity becomes bottleneck under repeated heavy use; no widespread electronic failure patterns documented, though single-boiler temperature swing management requires ritual attention.
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine (EM-640)
Anna
Type
Thermoblock / thermojet
Single boiler
Heat-up time
30 seconds
~10 min
Steam power
2/5
2.5/5
Brew + steam at once
No
No
Guest recovery
1.5/5
2/5
Shot quality ceiling
2.5/5
3.5/5
PID temperature control
No
Yes
Milk system
Manual steam wand
Manual steam wand
Removable brew group
No
No
Hot-water tap
Yes
Yes
Cup clearance
20 cm
9 cm
Workflow demand
3/5
3/5
Maintenance
2.5/5
2.5/5
Noise
3/5
2.5/5
Build longevity
2.5/5
3.5/5
Dimensions
37.9 × 40.6 × 41.5 cm
23 × 38 × 34 cm
One owner each
“The frother wand was perhaps the trickiest aspect of this machine to get to grips with, although that's no different to other models I've tried with this functionality.”
“The Anna's level of finish is also surprising for a machine this price—the polished steel exterior with premium metal switches and a manometer that displays brew pressure in real time make this machine stand out.”
Wrong match-up? Change one side → — any two on file compare.
Still torn?
This page weighs them against each other. The finder weighs them against your mornings.
Two minutes of questions — milk, noise, budget, space — scored across everything on file. It’s honest when the answer is neither of these.
Take the two-minute finder →