 Mr. Coffee really did their homework on this one |
| Review Date: January 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. Krueger, Austin, TX |
I received this for Christmas from my loving wife who noticed a slight cloud over my weekends since my espresso maker went out several months ago. I had the Mr. Coffee model previous to this one. It served me well for over a year with regular use before I learned the hard way about not overpacking the grounds.
After taking this one around the block a few times I have to say I'm extremely impressed with the design improvements they've made. Overall, this machine is a tremendous value for under $100 (mine was $75 on sale). You would really have to be a coffee snob (and have a lot of disposable income) not to love what you get for the money (I'm a poor coffee snob.)
To sing this machine's praises, I'll highlight the improvments they've made:
1) You no longer have to remove the water container to fill it up. It's an awkward shape to try to fill from my refrigerator. So I just use my frothing pitcher and pour directly into it. This also chills the pitcher - which is good for the frothing I'll do soon.
2) I LOVE the top tray. I store my espresso cup, tamper (from the old machine - the new one is the only downgrade I've noticed), brew basket, and espresso pitchers on it. Did I mention I love the tray? It's a great design perk.
3) It still heats up quickly. A little faster than before for frothing.
4) They upgraded the design of the filters. Smaller holes that all converge into one hole on the bottom. Note: Don't put these or the brew basket in the dishwasher - you'll tarnish them.
5) The bottom of the brew basket is really cool, the single hole from the filter drips onto a silicone (I'm assuming) cone in the basket which appears to guarantee an even drip between two cups of espresso. This only matters if you're pulling separate shots. It may be overdesigned, but I think it's cool.
6) There's more clearance under the brew basket! You couldn't fit a coffee mug under there before (which is why I have the two espresso pitchers). One (or two) fewer thing to clean!
7) The drip tray has two larger holes in the middle. When your espresso is done (and the machine is off) you can take out the brew basket (it's bad for the valve to keep it there) and set it on the holes to drip and cool off before cleaning. It's a brilliant improvement. Also, the drip tray has a spout on it to make it easy to pour out.
8) The frothing wand swings! Very cool.
Here are my tips (echoing other reviews).
-Read the directions first! It'll last longer if you do.
-Make sure you use the correct roast and ground size and don't overpack.
-Play with the brewer until you figure out how long you want to brew (I count to ten).
-Ditch the single filter. You'll never use it.
-Get some demitasse cups.
-Get a frothing pitcher and use 1% milk.
-Ditch the rubber tip on the frothing wand. It's useless unless you want to easily grow bacteria.
-After frothing, blow a little steam out the wand so no milk dries and clogs it. Wipe the wand with a damp towel shortly after steaming (it's easier to clean when it's hot).
That's about it, folks. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. Even if it only lasted a year, I'd buy another one to replace it and I'd still save money over the more expensive models.
Enjoy!
UPDATE AFTER ONE YEAR: I use it off and on and it's still working well. The frothing works as well as it did day one. The espresso function works, but I made the mistake of pregrinding some beans at the grocery store with the "Espresso" setting. The machine struggled to force water through even with minimal packing (Next time I'll try the next largest size). It also seems like the seal isn't as tight as a year ago. That said, it still pulls a decent shot. For the money, I'm still pleased. |
excellent cappuccino for few $$$
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| Review Date: January 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Philippians4:13, Paxton, MA USA |
| Don't listen to the coffee snobs who say you need to spend hundreds (or more) for a good cappuccino machine! I didn't get a machine for a long time because I figured they would be too complicated to use, time-consuming to clean, and the inexpensive ones would make lousy cappuccino. But Starbucks gets expensive, so when I saw this one on sale for $59.99 I figured all it needed to do was make 20 decent drinks to pay for itself. It has done that in a couple of weeks! Following the instructions, it's very easy to use, cleaning is also quick and easy, and the cappuccinos and lattees come out great. It's a huge plus that you can use regular coffee mugs, so who cares that it doesn't come with little espresso cups? The ONLY negative is that it really should have come with a milk frothing pitcher, but I picked up an 8-oz. one at the supermarket for $1.99 and it works fine. If you are on the fence about whether or not to take the plunge on an inexpensive espresso/cappuccino maker, buy this one. |
Great espresso, zero problems
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| Review Date: October 14, 2008 |
| Reviewer: HardcoreGamer, |
This is my first espresso machine. I make two to three cappuccinos a day. It's easy to use. The pump has plenty of pressure, and it heats up fast. I removed the rubber nozzle from the steam wand immediately. I learned to froth without fancy gadgets, and it's a skill you'll be proud of if you do it that way. Steam pressure seems good, and the espresso comes out in two golden heavy streams of froth, gradually condensing into a rich, dark liquid with good crema. I use Brazil Santos coffee, and it makes superb espresso. I have used it every day for three months with no problems so far. I got it on sale for $69.99, and I figure even if it only lasts a year, I got my money's worth of espresso. It's fairly easy to clean, and comes with everything you need to start making espresso right away. A few tips; do not grind the coffee too fine or tamp it too hard--this can make steam pop out of the gasket between the portafilter and the group. Grind and tamp require a little experimentation and practice, but it's not that hard. Also, as with any machine, don't store the portafilter on the group, or the gasket will compress and the seal will not be effective. So far, no negatives to report. I'll update this review if anything changes.
Update: May 2009. I have used this machine virtually every day (I say virtually every day because I use a Breville on the weekend). I make 2-3 cappuccinos a day with it. I have yet to experience any problems with it. I've decalcified it once in the last eight or so months I've used it, but only as maintenance. Easy to use, easy to clean. Water temp could be higher, but for an entry level machine, I'm still happy with it. Pump is still strong, steam is still very good. I would recommend this machine to anyone who wants to try making home espresso, but doesn't want to make a large investment in case they don't find it to their liking.
Update: March 2010. Still going strong! I trade every week between this machine and a Breville. The Breville
makes better espresso, but this machine makes better steam and is still easier to use. I still consider it just
an entry-level basic machine, but it's earned my respect. I've decalcified it several times in the last year, and the steam and water output is still strong. Honestly, even if it took a dump at this point, I would replace it with another one just like it. If you want to try making your own espresso, I doubt you'll find a more user friendly machine. |
Lots of Pros; few cons
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| Review Date: November 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Phillip Shero, Mbale, Uganda |
In a very confusing world of espresso/cappuccino makers, this is a solid buy. I read tons of reviews, and based on those, I chose this machine for these reasons:
1. Powerful steam feature. Most reviews pointed toward this as an important feature, and this machine has a pump to create powerful steam.
2. Short "warm-up" period. Many machines that are powerful take a long time to warm up. I turn this on, and by the time I've gathered my ingredients, it's ready to go.
3. A standard-size coffee cup fits under the drip spout.
Those were the reasons I purchased it. I discovered several other nice features after buying it.
1. It's very easy to use. The manual itself is helpful, and the instructions are easy to do. My 9-year-old son regularly makes me lattes with this machine.
2. Even though it's tall enough to fit a standard mug, it's not bulky or oversized.
3. Everything except the frothing wand is easy to clean.
4. It's very economical.
I'm really trying to think of any "cons," and the only ones I can come up with are:
1. You don't get any accessories with it (except the tamper), but then, most of the machines don't come with those anyway.
2. Although a standard coffee mug will fit under the spout, novelty mugs that are just a little taller won't.
Other reviews say that they've had problems with leaks. I haven't.
A hint if you purchase this machine: the manual says that, to clean the frothing wand, hold a cup of water under it and steam the water. I've found this isn't really sufficient. But we keep a clean toothbrush near the machine, and if you scrub the frother a little WHILE steaming the water, it comes clean quite well. Allthe other parts remove easily to be washed.
I definitely recommend this machine.
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Great machine for the money - both espresso and cappuccino taste excellent!
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| Review Date: January 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Pampeliska, |
(Two important cleaning/maintenance tips included at the end of the review)
I went on a trip abroad recently and whenever I ordered coffee, it was consistently absolutely terrible... however, on occasion I was actually served freshly made espresso, and it was consistently absolutely fantastic.
I always thought that buying an espresso machine was a bit over-the-top and snobbish, but based on that experience, I decided to just break down and get one anyway.
I was appropriately and inevitably warned by some 'coffee connoisseurs' how you need to spend at least $500 and up, if you want even a remotely decent espresso machine. That might have been the case at some point in the past, but in my opinion, this little machine well under $100 bucks produces some amazing results.
I started off going really cheap - with Mr. Coffee steam driven Espresso Maker. While the frothing ability of that one was quite wonderful and the cappuccinos were surprisingly good, the espresso lacked "crema" - the coffee froth on top, which is my absolute favorite part.
I realized that the pump-driven machine is a way to go, so I passed the first device on to my friend, who loves hot chocolate, and uses it to froth the milk.
This machine was my second choice.
I still did not want to spend a fortune and hesitated a while between this one and DeLonghi (EC155), but got discouraged by the amount of the preheat/prep time on DeLonghi (about 25 mins based on most of the reviewers' accounts).
So far I am completely delighted with this one... it is astoundingly simple to operate and clean, the prep (preheat) time is minimal, and the espressos are JUST GREAT - there is plenty of froth (crema) on top to stimulate you visually and to satiate your taste buds as well... and also it froths the milk fabulously.
Yes, it does seem to leak a bit, but I was prepared for that, reading other people's reviews. Not a big deal, I just wipe it off periodically.
I highly recommend reading other reviews on here - you get quite a few helpful tips about the coffee grinding, the best coffee grounds to use, tamping, milk frothing etc ....
Bottom line: if you like a really good espresso, and either don't want to be spending megabucks at some *(star) bucks kind of place or don't want to plunk down couple of hundred bucks for a fancier-looking machine - then this one is a way to go.
Will pay for itself in a short time, and unless you are a true espresso aficionado, you will never notice the difference between your home-made espresso shot and most of the store-bought ones.
And finally, these are two maintenance tips, that I have picked up along the way and added:
1.
The cleaning instructions do not mention this, but make sure you always wipe out the part, where the filter holder attaches to the machine (I think it is called the filter head).
Most of the time there are some leftover wet coffee grounds that float up from the metal filter and get stuck to the machine after each brew, and of course you won't see them unless you look from underneath.
And if left uncleaned after a while, the old dried-up grounds will make each new batch taste bitter and/or stale.
2.
this addendum is written Jan 19th 2010, about a year later (BTW the machine still works perfect, even though I do not use it daily, as I am trying to cut back on coffee):
Whenever the coffeemaker just sits around for couple of days without being used, remember first to run through a cup or two of hot water only before you start the next brew, so all the metallic parts inside get chance to clean and freshen up.
There were several times, when I made the coffee, and had to throw it away, as it had this weird, hard to describe metallic/oily taste... not completely toxic tasting, but just very unpleasant and WAY off.
Then I realized that it happened always after I have not used the thing for a while, and the problem got solved completely once I started running the hot water through first.
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