Mr. Coffee 4-Cup Steam Espresso System with Milk Frother

I want to start off and say the main reason I purchased this unit was for the steam wand. I needed a Diamond Steamer and I didn't want to pay $100 for a Jewel Jet or similar jewelery steamer. I did some research online and on diamond forums and found that the espresso machine steamers produced steam that was capable of cleaning jewelry. For the $37.00 price tag of this machine I decided it was worth a shot. I filled up the machine and did a test run to see how good the steam was and all I have to say is it is more than sufficient to clean jewelry and I give it a huge thumbs up in terms of value versus the stand alone steamer. Now onto the espresso making part of this machine. It is very simple in terms of its operation. I used to be a former barista and it makes decent enough espresso to be used for lattes, cappuccinos, and americanos because the milk and flavoring mask most bad pulls. Now the flavor of the espresso really is a function of the grounds you choose and the grinder that you have available to you. You will have to experiment with the grind coarseness to match this machine exactly. I just received my unit but I will be experimenting to see what the ECM160 likes in terms of how fine or coarse my grounds need to be. I have read other comments about the ECM160 and blowing up and other places online have addressed this issue and it seems that some users are either tamping much too hard, using too fine of a ground, or not locking in portafilter far enough. Also users need to look under the unit for the rest of the cord. It is just coiled underneath for shipping purposes. I do wish the wand was longer and could be moved, but I still find it is useful. The plastic steaming attachment really needs to be removed as it is of no help at all. I was actually impressed with this little units ability to froth milk. I created very very thick foam with this unit on the first try using a coffee mug and 2% milk. If you want the really dry foam the trick is to work the tip just underneath the surface of the milk. The carafe that comes with this unit is fine and if it does break like others have mentioned you always have the option of getting actual espressso shot glasses and using those as a true measurement for each shot. Now I do wish they would have provided a better tamp and milk carafe but at this price they would probably be junk anyways. My biggest concern is with the portafilter. I have to double check the dimensions but I don't think it is a standard size. It seems a little flimsy and I would like to replace it with a double spout unit if possible. I still have more research to do on this part. My last recommendation is for everyone knocking the quality of this unit, spend some money on a very good burr grinder such as the Baratza Maestro Grinder. A good burr grinder along with good beans will do a world of difference for your espresso. All in all I would recommend this unit to people as a cheap espresso solution. It's cheap enough for people to try. It's also a good backup and travel unit. The added bonus is the jewelry cleaner.

I really wanted to get into making espresso at home as I always found myself going to Starbucks or other local coffee places multiple times every week. I investigated buying an Illy Pod machine, however when I went to visit a friend in L.A. she has this exact machine and made me some espresso and it was wonderful. So instead of spending $150+ on a pod machine or a super fancy machine I decided to give this little guy a chance since she loved hers so much. I am glad I did an I will tell you why: Design: This is a really nicely designed espresso machine, it is small, simple, and overall looks nice sitting on the counter. It isn't fancy as it just has a turn nob to make espresso or use the steamer. The top of the machine can be used to hold anything, I put a few small espresso cups on top and it looks nice. Ease of use: It really doesn't get any easier than this to make espresso. Simply fill the water up to the 2 or 4 (cup) line and pour into the top, and pack the espresso into the holder up to 2 or 4. The espresso holder simply lifts and locks into place. Turn the nob and it will start brewing, and once you no longer see espresso coming out you can turn it off. Espresso: I have used Fresh & Easy Espresso and also Lavazza espresso and it tastes great with this machine. I mix mine with a bit of soy half and half and I am good to go, or throw hot water in for an americano. Many people rate the espresso machine based on it's ability to make that nice froth on top of the espresso and you will see a bit here when you make the coffee. It is complete steam based system and it seems to work fairly well. The froth on top of the espresso isn't extremely thick and I am assuming higher end machines will do this better. I will say that once I bought a Tamper to pack down the espresso it helped a lot, so invest another $6 or so to get one of these and it will make a pretty decent difference, if not just for the ease of use. Frother: On the side of the machine is a milk frother/steamer. I didn't read the directions so I honestly didn't know how to use it until my friend from L.A. came to visit. All you have to do is add water to the little steam icon on the cup and pour it into the machine. Then turn it on and give it a minute. The steam is hot and pretty intense. It actually does a nice job of frothing milk or soy as long as you figure out how to use it. TIP: I like to turn the machine onto Brew after I am done frothing as there might be some water left over. Summary: This machine by far is the best bang for the buck. I have had it for around 2 months, and my friend has had it for a year and it is great. I still occasionally go to Starbucks, but it is great to just have it available right in my house. For $30 definitely give this little guy a try.

To the engineer that posted detailed instructions on how you should use this machine. Your a genius! I have followed your advice from day one and not had one problem with this unit. This is a great little machine for not a lot of $$$$. I have saved a lot of $$$ making my own latte's. Sorry Starbucks I love you but....... I can make my own now :) I Here are the instructions I follow. If you follow the directions included with the machine to a tee your going to get disappointing water logged coffee. But if you have a basic understanding of pressure and steam you'll need to modify your operation of this little machine. What I do is fill the coffee filter holder to max shot coffee level line and use a coffee tamper to compress the espresso but don't pack it to tight just a simple tamp is all you need because your going to want to stop the excess water rush when the thick black coffee and cream stops pouring. I use only purified water unless you want your machine to last only 1 year from mineral deposits, and I fill glass carafe to reach the bottom of the metal band to ensure more than enough water and steam to do the job. With everything in place i.e. power off, coffee filter holder fully locked in, steam cap screwed down tight, frothing arm extended and ready with cup and milk standing by... I then turn the machine to knob to steam first to allow the machine to build pressure and steam without prematurely diluting the coffee filter holder, as soon as the frothing arm starts to sputter and produce steam with a hint of water I quickly switch the control knob to brew coffee position which brings in only hot steam and water trickling out only dark thick coffee and this is where you have to be rehearsed to act fast and operate the machine effectively! With the thick black coffee trickling, get your milk cup ready sitting under the frothing arm ready to be lifted up as soon as you see the brewing coffee go from slow tricking thick dark coffee to cream foam. It should have reached the first like on the coffee pot at this point. Now GET READY to turn the control knob back to steam the INSTANT you see that the slow dark cream foam trickling out slowly starts to speed up. The moment before you see the slow dark cream foam trickling out start to speed up to water, I Instantly raise my milk cup submersing the frothing arm under the milk to avoid splatter while simultaneously switching the control knob to steam, which instantly stops the brewing process to the coffee filter holder preventing water dilution. Turn the knob slowly once on the steam side and work your way up to full steam if you switch too quickly you will get a milk volcano lol. Once your milk is frothed to your liking. switch the control knob to off. That's it, perfect Espresso. Be sure to once you've made your coffee clear the rest of the steam from the unit once your done and clean the froth arm. I wipe the outside of the plastic cover then take it off and wipe down the metal portion to clean the steamed on milk off. Then I replace the plastic cover and turn the steam back on to clear out all the rest of the water and steam from the unit. This will clean the frothing arm but also release all the pressure that has built up in the machine. Once all the steam is released take the lid off the top of the water compartment and let the machine cool. Doing this when not in use will help prevent premature compression damage to the sealing gaskets, I only slightly keep both the steam cap and the filter holder screwed in place. If you lock them down to full tight position when not in use, I find that it will prematurely compress the sealing gaskets and they will start to leak early making brewing ineffective. Having said all of this, as a protective disclaimer I must say that this is what “I DO” and I'm not recommending any of these operating actions to anyone. "You should use the instruction book to a tee for OK strong watery coffee if that's what your after." Thanks E. Gonzales for your review. My coffee machine works like a charm and I have beautiful crema on my espresso every time. I did tweak his original instructions for user use and understanding as well as maintenance. ENJOY!! Your now a barista!

Summary: This espresso maker is simply for the budget minded. I say that because it doesn't make high quality espresso, BUT it makes it good enough to satisfy most. The package comes with everything minus the cup, coffee, and water, though I will say the scoop-tamper design is nice for scooping, but doesn't do well as a tamper. I went out and bought a third party tamper and called it a day. The positives of this unit are the price first and foremost. It's not too high and the device is pretty reliable. In addition it's easy to use and steps are easy to understand. And ultimately, it's a pretty quick machine at what it does. From a cold state, it'll brew 4 shots of espresso in about 5 minutes. The negatives are quite a few... For starters the unit lacks an auto-off feature. So you're best to sit close when using it. The cool-down time is a bit longer than most espresso makers I've used (but for a single user it's not a big deal). In order to froth milk, you're best to brew first (Even if it's only brewing water) or you'll sit there for quite some time waiting on the water in the reservoir to get hot enough. The frother is a bit low, to the point where I had to position my machine on the corner of the counter to be able froth with a normal coffee cup. Other notes: If you buy an after market tamper, don't use too much pressure, the compressed grounds will create a block and pressure will build up and you'll have hot wet grounds spread across your counter-top AND in the water reservoir. The power cord can be a bit short for some, it's just over 12" long. Noted regarding other reviews: I've been using this machine at least 5 days a week for the past 4 months and it's been working just fine for me. I've had zero issues, aside from the day I compressed the grounds a bit too much with the tamper. The machine is not at all great, but for most it will suffice your desires for espresso. If you're an espresso enthusiast or you're particular about your espresso, you should avoid this and purchase a real deal espresso maker.

Don't buy this machine if you want to make cappuccino......or anything else. Things I like: The compact size. Things I dislike: The cheap quality of materials used in building the machine The water reservoir cap that is narrower at the top than at the bottom, making it difficult to grip The ridiculously SHORT steam arm that will not even reach the bottom of a coffee cup, let alone a steam pitcher. The machine's inability to build up enough pressure to make foam. Since I moved back to the states after living in Italy over 20 years ago, I have made myself espresso and cappuccino everyday at home. So I do know what I'm talking about when I assess this machine, as I have used several different espresso makers over the years, and used them regularly. Other than my beloved CMA Genius Commercial 2 group, my next favorite machine is a simple steam driven machine similar to this one. Only not like THIS one! Steam machines do require a bit of knowledge and practice to get good results, but they work, they're simple, and they are inexpensive. I purchased this after my old Krups steam machine finally broke (it lasted 10+ years.....and did I say I used it EVERYDAY!?). The Mr. Coffee has overall cheapness to it. The filter basket is thin aluminun and can be dented on the bottom from tapping your coffee grinds out. The plastic parts are not durable thick plastic, but cheap. The lid is a tapered cone, thicker at the bottom and narrow at the top, with smooth sides. This doesn't make the machine inoperable, it just requires a really firm finger grip (not great if you have carpal tunnel syndrome - or weaker hands - or are just sleepy or lazy). My 6' tall muscle-y husband even said it was a pain. My biggest complaint is the frothing arm. Seriously. The arm itself is 2 INCHES!! (I measured) If you are using a thimble to warm your milk in, this will work. But if you are using even a small froth pitcher, this is totally inadequate. Even the silly plastic thing that goes over the top of the frothing arm (I guess it's supposed to be some type of froth enhancer, but I have never seen a need or found a use for one of these) only extends the total length to 2.75 inches. As bad as the inept frothing arm, is the machine's ability to produce enough steam to make frothed milk. If you brew espresso first, when you switch the knob to "steam" a weak stream of warm air starts to emit from the froth arm. I tested to see if more water was needed - filled up the tank to full, brewed espresso, and turned the knob. The same thing happened. I tested several different possible causes of the problem and there is just no fix. If you leave the knob on "steam" and keep waiting, (and waiting) eventually the pressure builds up a little bit, but never to the point of making good foamed milk .... I could hold my fingers directly under the stream of warm air and I wasn't in the least concerned that it might burn me. Hello - isn't steam supposed to be hot? It should be called a "warm air for milk" arm on this machine. If all you do is make espresso and do not want to froth milk, this machine can get you by; but better to buy a stove top espresso maker for half the price. I wouldn't recommend this espresso maker to anyone. Last words: Don't waste your money!!! Keep looking!!!

i am writing this as i sip on my earl-grey-steam i somewhat cautiously made with my mr. coffee espresso machine, and overall i must say i am impressed. judging from previous reviews, this product is something you will either love for the reasonable price or hate because it just straight-up exploded in your face. take my review with a grain of salt, as i have yet to actually make an espresso yet so i can't comment on the flavor of espresso it produces (haven't had a chance to go to the store), but i have run water through the machine for my tea and i have used the steaming wand to froth milk for my steamers. so far i have had a very pleasant first impression with this little machine. though it doesn't swivel like the one i used to use as a barista, the steaming wand is easy to use, strong, and is capable of producing very frothy milk if that is what you're after-perfect for dry capps. i didn't bother buying a stainless steel pitcher to steam my milk in and instead just steam it right in my coffee mug before adding my tea, which i would recommend doing in order to save yourself $10. also, because the steaming wand is so short i imagine one could potentially have an issue getting it to reach the milk in the bottom of a normal pitcher anyways. it is extremely lightweight, which could be taken as a pro or con, though personally i would prefer something that feels a little bit sturdier. initially i was terrified to use this machine after reading reviews saying their machine literally exploded in front of them, sending shards of glass flying (it seems that the pressure from the machine propels a tray from behind the pitcher out, causing the pitcher to violently shatter). this could be due to loose/cheaps screws used to hold the machine together, or because the pressure has not been properly released after each use. but as they say, an ounce of protection equals a pound of care, so i never stand directly in front of the machine while it's plugged in. oh, the things we do for caffiene. :)

So after opening this, I expected to have to clean it, but I didn't expect it to have as much trash and manufacturing byproduct in it as I did. The first time I steamed milk, it tasted like licking a circuit board (semi-expected) so I figured after running a bunch of steam through it it would go away. However, much to my dismay, I looked in the cup I used to catch the steam and water that was shooting out and there were metal and plastic particles in the water! I was absolutely shocked. So I ran more steam through it (filling it up to it's max with water and letting it all go through the steamer) probably at least 6 times, and each time metal and plastic came out. When I finally stopped getting particles out of the steamer, I tried to steam milk again, and it still tasted like circuit board. I thought it would've been well clean by now, but it wasn't. Then I switched over to the espresso side to see what would happen, and when the water came out I found a white flaky substance in the water. Again, horrified, I decided to clean it, only this time I stepped up my game and used part for part vinegar and water. I let it go through the steamer about 3 times, and the espresso part 3 times (both times using the entire tank for each cleaning). Then, and ONLY then, did I stop seeing mysterious particles in the water and the coffee/milk started tasting like it should. I was shocked it wasn't more clean than it was. Seriously, I probably could have sued them had I documented all of the contaminants I found in the water after cleaning it so much. That aside, as an espresso machine for a novice barista, it works well. Easy to use, easy to clean, steams milk well, brews espresso well. No bells and whistles, but it fits my needs and makes a good latte once you get the hang of it. Decently priced, so that always helps. But please, please clean it extremely thoroughly before you use it. Hopefully you won't have as much trash and residue in yours as I did mine, but if you get rid of it by cleaning it well it works fine.

I received my unit a while ago and, after getting used to fiddling with all the pieces and waiting for the "explosion" described in other posts, I am completely satisfied and somewhat disappointed (no explosion). I can see where other reviewers might be mislead into thinking the cord is very short but all you have to do is turn the machine over and actually look at the place where the cord is stashed to see there is a pretty lengthy cord wound around a very clever stem in a hidden compartment. As for the quality: I had been using a Hamilton Beach machine that is very different in operation so reviewing the instructions fully really was a must. Based on other comments, clearly most people don't read or follow the instructions because everything you need to know is there in black and white. The brew function is very quick and only takes about 15-20 seconds to heat the water in the reservoir and start running hot water through the grounds. The whole process is very quick and you can fill the carafe with 4oz in less than a half minute. My other machine had a reservoir that you could leave full but this machine discourages that. I use a Brita filter for all my water so the chances of mineral buildup are reduced a little. Seeing how hot the reservoir gets, I would not recommend leaving water in the reservoir. The carafe has a slotted lid so the spout from the filter fits neatly into the top of the carafe so there is no spilling or splash. The steamer arm is fixed with no allowed movement but it is spaced high enough and far enough out from the main body that using a pitcher or coffee cup to froth milk is very easy. The booklet goes into very specific detail about how to clean the froth arm but the pressure of the steam basically blasts the nozzle clean if you allow the unused water in the reservoir to exit through the froth arm when you are done making your foam. A barrista friend of mine steams a clean towel then uses that to clean the foam nozzle on her own machine. I find that works well between proper cleanings. One note is that Soy milk froths well but leaves a film from all the dissolved solids. If you use Soy milk, plan on cleaning the nozzle frequently as the particles get to be like glue if they are not wiped off shortly after being warmed. As for which grounds to use, I have tried both standard grind and espresso grind coffees and you definitely need to find a finer ground of coffee for use in this (and any) espresso machine. I have a lot of Starbucks standard grind coffee to use up so I simply sent it through my Cuisinart for a few minutes to get it broken up finer. It seems to work equally as well but there is a noticeable difference in brewing strength. Overall, I am very pleased.

Easy to use. Intuitive design. Quick and easy procedure to make excellent espresso or cappuccino. Works well with a variety of coffee blends and different grinds. Steam wand does an excellent job of frothing milk. Steam wand seems to work best without the plastic sleeve. Best cup of cappuccino for the best price. This cappuccino maker works better than more expensive machines.

I bought this product about a month and half ago. Delivery was prompt and the product was as described and arrived in pristine condition. I have been using this coffee machine for over a month and I can say this “coffee never tasted this good”. However Indian buyers need to be a little careful. This machine is imported from USA and works on 110 volts. So you have to invest in a voltage converter before you can use this machine. Addition of an espresso tamper to the machine would have been great but still for Rs 6, 500 it’s fantastic value for money. I strongly recommend it for all coffee lovers.

日本です。 コロナ禍のストレスで、コンビニやスタバのカフェラテをたくさん飲んでしまっていたので、購入しました。 当時は15000円程度で購入できましたが、この数年の円安と物価高で、今や３万円以上しそうな商品ですが。 元スタバPTRなので、簡単に使いこなすことができましたが、やはりなかなか忙しく、また、体調も悪いので、あまり使いこなせておらずです。 引っ越して部屋が狭くなり、最近は以前ほどカフェラテを飲まなくなったので、あまり使用できていませんが、こういう機械の導入には良いのかなと思いますね。 ただ、お友達の家で、ボタン一つでエスプレッソもミルクもでる１０万円ほどのマシンを見たら、どうしてもそちらの方が便利だし泡も細かくて美味しいな、と思ってしまいますが、昔からこういうものが欲しかったので、満足はしています。

I purchased this awesome little espresso machine a little over a year ago, just after I retired, as a personal well-done, pat-on-the-back gift. It doesn't get worked hard - I use it a couple times a week - but it has never let me down and always makes a great latte. Using the frother involved a little bit of a learning curve, but that was me, nothing to do with the machine. Compact, takes very little room on my counter - overall I am a very happy camper.

I've been using this for about a year now and I've made about 30 lattes I'd say. When I first got this unit it was kind of stinky. It smelled very metallic and I had to run about 20 cups of water through it to flush it out. Since then it has been fine. I'd say that this machine is basic but does what it is supposed to do. It makes decent strength espresso and the side steamer, when used with a metal cup, will heat the milk for a latte very well. It does not make a ton of foam so if you want lots of foam I'd look to a frother machine. It heats up fast and is relatively easy to clean up afterwards. If you're on a budget and you want to save some money this unit will do the job. So far, it hasn't broken so I feel like I've seen the value in it. If I paid 30X$5=$150 for the lattes I have made at a coffee shop, I'd have spent twice the money. Plus, it's convenient to do it at home and you can make it the way you like.