Whether you’re a professional barista or just someone who enjoys a good cup of coffee to start your day, it’s no secret that having an espresso machine in your kitchen is key to elevating your coffee drinking experience.
| Specifications: |  |
| Brand name: | Mr. Coffee |
| Model: | Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista Pump Espresso Maker with Milk Frother BVMC-ECMP1000-RB |
| Dimensions: | 11.22 x 8.86 x 12.60 inches |
| Weight: | 11 lbs. |
| Input power: | 120 v |
| Brew sizes: | 6, 8, 10 oz. |
| Water capacity: | Removable 55 oz. |
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Sadly, espresso machines don’t always come cheap, and even if they’re of a friendlier price tag, they may be difficult to use. This, however, maybe a thing of the past with the Mr. Coffee Café Barista semi-automatic coffee machine.
In this article, we’ll walk you through a Mr. Coffee Café Barista review to explore what’s to love and what’s not in this entry-level espresso machine.
From the ease of use to its cleanup, quality, and price, this is a review that will help you decide if you should put Mr. Coffee Café Barista in your kitchen.
A First Look at Mr. Coffee Café Barista
The Mr. Coffee Café Barista is a semi-automatic espresso machine. Capable of brewing a fresh cup of espresso, cappuccino, and latte at the touch of a button, this 3-in-1 espresso machine has undoubtedly won the hearts of many coffee enthusiasts in the market.
On the front, the machine features a 1-touch control system for single or double coffee servings and an in-built milk frother that helps remove the guesswork out of milk frothing for your coffee.
You’ll also get a removable porta-filter upfront and a measuring spoon that doubles as a tamper to help pack your coffee grounds for stronger espresso.
On the back, the Mr. Coffee Café Barista holds a 55-ounce water tank, one of the largest water capacities for espresso machines of this range.
All the parts of the Mr. Coffee Café Barista are removable for easy cleaning and re-storing, especially if you’re pouring milk into the milk frother.
The machine is thoroughly labeled in the front and back, further simplifying the ease of use even for beginners. The machine is fitted with 2 removable drip trays, catering to different mug sizes.
Aesthetically, the Mr. Coffee Café Barista features a sleek and modern outlook. It comes in a selection of red, silver, or white to match your kitchen’s overall tone.
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How to set up and use the Mr. Coffee Café Barista
Before setting out on making your first cup of coffee, you’ll first have to rinse any of the removable parts of the Mr. Coffee Café Barista machine with some warm water and soap.
This includes the water tank, milk reservoir, and porta-filter. Then, you’ll have to prime the machine by allowing running only water through it several times.
These are tips that are included in your manual, and once all these steps have been done, your machine will be ready to go.
To brew a cup of espresso, simply the water tank, not exceeding the line that says, “MAX”. Then, pick from any of the 2 filter sizes that came along with the machine for the porta-filter and scoop some coffee grounds into the porta-filter.
Pack your coffee grounds as tight as possible until they are about 1/8 inches below the top of the filter.
Attach the porta-filter back onto the machine and place a mug on the drip tray. Press the first button to adjust the type of drink you’d like – in this case, a single or double shot espresso.
The instructions for making a cup of cappuccino or latte are the same as making an espresso, except that you’ll also have to add milk to your drink. To do this, do fill up the milk reservoir in front.
Unfortunately, there isn’t any indication of how much milk is required, but thanks to its removable feature, you can always add more if you need some later. Ensure that the milk dispensing tube is redirected to your mug and choose the level of milk froth you’d like.
Generally, a cup of cappuccino is much frothier than a latte. You can adjust this using the control knob that’s set below the machine’s buttons. Once you’re ready, select froth for milk to be dispensed to your coffee.
The Mr. Coffee Café Barista will automatically adjust the level of milk that is dispensed according to your beverage of choice.
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A taste test: Comparing the espresso, cappuccino, and lattes
We thoroughly enjoyed watching the process of the Mr. Coffee Café Barista making our coffees for us. The machine was not overly loud to wake up the neighborhood and we were able to have a fresh cup of coffee in our hands in less than a minute.
In a nutshell, this was an automatic process we wouldn’t mind going through as the day progressed.
Now onwards to the taste.
The Mr. Coffee Café Barista claims that it can deliver up to 15 bars of pressure when extracting the coffee shots. While this should technically be enough to provide us a cup of strong espresso, we found that our coffee was weaker than our regular drinks.
This may have been attributed to the machine’s automatic function, so we can’t control the water to coffee ratio when preparing our espresso.
We also suspect that this may be due to tamping issues as the tamper for the machine was the plastic scoop that we used to scoop coffee with.
Finally, there were also signs of clogging in the machine when we were using fine grinds – a problem that could be rectified by using coarser grounds but that didn’t help with the taste of the coffee.
This issue persisted with our cappuccino and lattes, presumably because we don’t get to choose how much milk is dispensed in our coffees.
As a result, the cappuccino and lattes made by the Mr. Coffee Café Barista felt watered down by the milk if it wasn’t already by the water to espresso ratio.
While this is something that we could fix by using coffee grounds of a darker roast, it wouldn’t help if you already have a preferred coffee selection beforehand.
Nevertheless, this shouldn’t put you away from experimenting with the Mr. Coffee Café Barista machine. It’s still a solid espresso machine, and if you’re not a picky coffee drinker, this machine speaks volumes for its ease of use in brewing a cup of coffee at the touch of a button.
This convenience is especially appreciated when we were rushing out in the morning but simply needed a quick pick me up for the day.
When you’re done: A guide on how to clean your Mr. Coffee Café Barista
Like most espresso machines, your Mr. Coffee Café Barista would need a thorough clean after use.
While this may be a slight hassle, careful maintenance and care for your machine ensure a longer use and you won’t have to look for a replacement so soon. Here’s our guide on how to clean your Mr. Coffee Café Barista.
After making an espresso
Begin by throwing out the espresso grounds. You can ensure that the filter does not fall out of the porta-filter by flipping the lever on the porta-filter lever.
This was a handy trick that we appreciated from Mr. Coffee. Rinse the porta-filter and filter with warm water and reattach the porta-filter to the machine.
Without adding any coffee grounds, run one cycle of a single shot espresso through the porta-filter. Remember to place a mug on the drip tray to avoid a mess.
Throw out the water and remove the porta-filter. It’s best to leave the porta-filter unattached to the machine when it isn’t in use. Your porta-filter and filter pieces are not dishwasher safe.
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After making a cappuccino or latte
After making a milk-based drink, you’ll want to ensure the milk dispensing tube and milk reservoir is cleaned out thoroughly.
This avoids milk build-ups in the machine, causing stomach discomforts and other health concerns. First, place an empty mug on the drip tray to catch the water from the cleaning process.
Adjust the frothing knob to the clean position and hold down the clean button for 3 seconds. Your machine will automatically purge steam through the milk dispensing tube. Dump the water in the mug.
If you have leftover milk in the milk reservoir, you may choose to place the reservoir in your fridge to keep your milk cold or throw it out. Clean your milk reservoir thoroughly with soap and water or place it in your dishwasher.
Other parts of the machine
We also made it a habit to throw out any remaining water in the water tank after we were done with the Mr. Coffee Café Barista daily.
This removable part can be cleaned with some soap and water but is not dishwasher friendly. Of course, this is based on your personal preference as you could also choose to rinse your water reservoir only when it runs out of water.
Mr. Coffee Café Barista suggests a thorough clean of the machine after every 40 to 80 brews with a limescale remover while the porta-filter should be dissembled for a deep clean every 90 days.
Do be sure to follow the cleaning and maintenance instructions that are included with the machine to keep the coffee quality and machine performance at its best.
Is the Mr. Coffee Café Barista worth the money?
The Mr. Coffee Café Barista is an espresso machine that will give you a run for your money. While you may find cheaper alternatives in the market, this machine wins in that it’s a semi-automatic espresso machine.
This eliminates the need for a steep learning curve on how to operate the machine, especially if you aren’t a professional barista. In other words, the Mr. Coffee Café Barista may just be one of the top espresso machines in its price range.
The pros and cons of the Mr. Coffee Café Barista
Before we dive into our final verdict of the Mr. Coffee Café Barista, let’s have an overall look at the pros and cons of this semi-automatic espresso machine.
Pros:
• The machine is easy to use and operate – you’ll get fresh coffee at the push of a button.
• Machine parts are easily removable, making cleaning a breeze.
• Milk reservoir doubles as milk storage when you’re done using the machine.
• Comes with an automatic milk frother, eliminating the guesswork from how much milk to use.
• An affordable in-home coffee machine, one of the best in its price range.
Cons:
• Espresso shot quality is inconsistent, and you cannot manually configure the water to coffee ratio.
• Cleaning the machine can be a hassle as there are many parts to deal with.
• Fine coffee grounds tend to clog the machine, so you must be careful with the ground level of your coffee.
• You won’t be able to pull off any latte art with the machine as the frothing levels and milk quantity is pre-determined.
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Final verdict: Is the Mr. Coffee Café Barista for you?
In conclusion, would we say the Mr. Coffee Café Barista espresso machine is for you? Ultimately, our answer is yes and no. Here’s why:
If you’re not a picky coffee drinker who’s too particular with your coffee strength, then perhaps this would be a great place to start. This is mainly thanks to the machine’s ease of use and its low price tag, helping the machine stand out from the rest of its competitors.
The machine is also aesthetically pleasing as it isn’t too big that it disrupts the space that you have in the kitchen. With 3 colors to choose from, Mr. Coffee Café Barista makes for a good machine if you want to match it to your kitchen’s vibes.
On the flip side, the Mr. Coffee Café Barista espresso machine may not be for you if you’re overly particular about your coffee strength. We’ve found that the espresso shots pulled from the machine may not always be consistent, dampening our coffee experience ever so slightly.
Similarly, if you’d like to learn how to froth milk manually and practice on latte art, the Mr. Coffee Café Barista espresso machine is also not right for you.
Do you have any additional tips we should include in the guide? Let us know in the comments! If you want to write to us, check the contact page. Check also our other tutorials and articles!