Mr. Coffee BVMC-ECMP1000 Café Barista Espresso Maker - Review
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Mr. Coffee Café Barista--coffeehouse drinks in one simple touch.
Be Your Own Barista
Go ahead. Indulge. This easy-to-use Café Barista espresso maker from Mr. Coffee makes it easy to create coffeehouse-quality espresso drinks just like a professional. Now anyone can enjoy gourmet espresso-based drinks from the comfort of home--no more unnecessary trips to the cafe.
Make a Variety of Coffeehouse Drinks
Effortlessly brew anything from rich aromatic espressos, creamy cappuccinos, and luscious lattes to more decadent variations like toffee lattes, cafe mochas, espresso martinis, and caramel cappuccinos. And that's just the tip of the whipped, frothy topping--a recipe guide loaded with 20 different delightfully delectable recipes comes included.
Convenient & Easy to Use
With user-friendly controls that even a novice can master, the sleek machine makes it easy to brew delicious coffeehouse drinks in minutes--with just one simple touch. The unit's one-touch control panel allows for selecting from a single- or double-shot of espresso, cappuccino, or latte, and handy indicator lights highlight the current selection. Even more, the machine supplies 15 bars of pressure to ensure fabulous results, while its automatic milk frother turns milk into a light, creamy foam--perfect for drizzling with chocolate, sprinkling with cinnamon or nutmeg, or for simply oohing and ahhing over.
To begin, fill the removable water reservoir and slide it into the back of the unit. Then pour the milk of your choice (whole, skim, soy, almond, etc) into the removable milk reservoir, which can be stored in the fridge as needed. Next, place the single- or double-shot filter inside the portafilter, depending on the type and size of your beverage. Add the espresso grounds, tamping them down firmly, and attach the portafilter to the unit.
Position your cup under the brew head and aim the frothed-milk dispensing tube to the center of your cup. If making espresso, the pull-out height-adjustment cup tray can be used for raising up smaller demitasse cups. Next, turn the froth control knob to adjust the froth amount to match your choice of beverage or foam preference. Finally, using the one-touch preset buttons, select your desired beverage and size by pushing the corresponding button. Voila--the Café Barista espresso maker takes care of the rest.
Additional highlights include custom, froth, and clean buttons; a removable drip tray; and a side-mounted on/off switch. Plus, all parts, except for the portafilter, are top-rack dishwasher-safe for quick, convenient cleanup.
The Mr. Coffee Café Barista espresso maker works just as well for busy weekday mornings as it does for entertaining guests on the weekend or simply relaxing with a book on a Sunday afternoon. The espresso maker brews one perfect cup after the next. All you need to do is relax and enjoy.
What's in the Box
Mr. Coffee Café Barista espresso maker, portafilter, measuring scoop/tamper, filter for single shot of espresso (1 cup), filter for double shot of espresso (2 cup), recipes
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Reviews of Mr Coffee Bvmc Ecmp1000 Café Barista Espresso Maker
Pleasantly surprised
Rating by : Ranjit R. Vadakkan, 
I purchased this from the local Bed, Bath & Beyond since the price in store was the same as that on Amazon($199), but I could use a 20% coupon in the store. This was a 'blind' purchase - I couldn't find reviews for this product anywhere on the net, in fact I seem to the first person reviewing this on Amazon as well.
I didn't know what to make of the Mr. Coffee brand (cheap/commodity brand in my opinion, maybe I'm mistaken) and the $199 price tag, but the feature set seemed to be good for the price - a 15 bar pump, a milk frother that automatically dispenses the milk into the serving, espresso/cappuccino/latte at the press of a button and a cleaning cycle for the frother. I've used the machine for a little more than a week now and can confidently say that this is one hell of an espresso machine.
I've tried Illy and Lavazza in the machine so far, and the espresso comes out great - you won't believe the crema you get. Highly recommend it!
Pros:
+ can use whatever brand of coffee you prefer, you're not stuck with expensive pods/capsules
+ strong pump that produces rich crema
+ milk frother
+ espresso/cappuccino/latte at the press of a button (the machine automatically adjusts the amount of milk and coffee in the serving)
+ options for making single, double shot and custom servings
+ milk frothing can also be controlled manually (you can adjust the amount of milk in the serving if you're unsatisfied with what the automatic programs provide)
+ the milk container and the lid of the container (which contains the frother) are both dishwasher safe, although I haven't tried washing them in the dishwasher.
Cons:
- none that I've found so far
However, if I could make one change to the machine, it would be the amount of force you have to apply to insert the milk container into the machine (and to take it out). I suspect this has to do with the O-ring in the interface between the machine and the container. Since the container and the interface are all molded from plastic, my fear is that one of them will give sooner or later. Let's hope that Mr. Coffee has tested this extensively.
Very good espresso and espresso drinks- died within 4 months
Rating by : beckygardens, 
Okay, I'll be honest, at home espresso machines don't tend to impress me. Price is not really a factor, I have sent back a thousand dollar LaPavoni and kept an 89 dollar delonghi, which did okay espresso but the pump dies every 12-15 months, I'm on my fourth, having had two pump failures and one dead out of the box. I had a baby Gaggia, worked fine until it started leaking, had a phillips Saeco that lasted five days before pump failure. I have the most basic nespresso and love it, but my gosh the price of the capsules is a high price to pay for espresso love.
I remember when Mr. Coffee became a staple in households where I grew up. Before then it was instant or percolator. My Great Aunt got a Mr. Coffee and all the adults gathered round with cups held out for this amazingly delicious coffee. Since then higher end products have reached the market, but I decided to give the Mr. Coffee Barista a chance when offered one. And getting it through vine is no guarantee I'm going to like it or be inclined to give it a pass, just check out my singolo review on a machine that costs more and does less.
There are other barista espresso makers that have the milk reservoir and cappuccino and latte functions. Nespresso has one, Jura does, but the price point tends to be much higher than this Mr. Coffee (at the time of this review the Mr. Coffee is selling for 199, a real bargain if it only made espresso, let alone the rest of what it does)
My espresso is black, no sugar, cream, or milk coming between be and my brew. I want a lovely crema (the frothy cream colored goodness on top). Espresso should not taste sour or over-extracted, strong but not bitter or burned. I tried both a preground espresso illy, Ground Espresso Coffe, Fine Grind (Dark Roast, Black Band), 8.8-Ounce Tins (Pack of 2) ) and my own espresso ground from a whole bean using the finest setting on my kitchen aid pro burr grinder. Both worked and produced what I consider a truly great cup of espresso, probably the best home espresso I've had except from my nespresso, and better than many I've bought in coffee shops.
Next my husband tried the milk drink with a cappuccino. The milk gave a lovely froth and he had a very attractive drink that he said tasted fine. I asked about the heat level and he said it was about the same temperature he gets it at coffee shops.
The Barista pro is simple to use out of the box, reading the instructions makes it even easier. Pretty much anyone who can put some grind in the portafilter, tamp, turn it in the holder, and press a button should be able to draw a really nice shot.
Pros:
Large tank that is easy to fill from the back.
Easy to use portafilter, both to fill, tamp, and get in the machine. I have some espresso makers that were fussy with the portafilter fit.
Portafilter had a really nice feature, the insert turns and locks. There is a flip up holder from the handle like standard portafilters have, but you don't have to use it. Anyone who's played dig in the trash and fish out the portafilter at 6AM knows what a lovely and useful feature this is.
There are two presets for each function, a single and double shot of espresso, a small and large cappuccino and latte.
There is an override function to customize your own shots, up to five ounces, though I find both presets work well.
The milk tank and frothing being built into the machine makes adding milk so much easier then pouring into a steel cup and trying to fit it just right under a built in frother in other espresso machines while pumping it up and down and trying to get the milk to froth. Again, push a button and voila.
The milk frother is adjustable so you can vary the amount of milk in your latte or Cappuccino based on your taste preference.
The really cool way you push in a platform sideways for a large cup and just pull it out of the nook for an espresso cup. While seemingly low tech, it's one less thing to stop working and it gets a lot of use in our house, and it's easy!
There are a few cons:
the portafilter is drippy. It drips after the espresso is done, drips all the way to the Dreamfarm Grindenstein 4-Inch Espresso Stein, Black to dump the espresso (makes excellent compost for the compost pit) and drips to the sink. This is easily fixed with a towel underneath.
The only other negative I can find is the two spouts on the portafilter are a bit far apart and I have to pay attention to get some of my narrower espresso cups under right so both are going in the cup.
The Mr. Coffee Barista espresso maker is a great espresso maker. I am extremely impressed and wish Great Aunt Lily were here to share a cup of espresso in my house to see how far Mr. Coffee has come.
*July 12, 2013. This morning the mr coffee refused to pump through the grounds. We cleaned it, descaled it, nothing. I am attempting to contact CS to see what happens. I'll update when I find anything out.
Okay, Mr Coffee customer service said that had I purchased this they would replace it within a year. I have no idea if I got a bad one and another one would last longer or not, I can only go by what I have
I have a machine I loved
I have a machine we used 3x a day
I have a dead machine within 5 months
I have no idea what would happen if you got this as a gift and didn't have a receipt.
Keep your receipt! The CS woman told me I would have had to fax a receipt to get a new machine.
An absolutely WONDERFUL espresso, cappuccino, and latte maker
Rating by : Kathleen San Martino,
I own a Krups Novo 2000 (Model 984) Plus Espresso/Cappuccino machine for about 13 years which I feel is pretty good except for the difficulty I have cleaning the frothing spigot and keeping it free of clogs. Therefore, when this Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista came up for review, I jumped at the chance to own it. What I found is that this is an absolutely WONDERFUL espresso, cappuccino, and latte maker and will now be my goto unit.
The Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista has to be primed according to the instructions in the book before first use. After that it is ready to use.
Here's what I love about this machine:
- The instructions are comprehensive and very clear.
- A few espresso, cappuccino and latte recipes are supplied for variations on these coffee drinks.
- The entire unit is self-contained, meaning there is no need to purchase an external frothing carafe for the milk as one is provided that attaches to the unit.
- I can brew a single or double shot of espresso, cappuccino, or latte with a single or double touch of one button.
- It has a 15-bar pump which produces a lot of pressure for the froth.
- There's the ability to brew a custom cup of espresso, cappuccino, or latte. Let's say I wanted to brew 5 ounces of espresso for my cappuccino or latte, I could hold the espresso button for 3 seconds and let it stop on its own at 5 ounces, then I could turn the frothing lever to the desired frothing level, and hold the cappuccino button for 3 seconds to create froth.
- The control panel was easy for me to understand. For instance, the picture to the right of each button indicates what happens if you hold the button for 3 seconds. This ability gives the brewer the option to add additional froth when needed without brewing more coffee. It also allows for a custom cup of brew up to 5 ounces as described above or allows for the cleaning of the unit.
- The unit is easy to clean with the use of the cleaning button but the brew head has to be cleaned separately. Both cleaning should be done after each use. (NOTE: To clean the brew head, put an empty cup under it and press the espresso button once making sure there's no coffee in the porta-filter.)
- There's a pull-out cup height adjusting tray that is easily accessible if using a demitasse cup for espresso.
- I found the milk reservoir to be easy to insert all the way.
- The porta-filter (part that holds coffee grinds) was easy to connect to the brew head although moving it into the locked position does take some strength. Once it is in the locked position, the porta-filter sticks straight out perpendicular to the unit.
Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts on a machine such as this. The scoop/tamper, porta-filter, filters, water and milk reservoirs all have to be washed. Also the unit should be wiped down with a damp rag, especially the lower part of the brew head and the drip tray. According to the manual, only the milk reservoir and lid are dishwasher safe. The porta-filter, filters, and the water reservoir are NOT dishwasher safe. I really don't understand how the milk reservoir can be dishwasher safe and not the water reservoir but this is what the manual indicates. Personally, I would never put anything in the dishwasher.
I did not find any negatives with this unit. Although the cord is 2 feet long which is on the short side, the length is still typical of most high-end appliances. To me it's wonderful and had I purchased it, I would have felt it was a great buy. My boyfriend tried the cappuccino and loved it. I tried both the cappuccino and latte and loved both. He said the machine is worth the price even if he were to purchase it. That comment is surprising to me since he is very frugal and is very selective when parting with his pennies.
I used the unit a couple of times and will update this review if the Mr. Coffe Cafe Barista fails in any way. As of this moment, I consider this a high-quality machine and a highly recommended purchase.
March 29, 2013 UPDATE: I've been using this every day but one since I got it. I am an avid tea drinker and this machine has almost destroyed my evening desire for tea--good for Mr. Coffee but not for me. This morning when I was making the cappuccino I did not get any froth. I actually thought the machine broke. However, it was because I left the milk reservoir dial in the "cleaning" position. Since this unit has no sensors, it is important to check that the frothing nozzle is centered over the cup and the milk reservoir dial is set to either latte or froth cappuccino and only set to clean when the machine is being cleaned. I will make a note to myself to move the dial back to froth cappuccino or latte after a cleaning cycle otherwise this will probably happen again.
The Mr. Coffee Barista espresso maker is a great espresso maker. ... This review is from: Mr. Coffee BVMC-ECMP1000 Café Barista Espresso Maker (Kitchen)
Brew coffeehouse-quality espresso drinks from the comfort of home--with just one touch. view larger Mr. Coffee Café Barista--coffeehouse drinks in one simple touch ...
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Be your own barista! Enjoy bold espressos, rich cappuccinos and decadent lattes in one simple touch! The Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista is a 15-bar pump espresso maker for ...
Brew coffeehouse-quality espresso drinks from the comfort of home–with just one touch. view larger. Mr. Coffee Café Barista–coffeehouse drinks in one simple touch.
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