Mr. Coffee ECM250 4-Cup Espresso/Cappuccino Maker

I got this little machine as I'm always in Starbucks. I wanted a nice little alternative for nights and weekends when I felt like having an espresso based drink without having to drive to a coffee shop and shell out cash.

First, the good points of this machine:

-It's small, so you can easily store it inside a cabinet. It's not bad looking, however, so if you can sacrifice a little counter space, that works just as well.

-The machine is very simple to use. I have my own bean grinder, but you can get yours ground at Starbucks if you buy it there. You simply scoop the beans into the holder, screw into the machine, put water in the reservoir, turn on, and there you go.

-It's relatively quick to brew the espresso and it doesn't take too long to clean most of the parts.

Now, the bad:

-The biggest issue I've had with this machine is that it basically brews strong coffee, not espresso. I've tried a variety of ways of packing the beans, etc, but getting a crema with this machine eludes me. If you're a beginner at this stuff, it's not a big deal as the drinks will still taste alright. However, it's not really espresso in the full sense. You may as well just buy a coffee maker.

-The frothing wand is of okay size, but it seems like it takes forever to heat milk up to a desirable temperature for a drink.

Overall, not bad for a starter machine, but it's just that. If you want anything that will give you a crema and legitimate shot of espresso, shell out some more money and get a Delonghi. They're by no means perfect, but it will give you a more legitimate shot of espresso than this machine. However, if you're just starting with all of this and want to make a decent cappuccino occasionally, this isn't a bad machine.

I received the Mr. Coffee Espresso/Cappuccino Maker as a gift. Obviously it's not going to produce the same results as some of the more expensive models but I think it works well enough for personal use. It's very simple to use-it only has two functions: brew or steam.

I noticed that several people commented about leaking and the instructions warn that this can occur if there are grounds around the top of the filter or if you over-fill the filter. The frothing arm is very short but I found a small frothing pitcher at World Market that works well. As far as worrying about aluminum in your espresso, the instructions also warn that you shouldn't leave water in the reservoir when you're not using the machine. The only other thing to remember is that you MUST de-pressurize the system before removing the filter holder or water reservoir cap!! To do this, unplug the machine, wait for it to cool off, then turn the knob to "steam" until you hear the hissing stop.

I think that for the price, this machine produces a nice cup of espresso in a relatively short amount of time.

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I used this espresso machine a couple times a week for about 3 years and liked it a lot; however, yesterday morning I was frothing the milk and it exploded. I looked at the cap (over the water reservoir) and it was split. Scalding water shot out of that split, luckily it went all over the wall and not toward me. If you have this machine, consider releasing the pressure from the water reservoir after every use and the cap may last longer, but I for one am switching brands. This scared the heck out of me and after looking online, I see that it has happened to others. Be aware.

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This is my third espresso maker. The other two machines were a different brand and worked well for many years. This Mr. Coffee unit worked well for about 5 months and then started failing. It now makes only about one third of a caraff, and then just spits out weak steam. I will never buy a Mr. Coffee product again. It takes me a while to get used to a new machine, and I find it galling to have the thing fail soon after I get used to it. Better to spend a little more and have a product that lasts. My last K---espresso maker lasted for over 5 years before it developed a pin hole leak in the pressure chamber. UPDATE; I just realized after looking inside the boiler and seeing that it was slightly eaten away that we have been ingesting aluminum over the past few months. When I opened and took apart my my last K---s espresso maker, I noticed that the bottom of the boiler was eaten away to the point that it had developed a pin hole leak. I think most of the less expensive machines use aluminum boilers which slowly dissolve into the water over time and use. Even distilled water is slightly acidic and will cause this to happen. There is NO way that I will ever again buy an espresso maker that has a boiler composed of aluminum!! Stainless steel might cost a little more, but at least you don't wind up eating aluminum while drinking your espresso. It's just one more thing to check when you make your purchase.

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This is a great little machine for a great price. I had not had any experience making cappuccino and it took me about 3 tries to master the process of frothing the milk but it was not hard. It is fun! It is a nice treat and something different from ordinary coffee.

Philips Saeco RI9757/47 Odea Cappucino Automatic Espresso Machine, Titanium and Silver

After the initial setup (took like 15 min), tried to brew with a not so good coffee (local coffee "la lucha" in Uruapan, México...SUX! they do not have a standard, and sometimes their coffee tastes excellent, but most of the time it's over toasted), and had an average espresso shot. I imagine that if I use better beans (like illy or lavazza), the results will improve. The crema on this shot was nice, but quickly disappeared (dunno why). Tried to froth milk, but the foam is not consistent and loses height... that's why I'm giving it 4star.

I'm sorry for the colombian guy, that had problems with his saeco. I was worried that could happen to mine too! But so far, soooo good.

***

ADDED APRIL 6, 2012.

The cappucinatore makes IMPRESSIVE frothed milk. It is silky and delicious (used whole, cold milk).

If you are looking for a discret machine (as in no sound), look somewhere else. On start up, this little guy is noisy as a firecraker! I do not know if it is normal to this model, but mine makes a "brrrrrrrrrr" noise on the final part for start up.

I changed the brand for the beans, and now I'm using illy decaf. Great taste!

***

ADDED OCTOBER 9, 2012

Hello all!

I don't know why, but the 2 saeco products I've had so far, both have failed the same: main board malfunction. So it's time to move on to another (more trustable) brand.

It is not nice for a customer to pay the s&h for an item that is under guarantee.

My odea plus II with capuccinatore failed after 7 months and less than 250 coffees. When started to fail, water pump was like not receiving enough power to work. Then failed completely.

The external design is beautiful (by BMW), the brewing system is impressive and easy to clean. But the electronics completely not up to the level.

***

update March 20, 2013

One of the distinctive remarks on Philips-Saeco, is their customer support. Still having issues with my saeco espresso machine, but I'm giving up, after a lot of phone calls and some possible solutions, everything comes down to a pressure valve that is not working properly.

I already purchased "the infuser" by breville. I would recommend, if you are a serious and enthusiastic coffee drinker (a geek) or prosumer, to stay away from superautomatics. There are a lot of things that can go wrong... I understand that grinding, dosing and tamping can be messy at the beginning, but that is how the learning curve progresses. After a week or two of trying, the results get from a semiAutomatic are superb! (aim for a $450 or higher machine).

On the other hand, I you want to avoid that process, enter in superautomatics realm, on your own risk.

See you around!

After receiving this supposedly 'Certified Refurbished' Super Automatic espresso machine, we followed the instructions, and the unit still failed to get past priming the pump. Customer service was no help. Asking us to stick a turkey baster inside a 10 minute old machine is ridiculous! But in hopes of getting it to work, we followed their instructions, Force priming the supposedly 'Certified' refurbished machine. It still refused to work on its own after over an hour of FORCED priming. Clearly Seattle Coffee Gear has no business selling these machines. How can you send out $500+ machines and not even test them? HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

After over an hour of failed priming, we decided to return the unit. Then came our next surprise. $69 to ship it back. Atleast it was FREE SHIPPING to us, right? WRONG. They decided to charge us for shipping after we returned the unit, only giving us a partial refund for this piece of crap that was their mistake to begin with.

THE WORST SHOPPING EXPERIENCE EVER.

STAY AWAY FROM SEATTLE COFFEE GEAR!

Buy Philips Saeco RI9757/47 Odea Cappucino Automatic Espresso Machine, Titanium and Silver Now

I own some high end coffee shops, but I'm not comparing this to the very costly gear we use. The big problem with this is the long, long wait between when you froth and when you pull a shot The temperature can take minutes to adjust, meaning either your espresso or milk is too cold once they unite. Without that problem, it would be a great deal.

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The machine sent by you was leaking. I phoned Saeco Customer Service Center on the December 31 and the attendant assured me that I was going to receive an email message by the end of that day. Four days later, no hearing from them. I called them back and they promissed me to send a new one sooner than a week, what did not happen. When the new machine came, it did not work at all. On top of that, they promissed to send me a gift package, which never came. When I called them again in the USA, the man who answered my call, said he was a Saeco Customer Service Center supervisor, who was very unkind, not mentioning his rudeness. I bought a new Breville machine from a local shop here in Orlando, which was $50 more expensive than it was in Amazon, but I preferred buying it this way, so that it would give me less trouble and it would not take as long as it took (over a month) to have my money back in case I needed to get a new one. Therefore, I have no more comments. Furthermore, a part of being a more modern machine, the Breville is much better than the Saeco.

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Terrible: after $200 in taxes and shipping to Bogotá, Colombia (a small country in south america)

I received my new coffee excited and took a horrible surprise when I turned on following the user guide and did not work.

The alarm light never leave flashing and after 10 trials to fix the problem following the troubleshooting in the user guide, I decided return this beautiful but poor quality machine and lost $300 including shipping to Miami to my charge.

I had read somewhere about this same problem, but I ignored it thinking that a manufacturer like Philips would not have the same problem twice

If you like risks, buy it...

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Stackable Porcelain Cappuccino Cup & Saucer 9 Pc Set

I love these cups... to the reviewer to said they were too small (did you mistakenly buy the espresso set?) --these are plenty big enough to brew a traditional cap. They hold 6oz of liquid EASILY and 7.5 with a tiny bit of room at the top. Bought 1 set for Christmas and am purchasing another because we are so pleased with the set.

I use this set every single day and I just love it. I have the DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker which by the way is the most wonderful machine. Two of these cups fit under it but I usually just use the one with a double shot into it. They are very sturdy cups and the holder is great next to my machine where like the other reviewer stated you can have the cups at your fingertips AND they looks great. The holder was a bit snug and when we put the cups in, it was hard for them to go down and stack correctly but it's pliable so we just used a little muscle and pulled the "spokes" apart a bit and it was just fine. This set is well worth the price. It's made very well and looks exactly like the cups and saucers we used in Paris.

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This is a fantastic set of cups & saucers. Everything stacks neatly in the holder and is at my fingertips when I want to make a capuccino. Two cups fit underneath the spout on my capuccino maker perfectly. I am going to order another set!

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I really love the design of this set and hoped it would had been a pleasant match to my espresso machine. However, there were huge flaws in the porcelain in two of the mugs. Obviously there was no quality control or else they would have seen this. Amazaon didn't offer an exchange option either, only a refund option.

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This set is very awesome and very functional and I use it every day and I love it. I do however, have to tell everyone that you can get this same set at World Imports for $9.99. So for the $20 whatever bucks plus shipping you would pay to get it here . . . you can buy two at World Imports. (They also have a multi-color set which is pretty cute too)

KRUPS XP601050 Manual Pump Espresso Machine with Thermo Block System and Stainless Steel Housing, S

Remember the small steam espresso machines from Krups some 25 years ago? They really paved the way for home espresso machines. It's come a long way from the only option being stovetop (moka)pots made popular in the 1930s. This unit is perfect for those that want some of the perks of a machine costing much more, and don't care if the machine lacks some of the customization obtained by the pricey machines. I'm really happy about the universal filter holder, no more switching inserts for pods. If you are super fussy (and this is a good tip for any coffee device with plastic/rubber/silicone parts), wash the filter using only UN-scented dish soap.

It has a 'Thermo-block' system, which is an insulated block chamber (as opposed to a boiler)so your temps will be more constant and it's a more 'heat on demand' process. Probably more energy efficient but that's just my guess. It has a 15 bar pump, a 'bar' is a measure of pressure...and 15 bars of pressure will force quite nicely. I think those early steam ones had only 3 or 4 bars of pressure!

This is a VERY easy machine once you have a few draws under your belt.

If you have any questions about this unit, please feel free to leave a comment. I love drinking and learning/talking about coffee, so ask anything or educate me!

UPDATE: Every espresso machine has it's own personality, and after pulling quite a few shots and frothing gallons of milk, the XP6010, and my PARTICULAR XP6010 is no different. I've found that if down to the minimum level of water in the tank, 99% of the time it will need more water and a quick priming. If left on for a long time, it needs a quick prime before my next shot. To prime, one simply releases a bit of water from the steam nozzle, so it's not a big deal, but it is indeed one of the quirks.

One other thing about this machine that has me in absolute awe...what the heck is the nozzle make of? I've has a home espresso machine of one brand or another for nearly 30 years, and never has a nozzle been so easy to clean. Looks like stainless, feels like stainless, cleans like teflon.

Oh, and a very nice gent asked about the handle, please click the 'comments' and read on. It seems hard to lock in place, but the reality is that this machine is light so one needs a bit of leverage.

I previously worked as a barista for a couple of years and acquired quite a bit of espresso knowledge on the job, so I did my research before deciding on this machine. I am confident that if you know what you're doing already OR are willing to be a student of espresso machines for a little while, you can get great results with any machine. Like any other machine, this Krups took some trial and error. For example, I became quite frustrated on a couple occasions during the first week of use because I would flip the espresso dial and nothing would happen. It turned out I had used too much espresso, so that took a little finessing to get just right.

First, the things I love about the machine: easy to use, easy to clean, relatively easy to understand, and gives me good-tasting espresso for americano or latte/cappuccino.

Things I had to learn: don't overfill the basket/portafilter, and if you're making a latte do the espresso before the milkthe machine takes forever to heat up for espresso after doing steam.

Things I was nervous about but have turned out to be fine: I was really looking for more control of the steamI'm used to bigger machines with a knob for steam, but the one-setting steam on this machine comes out just fine. The foam is a little more bubbly than I would like, but I'm not a foam snob so it doesn't bother me. I was also nervous about the precise-tamp feature, but that's a-ok, too! The shot comes out nicely and you can see three distinct layers of color as it pulls and then settles to two colors (dark espresso and light crema). I wasn't sure exactly how much space I would have to put a mug under the portafilter, but most of my mugs fit. I also bought a little shot glass to hold the espresso if I'm using a larger mug and that is working great.

Other thoughts: If you've never had an espresso machine before, they're all noisy. I read some reviews about this one saying it was too loud, but compared to my last one (which was in the >$50 range) it purrs like a kitten. It is not as loud as some. I haven't done a deep clean on this machine yet, but I'm confident I will be able to take it apart and put it back together easily because I can see where the screws are on the basket and group head. I have only had it about a month and plan to deep clean monthly to bi-monthly. I make sure to flush the group head and steam wand after each usethis is very important to keep the machine running well. I don't use the mug warmer featureI usually warm up my mug with hot water and then place it on top of the machine.

In closing, if you read the instruction manual fully before use, follow the instructions, clean the water tank + group head + portafilter/basket + steam wand regularly, this machine should produce good results for you. I am very happy with it!

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I am having so much fun using this KRUPS XP601050!!! Our household has been using several different versions of Keurig the past few years and I have been wanting to try one of these machines for some time now.

It arrived well packaged and easy to extricate from the box with instructions written in a way it was easy to first-time clean and set up.

Getting comfortable using it was another story, however! I really should have done a "What Not To Do" first-time users video because if it was possible to do, I did it and with some rather messy results! Then I got the hang of it as they say and the more I did, the more I was enjoying it.

I am probably one of the few people who has never entered a ****bucks shop or any other name for that matter. I just have never felt the need, but have always been curious. Well, now I understand! I still won't go into those shops and now I don't have to!

I have found the KRUPS to be easy to use, easy to clean and it does look attractive on either a movable kitchen cart or sitting on the counter. I actually have mine on the counter next to the large Platinum Keurig which is next to a Cuisinart 14 cup drip coffee maker. I find each has it's own time depending upon the mood of the maker :)

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This is the second Krups espresso machine I've owned. My first one lasted 15 years, so I'm hoping this one will go the distance, too.

This one pulls a tasty espresso shot, and it's easy to use.

I agree with others when they say you *have* to read the manual first. It's not the most well-written manual, and is a tad confusing. Sometimes the manual says to wait until a light is "on" when they mean "off." Basically, what you need to know is that when the temperature light is on, the unit is still warming up. When it's off, it's ready to go. (BTW, it only takes a minute to warmup.)

Yes, you have to prime it before the first time you use it. Not a big deal -it just means filling up the water tank and running hot water through the wand into an empty cup for 1/4 of the tank, then running hot water through the main head (without the portafilter in place) for the other 3/4 of the tank.

Also, don't forget to wash and rinse the portafilter and baskets first -otherwise your first cup will taste metallic and weird because the machine is, after all, fresh from the factory. I forgot to wash the smaller filter and made a shot and found out they're not kidding when they say to wash it, because the shot did indeed taste weird. Operator error.

Another caveat, when I first tried to use it, the machine made a horrible sound an wouldn't produce results. It took me a minute to realize the water tank was not pushed all the way in. There's no satisfying click or any way to tell the water tank is seated, you just have to push it in all the way. It's my fault for not noticing, though.

I drink what I've come to find is called a "lungo," which is where you pull an espresso shot at least twice as long as normal ( I usually go for 3 times as long). Basically, it comes out like a stronger version of drip coffee. I came up with this because I like a stronger coffee. That's what I used my other machine for, and this one doesn't disappoint. It definitely makes it with hot enough water to make this type of coffee work. In fact, I actually have to wait a minute or so for the coffee to cool down before I drink it.

Anyway, it's a great machine and makes a great coffee. I was going to deduct a star because (a) the manual is terribly written, and (b) the filter is a bit difficult to remove for cleaning, but then I decided these are minor quibbles. After all, we all have our quirks, and it's the end result that matters. And this solidly built machine satisfies in all the important ways: makes great coffee, easy to use, and looks pretty spiffy on the counter.

Great coffee makes life worth living, and this looks like another Krups workhorse that should power my sleepy self for another 15 years.

EDIT: After a week of use, the filter is much easier to remove now -I guess it just needed breaking in. I've made 20 cups of coffee from this machine and I appreciate it even more now. How does it heat up for use within only 1 minute of being turned on? It's ready to go by the the time I grind the beans. I'm loving this machine. With all the things that can go wrong in life, knowing I have a machine that makes my coffee well somehow brings me comfort. It may sound silly to rhapsodize over an espresso machine, but those who love their great cuppa joe will empathize.

I found another little quirk: if you leave the machine on too long, it goes into standby mode. Even though the power is on, it won't start. You have to just turn it off and then on again, then it wakes back up.

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We're a 2-3 cup a day coffee household. This doesn't include all of the weekly trips to the coffee shop while at work for more specialized drinks. Prior to getting this espresso maker we simply brewed flavored coffee at home with cheap and disposable coffee makers. We were of course overjoyed to welcome the KRUPS XP601050 Manual Pump Espresso Machine with Thermoblock system, Stainless Steam and Die Cast into our kitchen. Here are my thoughts;

Pros

+ Beautiful stainless steel finish and modern design.

+ Able to use flavored coffee, something many high end machines do not allow.

+ Reasonably priced.

+ Frothing wand is easy to detach and clean.

+ Steamer nozzle also dispenses hot water for tea/hot chocolate drinkers.

+ Extremely quick brew time. Less than 2 minutes.

+ Unit enters sleep/standby mode after 30 minutes if left on.

Cons

Stability of machine feels a bit wobbly when you try to move it around. The front tray comes off much too easily.

After warming up the top of the machine can be extremely hot to the touch in many places. I've burnt myself a few times attempting to move the machine to get larger sized coffee mugs into the brewing area and under the frothing wand.

Coffee handle takes quite a bit of strength to lock into place or remove.

Like most espresso machines, it's noisy when using the frothing wand which can be an issue in the morning.

In the beginning, frothed drinks have a horrible chemical plastic smell/taste even after the water basin is cleaned initially. This smell/taste does go away in time.

Frother is rather rigid and has limited flexibility. It's also difficult to use on a counter top, especially with larger mugs. You need to have it on the counter edge to even get a larger cup under or out. Unless you remove the reservoir tray you need to tip or life the machine which is dangerous when it's hot.

Some pieces of the machine are plastic (parts of the frother etc.). I would prefer them to be metal as the plastic feels like it could crack from the heat.

No auto-off feature if you leave it on as the power switch is manual.

Water dispenser tray platform is a bit too large making it extremely impractical for larger coffee mugs. This makes everything a bit cumbersome to use.

Made in China (not Germany or France like many of the higher end espresso machines).

No timer on the frother.

The KRUPS XP601050 Manual Pump Espresso Machine with Thermoblock system, Stainless Steam and Die Cast is an extremely functional entry level espresso machine. Many of the higher end coffee/espresso machines cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars. This Krups model is perfect for those who wish to enjoy a nice cup of coffee or espresso without breaking the bank. This machine does everything it's supposed to and for the most part does it well. Overall, despite some minor concerns this is a very solid machine and our household get many years use out of it.

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Jura-Capresso 13180 Impressa S8 Super Automatic Coffee Center, Dual-Tone Platinum

I knew that an automatic espresso maker would be convienient, but wow, is it ever amazing! This unit definitely saves time in the morning as well as saves money going to a certain coffee chain (except for the beans). Jura-Capresso's customer service was really great as well as we had lost the manual and DVD, and they gladly sent replacements. The DVD was especially helpful for learning about the system.

You definitely need to customize the coffee strength and coffee/steam/milk portions, but once that's done, the unit is truly automatic. You have to clean it, but the unit tells you what to do and when.

Worth every penny.