Braun Piercing Unit

The coffee maker cannot operate without this Little Piercing Unit. Thank goodness it can be replaced, and so easily with a bit of help from Amazon.

this is not for the basic Bosch only for the Braun unit. The machines take different piercing units so just be careful when you are ordering one for your machine. I have searched Amazon.com and they don't seem to carry the one for the Bosch, only the Braun.

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I was asked to review this item, but there really isn't much to say. This part broke on my Tassimo so it had to be replaced. The piercing unit does what it says--it punctures a whole in the Tassimo product to make your hot drink. That's really it...

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Yes this purchase saved me from buying a new Tasimo coffee machine. I accidently thru away the piece during discarding my coffee disc. thank you.

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Works just like new. I lost this piece when moving, was nice to be able to buy just the part that was missing and get the coffee machine back to working order. Price was not bad but could have been cheaper so 4 stars.

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Breville XXBMF600XL Refurbished Milk Cafe Milk Frother

We already own a Nespresso Aeroccino Plus with which we are very happy but its drawback is that one can really only make small batches. Whenever we have larger gatherings of more than 4 people at our house, the Capuccino and Latte Macchiato making becomes a very time-consuming, drawn-out affair, so the Breville Milk Frother looked good for serving bigger groups faster. Here are our comments with comparisons to the Aeroccino where appropriate but in no particular order:

PROs:

Large capacity. The jug can hold up to 25 fl. oz, even though it is recommended to not exceed 16 fl. oz when making froth. Still a lot more than what the Aeroccino holds.

Great, hot froth. I use my frothers mainly for... well, frothing milk and am very happy with the quality of the Breville froth. It comes out thick, solid and hot with enough milk underneath to make nice Cappuccinos or Latte Macchiatos.

Dishwasher-safe. According to the manual, all parts except the power base are top-level dishwasher-safe. However, the fine-print says that hand-washing will extend the life of the frother. I am listing this under Pros anyway because the possibility to at least every once in a while throw it in the dishwasher is a definite plus for me. The Aeroccino can be submerged in water but is not dishwasher-safe.

Easy to clean. Even when hand-washing, I feel that the larger size and lighter weight of the Breville jug makes it easier to clean than the Aeroccino which has a smaller opening and is in one piece, i.e. the power unit is part of it, making it a bit heavy.

The large capacity also allows for making all kinds of different milk-based drinks such as Cappuccinos and Lattes, Iced Coffees and Hot Chocolates with different added ingredients such as syrups (the Breville user manual contains a few recipes for various concoctions). The Aeroccino is limited to frothing and heating/preparing milk. That's it.

Different temperature settings. I am listing this under Pros because it is obviously not a Con. In the almost two years that we have had our Aeroccino, we never felt the need for different settings but we don't fix other drinks in the frother so it's there, it works, and people should decide for themselves whether this is something they would use.

On-board storage of the disc not in use helps with not accidentally losing them. The Aeroccino offers the same but stores the disc on the inside of the lid whereas the Breville frother keeps them on the outside of the power unit.

One last thing: I love the way the wall plug is designed! It makes removing the plug from the outlet a snap by having a sturdy rubber 'loop' integrated into the plug. Just hook a finger or two into the loop and out it comes. Why don't all appliances have that?! Well done, Breville!

CONs (minor but want to mention anyway for the sake of being comprehensive):

Frothing discs are made of plastic. The Aeroccino's frothing disc is mainly metal (with some plastic), the cold-milk blade is only plastic as well.

Takes a long time to froth. Even with the minimum amount of milk in the jug, it takes a good 2 minutes to get the milk frothed. The Aeroccino is faster at 1 min. 20 sec. But it probably is about the same amount of time, considering that the Breville uses more milk even at the minimum level.

Noisy. This unit is a lot noisier during operation than the Aeroccino, and it sounds as if it is operating slightly unevenly even though the end product leaves nothing to be desired.

Plain stainless interior, and not non-stick. So far I have not had trouble with baked-on milk residue but wanted to mention this in case some people really prefer a non-stick surface.

SUMMARY:

A great frother for larger quantities and for people who enjoy making other drinks as well. However, the Breville is probably a bit of an overkill if only used in a small household for nothing but the occasional Cappuccino. That said, this is my party frother, and as such it serves the purpose well and definitely better than the way smaller Aeroccino. Cleanup is also easy and refurbished it comes at a substantially more attractive price than the new unit so what is not to like?

UPDATE 8/9/12:

The frothing quality has diminished considerably, this was a short-lived love affair. Not only does the Breville now leave most of the milk un-frothed, the little bit of froth it does produce is a far cry from good quality, it is more of a foam cream than real froth. To reflect this decline I took one star off and revised my title accordingly. In contrast, our little Aeroccino still performs like new, and has for almost two years now.

I have nothing bad to say about this, everything from the little magnetic holder on the back for the extra frothing disk, to the modern design is cool. So seeing as I have nothing negative to say about this, let me tell you about some of my favorite features on it.

Lets start on the top and work our way down shall we?

There are two parts to the lid, the main part, and a part that comes out that is a measuring cup for precise measuring.

Next is the size of the frothing pot, compared to most (my other frother is the Capresso frothPro, 12 ounces) it is fairly large (16-25 ounces), and it heats up and froths quicker than most other frothers I've used.

I Love, Love, LOVE the fact that it is steel in the interior & not teflon!! My Capesso is teflon & while it is easy to rinse & reuse I always worried that as it aged the teflon would start to flake off (like in the pots & pans) & end up in me!!

With this Breville frother I have no such worrisome thoughts! ;-) and it also cleans with a just a swish of warm water & at times when I have used chocolate & other ingredients for drinks, when cleaning it I add a drop of dish soap to the water & let run a few seconds then rinse to assure that it is sparkling clean & no flavors linger for the next drink!

Now as for the bottom section, there are three things on here that that I especially like.

First is the knob on the front, it feels very smooth and gives you great control on the temperature and ratio of froth to milk.

Second is on the back of it, it has a little spot that you can put the frothing disc (there are two, one for lattes & the other for cappuccinos) that you are not using on the back and it holds it there magnetically!

Finally there is the base, it has an indentation inside the bottom of it so you can easily and neatly coil all of the excess cord in the base out of sight leaving your counter looking neat.

Well, that about covers it, other than saying that I think it looks really nice and Is well built as you would expect from Breville!

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I've had this frother for a few days and around 15 uses now. I always wanted a frother but I am not a fan of anything I have to clean before or after use. Dishwasher safe sounded good though! Mine arrived without the plastic top so I knocked a star off as this is Breville's fault (it was a refurb). I was actually packing it up to return but I decided to give it a shot and I'm glad I did. The top isn't necessary unless you plan to fill the milk to a very high level like 18 oz-ish. The milk was not even close to overflowing.

I've used it twice so far. My thoughts (AND I USED 2% MILK just in case that matters to anyone reading this):

Simple operation: pour in milk, turn to desired temperature and push button. The machine displays an optimum temperature range in case you're not sure which temp to select. It takes around two minutes for the milk to finish. I added organic powdered cacao and organic grade B maple syrup (I try to avoid processed foods like other sugars) before pressing the on button. The blending process is moderately noisy but far from an annoyance to me. It's just background noise in my opinion. I made a mocha and it was chocolaty, silky, and frothy; absolutely delicious! I used my Nespresso automatic espresso machine as there is nothing you have to clean on that machine (2 shots of Appregio).

In my second use I made a latte: the temperature was perfect, the milk was silky and frothy, and the latte was delicious. I've noticed a few people mention that the milk was too cool which may mean they have a defective machine. I didn't go close to the highest temp and the milk was too hot for me to stick my finger in or drink.

I know this sounds silly but I clean it by rinsing it, and then filling it with boiling water from a tea kettle; then I let it sit for a few minutes before dumping it. Works perfectly for me.

***I have two issues with this machine:

1. I have to use a lot of milk to get to the recommended min fill level (I think it's 6 ounces because the min is directly under the 8 oz mark). It's probably just an ordinary amount of milk for a small latte or cappuccino, but I typically like to be very light with the milk.

2. My latte frothing disc works 100% of the time. My cappuccino frothing disc has worked only 1 out of 3 times; and that includes me poking and fiddling with it during operation to get it to work. I don't drink cappuccino's and do not prefer foam so I won't be using the cappuccino attachment but it would be nice if it worked. I will fiddle with it a little more and see if it is something I'm doing wrong. I'll update this review if I figure it out.

Overall I'm pleased. My rating would be 3.5 but I rounded to 4 stars because I'm loving my hot and delicious mocha's.

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read some reviews that had me worried but makes great foam. never could use the 'wand' style, just shot hot milk all over kitchen.

easy to use & clean. use an old fashioned "moka pot" to make coffee. delicious !

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I think this is the best milk frother available. I especially like that the pot is dishwasher safe. It's also a much higher capacity unit than anything else I've seen. We had a Nepresso Aerochino previously. It cost a little bit less but only lasted a 18 month, just long enough after the warrantee expired that Nepresso blew me off. So I'm hopeuful that this model will be more useful and more durable.

Mr. Coffee JWX23 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black

I've had two of this same model. The first just stopped working after a few months and was replaced by the company. The second leaks all over the countertop even though I wasn't overfilling. When I called the company, I was told they had had no complaints about this, but there are numerous complaints about the same issue with this model on the internet.

Won't buy Mr. Coffee again.

Worked fine for three months, then just stopped heating. Lights come on, relays click, but neither the pot warmer nor the water heater heat up. This pot is the epitome of "you get what you pay for".

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The great Joe DiMaggio used to be the spokesperson for Mr. Coffee products and and thankfully he's not with us anymore to witness the decline and fall of the company he once touted.

I write this review as I wait 45 minutes for a pot of coffee to brew. There is the constant, incessant sound of bubbling and gurgling. There is steam fogging up the kitchen windows. But at the machine there is only the occasional drip, drip of water soaking through the coffee filter and into the pot.

This is the second Mr. Coffee I purchased and this time the last. The first just stopped working, and this one now takes half the morning to brew a pot of coffee. Enough already! I'm finding it hard to believe that these sleekly designed coffee makers

can't stand up to the old white plastic Mr. Coffee brewer I bought in the 1980's; the same one that was Made in the USA and lasted more than 15 years.

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I have purchased 2 of these Mr. Coffee machines. Both from Target. I normally only make 4 cups during the week and 8 to 9 cups on the weekend. The first machine went back just before the expiration date on my receipt. If I made more than 8 cups the coffe grinds in the filter backed up to the top of the filter and into the coffee pot. I hate grounds in my coffee. If I wanted that I would make "Cowboy Coffee".

The 2nd machine is still in my house. Today was the worse day yet. We were given some Starbucks coffee. I made 9 cups and yep, the grounds overflowed again. But worse this time. I had kept my receipt, but low and behold it was over the expiration date. Not sure which machine I will buy now. I have been using Mr. Coffee for years...........

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This is by far the WORST coffee pot I have ever owned. This is supposed to be a 12 cup maker, however from the day it came out of the box it has never made more than 10 cups, regardless of how much water is poured into it. If you add more than a drop of water over the 12 cup line on the carafe it leaks out the back of the maker. It brews VERY slowly. (Understatement! It's been brewing for an hour and just now reached the 8 cup mark.) It's supposed to beep when finished brewing, which it did for the first 3-4 days. It now beeps to announce that it's done after two or three minutes with not even two cups in the pot. The carafe is a problem in itself. The "newly designed spout" does nothing but produce a steady stream of coffee down the side and onto the counter, floor, your clothes or whatever else happens to be in the area. We've tried pouring with the carafe resting on the cup, from higher up, super slow.... nothing helped. The super slow brew does nothing for the taste of the coffee either. After only 3 weeks with this maker we're going back to a BUNN, expensive, but they work and they work fast. The only positive thing I can come up with for this maker is that the plug fit into the outlet.

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WMF Kult Coffee Press

AAA+++ This press lives up to it's marketing description. My only concern is how to replace the glass insert. I tried a generic replacement, and although it fit okay, the pouring lip is narrower than the original and leaks at the edges. How do I get an original glass replacement?

This is an AMAZING coffee press! I really like pressed coffee because of the little bit of "froth" on the top, but it's so hard to find one that doesn't leave grounds floating around in your coffee. This one is truly awesome! I only wish they would make a travel version!!

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Very high quality but only time will tell if the glass holds up to continued use. Small piece of the outer stainless steel container is spring loaded aginst the glass that applies pressure to the glass to keep it in place. Seems to me it will eventually scratch or damage the glass..,.but we will see.

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When it worked it worked well. After 3 months the glass shattered in my hand. No injury but a terrible mess. When I contacted the manufacturer, it was $20 to replace the glass carafe. I can buy a new one for 20 at Walmart.

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Mr. Coffee ECMP50 Espresso/Cappuccino Maker, Black

Like most who purchased this product, it was my first espresso maker. And I found out quickly that hunting for these things can be overwhelming! I purchased it at my local Target for $79.99 for convenience in case I had to return it -with all of the mixed reviews out there, I was incredibly weary of choosing one! However, I will most likely not need to do so. It is perfect for all of my needs!

PROS:

1. Incredibly easy to use! Directions and trouble-shooting pages in manual are simple and helpful.

2. Compact size, looks nice sitting on the counter.

3. Easy clean-up. All parts that need to be cleaned detach easily.

4. A standard sized coffee cup will fit under the spout -not so with many models!

5. The steam feature is simple, fairly powerful, and works well. No problems here.

6. As long as you get a good batch of coffee grounds, this machine can turn it into delicious espresso!

CONS:

1. I have been experiencing a small leak onto my counter after use. I haven't caught it in the act yet, but if I return to the kitchen a few hours later, there is a wet spot near the machine. I read another review that mentioned the same thing, so it might be a universal issue with this product. However, it is a small leak, and not enought to cause a real problem in my opinion.

2. I would suggest making 2-3 cups before wasting any milk product on your first trial. This model does not have an automatic drip feature and you will need to manually tell it when to stop pouring. If you are not used to this, you might end up with a few nasty batches on your first try. No biggie. Just watch the color of the drip. It starts out as a medium brown, and changes to a much lighter brown if left alone. I would recommend shutting it off a second or so after it changes to the lighter brown. I have made perfect batches every time by this method. This all takes place over several seconds, so keep an eye out.

YOU MIGHT NEED TO KNOW:

It mentions this in the manual, but make sure to get the right size of grounds. About the consistency of salt. I would recommend griding your own either at home with a grinder or at the store at a grinding station. They taste better for one, and you won't waste your money on a mystery bag that doesn't work well with your machine.

Also, it does not come with a frothing pitcher. You will need to buy one separately. I purchased mine at Bed Bath and Beyond -a Krups one, stainless, about $10? It fits fine. Just make sure you don't get one that is too deep, or the froth wand will not reach the milk. It is a countertop model after all. If you don't want to use as much milk you can turn the pitcher at an angle.

That's it! Definitely more pros than cons. I feel that for the price I paid, I could not have hoped for a better quality machine. I would highly recommend this model if you want something easy and you don't require tons of frills. If you want something more frilly, go ahead and spend $300 to $3000 on one. But I purchased an espresso maker to SAVE time and money (so long, Starbucks!), and this one's just right for me!

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.

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11 months ago, when I read the review of this product, I concluded that it was a great bargain that was likely to be defective when I received it or to fail a short time later. I trusted that the 12 month warranty would be protect me in that case, but I wondered if it would be worth the hassle if I had to use it.

Fast forward: I really like the product. I brewed probably 300 cups of espresso and it worked well. Then it blew a gasket. When I called Jarden, who now owns the Mr. Coffee Brand, the customer service rep assured me that the product was manufactured at least 3 years ago and was therefore not in warranty. He had no interest in my purchase receipt, dated 11 months early. When I refused the steam expresso machine that he offered me as a "one time courtesy" and because the comparable unit was "not in stock" I went to the Mr. Coffee website and confirmed that it was indeed in stock, for purchase. When I refused the replacement and insisted that because I had purchased the unit less than a year ago, that the company should honor the warranty. The response was that the unit was not in stock, and they encouraged me to check back with them in 4-6 weeks.

I'm sure many people give up at this point and the customer service objective of not paying warranty claim or paying them at a much reduced price is realized. I bought the product and the warranty. I didn't realize until I needed it that the warranty was not actually included. When I asked for it, I was told that I didn't really buy it. Interesting! I'm probably powerless to enforce the warranty. It's certainly not worth any more of my time to try. But I can avoid buying another Mr. Coffee device and I can tell many, many people about my experience.

Caveat Emptor.

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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.

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Okay, so there are a lot of mixed reviews on this product and if you are considering buying the Mr. Coffee ECMP-50, please give it a chance.

First of all I am no expert on this machine. I have just made my first Latte and am very relieved my machine works and the quality is what you make it as far as I'm concerned. Now understand this is my second machine! I just bought the ECMP-50 yesterday and upon setting it up, the machine only "flashed" it's glaring lights at me and nothing more. I was a little disheartened but figured it was a lemon, and thankfully it was!

So today I exchanged my machine for a new one and yes it works just fine but lets' look a little closer. So consider first off this is a low end espresso machine. $80... great price and honestly I don't expect much out of this for this price range. I am just tired of going to Starbucks and spending $3 a pop on an espresso drink. So point #1...

1If you can get about 30 uses out of this machine... it just paid for itself. So if it breaks after that, who cares. Buy another one! It's not a big deal.

The steamer is probably one of the better features of this machine in my opinion. To really have full control of it though your going to need to ditch the rubber tip and just get comfortable using the machine itself. The rubber end piece while a convenient way to help maintain cleanliness and create sub-par foam, is going to hinder the quality of your drinks... plus you lose that awesome "screaming" sound.

2-To properly steam your milk! GET A THERMOMETER! Yes you need this. Next you need COLD milk. Steam up to about 140-160 degrees depending on your preference and you should be good to go. To get quality foam you need not just cold milk but lift the steam wand to the top of your milk towards the end of your steaming cycle to just steam the surface.

I can't comment on the leaking problem because I have not had this machine long enough but It sounds like a quick return to where you purchased it or sending it to Mr. Coffee should take care of this and all other structural/wear and tear defects. (hopefully)

So. Given my experience working at Starbucks for a few years I can tell you that after using this machine. Price does not matter. Starbucks espresso machines run from $5000+ easily and they break down a lot more than you think (also get used a lot more!) But think of this like a car. It's a machine, it's going to require maintenance and cleaning. Take care of it. Use clean filtered water to prevent build up. Run recommended cleaning solutions through your machine periodically to break down deposits. This is plastic, do not be aggressive or forceful with your machine. Treat it like a lady :)

What I don't like?

-So far it's just a minor inconvenience but turning the dial for the steamer setting with a required purge at the end is a little annoying. I'd rather be able to have a little more control over my steaming and be able to purge the wand myself afterwards. BUT the swivel on the wand is great, and I'm satisfied with the length and quality of it. My milk was the right temp (with thermometer) & did not take very long to do... and the foam was better than what I usually get handed at "the bucks".

-I don't like that I cannot brew espresso & steam at the same time.

-I don't like that the espresso will continue to brew until you turn the dial and make it stop. If your not paying attention you'll overflow your shot glass and lose your crema :( very sad. Speaking of shot glasses? Get espresso shot glasses, they will indicate where you should stop the brewing process making sure you have the best quality espresso possible.

I know this is a bit long and I have a hard time reading long reviews but I hope this gives a little insight. This machine is worth the money and will be just as durable and reliable as machines that run in this price range up to $1,000. It's frustrating getting a lemon but it happens. Don't be discouraged.

Starbucks makes a great little home brew kit with 2 shot glasses, measuring scoop, clamps, steam pot, and thermometer for about $20 as well which is a great companion for this machine.

Oh one last thing. You can buy this at Target. So very convenient to not deal with all the mail-order delays if you have an issue.

Best of luck, and happy brewing!

Mr. Coffee ECMP50 Espresso/ Cappuccino Maker

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