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.
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.
Buy Mr. Coffee BVMC-ECMP1000 Café Barista Espresso Maker Now
This machine is fantastic! It is user friendly and easy to clean. The froth is amazing and I love that I can customize each drink that I make. My husband loves the espresso and I get to have a coffee shop drink every morning in my own home! The price is great compared to other similar models and I love not dealing with pods! I would highly recommend this machine.
Read Best Reviews of Mr. Coffee BVMC-ECMP1000 Café Barista Espresso Maker Here
I'm always a little hesitant to review an appliance. I'd hate to steer someone in the wrong direction, particularly on a high ticket item like a refrigerator or TV. I mean, really, you never know, maybe I got the only good one, or maybe my needs aren't the same as yours. That said, Holy $&%#, this thing is amazing, PARTICULARLY for the money. It was less than half the price of my Starbucks Barista I bought 10 years ago. I can't compare it to a 3 thousand dollar restaurant style machine, because I don't have one of those. I CAN compare it to the Barista AND my local Starbucks.
For $200, this is an excellent value. Even the packaging was a work of art and ingeniously set up for both reliable safe shipping, and ease of unpacking. Sounds silly, I know, but when you open it up, you'll see exactly what I mean. That's always a good start. If they take this much care with the packaging, I have to assume the build quality comparable.
The Quick start directions are all you will need. It's FAR easier to use than any of the fancier and far more expensive machines I was considering purchasing. As a matter of fact, it's so easy to use, I think I can safely call it idiot proof.
I drink my coffee black, so my first drink was naturally a double espresso. As close to perfect as I've ever made at home. I suggest you purchase some REALLY good quality coffee to take full advantage of just how well this thing works. We purchase whole bean dark roast Costa Rican coffee exclusively and grind it as needed. The espresso had a beautiful rich crema and was delicious. My first foray into a latte for my wife was met with great enthusiasm. She LOVED it and when I showed her how easy it was, she was excited that she could make it herself. Evan as a trained chef, she never really got steaming the milk for a latte or cappuccino down to an art.
It disassembles and cleans very easily. Fill the milk reservoir with your choice, milk, soy, almond milk, half and half, whatever you'd like. Remove the reservoir and just put the unused beverage in the refrigerator when finished.
I can't attest to the reliability or longevity of this machine, I've only had it a week, but frankly I don't care. I'll easily save the cost of this machine several times over if it lasts a year by staying out of Starbucks.
Want Mr. Coffee BVMC-ECMP1000 Café Barista Espresso Maker Discount?
This is a poorman version of a semi-auto espresso maker but a very very crappy one at best. It doesn't do any one thing well. If you are looking at this unit to save time, then be warned it will NOT save you anytime over manual espresso makers. Because of the poor design, it requires A LOT OF CLEAN UP after each use and there is no way around it.
1) one button espresso shot maker I can never get an equal shot out of this machine, it's either over or under, never consistent amount of espresso. This is especially true when you use the latte or cappuccino button, you can tell sometimes it just stop the espresso shot when the shot just started.
2) milk frother not really a frother, more of a bubble maker and it splatters milk droplets all over the places because of the fast and violent high temperature boil it does to the milk. Because of the unit is black, it's very easy to see the milk droplet splatter after every use. Your drink will have hot milk, espresso, and milk bubbles no milk microfoam whatsoever.
3) milk container is poorly designed as several reviewers said, it requires a lot of force to insert the container or remover it, you can actually splash milk out of it during insertion or removal because the energy required to insert or remove the container. Because you will need to store the milk container in the frig, there is no getting around of not removing the container after each use. Also, there is a sensor that detects the milk container and it will would not let you start a drink until it thinks the milk container is properly seated. The sensor seems to be effected by temperature. After the milk frothing process starts and the mechanism is heated up a bit, my unit would randomly sudden-stop the frothing process as if the milk container was removed or loose, even though it is pushed back as far as possible and perfectly seated. This would require removal and reinsert the milk container to reset the fault condition before unit will allow you to restart a drink.
4) milk pick up tube problem the tube pick up design has problem dealing with the changing vacuum force needed to draw the milk to the frother. When the milk container is full, it has no issue pulling the milk but as the milk level gets lower and lower, the tube struggles to draw enough milk. In my experience, when the milk container is about 1/3 or 1/2 full, the latte or cappuccino created will not have enough milk, or become extremely inconsistent. In those cases, you will have even more milk bubble as less milk gets the high temperature boil, creating an even bigger mess.
I think the idea of this machine is to partly automate the creation of an espresso drink. Since it doesn't grind the coffee, the only thing it automates is the milk frothing. However, the milk frother and related mechanism are so riddled with design flaws, the process is anything but consistent and require a lot of clean up after each use.
I actually clocked myself, factor in clean up time, it actually takes less time to make a latte or cappuccino using a less expensive manual espresso maker with a standard build-in frother.
Hoping that the universal design label was true, I bought this as a replacement for my Bodum press. The fit is loose. Fortunately I had an old Bonjour press in the back of my cupboard that works nicely. Bodum buyers, this is not your best choice.
