I purchased this Bunn My Café MCU brewer to replace my problematic Keurig B70 machine, and I am very pleased with it here on day one. I felt the same way with my B70 when I got it, however, after a few months, and ongoing failures, those machines have been nothing but problems. As this was a replacement for my Keurig machine, I will be comparing this new Bunn My Café MCU machine to the old Keurig.
First, everyone hates instruction manuals, but take the time to read the first few pages. It will only take a few minutes, and it makes it easier to understand which drawer works with the different formats.
Out of the box, this brewer is a bit different as it uses drawers for the different coffee brewing formats. It can use K-Cups, pods, tea bags, and ground coffee. The different drawers provide that functionality. On page 4 of my manual, it shows a picture of each drawer, and their purpose. It can also provide hot water to mix with hot chocolate or oatmeal in the morning.
The Bunn My Café MCU does not have all the bells and whistles that the Keurig machine has. While I would appreciate having some of those features, I would rather have a machine that actually works and isn't always broken. The features the Bunn My Café MCU does NOT have are:
No storage reservoir. Like the B70, it has the internal tank, so brewing a cup is quick. However, you need to pour in the desired amount of water into the top each time you make a cup of coffee. The amount you pour in will control how much is pumped out.
There is no automatic on/off time. The unit is always on, but automatically sets back after six (6) hours of no use. After twenty-six (26) hours of no use, it goes to sleep. Later when you go to use it, it automatically wakes up, and returns to normal temperature.
The internal water temperature is set to 200°F. The only adjustment is for high altitudes above 4000 feet.
The Bunn My Café MCU requires an initial setup before you can brew your coffee. The brewer has an internal hot water tank that needs filled. They provide step by step instructions on page 3. You will need to add a few cups of water overall to get it filled. Once filled, it will begin to heat the water in the tank. This takes a few minutes, and the brew button turns a solid red. Red usually means problems, but now, it is just heating the water for the first time. Once heated, it will turn green, and it is ready to go.
Some notes:
The Bunn My Café MCU brewer makes a bit more noise compared with the B70 when brewing, but nothing objectionable.
The drawer for the K-Cups is easy to use. Inside, it has a handle that you may want to pull towards you. I have found that it works best if pulled more straight up first.
Unlike the B70, you can also use soft pods and tea bags. The ground coffee drawer is also nicer to use compared with the older basket I used in the B70.
This machine is probably only 2/3rd's the size of the Keurig. Overall, it is a nice size on the counter.
One feature the Bunn My Café MCU has that the B70 does not is a Pulse mode. This brews at a slower speed to extract a stronger, bolder flavor from the coffee or tea. I used this feature with one of my Columbian K-cups, and the coffee actually has a better, smoother flavor.
As for the warranty, the Bunn My Café MCU has a two (2) year warranty, compared with the B70's one year warranty. I have used Bunn commercial systems in restaurants for years, and they have been one of the most reliable appliances. I am hoping that same dedication to quality will exist in this home use machine too. As time goes on, I will update this review if I have any issues with this new Bunn My Café MCU brewer.
As a side note. This unit has been on back order from Amazon for some time now. I found it locally, and purchased it from a local retailer.
Update December 2012
After a month or so, I have had no problems with the Bunn. The only feature I have missed is that the Bunn does not have a water reservoir. Also, my tall 7½" insulated travel mugs do not fit in it for brewing. The largest mug that you can put in when using the K-Cup drawer is about 4 3/4" with the drip tray. Pull out the drip tray, and you can get a 6" mug in. If you use some of the other optional drawers, like the hot water one, you can get a slightly larger mug in. Right now, I have a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup that sits with the coffee maker that I use to fill it. And when I need my travel mugs, I just brew into that cup and pour it into the mug. However, in no way would these missing features make me go back to the Keurig. I works every time, and heats hotter and faster.
Since my initial review, I have used the drawer for ground coffee. I purchased a new bag of Starbucks Sumatra beans, grind them myself as needed, and works well. It took a few tries to get the perfect setting in my Burr grinder to get it just the way I like it. I like my coffee dark and strong. I ground it a bit finer compared to what you normally get in pre-ground coffee. I did that too with the Keurig when I first got it. Bought the extra do it yourself pod for the Keurig, but could never get anything really good out of it. I'm guessing it's just because the Keurig does not get as hot as the Bunn machine.
It's only been a month or so since I got the Bunn, but so far, no disappointments, and very satisfied!
I did my homework and researched all of the single cup brewers. After spending a lot of time reading, I decided what I really wanted was the My Cafe MCU. Had to wait for the release, but pre-ordered it on Amazon. So very glad that I waited, it was well worth it. Bunn sent 4 sample pods with the coffee and I found that if you used the pulse option with the brew that they make a good 14 oz. cup of coffee. I also have used my own ground coffee and, I don't know how Bunn did it, but the bitterness that was in the coffee when I used my multi-cup coffee maker was gone. I don't know if I'll be using the K-Cups, they're very pricey and I don't really need them, maybe for a party, but right now I'm happy with the pods and ground coffee.
I was used to having a larger cup of coffee in the morning and I thought that only being able to brew 14 oz. was going to mean that I would have to brew a second cup, but it was more than enough. As I sat with coffee and took the last sip, I realized that this was the first time in a long time that I had actually finished my morning coffee. If I wanted, it would only take a minute or so to have another fresh cup.
The only down side that I see, is that I now need a shorter travel mug. When using the ground coffee attachment, the clearance is only about 7" and that's a lot shorter than the travel mugs I have now. That being said, I love the My Cafe MCU.
Would I recommend this? Absolutely, I recommend this to anyone who loves a GREAT cup of coffee!
UPDATE: Found this on Amazon: Contigo Autoseal Randolph Stainless Steel Travel Mug Vacuum Insulated, 16-Ounce and it works perfectly with the My Cafe MCU!
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I purchased this to replace my problematic Cuisinart Keurig brewer. Received the brewer today from Amazon. (ordered mid October before it was released) I followed the setup instructions and ran a few cycles before doing a side by side taste test with the Cuisinart. I brewed two 10oz cups, one with the Cuisinart and one with the Bunn, using the same variety of K-cup (Green Mountain Dark Magic) For the first test, I used the regular brew on the Bunn, not the pulse brew. The coffee from the Bunn was hotter after brewing than the Cuisinart, it was also more aromatic, and had a fuller flavor with no bitterness. The Cuisinart brew was a bit flat in flavor compared to the Bunn, and had just a touch of bitterness. I haven't tried the other trays for pods/tea bags or ground coffee/loose tea yet, but so far, it definitely makes a better cuppa joe than the Cuisinart.
Pulse brew produces a richer cup with still no hint of bitterness. I like the fact that on pulse or regular, it does a pre-burst to wet the grounds. It will also make anywhere from 4-14 oz of coffee. My Keuring would only go up to 12 oz, although there is probably not enough coffee in your typical K-cup to brew a 14oz cup, the option to use the ground coffee tray to hold up to 20 grams of ground coffee will greatly increase my options.
Now I can finally get rid of the partially dismantled Cuisinart I have been using. I have taken that thing apart so many times to fix it, it was becoming a pain, so I would just leave it partially dismantled so I could directly rap on the valves when it started acting up again.
Read Best Reviews of BUNN MCU Single Cup Multi-Use Brewer Here
Just picked this up two weeks ago and I love it. Have had four single cup coffee makers in the past: two Keurigs, one Hamilton Beach, and one Tassimo. This one is the best by far. The Tassimo was good but the coffee pods were very limited in terms of brands. The Hamilton Beach made very weak coffee. The two Keurigs were absolutely horrible. Neither made it more than a year due to pump failure. So far the Bunn MCU has been the best ever. It gives you complete control over the brewing process, from the type of coffee and tea to the amount of water you use. Pods, loose tea, tea bags, K-cups or ground coffee can be brewed in the unit. The amount of ground coffee can be determined by the user and coffee grounds are easily removed from the container by tapping the side of the container cup before emptying it out. Very easy to fill the coffee container as the top will stay open while you scoop the coffee in. Design of the machine is centered on giving the user total control over the brewing process. As long as the pump lasts it will be a big winner.
Just an update: coffee maker started to short cup my drinks. I use 8 ounces per cup and it was only brewing about 5 or 6 ounces. Water would then spill out of the coffee drawer when I removed it. Thought it was a pump issue like with the Keurigs. Called Bunn customer service. They were very professional and courteous. They diagnosed the problem as a dirty valve and sent me a link to a video showing how to clean it. After doing so machine works perfectly again. Keeping my rating at 5 stars for the machine and an additional 5 stars for the customer service. If you need the video link go to youtube and search for a video with this title: MCP Check Valve Cleaning
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Yes this one, unlike my Keurig, makes a great single cup of coffee using my own ground coffee. Sludge is minimal compared to a french press or a "My K-cup". The best cup is delivered using the "pulse" feature.
I had to buy mine at the Lowes in Dalton, Georgia because Amazon did not have it in stock at the time. I've used every "drawer" so far except the one used for water.
I didn't like the first couple of pods that I tried (the machine came with a package of free pods). Never had a pod machine, but I wasn't digging the ones it came with. Do pods always taste like this or did they include only the cheap, gross ones?
I've used the K-Cup drawer and the ground coffee drawer several times and have loved every cup. K-cups taste really good using this machine. I use the pulse feature constantly now since it makes such a great tasting cup of coffee.
I suppose that my biggest shock is how great a single cup can be using my own ground coffee. I tried this so many times with the Keurig. I tried several grind levels, several brands of coffee YUCK! But with this machine, it is awesome. I can almost see myself drifting away from my k-cup addiction! Although, coffee is my guilty pleasure, so I will happily purchase items that produce a great cup of coffee, and k-cups are da bomb.
For ground coffee I will say that I use small, disc shaped filters that are designed for a coffee-press that I use, but they fit wonderfully in the ground coffee drawer. I do this to reduce any sludge I can possibly avoid; however, compared to other machines, this one produces the least amount of sludge I've seen so far even without the little filter I have on hand. Not to mention, unfiltered coffee raises cholesterol. Did you know that? It's true.
HEATING TIME: I thought I would miss having the big tank of water constantly filled up on my Keurig so that I could have a delicious cup of coffe whenever I wanted it. I am not missing it. The internal tank keeps the water really hot, and even after you've just made a cup, it is ready to make a second cup almost right away. Not sure how this is possible. How does it heat water that fast? It's magic! How big is the internal tank? I have an idea I had to prime it (important for the initial setup) twice before I could get things going. So the internal tank must be at least 14 ounces plus a bit more. Not quite twice that amount, but more than 14oz for sure.
My boyfriend said I should add a con, so here it is: It takes too many coffee grounds to make a single cup. Two scoops are recommended, so that is what I used, and I loved the taste. I can hardly stand the coffee he makes in his drip machine. It is just too weak (he is trying to save money but gets a yucky taste think the coffee-drinking scene in Pulp Fiction). Maybe if we self-ground our coffee to an espresso type ground we wouldn't have to use so much coffee to get the taste we desire. Who knows?
My own con, but not so bad: Whatever size coffee you want, you must pour that amount in for every cup. This is not a horrible thing. Not like I thought it would be. You pour the water in and boom! Your coffee gets brewed. This is not like the first edition Keurig that makes one cup at a time. No long waits for hot water. This one is instantaneous. Actually this is not a con at all, is it? I can make a 14 ounce cup of coffee!!! No Keurig can do that!!!!
I keep waiting for this machine to break down. It is almost too good to be true. We'll see! I was in this honeymoon phase forever with my Keurig, so maybe that is where I am now. I will update if it suddenly stops working and breaks my heart. I'll be upset and very honest and prepared to vent when it happens.
Sorry for the long review, but I'm really pleased so far and had to tell the world.
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At first I just wanted to have a stove top milk steamer. When I found out that this product also makes espresso I was sold. The product is built well and does what it is made for. There is a slight learning curve to get the right espresso and steam pressure. The nice thing is that you can tweak the pressure of the espresso and steamer. I would give this product 5 stars, however there are three slight flaws: 1. the length of the espresso spout needs to be 1 inch longer because when the pot is on the center of a gas burner I can barely place a mug under it to catch the drip. To account for this, I use a tall mug that allows the spout to fit within the rim, this is important because the espresso often sputters. 2. the main spindle (that functions to deliver the steam and tighten the lid) goes straight through the middle of the espresso basket, this makes packing the espresso tedious, the company should provide a doughnut like packer with the device. 3. The base is quite narrow, on a gas burner a medium to high flame licks up the side of the base. This is a problem because it reduces the heating efficiency and because the handle and knobs are made of plastic there is the potential to melt the parts and you can also burn your hand. to account for this I center the pot over the flame and keep the flame around medium.
