Mr. Coffee Espresso And Cappuccino Maker

Espresso connoisseurs can carry on about the benefits the of their espresso maker in the way that parents can carry on about just how special their child is.  While both are probably making valid points, it can be easier and safer to list the benefits of a good espresso machine.  Making a great cup of espresso at home requires a good espresso machine, good quality coffee and the experience that comes from making many cups of espresso while learning how to use the machine.

There are literally thousands of espresso machines on the market and it can be intimidating to figure out which one is the best for you.  There are super automatic machines, stove top units, pod brewers and manual espresso makers, costing anywhere from $50 to thousands of dollars.  One of the easiest to use espresso machines has a brand name that relates more to our parents and instant coffee than espresso, but it makes a heck of a cup of espresso.  It’s the Mr. Coffee Espresso and Cappuccino Maker.

When I saw the name Mr. Coffee, I immediately thought that I would skip this machine and find a good one.  Mr. Coffee?  Wasn’t that the old time coffee brewer that some baseball player was shilling back in the early seventies?  I know my grandma had one, maybe my mom did as well.  Luckily I ignored my first inclination to pass over this machine, it turned out to be a great home brewing system to make espresso.

Making Espresso Should Be Easy

At its core, the Mr. Coffee Espresso maker is a 3 in 1 unit.  It makes espresso and cappuccino, plus it has a built in milk frother.  Why is that important?  Good espresso needs frothed milk.  Most espresso machines have a frothing wand that uses steam to froth milk.  It takes a bit of skill to use the wand and almost every person who has used one will have war stories about burns on their hands from the steam.  Having the built in frother takes away the scalding hazard, plus you get a consistently well frothed shot of milk.

The whole unit is solidly made, especially the tamping compartment.  This is where you add your ground coffee.  The coffee needs to be tightly packed so that the water will have to be forced though, giving you that delightfully concentrated flavor.  This is a solid piece and it allows you to really tamp down the coffee.

You also have a wide variety of brewing options that allow you to make a single or double shot.  The control panel is basically one-touch.  It’s simple to read, easy to use and makes the whole process a breeze.  I really like how seamless the whole brewing process can be when using this unit.  Many times I will offer guests an espresso with dessert, only to realize that I need about 20 minutes to get things ready.  5 minutes tops from request to finished cup of espresso.

Seriously, How Was The Espresso?

Seriously, it was really good!  The learning curve for this espresso maker was short, I had no problems after the second cup (who knew that it paid to read the directions?).  And the espresso?  Really good!  I used one of my favorite coffees, Lavazza Espresso Italiano, and I was thrilled with the results.  Rich and flavorful, I was very pleased with the results.

This is a very moderate priced espresso maker.  I picked my unit up for around $180 and it has been brewing excellent espresso for a year now.  There are cheaper makers available but I think that the features on this unit, especially the built in milk frother, make this a very good buy.