I replaced our DeLonghi Caffe Parma Cappuccino maker recently with the Mr. Coffee Espresso and Cappuccino Maker.

Why this one?

This was an impulsive decision although I knew we needed a new machine. We had been fairly happy, though not thrilled with the Caffe Parma. (Although I think DeLonghi is a good name, I wasn’t impressed with the Caffe Parma model.) It wasn’t foaming well and since it is small we decided we would use it for our new camper. This was the only cappuccino maker in Wal-Mart the day I was there. For a little under $25.00 it seemed like a good price so I bought it. I had not done any research and if I had this is not what I would have bought. I particularly wanted to write this because many shop in Wal-Mart and will be tempted to buy it.

What this Mr. Coffee has and does:

This machine is very attractive. That could have been one of the draws to it also. It is black and very modern looking. It has as did my DeLonghi a water reserve cap that easily unscrews so you can pour water into it which is what you need to make the coffee and foam. It has a frothing aid. In this case the aid is covered in a black plastic tube, which easily comes off for cleaning. The metal under it is left with milk residue and if you don’t clean that every time you use the machine, it will build up with dry milk.

There is a green power light that lets me know I have plugged in the correct plug. It has a cord storage area, which in my opinion is fairly useless and I will talk about that in a moment.

It has a removable gray drip tray with grids in it, which makes cleaning the coffee that drips onto it very easy. It is easier to put back on than the DeLonghi, which had to fit into the machine. This tray just sits on the base. It has a brew basket and filter, which is almost identical to the DeLonghi, but I find it a bit easier to get it in and out of the machine. In order to get the basket, which has a long handle, in place I have to make sure it is lined up correctly so it will stay in place. The Mr. Coffee does this easily. It comes with a glass carafe and a black top, which fits easily in place. It has a control knob, which turns to on, brew (for the coffee) and steam (for the froth.)

The pros and cons:

Pros: The coffee is very easy to make. Just pour the water in the reserve, place the glass carafe on the tray and turn the knob to brew. It is very pretty to look at. It makes more foam than I can ever imagine and I love foam.

Cons: We had a metal frothing cup but it does not come with one so you will have to buy that separately. We were using at one time another glass carafe to foam the milk with our DeLonghi, but switched when we weren't getting great foam. Metal is recommended. In the case of the DeLonghi, it didn’t matter so I just think our machine was either tired or not great to begin with.

The glass carafe has a black top with an opening in it so you can keep the top on while pouring. That is fine. What isn’t fine is the fact that when and if the cap slips into the carafe (which it will do) it isn’t all that easy to get out. Tipping over the carafe just doesn’t let the cap slip out and of course my hand is too big to reach in to get the cap. So it requires a bit of shaking and probing to get the top out.

It has a so-called cord storage. I was expecting a disappearing cord, but in fact all the storage means is that under the machine are some spokes around which the cord is wound. You have to pick up the machine (Which isn't heavy but this isn't as convenient as a "disappearing cord.") to wind the cord around the spokes.

A major negative is that there is one knob for the brew and the foam. What that means is that in the middle of making the coffee you have to stop it and foam the milk making sure you still have steam left to finish the coffee. If you forget to do this, in the very short time it takes to make the coffee you will run out of steam and have to add more water. My DeLonghi also ran out of steam. They all will since that is how froth is made. But with my DeLonghi I was able to brew and control the steam at the same time. There is no control over the steam. You can’t for example just heat up milk if you want a latte without foam. You can have a latte but you will be wasting the foam.

Another negative is the control knob, a crucial part to this machine! It is hard to turn. Over time it has loosened up a bit, but if you have any hand problems or are weak due to illness, this will be difficult to turn making the whole coffee experience unpleasant.

The biggest negative is that neither the coffee nor the foam are hot. I don’t have to have scalding coffee but I do like it hot. This does not make hot coffee. I have started to heat my mug with water in it in the microwave so my mug is hot which helps a little but that isn’t the answer – coffee should not be lukewarm. That is true of the milk/foam as well. It is just lukewarm. Mr. Coffee does not make an enjoyable cup of espresso or cappuccino although it does do foam very well.

Cleaning the machine:

The carafe, carafe lid, filter, filter basket and drip tray can all be washed with soapy water or can be washed on the top rack of your dishwasher. The outside of the machine can be easily wiped down with a soft wet cloth.

The frothing aid, which I mentioned above, is fairly easy to clean but if you want it really clean it gets complicated. After the black tube is removed and rinsed, you then remove the metal frothing aid and wipe that down. You then use a wrench, which is built into the measuring spoon (which comes with the machine), unscrew the frothing aid and clean the valve with a needle and toothpick. This plastic spoon with a “wrench” is totally unnecessary. The piece to be cleaned easily unscrews by hand. Sorry, but this is too much work for me and I didn’t have to do this to keep the DeLonghi frothing aid clean.

www.mrcoffee.com
This machine has a 1-year limited warranty.

It is almost 12 inches high and 8 inches at its widest.

My final thoughts:

Obviously I am not recommending this machine. The fact it is attractive and that it makes great foam does not make up for the major negatives. They far outweigh any positives to this machine. Do your homework, spend more money, do whatever you have to do, just don’t buy Mr. Coffee Espresso & Cappuccino maker for yourself or as a gift!




Recommended: No