Mr. Coffee ECMP50 Espresso/ Cappuccino Maker
Mr. Coffee ECMP50 Espresso/ Cappuccino Maker
Have the ability to make coffeehouse quality espressos and cappuccinos in the comfort of you own home. The Mr. Coffee 15-bar pump espresso maker delivers high-quality drinks on a consistent basis. The thermal block heater makes brewing faster and a removable water reservoir makes it easier to get started.
Mr. Coffee ECMP50 Espresso/ Cappuccino Maker Review
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.
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!