Mr. Coffee Espresso Cappuccino Maker By Tink on - Updated Oct 15, 2011
I'm sorry to say this but....don't waste your money on this Mr. Coffee Espresso/Cappuccino Maker. I was hoping to save some money by making my coffee style drinks at home when I purchased this product. I must say that the price was a factor in picking this model from the rest on the shelves. This was the least expensive model and maybe that is the problem with it.
I bought this for myself. I have always wanted one and I thought it would be easy to use. I opened up the box and discovered that this product had no instructions in the box. Great.....I ended up with a returned product. Problem #1. I requested the manual online and I finally received it one month later. Well I didn't wait one month to use this machine in case you are wondering. I went back to Target and explained that there was no manual inside and could they make me a copy of one that was in another box. They said they could not because they didn't have a copy machine. Are you kidding me? How can Target not have a copy machine in the whole store? Anyways, the manager felt bad for me and he let me have a manual from another box we opened. Great.......now someone else is not going to have a instruction manual, I thought. Oh well. Back home to try this out.
Okay, it's easy to measure the coffee (the coffee measure was not in my box either) and put it in the special brewing filter. Add the water and turn it on. That was the easy part. After I brewed the espresso I got my milk ready to steam. I had seen online that people warm up the milk in the microwave to expedite the process of steaming it. So I did that too. I put the metal pitcher (which by the way doesn't come with the machine) under the steaming nozzle and turned the knob to steam. I waited.....and waited.....heck I could have gotten a straw and blew bubbles into the milk and got better action. It didn't steam and it didn't foam. Problem #2.
I ended up drinking espresso with microwaved milk. Why do I need this machine? I don't and that is why it's going back to Target this weekend. Don't waste your money on this machine. It doesn't work well and you can brew espresso in your regular coffee machine.
About The Author:
Mr. Coffee Steam Espresso/Cappuccino Maker Model ECM160 Purchased at: Target Price: $41.99
Brother--I'm surprised they included the machine! LOL! Poor baby. Hopefullly you'll find something better!
Wow I am surprised this product did not work better...
Reading the instruction manual would have solved the frothing problem. If there is no water left in the machine after brewing...there is no water left to produce the steam! The instructions tell you how much additional water to add to have enough left for steaming. The maker works great, much better than some much more expensive machines.
Yeah, it seems like you're bashing the product when really your issues were the result of a faulty, returned unit. Maybe it was a defective unit that found its way back to the shelves, in which case your issue should be with Target, not with the unit itself. Or, maybe as stated above, you didn't put the extra 1.5 oz of water in that is the suggested amount for frothing 1 serving of milk. Either way, your experience is not representative of a working unit. I have one, and while it's not the best, what you get for the price is awesome.
Like you, I looked forward to using this machine. It was more trouble than it was worth. Gave it away to the first person I could get to take it.
It really nice cappuccino maker.