Are you tired of going to a coffee shop every time you crave for your favorite cup of coffee? Our Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista review will tell you everything you need to know regarding home coffee brewing with this coffee maker.
There are quite a lot of options in this line of coffee machines – ranging from budget-friendly to premium priced machines. Some espresso machines require manual labor that is time, as well as energy consuming.
On the other hand, there are machines that are fully automatic. However, there is one middle option as well. It is the Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista – a semi-automatic coffee maker.
Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista Espresso and Cappuccino Maker
Often times, we pay ridiculously high prices for fancy beverages like lattes, cappuccinos and other specialty drinks that we love. This is because these drinks require a lot of practice to perfect them and require manual work to be done as well.
Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista tackles majority of this problematic process, giving you delicious results! This wonderful kitchen device makes espresso shots on command and merges them with fresh, frothed milk in your cup to make your favorite drinks with least effort.
This is not a fully automatic machine that handles the crushing and weighing of beans. A machine doing all that will easily cost you thousands of dollars.
Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista cannot make the espresso exactly like the premium, fully automatic machines do. If you want an economical way of making espresso based drinks without doing a lot of manual work, then Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista could be one of the better choices for you.
Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista Features & Specs Review
Let us now have a closer look at the various aspects of this coffee machine.
User-friendly and Easy-to-Clean Design
The design of this machine in general is quite well thought out. All of its parts are labelled visibly. This helps tremendously when you first start using this coffee maker. What’s even better is that all parts can be removed easily for refilling and cleaning.
Convenient Buttons & Milk Container
The buttons fixed on the machine’s front are labelled clearly with a small icon of corresponding coffee drink. The manual and automatic options are mentioned.
The milk container easily fits inside the unit. Once used, the leftover milk can be put back into the fridge as it’s removable.
An Automatic Milk Frother
There is a knob that is visibly labelled on the frother. It regulates the quantity of froth that goes in each coffee drink and automatically froths milk as per latte or cappuccino selections.
There is a measuring spoon included that also serves as a tamper. It presses coffee grounds in the portafilter. Two filters fit into the portafilter; one is for a single shot and another is for a double shot.
Double Drip Tray
There are two drip trays in Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista. One is beneath the portafilter inside the unit, it caters to large sized mugs.
Another one comes out from beneath the milk container, hence, creating less space for the espresso to leak. This is for the people who like smaller cups.
Easily Removable Water Reservoir
The removable water container can be easily filled up by the consumer, and the excess amount of water can be thrown after every usage and it can be cleaned easily.
Modern Looking Aesthetics
Who doesn’t love to own a machine that is lustrous and modern looking rather than the ones that have a greasy look and feel to them?
The modern aesthetic of the machine gives it a very premium look and feel. The silver and black combo goes really well with most of the kitchen interiors.
This machine comes in 3 colors: silver, red and white. It gives a hint of luxe to every kitchen’s design.
Setting Up Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista simplifies your life with its really easy set-up. The instructions included in the user manual are quite simple and easy to understand.
It is advised to wash all the removable parts of the machine with soap and lukewarm water before using it for the very first time.
Then you can prime the machine – which means running it through water for a few times. After this, your machine will be ready to brew coffee!
Brew Your Favorite Coffee Drink with Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
Making your favorite drink with Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista is quite hassle-free and convenient. Let us walk you through the simple steps of making either an espresso, or a cappuccino with this coffee machine:
Making an Espresso
- If you want to make an espresso with Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista, first pick the size of the filter as you want (single or double).
- Now place it in to the portafilter.
- Next step is putting grounds in the filter and pressing them with the tamper till they are about 1/8 inch below the top of the filter (this is as per the user manual’s commendation).
- Now attach the portafilter with the machine, and on the pull-out drip tray, place a small cup.
- Press the button on the top of the machine or the “Espresso” button. If you want a single shot, then press the button one time, and if you want a double shot, then press the button two times.
- Now leave it to the machine to do its job!
Making a Cappuccino or a Latte
If you want to make a cappuccino or a latte with Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista, the process is almost the same as making a shot of espresso. There is just one step added, which is adding milk to the milk container.
- Once the portafilter with coffee grounds in it is attached with the machine, fill the container with milk. Keep in mind that there is no particular amount that is suggested by the user manual.
- Based on the selection of your coffee drink, the suitable amount of milk froth is allotted by the machine. You can also use the tray in order to make more space in the machine so that a large sized mug can be placed under the portafilter.
- Next step is to make sure that the tube dispensing frothed milk is directed inside the cup. Should you wish to control the quantity of froth added to the drink, adjust the froth control knob.
- In order to make a Cappuccino, press the Cappuccino button. Press the button once for a small beverage and twice for a large beverage. Now the machine will do its job.
- Repeat this process when you want to make a Latte, except that you press the Latte button, of course!
Performance Review of Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
We can make an espresso drink or an espresso shot with Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista with ease and convenience. The main reason is that it’s automatic for most part. The drinks can be made with least effort involved.
Quick & Simple – Saves Time
A great advantage is that espresso drinks can be made with mere press of a button. You can make delicious lattes, cappuccinos and espresso shots.
For the espresso drinks such as Cappuccino or Latte where the buttons “Cappuccino” or “Latte” are pressed, the milk is frothed in the container and then place into the cup by the machine.
Overall Weak Coffee Taste
Some might feel that the espresso shot itself is weak and bitter. When drinking espresso based drinks such as cappuccino or latte, the taste of espresso is further diluted by the milk.
This can be due to the fact that while using the automatic function, the coffee maker adds a lot of water volume to the shot of espresso. This can be regulated manually. You need to press and then hold the particular drink buttons.
Even then, you can only control how much milk or espresso is added to the drink and not the water to espresso ratio. This might not make much of a difference in the taste.
Could the Tamper be the Culprit Here?
This can also be due to the tamping pressure. As the tamper is made of plastic, you cannot apply a lot of force on the coffee grounds.
The under extraction is due to the coffee grounds that are not tamped strongly enough for a shot of espresso and when the water passes too fast through these grounds, this results in under extraction.
Cleaning Made Easy with Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
When you have used Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista, then comes the time to clean it thoroughly. This keeps your machine nice and clean.
The process can be a tad bit time consuming as it requires running the coffee maker a few times in order to ensure that the internal parts have been cleaned properly.
Cleaning After Making Espresso
After making espresso, remove the portafilter and throw away the espresso grounds. There is a lever that spins up on the handle of portafilter that attaches to the filter so it does not fall when the grounds are thrown away. This feature is particularly helpful.
Now the filter and portafilter both should be rinsed with warm water. Now portafilter should be attached again with the machine without any grounds present in it and run a single espresso cycle.
When one cycle has been run, remove the portafilter as guided in the user’s manual.
Cleaning after Making a Milk Based Drink
The machine needs to be cleaned when a milk based drink is made. Put the leftover milk in the container, now a large cup must be placed under the frothing tube. Froth control knob has to be positioned to clean.
The next step is pressing and holding the “Latte/Clean” button till the machine starts. When it stops, throw away the remaining milk and the contents in the cup. Now the milk container and all the parts should be washed properly.
It is also recommended in the user’s manual to throw extra water that is left in the container between uses and then to clean it with soapy water. Water reservoir, filters and the portafilter are not safe to be put in the dishwasher.
Pros and Cons of Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
Let us now have a brief overview of the positives and negatives of this coffee machine.
Pros
- Affordable price
- Modern and sleek design
- Removable parts
- Most parts are appropriate for dishwashing
- Heats up quickly – in under 3 minutes
- 1 year warranty
Cons
- Weak or bitter coffee taste
- Water reservoir is small in size
- Plastic body
- Makes noise while working
Standout Positive Element of this Coffee Machine
What makes it a really worth it coffee maker to own is its affordable price of $250. Even though there are some cheaper substitutes available in the market, this one definitely takes the crown due to the fact that it’s semi-automatic.
Moreover, with this espresso machine, you can make lattes and cappuccinos at the mere touch of a button. With other alternatives, the process requires a lot of effort.
Major Competitor of Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
One of the closest options to Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista is the DeLonghi EC 155 Manual Espresso Machine.
The retail price of this machine is around $100. It can also make espresso shots, lattes and cappuccinos. There is, however, a difference in the operating systems. The DeLonghi coffee maker has a process that requires more manual labor and effort.
Our Concluding Remarks for Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
Our final verdict for Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista is that it is indeed an affordable choice and offers convenience of usage as well, however, the coffee made from this machine tastes somewhat weak and/or bitter.
Nevertheless, it is a good choice for those people who are just getting used to making espresso. It is mainly because this coffee maker does most of the work without individuals putting in much hard work.
Lastly, if you are on a tight budget and do not want to spend too much on a home coffee brewer (yet), then this machine could work well for you.