Are you looking to own your first home espresso machine? But limited budget? Well, this Mr Coffee ECMP50 Dual Shot Espresso / Cappuccino Maker may just be the right one for you.
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Mr Coffee ECMP50 Review: Who is this for?
Mr Coffee Dual Shot Espresso / Cappuccino Maker is one of the best affordable espresso machine. With its dual shot capability, it is great for couples wanting to save time in the morning before work. It also comes with a frothing arm for steaming milk for your cappuccino, latte or even mocha.
Mr Coffee ECMP50 Espresso & Cappuccino Maker
Pros of Mr Coffee Dual Shot Espresso / Cappuccino Maker
Low Learning Curve
It is easy to learn how to operate this machine with its one-touch controls for brewing coffee and steaming milk respectively. It also has ready indicator lights. For brewing, just hit the coffee button on the front panel, wait for the tick button to turn green and turn the knob at the side. The pump will then starts running. When you have filled your cup, turn off the knob.
Similarly, steaming the milk is just as easy. Just hit the steam button, wait for the tick button to turn green, put the steam wand into your steam pitcher, and then turn the knob to release the steam.
Versatile Portafilter
This model comes with the capability to brew 2 single shots at once with the double shot filter. If you are just making espresso for one person, you can stick to the single shot filter. Some people use the double shot filter to make a double shot espresso though.
Powerful Pump
This espresso machine comes with a powerful pump which provide a good amount of pressure to push water through the fine grounded coffee. This allows a more thorough extraction of the flavours in the coffee and thus resulting in better espresso.
Fast Heating Time
Brewing espresso is very fast as the water get heated up rapidly with its thermal block heating system.
Large Removable Water Reservoir
With a large capacity of 40 ounces (1.1 litres) for its water reservoir, your water refills between each brew will be less frequent. The water reservoir is also detachable, so cleaning it is very convenient. The reservoir is also transparent, so you will be able to check out the water from the outside just to make sure the water is clean. Clean water is an important factor for making good espresso.
Removable Drip Tray
The drip tray for catching all the coffee drips from the portafilter is removable, so it is easy to wash the tray.
Able To Make Cappucino Or Latte
With the frothing arm to steam milk, you get more espresso options such as cappuccino or latte.
Compact Size
This machine has a small footprint. It is only 11 inches wide by 12 inches deep and has a height of less than 13 inches. Definitely won’t give you any space problem.
Cons of Mr Coffee Dual Shot Espresso / Cappuccino Maker
Brewing Coffee And Steaming Milk Not Simultaneous
One major disadvantage for this coffee machine is that you can’t brew your coffee and frothe your milk at the same time. So you have to spend a few more minutes if you wish to make your cappuccino or latte.
Big Rubber Knob
The milk steamer on this espresso maker has a big rubber knob on the handle. The purpose of the rubber is to insulate your hand as you move the steamer. However, it makes frothing milk a bit hard as you usually need to see the tip of the nozzle right on the top layer of your milk to make sure you create the required amount of bubbles. Also, the rubber knob is a bit difficult to clean as its gets quite a bit of milk residuals in it. It also takes a bit of effort to pull the knob out of the steamer, An alternative is to not use the rubber knob at all and use a cloth over the steamer to adjust its position instead.
No Coffee Grinding Ability
It does not come with a coffee grinder. So you have to either purchase ready grounded coffee or you have to purchase a grinder separately.
No Automatic Flow Stop
Another inconvenience is that this machine doesn’t come with automatic flow stop. Hence, you have to turn the dial to stop the espresso.
Plastic Tamper
On a minor note, the plastic tamper provided for grounding the coffee in the portafilter is not as good as the stainless steel one. But it does its job of pressing the coffee adequately. If not, you can consider buying a stainless steel tamper separately.
More advanced Mr Coffee Models
Frothing milk requires some skills and experience. If you want to shorten the learning curve, check out the more advanced fully automatic Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista ECMP1000. The milk frothing is totally automatic! Not to mention making espresso is also automatic with its automatic flow stop feature. If you hate hassle, you would love the advanced model!
If you want a totally hands free espresso maker to make latte, checkout the Mr Coffee Cafe latte maker review. This is a fully automatic espresso machine. With a touch of button, you will get your latte.
Should I buy Mr Coffee ECMP50 Espresso Maker?
This is the one of the cheapest espresso maker in the market. Despite its low price, it comes with a powerful pump and thermal block heating system.
The ease of usage and maintenance for this machine surely smoothen the learning journey for the novice trying to make a good cup of espresso at home. Not just espresso, you can also make cappuccino and latte.
If you are a regular espresso drinker, this entry-level espresso maker is value for money. Its price is less than 20 cups of coffee at Starbuck!. If you are getting your first home espresso machine, there can’t be any better start!
Mr Coffee ECMP50 Espresso & Cappuccino Maker
Hope this Mr Coffee ECMP50 review has helped you make your choice.
