Mr. Coffee ECM21 4-Shot Espresso Machine and 8-Cup Coffeemaker Combo, Black

The Mr Coffee 3 in 1 21, seems better than the Krups 1500, I am confused, Krups should be better, my krups just broke after 12 yars of nearly daily use. what do you think.

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for myself. I've used the espresso part a few times and it works great. It's the first I've had, so I've nothing which to compare it. The coffeemaker part - I hate to say this - is the worst I've ever had. The coffee makes slowly, is much too cool, and the carafe has an itty bitty spout so it drips everywhere, no matter how slowly you pour it.

After three weeks of use, the coffeemaker side no longer works. There is an internal component inside (I think my brother said it goes to the pump) that MELTED during routine use.

When I purchased this unit, I did a little research and I was prepared for the espresso maker to go first, but the coffeemaker last only weeks floored me! I've had it to long to return it for a refund to get something else, so I'm hoping it doesn't cost me a ton to ship it to be replaced.

I really like this machine and thats why took all the time and effort to write such a long review. I am not a regular but the occasional Starbucks goer because I have always resented their high prices but then everyone needs their regular coffees, mochas, espressos, lattes and cappuccinos. So after a lot of research and spending more than 20 working hours looking for that perfect combination coffee-espresso maker, I zeroed in on this one. My wife and I have totally stopped going to Coffee houses after we purchased this because now we can make excellent hot and cold drinks, even better-tasting a lot of times, right at home. Talk about saving money, if you were paying almost $8 for two drinks at Starbucks. I was willing to spend about $250 on a good one, but almost every product I saw in this range on Amazon, had bad reviews and quality problems associated with it. Even companies like DeLonghi and Krupps. I initially brushed off Mr.Coffee because I thought of it a cheap brand making stock coffee for the masses in offices and homes. But reading reviews by other users here turned me around. Its outward look and feel isn't what a Krupps would give you, but doesn't look as plasticky and cheap as a Cuisinart either. Overall it looks good.

Espresso Part: Its got a nice frother. Use it submerged and down to steam milk, and use it set higher in your mug or cup to generate froth. The quality of both has been very good, especially the froth. I did notice however that the temperature of steamed milk after steaming is not as high as I would have liked. Maybe its because thats how they set it at the factory and don't want to get sued by some sucker who burns himself in the mouth or maybe I just like it really hot. So I just zapp in the microwave right after steaming for 30 seconds if its not hot enough and that does the trick. I haven't bought a stainless steel frothing mug yet but found that a regular ceramic coffee mug works just as fine. Many people complained about the length of its frother but its not really a problem if you are using regular sized coffee mugs. And you can always move the frother around to the side if you wanted to. Also make sure you clean the frothing aid after each use to ensure it doesn't get clogged. I have to tamp the coffee myself but it really results in a in-you-face-punch espresso shots. Although the manual says you will get espresso in 3-4 minutes, its really a lot more quicker than that. You do have to screw the top lid tightly though...think of an engine oil cap; otherwise much of the steam will escape through that while frothing. The espresso feature is very easy to use, choose either brewing or espresso making. Water compartments are separate for both the functions and thankfully so. The drip tray below comes in very handy as well. It won't be able to brew coarsely ground coffee in the Espresso maker very well for simple reasons of physics.

Now the coffe-maker part: I purchased a Mr. Coffee Gold-Tone filter for that. I like the fact that you can set it to brew 2-4 cups or 4-8 cups at a time. Me and my wife really don't need much, so the 2-4 cups setting works perfectly for us. The water compartment is translucent and you can see/set the water level as you wish to. The hot water shower head over the filter is movable and designed fool-proof so you can't close the lid if you don't have the shower-head in its right place. This is a very nice safety feature. Other than that I really wish it didn't have the standard bottom glass-carafe heater plate because it really messes the coffe up after some time and the coffee loses its flavor. Instead, they should have supplied a nice thermal carafe with it eliminating the need for a heating plate. But is not a big issue with us since we always drink the coffee fresh and never brew a big batch for the whole day. Plus you can also transfer the coffee to a separate insulated thermal carafe to keep it fresh as soon as its brewed. I have a collection of some gourmet Costa Rican coffees with low acidity + some European varieties and this has brewed them all each time perfectly. Obviously do not expect it to be a replacement of a $300-400 product but this thing really is the most bang for your buck. I have to also agree on the many complaints people have had on Amazon forum about how the coffee leaks because of the carafe-lid while pouring. This is a Design problem but a minor one. Yes the coffee does flow a little haywire because the particular lid structure breaks its laminar flow. A simple solution: Raise the lid a little with your holding hand from the back, and presto: problem solved!!

The instruction manual included is very easy to read and has recipes to make cappuccinos etc as well. Thats why I chose to give this 5 stars.
Great value for money!

I only gave this product 4 stars because there is no brew strength setting like the description says there is. Other then that it is a great product! Works great, good espresso and coffee. We got this one to replace an older version that was leaking and so far no leaks with this new one once the reservoir was set in place properly. Even the old problem we had with water spilling out of the carafe as it was poured into the reservoir is no more with this new one. Only issue we have had was with using the espresso pods the espresso came out like tea water, once we opened the pods and just poured the grounds into the holder instead of using the pod it came out great.

Excellent coffee but makes it very slowly. Plan some time to have this brew.