With a simple press of a button, you can make espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes within minutes. Choose from a single or double shot of espresso and then let the automatic milk frother steam the milk of your choice into a light and airy foam. A 19-bar Italian pump delivers the optimal amount of pressure to squeeze every bit of flavor from the brew for delicious barista-quality drinks. Skip the trip to or long lines at the local coffee shop and easily create extraordinary coffee drinks at home with Mr. Coffee One-Touch CoffeeHouse. Reveal more in Mr. Coffee One-Touch coffeehouse espresso maker and cappuccino machine reviews.
Pros & cons – Mr. Coffee One-Touch coffeehouse espresso maker and cappuccino machine
Pros
- Automatically makes espresso, cappuccino, and latte
- Very easy to use with just a few presses of buttons
- You can do manual or automatic operations
- Low-cost semi-automatic espresso machine
- Automatic shut-off function after some minutes of inactivity
- Water tank and milk reservoir are both removable
- Can pull out the milk reservoir and put it in the fridge
- You have the option to have more froth (cappuccino) or less (latte)
Cons
- Brewing coffee at inconsistent temperatures
- A little weak espresso if you’ll use their recommended setting
- Easily clogged up when using very fine coffee grounds
- Can’t get good coffee from lightly roasted beans
- Doesn’t have an all-metal casing, though the black plastic body is sexy
- Kind of noisy when it does milk frothing
- Can’t pull hot water only from it
- Small drip tray, you need to clean it often when used frequently
Specifications – Mr. Coffee One-Touch coffeehouse espresso maker and cappuccino machine
- State-of-the-art machine creates tasty cafe-inspired drinks from espressos to cappuccinos and more
- Thermocouple heating system delivers fast, evenly-heated water
- Automatic milk frother whips up your favourite milk into a light and airy cream foam
- Simple 1-button operation
- Espresso shot selection option
- Cup tray adjusts to conveniently fit tall and short mugs
- Removable reservoir
- Stainless steel
- Wipe clean exterior
- 19 bars of pressure
- 1040 watts
- Measures 14.61″ L x 12.76″ W x 8.7″ H
- Cord measures 26″ L
- Weighs 12.56 lb.
- Imported
- 1-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Imported
- Model BVMC-EM6701SS
Features – Mr. Coffee One-Touch coffeehouse espresso maker and cappuccino machine
There are just a few exciting features of the Café Barista, but all of them are enticing to new coffee lovers and professional baristas, alike. And, if you’ll compare it against the price of the machine, you know it gives you the best bang for the buck.
Easy to Use — Simply put coffee grounds in the filter (single shot or double shot) you use and insert the portafilter under the brewing unit. Then, if you want to prepare specialty coffee drinks, simply put cold milk up to the MAX level of the milk reservoir. Decide how much froth you want, then, press the button of desired drink.
One-Touch Control Panel — At the upper front panel opposite to the big Mr. Coffee logo are three buttons – ESPRESSO, CAPPUCCINO, and LATTE. At the left of the buttons, you see icons for single shot and double shot serving, respectively. You can press once to select a single serving and press it twice for selecting the double shot serving. Pressing the button for 3 seconds will activate the manual function indicated at the right of the button you press.
15-Bar Pump — This coffee maker is capable to produce just enough pressure to extract bold and rich-flavored coffee.
Automatic Milk Frothing — If you want to prepare latte or cappuccino, you don’t need to brew and then froth your milk. All you gotta do is set the froth you want (LATTE for less and CAPPUCCINO for more) and then, press once if you want a single shot or press twice for a double shot. In just a few seconds, your latte or cappuccino is ready to drink.
Removable Milk Reservoir — Two advantages of Café Barista’s removable milk tank — you can store it in the refrigerator and you can easily refill/clean it.
Easy Cleaning Setup — It has automatic cleaning of the milk dispensing tube by turning the Froth control knob down and then, press the LATTE button for 3 seconds. The CLEAN function will run for 30 seconds and it’ll stop automatically or you can manually stop it by pressing the LATTE button again.
Compare Mr. Coffee One-Touch CoffeeHouse vs Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista
| Mr. Coffee One-Touch CoffeeHouse | Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Cups | 6 Cappuccinos or 3 Lattes | 4 Cappuccinos or 2 Lattes |
| Pump Type | 19-Bar Professional Quality Italian Pump | 15-Bar Italian Pump |
| Number of Thermo Couples | 3 Thermo Couples | 2 Thermo Couples |
| Espresso Cup Capacity | 2 Espresso Cups | 1 Espresso Cup |
| Drip Tray Material | Stainless Steel Drip Tray | Aluminum Drip Tray |
| Milk Tank Capacity | 650 ml Milk Tank | 475 ml Milk Tank |
Details – Mr. Coffee CoffeeHouse vs. Cafe Barista
As I already mentioned at the beginning of this review both machines have similar cons and pros. However, in the One-Touch CoffeeHouse they made several improvements if compared to Cafe Barista:
- Colors available. As for November 2018 CoffeeHouse is sold only on black and silver coating, while Cafe Barista is available in red&black, white&black and silver & black.
- New pump with a maximum pressure of 19 bar (not 15 bar). Honeslty it’s kind of useless improvement. In both cases (15 or 19 bar) it is the maximum pressure measured in the pump’s output. Espresso needs just 6-8 bar inside the filter. So both 15 and 19 bar is more than enough for espresso. Just a marketing trick.
- The machine still uses thermoblock as a heating element. This fact is rather negative for a professional barista, but for an amateur thermoblock is better than a boiler. Because it warms up faster and can deliver more water/steam. What’s the changed is that now it’s 1170 W vs 1040W. This helps a bit to raise thermostability, which was one of the drawbacks of the older model.
- Increased milk tank capacity (now 650 ml, was 480 ml). The construction of the milk frother is the same, the milk jug still needs to be cleaned after every cappuccino and that still ruins all the automatisation.
- In the same time. the water reservoir became smaller, which I find to be more critical.
- New filter baskets. You can use ESE coffee pods now. Plus new filters are separable, which makes it easier to clean them.
- The width isn’t changed. New Mr. Coffee CoffeeHouse looks smaller, however it’s just due to more lightweight design.
Mr. Coffee One-Touch coffeehouse espresso maker and cappuccino machine reviews
Design
It’s not that big with dimensions 11.22 × 8.86 × 12.60 inches. It only weighs around 10.37 lbs. This 3-in-1 espresso, cappuccino, and latte maker operates with a 15-bar pump system and works at 1040 power. The power button is located at the lower right part of the machine towards the back.
At first glance, you can’t tell that this machine is just worth less than $200. The three buttons are very professional, plus you can easily understand the label and icon without the need to read the manual. The buttons will have a steady or pulsing light depending on whether the machine is still heating up or ready.
Build
As an affordable semi-automatic espresso machine with easy controls and operation, you can’t expect it to have a metal casing. It has a plastic housing, but overall, it has a fine construction and seems durable. The dominant black plastic casing exudes elegance, which is further complemented by the maroon finish for the control panel and towards the bottom of the unit.
Right below the brewing unit, you will see the small drip tray. On the right, you can see the milk reservoir platform in which the cup height adjusting tray is hidden. The machine can accommodate up to a double latte shot cup of 15 oz.
Milk reservoir
At the back is a removable plastic water reservoir with MAX water level indicator. It’s transparent, so you can easily see if the water level is already low. There’s a red plug at the base of the reservoir that you need to remove to properly fit the water tank at the back.
The milk reservoir is a removable container system in which the lid has Froth control knob and a frothed milk dispensing tube with a lever. The good thing about the removable milk reservoir is that you can put it in the refrigerator if you have milk left in it. The froth control knob allows you to get less froth by turning it towards LATTE and more froth on the CAPPUCCINO side.
Setup and Operation
Since this is a semi-automatic coffee machine, it isn’t very complicated to operate. In fact, it’s one of the simplest semi-automatic coffee makers because of its ability to automatically brew and froth with just a press of a button. To make your first coffee on this machine easily, we’ll give you a brief overview of how to use it.
The ON/OFF button is at the lower left side of the unit towards the back — “I” for ON and “O” for OFF. Once you turn the machine ON, you can see the all the button lights are pulsing. Button light pulses when the unit is heating up, brewing, frothing, or cleaning. When the button light is steady, it means the function is ready.
You must prime the unit when using it for the first time. A complete guide can be found in the user manual. However, like most coffee makers, priming the coffee machine simply means running hot water to the brewing head and the frothed milk dispensing tube — no coffee and milk.
Always have enough water in the water reservoir. And, if in case you don’t have enough water, the button lights will keep flashing. Likewise, if the milk reservoir isn’t inserted or if the reservoir isn’t properly inserted, the CAPPUCCINO and LATTE buttons will not illuminate.
At the left of the buttons, you can see a smaller cup for a single shot and double shot icons. This is true for the three buttons — ESPRESSO, CAPPUCCINO, and LATTE. Pressing the button once will illuminate the single shot icon, while pressing it twice, the double shot will illuminate, indicating a double shot espresso, cappuccino or latte.
To the right of these buttons, you can see CUSTOM, FROTH, and CLEAN. When you press the ESPRESSO button for 3 seconds, it’ll allow you to extract coffee at your desired amount, more like brewing manually. Likewise, pressing the CAPPUCCINO button for 3 seconds gives you manual milk frothing, while pressing the LATTE button for 3 seconds lets you clean the frothed milk dispensing tube.
If you want to steam or froth milk, there’s a froth control knob in the milk reservoir to determine the amount of froth you want. LATTE for less froth and CAPPUCCINO for more froth. You can turn it all the way down if you want to clean the milk reservoir, especially every after use.
Below the platform where the milk reservoir latches, there’s the cup height adjusting tray. This tray is very useful if you’ll use smaller cups or if you want to draw your container closer to the frothed milk dispensing tube. The dispensing tube is attached to the tube lever so you can adjust its position.
The drip tray can be removed by pushing the height adjusting tray back to the bottom of the milk reservoir. You can simply pull it up and out. The drip tray isn’t big enough, so you might want to dispose of the spills frequently since it’ll easily be full.
Brewing Capacity and Process
Just like most of the coffee makers, this comes with a single shot and double shot filters so you can brew your desired espresso shot after your purchase. With the use of the measuring scoop/tamper, put a measure for 1 CUP filter and two measures for a 2 CUP filter.
Slightly push the coffee grounds down with the tamper to around 1/8-inch below the top of the filter. Ensure that you will clean the rim of the filter in the portafilter so it will latch completely into the brew unit. Note that if you want to prepare double shot coffee, you should use a bigger cup or it’ll overflow because the machine will automatically dispense the standard volume of your desired shot.
However, you should also know that the total amount of the coffee output is also dependent on the type of milk used, as well as the froth setting you selected. Based on our observation and feedback from other users, espresso standard setting gives us weaker coffee. Hence, the CUSTOM option is still essential to get your preferred espresso taste.
Mr. Coffee has a set of standard measurements for single shot or double shot serving. For espresso, the single shot (1 CUP) is 1.25 oz, while the double shot (2 CUP) is 2.5 oz. For Cappuccino, a single shot is 6 oz and a double shot is 10 oz, while the single shot for Latte is 12 oz and the double shot is 15 oz.
Inserting the portafilter to the brew head is the same as any coffee maker. You can have to position it to the left, under the OPEN lock icon, fitting it into the groove. Then, turn it towards the right, until it’s perpendicular to the unit, or the portafilter is aligned with the CLOSE lock symbol of the machine.
When you’re preparing Cappuccino or Latte, ensure that the milk reservoir is latched in place and you’re using cold milk. The coffee machine will dispense steam milk and froth first before extracting the espresso.
A Cappuccino has 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 frothed milk. On the other hand, Latte is a combination of ¼ espresso and ¾ steamed milk.
Maintenance and Cleaning
So, each time you finish making your coffee, always do the cleaning before putting the milk reservoir in the refrigerator. This is to ensure that no milk residue will be stuck inside the tube and to avoid clogging.
The machine has an automatic cleaning function for the frothed milk dispensing tube. The LATTE button, when pressed for 3 seconds, will allow you to purge steam through it.
For the brew head, you can clean it by running hot water through. Do not leave the portafilter attached to the machine when not in use. Doing so will adversely affect the seal of the portafilter and the brew head.
If you need to clean all the parts of the machine, you should turn it off and unplug it. You can wash the water tank, milk reservoir, filters, and portafilter with water. Unfortunately, the portafilter, filter baskets, and water tank are not dishwasher safe.
The filters need deep cleaning every 90 days, while the machine needs deliming, which is specified in the product’s manual. Ensure to follow the recommended cleaning and maintenance procedure to keep the quality of your coffee and the performance of your machine.
Accessories and Add-ons
This machine has complimentary accessories including two filters — single shot and double shot, measuring scoop with tamper and filter holder. The filter holder has a unique feature called the portafilter retention clip. The purpose of this unique feature is to keep the filter in place when you tap the filter to remove the coffee puck.
The cup height adjusting tray is another useful add-on too. If you want to get a single shot coffee beverage, you need to place the small cup near the spout, thus this feature is important. Likewise, if you want to steam milk and prepare froth, you want the container to be closer to the dispensing tube.
Mr. Coffee One-Touch coffeehouse espresso maker and cappuccino machine customer reviews
Quick and easy way to make coffee. Amount is inconsistent. A pain to clean.
Updated review: After using this machine for another several days I decided to edit my review and change it from four to three stars. I’m now making the coffee using just the two “manual” buttons. The others are too inconsistent in the amount of coffee made. The frother works well, but takes several seconds until it actually makes froth. I did not realize this until I made coffee a few times daily for several days. On the froth setting, after about 20 seconds you’ll start to see decent froth, not just hot milk. But that’s 20 seconds of hot milk diluting your coffee.
If you want strong coffee with as little milk as possible but some froth, you’ll have to make the froth in a second cut and then add it. Just like you traditionally do. Cleaning is a pain. I’ve emptied the milk container, added water to it and ran the clean cycle until the water runs clean. Then I use the foam button – and a LOT of milk comes out. So cleaning is pretty pointless – just use the foam button to draw water out of the milk container and clean it that way. So still need to manually clean the dried milk from the outside of the stainless tube. To make several cups at one time, it’s great. To make one cup a day, it’s too much of a pain.
Original review: I’ve made several cups of each of the two sizes of espresso, cappuccino and latte. There’s a chart in the book that lists the “suggested cup” size. Using those as a base line, the coffee pot is not making the beverages large enough – and it’s not always consistent. Double espressos only fill a 2.5 oz cup half way. Large cappuccinos and lattes are about 25% short. A large latte, for example, is supposed to use an 18.5 ox glass. I use a 16 oz glass and have 1″ of room. I’ll top off my drinks using the manual buttons. Still a LOT easier than doing it manually.
The frother/steamer: Steamer – makes great steamed milk with a *little* froth. Froth – still a lot of steamed milk, maybe 25% froth. The froth is not as thick as when I make it manually with a steam wand or mini-frother, but it’s still decent – and it does not get any easier than this. The built-in cleaning routine works OK. You still need to clean the container and “straw” manually.
The coffee itself is perfect. Every bit of coffee is drawn our of the grounds, but it’s loud. The pump is loud and the frother is really loud. Easy to hear 20 feet away.
The quality of the brewer feels beefy and it looks sleek and modern. The water tank holds a lot – but take care if you move the machine. I have it on the counter under a cabinet. I pull it forward when brewing because of the volume of steam – the bottom of the cabinet was getting wet. It takes only a tap to slightly dislodge the water tank, resulting in a slow leak.
I like the simplicity of the system and the variety of coffees. The manual operation is handy – you can totally bypass the pre-programmed “recipes.”
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