Mr. Coffee 4-Cup Steam Espresso System with Milk Frother, ECM160

I bought this product about a month and half ago. Delivery was prompt and the product was as described and arrived in pristine condition. I have been using this coffee machine for over a month and I can say this “coffee never tasted this good”. However Indian buyers need to be a little careful. This machine is imported from USA and works on 110 volts. So you have to invest in a voltage converter before you can use this machine. Addition of an espresso tamper to the machine would have been great but still for Rs 6, 500 it’s fantastic value for money. I strongly recommend it for all coffee lovers.

Worst. Not working. Seller is not helpful. Do not buy this.

Easy to use. Intuitive design. Quick and easy procedure to make excellent espresso or cappuccino. Works well with a variety of coffee blends and different grinds. Steam wand does an excellent job of frothing milk. Steam wand seems to work best without the plastic sleeve. Best cup of cappuccino for the best price. This cappuccino maker works better than more expensive machines.

I want to start off and say the main reason I purchased this unit was for the steam wand. I needed a Diamond Steamer and I didn't want to pay $100 for a Jewel Jet or similar jewelery steamer. I did some research online and on diamond forums and found that the espresso machine steamers produced steam that was capable of cleaning jewelry. For the $37.00 price tag of this machine I decided it was worth a shot. I filled up the machine and did a test run to see how good the steam was and all I have to say is it is more than sufficient to clean jewelry and I give it a huge thumbs up in terms of value versus the stand alone steamer. Now onto the espresso making part of this machine. It is very simple in terms of its operation. I used to be a former barista and it makes decent enough espresso to be used for lattes, cappuccinos, and americanos because the milk and flavoring mask most bad pulls. Now the flavor of the espresso really is a function of the grounds you choose and the grinder that you have available to you. You will have to experiment with the grind coarseness to match this machine exactly. I just received my unit but I will be experimenting to see what the ECM160 likes in terms of how fine or coarse my grounds need to be. I have read other comments about the ECM160 and blowing up and other places online have addressed this issue and it seems that some users are either tamping much too hard, using too fine of a ground, or not locking in portafilter far enough. Also users need to look under the unit for the rest of the cord. It is just coiled underneath for shipping purposes. I do wish the wand was longer and could be moved, but I still find it is useful. The plastic steaming attachment really needs to be removed as it is of no help at all. I was actually impressed with this little units ability to froth milk. I created very very thick foam with this unit on the first try using a coffee mug and 2% milk. If you want the really dry foam the trick is to work the tip just underneath the surface of the milk. The carafe that comes with this unit is fine and if it does break like others have mentioned you always have the option of getting actual espressso shot glasses and using those as a true measurement for each shot. Now I do wish they would have provided a better tamp and milk carafe but at this price they would probably be junk anyways. My biggest concern is with the portafilter. I have to double check the dimensions but I don't think it is a standard size. It seems a little flimsy and I would like to replace it with a double spout unit if possible. I still have more research to do on this part. My last recommendation is for everyone knocking the quality of this unit, spend some money on a very good burr grinder such as the Baratza Maestro Grinder. A good burr grinder along with good beans will do a world of difference for your espresso. All in all I would recommend this unit to people as a cheap espresso solution. It's cheap enough for people to try. It's also a good backup and travel unit. The added bonus is the jewelry cleaner.

日本です。 コロナ禍のストレスで、コンビニやスタバのカフェラテをたくさん飲んでしまっていたので、購入しました。 当時は15000円程度で購入できましたが、この数年の円安と物価高で、今や３万円以上しそうな商品ですが。 元スタバPTRなので、簡単に使いこなすことができましたが、やはりなかなか忙しく、また、体調も悪いので、あまり使いこなせておらずです。 引っ越して部屋が狭くなり、最近は以前ほどカフェラテを飲まなくなったので、あまり使用できていませんが、こういう機械の導入には良いのかなと思いますね。 ただ、お友達の家で、ボタン一つでエスプレッソもミルクもでる１０万円ほどのマシンを見たら、どうしてもそちらの方が便利だし泡も細かくて美味しいな、と思ってしまいますが、昔からこういうものが欲しかったので、満足はしています。

To the engineer that posted detailed instructions on how you should use this machine. Your a genius! I have followed your advice from day one and not had one problem with this unit. This is a great little machine for not a lot of $$$$. I have saved a lot of $$$ making my own latte's. Sorry Starbucks I love you but....... I can make my own now :) I Here are the instructions I follow. If you follow the directions included with the machine to a tee your going to get disappointing water logged coffee. But if you have a basic understanding of pressure and steam you'll need to modify your operation of this little machine. What I do is fill the coffee filter holder to max shot coffee level line and use a coffee tamper to compress the espresso but don't pack it to tight just a simple tamp is all you need because your going to want to stop the excess water rush when the thick black coffee and cream stops pouring. I use only purified water unless you want your machine to last only 1 year from mineral deposits, and I fill glass carafe to reach the bottom of the metal band to ensure more than enough water and steam to do the job. With everything in place i.e. power off, coffee filter holder fully locked in, steam cap screwed down tight, frothing arm extended and ready with cup and milk standing by... I then turn the machine to knob to steam first to allow the machine to build pressure and steam without prematurely diluting the coffee filter holder, as soon as the frothing arm starts to sputter and produce steam with a hint of water I quickly switch the control knob to brew coffee position which brings in only hot steam and water trickling out only dark thick coffee and this is where you have to be rehearsed to act fast and operate the machine effectively! With the thick black coffee trickling, get your milk cup ready sitting under the frothing arm ready to be lifted up as soon as you see the brewing coffee go from slow tricking thick dark coffee to cream foam. It should have reached the first like on the coffee pot at this point. Now GET READY to turn the control knob back to steam the INSTANT you see that the slow dark cream foam trickling out slowly starts to speed up. The moment before you see the slow dark cream foam trickling out start to speed up to water, I Instantly raise my milk cup submersing the frothing arm under the milk to avoid splatter while simultaneously switching the control knob to steam, which instantly stops the brewing process to the coffee filter holder preventing water dilution. Turn the knob slowly once on the steam side and work your way up to full steam if you switch too quickly you will get a milk volcano lol. Once your milk is frothed to your liking. switch the control knob to off. That's it, perfect Espresso. Be sure to once you've made your coffee clear the rest of the steam from the unit once your done and clean the froth arm. I wipe the outside of the plastic cover then take it off and wipe down the metal portion to clean the steamed on milk off. Then I replace the plastic cover and turn the steam back on to clear out all the rest of the water and steam from the unit. This will clean the frothing arm but also release all the pressure that has built up in the machine. Once all the steam is released take the lid off the top of the water compartment and let the machine cool. Doing this when not in use will help prevent premature compression damage to the sealing gaskets, I only slightly keep both the steam cap and the filter holder screwed in place. If you lock them down to full tight position when not in use, I find that it will prematurely compress the sealing gaskets and they will start to leak early making brewing ineffective. Having said all of this, as a protective disclaimer I must say that this is what “I DO” and I'm not recommending any of these operating actions to anyone. "You should use the instruction book to a tee for OK strong watery coffee if that's what your after." Thanks E. Gonzales for your review. My coffee machine works like a charm and I have beautiful crema on my espresso every time. I did tweak his original instructions for user use and understanding as well as maintenance. ENJOY!! Your now a barista!

I purchased this awesome little espresso machine a little over a year ago, just after I retired, as a personal well-done, pat-on-the-back gift. It doesn't get worked hard - I use it a couple times a week - but it has never let me down and always makes a great latte. Using the frother involved a little bit of a learning curve, but that was me, nothing to do with the machine. Compact, takes very little room on my counter - overall I am a very happy camper.