Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #48886 in Kitchen & Housewares
Bella Espresso Maker Countertop Series
Product Description
café experience. Treat your tastebuds to the brilliance of this at-home barista, which makes it easy to brew your favorite cappuccino or espresso and then top it off with steamed milk. 1-year warranty. Model 13683.
?Imported
?Steam wand heating and frothing
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
By Dylan
This machine works perfectly fine after practicing the "Brewing Espresso" process described in the instruction manual and requires a certain timing. The machine works great when used properly and it's only $40?? Don't let the bad reviews stop you. Until you get into units costing $100 or more, espresso at this price is going to be the same.For people having trouble, here are the steps I take for two shots of espresso. (Even though only 1 oz of water is required per shot, having more water helps with pressure.)1) Fill carafe to the 2 "Cup" line with cold water and pour into pressure chamber.2) Fill ground espresso into metal basket to the first line, or just use the scooper provided. Unfortunately, the tamper end of the scoop doesn't go deep enough into the basket so you will have to be creative or order a new tamper; then, tighten the basket into the espresso maker.3) Turn the machine to "Brew" by turning the knob in the up direction. The orange light should come on.4) Let the pressure chamber heat up to form steam.5) When the espresso begins to pour, it won't be at the right temperature since the steam becomes hotter the longer the machine is on. Switch the machine to the "Steam Spray" by turning the knob down so that the steam can increase in temperature and pressure. If you are frothing milk, this is the stage for that.6) When the steam is at full heat and pressure, turn the knob back to "Brew" and the espresso will flow out at a perfect temperature, including the "crema stage." Once the espresso exits the crema stage and starts to look "watery," turn the machine to the off position. You are done brewing espresso! (By anticipating the watery stage, you can cut the machine off early so that your creation doesn't become diluted.)Clean Up: Unlock the basket and empty it into a garbage can while holding the black tab on the handle. If necessary, give it a quick rinse. Then, place it back into the machine.Depressurize: To allow the rest of the steam to escape the chamber, turn the knob to the "Steam Spray" setting or "Brew" setting. I choose to use the Brew setting by placing the carafe under the spout and letting the hot water/steam exit. Once the red pressure button on the top of the machine releases, turn the machine off.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
By Dave
I bought this for about $40 on black friday and it works well enough for me. I like espresso but I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a machine. This is simple to operate and requires very little maintenance. The only cons I have are (1)the "lock" thing that holds the espresso cup in the handle is worthless and breaks off when you're trying to throw out the grounds and (2)it feels cheap and sometimes it takes 5+min to brew my espresso.It's good enough for me for $40 but I wouldn't pay $70 for it!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
By B. Duff
Some of the reviews for this product are a bit misleading. I've owned 3 of the Mr. Coffee Espresso machines, the Mr. Coffee ECM20 Steam Espresso Maker, Black, Mr. Coffee ECM250 4-Cup Espresso/Cappuccino Maker, and recently the Mr. Coffee ECM160 4-Cup Steam Espresso Machine, Black..and this one by Bella does just as good a job for the price it's at. The ECM160 reservoir finally got too clogged from scaling due to the water I was using. It's just my fault for not cleaning it often enough. Remember to keep up with that, people!I too wanted a replacement, and as much as I wanted another Mr. Coffee machine, like Walmart's (Mr. Coffee BVMC-ECM260 Espresso - 4 Cup - Stainless Steel Black Target was the only one to have this in stock on it's shelves.Here's what I've experienced so far in the past couple weeks:* The water heats up just fine, in fact I think it's a bit hotter than I've gotten from the other models* The coffee scoop/wrench that comes with the machine also has a tamper incorporated at the end of the handle, which is a nice addition. Though the scoop portion is a bit oversize for pouring coffee into the brew basket.* There's a pressure button that pops up on the reservoir lid when the machine is on, which is informative. But if you've owned an espresso machine before, you probably already check to see if there's pressure still in your machine before opening the lid by turning the brewing knob.* The steam wand cover does what it's supposed to, to keep milk from bubbling up and drying on the metal parts of the wand. There is a hole towards the top of the plastic wand that I refer to as the "snorkle". It's there to keep air flowing thru the wand. So if you bury the steam wand to the point the milk froth is being sucked into it, you're not frothing your milk correctly. Keep that hole clear.* I miss the flat platform that the Mr. Coffee machines have in their design now. It was a nice way to keep my spoon and scoop organized. Bella's has a flat area on top, but it's just big enough to lay the coffee scoop over.The only really problem I had with the machine, is trying to clean it for it's first time use. I followed the directions in the manual to brew 2 carafes of water before I start making my coffee. It had that usual plastic-heated smell I've had from the Mr. Coffee machines before when I was brewing it clean. Even turned on the steam wand to blow out any junk in there into a cup of water, which after 10-15 seconds, the water became slightly cloudy each time.Which I figured that got it cleaned. Apparently I was wrong. When I started brewing my first cup, I could still smell the plastic-heated odor. It covered up the smell of the coffee it was still so strong. Made the first couple cups taste funny, so I tossed them. But the smell wasn't as strong the more brewed. So on the 3rd brewed cup, now into the 5th use of the machine, there wasn't as strong a smell and the coffee tasted fine. I don't remember how many cups my Mr. Coffee machines took to get them cleaned of that same "smell", but I suspect it was about the same. So really the directions don't really help on cleaning your machine for first time use. So if you're thinking about getting this machine, or any like it that's just as cheap, I would suggest you brew 5 carafes of water. Or do what the manual says, brew 2 carafes, then a carafe of vinegar like you're descaling it so that the acids will break down whatever junk is sticking inside the machine. It might be too much hassle for most people to deal with though.
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