Why You Can Trust CNET Bunn My Cafe MCU review: Who knew a hunk of steel could be so flexible?
If you like coffee for its taste, and want a versatile brewer with retro-diner charm, check out our favorite single-serving coffee maker.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
The Bunn My Cafe MCU promises quick and easy brewing of whatever coffee you want, however you want it. Its clever design can adapt to pretty much any coffee-making situation, from K-Cups to fresh ground beans and everything in between, and it scored at or near the top of the class in each one of our taste tests. The look of the machine is distinctively industrial, which isn't terribly surprising given that the majority of Bunn coffee makers are designed for restaurants, cafeterias, and industrial kitchens. However, style aside, in terms of sturdiness and usability, the design of the My Cafe does an admirable job.
Bunn My Cafe MCU
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Making coffee with the My Cafe is a simple process. The machine only takes a minute or two to heat up after you first plug it in, and from there, brewing your beverage is as easy as pushing a button. With a suggested retail price of $169 -- the lowest among the higher-end, single-serve coffee makers we tested -- the Bunn My Cafe MCU is an outstanding value for any regular coffee drinker.
Construction and design
Design-wise, you might think that the My Cafe isn't much to look at. The minimalist design seems almost intentionally dated, as if it would feel more at home in a mid-1980s urban diner than in a contemporary kitchen. Other modern kitchen counter appliances incorporate glossy finishes and sleek curves into their designs, but not the My Cafe. There's no brushed chrome or brass knobs, no LED lighting or digital display. The My Cafe is just metal and plastic. It's not without a simple charm, but look elsewhere if you demand more contemporary looks from your home appliances.
That said, anyone who writes the My Cafe off on its appearance is making a mistake, because what it lacks in style it more than makes up for in substance. With a set of detachable brewing heads that slide in and out of the machine (Bunn calls them "drawers"), the My Cafe can brew just about anything you throw at it. There's one drawer for K-Cups, another one for teabags and coffee pods, another drawer for ground coffee, and a fourth that works as a quick hot-water dispenser -- perfect for your morning oatmeal. No matter what you're craving, the My Cafe has you covered. It's a level of built-in flexibility that's totally unmatched by any other single-serving coffee maker in this price range.
It's a sturdy little thing, too, with a simple, compact design that feels rugged and durable in every way. Holding it in your hands, you get the sense that you could toss it down a stairwell and still plug it in and brew a fresh cup at the bottom. Amid a field of bulkier competitors that often felt a bit flimsy for our liking, this robust construction is a major plus.
Usability
The My Cafe's minimalist simplicity translates to its interface, too. There are just two buttons: the brew button, and a "pulse" button that you press if you want the My Cafe to brew your drink in slow, controlled bursts to increase the steep time and strengthen the flavor. When you plug the My Cafe in, it will automatically turn on and begin heating up. When it's ready to go, its one light will change from red to green. The My Cafe doesn't store any extra water (which helps explain its compact size), so you'll need to pour water in before each cup. This isn't nearly as inconvenient as it sounds -- if you simply fill your mug with water and pour it straight into the machine, you'll get the perfect amount without ever needing to measure ounces. Some of our testers actually preferred using fresh water each time, as opposed to water that might have been sitting in a reservoir overnight. I also greatly appreciated that you can tweak the strength of your drink, watering it down if it's too strong for your tastes or using a little less if the brew seems a bit weak.
Each of the drawers is intuitive and easy to use, as well. The ground-coffee drawer lifts open to reveal a compartment with a mesh filter -- just toss two spoonfuls of your favorite grounds into it, slide it into the machine, and you're good to go. Pods and K-Cups are even easier than that, and no matter what your method, your beverage will brew at the touch of a button, and it will brew faster than with any other machine that we tested. Cleanup is a breeze, too -- just toss the used K-Cup or pod, or dump out the used grounds, and give the drawer a quick rinse.
Our only minor quibble with the My Cafe's usability is that, oddly enough, there's a bit of a learning curve to the one-button operation. The light will flash green when the machine needs water, flash red if it needs to heat back up, and flash red and green if you haven't clicked a drawer in all the way. The brew button can flash red, too, if the internal hot-water tank needs to be refilled. If you try and use the My Cafe without reading the instructions first, or if you simply haven't used it in a while, little screw-ups such as these can be a tad stressful, as what you're doing wrong won't necessarily be obvious. You'll get the hang of it after just a few uses, though, and once you do, making a standard cup of coffee is a cinch.
Performance
(Shorter bars indicate faster brewing)
The My Cafe performed very well in our timed coffee brewing tests, distributing an 8-ounce cup of coffee 15 seconds faster than it took the
Across the board, the My Cafe scored high in our taste tests, delivering consistently well-brewed coffee no matter how we went about brewing it. The "pulse" option was a popular one, especially for ground coffee, with a noticeably stronger flavor that our testers found quite satisfying. I also enjoyed the total control over how much water went into the brew, making it possible for a regular user to pinpoint their exact strength of choice. However, the My Cafe does not offer any control over the temperature of your drink, a feature we appreciated in other coffee makers, such as the
The My Cafe does a good job of pushing water through the machine, ending each cycle with a final, sputtering pulse that helps to clear the pipes and prevent post-brew drips. However, this sputter can occasionally create a bit of a splash zone, releasing a wide, gentle mist that might dampen your countertop and require a quick wipe. This sputter is also a noisy part of an already slightly noisy brew cycle, although the My Cafe wasn't the noisiest model that we tested.
Maintenance
The My Cafe uses an internal hot-water tank to heat the fresh water needed for your beverage -- when you first use the machine, you'll need to run a few rinse cycles to flush and refill it, which only takes a few minutes. Cleaning the My Cafe is pretty painless, as well. The metal base of the coffee maker wipes clean in seconds and lifts easily out of the way, revealing a removable drip tray that you'll need to empty out every now and then. The drip tray and all four of the machine's drawers are top-rack dishwasher-safe. You can also remove the sprayhead that releases water into the drawer, if it needs cleaning.
Bunn recommends deep cleaning the brewer every three months to flush out any minerals that may have accumulated in the inner workings. With any drawer in place, you'll need to run 14 ounces of vinegar through the machine, then three or more cycles of water to flush out the vinegar.
Service and support
The My Cafe comes with a two-year limited warranty, and warrants any replacement unit for two years, as well. The majority of coffee makers that we tested come with a one-year warranty, so the two years of coverage that Bunn offers makes for a strong additional selling point, though not quite as strong of one as the Cuisinart SS-700, which offers a three-year warranty.
Authorized service is available over the phone at 1-800-352-BUNN (2866), or online at www.bunnathome.com/troubleshooting/single-serve.
Conclusion
The Bunn My Cafe is pure versatility packaged in a minimalist disguise. As quick-brewed coffee goes, a mug filled from the My Cafe tastes as good as anything you'll get from any other brewer, if not better. With its clear durability (not to mention the generous two-year warranty), the My Cafe is a brewer built to last, and one that we'd recommend even if it wasn't $30 cheaper than the nearest competitor. It's the perfect brewer for regular coffee drinkers, especially ones who might be curious about the convenience of K-Cups but reluctant to abandon fresh grounds. The My Cafe gives you both, and then some, making it our unanimous favorite single-serve coffee maker.