Just looking for the opinion of fellow HBs on this machine. Read on for my long-winded personal context if you want. Thanks!


For years I have been an espresso-only guy at home, with an Aeropress just for travels (and I drink the a-press extract straight). Yet my consumption and my lifestyle lately has landed me in a daily routine that now starts with a stiff, first-thing Aeropress prior to a shot or two of espresso, because the demands of home life might keep me from that morning dose for longer than I care to go, unless I can whip it up in a flash. (Plus I can crank out an AP brew in the time it takes any of my machines to warm up.) Consequently I've been investigating automated options.

The problem is that I am the lone caffeine junkie in this house. And, I still love everything about my espresso and intend to keep pulling shots. So even though in the context of machinery, "single-cup" is practically a profanity 'round these parts (frankly I shudder and hang my head having even considered the possibility of owning a thing that accepts k-cups, but here we are. For the record, with all due respect for anyone that enjoys them -- I will never buy or use a k-cup, I just won't), I can't get around the fact that I really only want one cup, just to start things off. And I don't want too spend much on this luxury.

I know about the BraZen. It's on my short list. It's got an ideal level of brew-parameter control and the ideal level of automation once set. I've asked about it in other threads, and though it is clearly geared towards bigger batch brewing, people say it's possible to finagle single cups out of it. It'd come in handy on those rare occasions of the inlaws coming to town, but the problem is that on a day-to-day basis, it's just got such an imposing physical presence, I'm not sure where I'd put it. And despite the recommendations, not only am I still somewhat unconvinced of its single-cup ability, but I'm also not sold on the idea of making it do a thing it isn't designed to do. If Behmor made a single-cup brewer I'd pounce, but this ain't it.

The Bunn Trifecta is just plain out of my price range.

The Cuisinart ss-700, despite the shoddy brand and odd appearance, would actually be acceptable if only it didn't have a max brew-temp of 192F. Blech! What a waste.

So I'm ultimately pretty curious about the Bunn My Cafe MCU -- a compact single-cup brewer that accepts your own fresh coffee and brews adjustably small cups, on demand, at around 200F. Its got a "pulse brew" feature which staggers the water delivery for longer water-coffee contact time, and I figure a finer grind will also aid in crafting a decent cup. It's obviously a trusted company that stands by its products (even if it does also have a stinker or two on the home-coffee market). It's a sturdy-looking design; I appreciate its simple, industrial appearance, and size-wise I might be able to hide this auto-single-cup shame in a corner if I want. It can't be put on a timer, but I'm willing to hit 2 buttons (1 on the grinder then 1 on the brewer) in the morning, or ask my partner to do it on her way out the door, if the machine reliably takes care of the rest. And I think if I'm patient I might be able to snag one for not much more than $50.

I believe one or two HB'ers have some experience with this machine. I figure most have probably since moved on to the trifecta. But what are some thoughts on the MCU? Is it worth a dang? Are my above impressions at all accurate? Does "pulse brew" slow it down enough, and not too much? Is the resulting cup any better than any other crappy auto dripper?

I think that the MCU will work well with ground coffee, as the basket can accept a significant dose. If this machine were available before the Trifecta was released I would have tried it.

Howard, it's been a while since I used the review unit I received, but my memory is that the MCU brews a respectable cup using the ground coffee drawer. Not quite up to Brazen standards (I checked), but good. Right, go finer with the grind to compensate for ~short contact time; even on "pulse" the brew cycle takes no more than a minute and change IIRC. Occasionally I see reports of people complaining about a plastic taste with the MCU, but Bunn takes care of its customers. And heads up: Lowe's has these on sale right now.

Sweet. Thanks guys! Now that im more confident that the bunn can hold its own I guess it will ultimately come down to just how cheaply i can snag a bunn vs a brazen, despite the brazen size issues & debatable single cup convenience. If I finally lose patience at a moment when there's a behmor for only a few bucks more than the bunn, it will be a tough call indeed, as i keep coming back to the thought about its handiness when company comes. Either way im going for a used machine, which i hope means any new-plastic taste/smell issues will have resolved.

jbviau wrote:Not quite up to Brazen standards (I checked), but good.

Were you brewing single cups in the brazen for comparison?

No, the smallest I tried was 0.6 L, so it's not a perfect comparison.