Are you looking for the best coffee maker grinder? Or a Mr. Coffee? When Belkin and Mr. Coffee announced a mash-up coffeemaker with WeMO — the Mr. Coffee 10-Cup Smart Optimal Brew Coffeemaker with WeMo — it’s an understatement to say that I was interested in checking it out. But how well does this WiFi enabled coffeemaker work? And how well does it stack up against the best coffee maker?
In short, Mr. Coffee’s Optimal Brew Coffeemaker with WeMo is a generally good device that makes your life more convenient (for instance, not having to do hot water refills often. Which is what you get with the Mueller Espresso Machine For Nespresso). With this coffeemaker and the companion WeMo app, you’re able to brew coffee without having to get up from your bed, granted that you have set up your coffeemaker the night before by adding water and coffee grounds to it. The device brews your coffee in just minutes; we brewed a full pot in under 7 minutes (6 minutes and 45 seconds, to be exact). It is whisper quiet, which is a big improvement over our loud Keurig machine that sounds like it is making a cappuccino every time that it’s used. The carafe also keeps your coffee hot for over two hours, so even if you don’t want to wake up right away when your coffee is ready, it’ll still be hot when you get out of bed a little later. If you want a fast coffee maker without all the fancy app, the Moccamaster Kb 741 10-Cup Coffee Brewer is as good as it gets.
Connecting the WeMo to your home WiFi network is a breeze, you simply connect to the WeMo’s WiFi, provide your home’s WiFi password, and then the device will become connected to your home network. You don’t have to worry about forwarding ports in your router’s settings or any other type of semi-advanced tinkering to get the WeMo coffeemaker to work. Once your device is connected to your WiFi connection, you can easily set up a brew schedule for up to a week out.
Let me preface this by saying that I, like many of you, am a slave to my morning cup of joe…and my afternoon cup of joe…and my evening cup of joe. You get the point here, right? We all love coffee, and we’re always looking for THE best cup of coffee and how to reproduce the same quality at home. But, we also have a big appreciation for connected things — things that are, for one reason or another, connected to the internet for the purpose of making your life easier. It definitely doesn’t hurt drinking the best whole bean coffee, but the maker itself does make an impact on experience as well.
As far as the design is concerned, Mr. Coffee’s Optimal Brew Coffeemaker with WeMo is comparatively large. It measures 11.2 x 13.2 x 17.1 inches and weighs just over 10 pounds. However, it still looks good on your kitchen counter, as it matches just about everything due to its silver and black design. There’s only two buttons on the front of the device, one for brewing and one for restoring your device’s WiFi, and there’s also a green WiFi indicator light. The filter basket’s design leaves more to be desired, as it isn’t flat on the bottom, so it rolls around while you’re trying to add your coffee grounds. It’s a simplistic design without any bells and whistles, but it looks great.
As promised, the coffeemaker is easy to maintain and clean. The carafe can be quickly rinsed after each brew, as well as the removable side brew basket. The water reservoir is easily removed for both filling and rinsing.
But most importantly, Mr. Coffee’s WeMo connected coffeemaker brews a great pot of coffee. It heats water to an optimal 205 degrees before sending the water through the filter basket, so your coffee won’t come out flat nor will it come out with a strange flavor. The device is consistent with its brewing, so your coffee will taste how the makers intended for it to taste. When your coffee is done brewing, your smartphone receives an alert via the WeMo app telling you your coffee is ready (which is really a great way to wake up).
The WeMo app leaves something to be desired, though. It’s simplistic and easy to use, sure, but it just generally feels basic for the price you’re paying for the coffeemaker. I can’t help but want something more in the way of features, like maybe a brew timer, a notification that the coffee grounds need to be changed if you’ve forgotten, or even a dark skin/layout for the app (trying to stare at that bright white WeMo app when your eyes are just waking up in the morning can be tough). You’re also not able to adjust the brew temperature (some coffee manufacturers recommend their coffee be brewed at a certain temperature).
But is it worth the $125 it is currently selling for on Amazon? I would have to say yes, it’s worth it, especially when you compare it with some of the prices of Keurig machines. If you’re already in the market for a new coffeemaker, and want the convenience of brewing coffee from your bed, the Mr. Coffee and Belkin mash-up coffeemaker is a good option. Sure, you could pick up one of those super cheap coffee percolators at Walmart and plug it into a WeMo plug for much less, but you get what you pay for there, as most of those cheap coffeemakers look cheap and make crappy coffee. With Mr. Coffee’s WeMo brewer, you don’t have to worry about brewing a bad pot of coffee and wasting your Starbucks Verona blend coffee grounds because the device is so consistent and reliable. I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick up one of these coffeemakers, but when you’re ready for a new coffeemaker, I recommend going with the Mr. Coffee 10-cup Smart Optimal Brew Coffeemaker with WeMo.
Related Articles:
