Is this affordable coffee maker worth checking out?

Some coffee drinkers love the taste of coffee, while others drink it mostly for the caffeine. More often than not for the latter type, the more affordable the coffee, the better. And the BestReviews Testing Lab didn’t find a more affordable drip coffee maker than this Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker. 

For the price of a couple trips to the local coffee shop, you get an easy-to-use drip maker that can make up to 25 ounces of coffee at a time. Even better, it has several advanced functions that we loved, such as the Brew Later button, so you can wake up to freshly brewed coffee. It isn’t designed for more than one or two people, though, so it’s best for use at home rather than in an office.

What is the Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker, 25-Ounce Mini Brew?

The carafe catches easily on the machine and can push or pull the coffee maker out of place. 

Product Specifications: Dimensions: 10” H x 6.4” W x 9.7” D | Brewing Size Options: 5 to 25 oz | Pod Compatibility: No | Water Reservoir Capacity: 25 oz | Brew Time: 8 minutes (full carafe)

The Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker is a budget-priced drip coffee maker for those who drink their coffee at home. It can make up to 25 ounces of coffee at once, with brewing times in our tests of three and a half minutes for 10 ounces and eight minutes for 25 ounces. It brewed at a stable 170 to 175 degrees, which is a little low, especially for those who love piping-hot coffee.

Surprisingly for its low cost, this appliance has a few well-performing extra features. To us, the best of these was the Brew Later function that was accurate to the minute. We also loved the automatic shutoff because it saves energy and prevents accidents, though we did find that it starts the timer at the start of brewing rather than the end.

Not everything was peachy, though. The Auto Pause function, which allows you to serve some coffee before the carafe is full, worked well for us, but there were still some drips. Also, there was a real issue of the carafe catching on the body of the appliance. We always had to hold down the machine to keep it from being pushed or pulled when removing the carafe.

Pros

• It features convenient Brew Later, Auto Pause and Auto Off functions. 
• It has a short brewing time of eight minutes for a full carafe. 
• Automatic shutoff triggers after two hours to save energy, prevent accidents and remind you it’s time to make a fresh cup. 

Cons

• The carafe can catch on the body of the coffee maker when pulling it out or putting it back in.
• Machine continues to drip for a few minutes after brewing ends, but Auto Pause won’t trigger during this time, leading to messes.
• The carafe isn’t large enough to serve more than one or two people.

Who is it for?

The Mr. Coffee Programmable Mini Brew is perfect for individual households looking to drink coffee for the lowest possible price (including using the least expensive beans, because this coffee maker isn’t the best choice for brewing high-end beans).

How we tested

This coffee maker doesn’t have the capability to brew high-end beans effectively. Stick to Folgers and the like.

When testing this appliance, we focused on two aspects.

• Brew quality: We measured taste, aroma, brewing time and brewing temperature over multiple rounds of brewing.
• Features quality: We tested the Brew Later, Auto Pause and automatic shutoff functions. We used Brew Later for every round of brewing. For Auto Pause, we removed the carafe mid-brew during every brew session. To test the automatic shutoff, we started a timer and checked how long the machine took to turn off after the end of brewing.

We also considered ease of use, design and build quality as well as maintenance and cleaning. These were tested by comparing our experience with it against other drip coffee makers we tested or have used personally.

Price and where to buy

The Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker, 25 oz. Mini Brew can be found at Walmart for $19.99.

How to use the Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker, 25 oz. Mini Brew

The control buttons feel cheap, but they are responsive.

Whether you want to brew coffee now or later, using the Mr. Coffee Programmable Mini Brew is a dream.

1. Fill the reservoir with enough water to make the number of servings you want, up to 25 ounces. Use the calibrated marks on the carafe for accuracy.
2. Put a coffee filter in the brew basket and prepare your coffee (grind beans or measure out preground coffee). Add coffee to the filter and close the brew basket.
3. Press the Brew Now button to enjoy your coffee now — or press the Brew Later button. Use the clock function to pick a time to begin the brew. In our tests, it started to the minute, so be precise.

How does it compare to other coffee machines we tested?

The Mr. Coffee Programmable Mini Brew is certainly the most affordable, bare-bones drip coffee maker we tested, though its performance was none the worse for it. It’s also the only drip maker we tested that’s intended to serve one person rather than several. If you’re looking for something that can serve more people at once and offers more bells and whistles, we found the Ninja CP307 Hot and Cold Brewed System, which features a 50-ounce carafe and milk frother, to be well priced for what you get.  

Should you get one?

The testing team found the Mr. Coffee Programmable Mini Brew to be a solid machine for the price. 

We have no reservations about recommending this drip coffee maker. If you want an easy and exceptionally affordable way to have a few cups of coffee throughout the day, grab it.