This article will present you with a Mr. Coffee 4 Cup coffee machine review. The perfect cup of coffee is a science. It’s not about adding a spoon of your favorite coffee ground and mixing hot water. Your perfect cup of coffee will depend on everything from the coffee beans to the size of the granules and the brew cycle.
We often settle for a quick cup of coffee and a coffee taste that does the trick. But you shouldn’t have to settle. If you are a coffee lover, we have a Mr. Coffee 4 Cup Machine review that covers every detail.
There are so many coffee machine brands on the market today that it is hard to decide which is the best one for you. Perhaps you have been looking at an espresso machine, a programmable coffee maker, or one that allows a coffee drinker to enjoy iced coffee.
All are good options, the only thing that beats a great coffee is a 4-Cup coffee maker. Enough to last you for a few hours or to enjoy with friends and family. On that note, let’s take a closer look at the Mr. Coffee range of coffee maker machines.
In a hurry? Here’s our best tip:
Click the links to see them on Amazon:
- go for the Mr. Coffee 4 Cup DR4 (White);
- or the Mr. Coffee 4 Cup DR5 (Black).
Both same great products, it’s just a matter of your color preference.
Table of Contents
- Mr. Coffee 4 Cup coffee machine review
- Comparative coffee maker machines
- The Mr. Coffee coffee maker brand
- Wrap Up
Mr. Coffee 4 Cup coffee machine review
| Mr. Coffee 4 Cup | DR4 | DR5 | DRX4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color | White | Black | White |
| Clock | No | No | Yes |
| Delay brew | No | No | Yes |
| One-Hour Auto Shut-Off | No | No | Yes |
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The design
This 4-cup coffee maker comes in white (the DR4) and black (the DR5). In the DR range, you also have the DRX5 which is a programmable coffeemaker. The DR4 and the DR5 are 14.6 x 11.8 x 10.2 inches and weigh 1.6 pounds. This is quite a compact coffee maker size and fits nicely on most kitchen counter spaces.
The design is incredibly simple with dual water reservoir windows, a removable filter basket, and a glass carafe. The removable filter basket makes it easy to lift out and clean or fill. At the back, there is a cord storage space. The hot plate is non-stick, making it easy to clean in case of any spills.
On the front of the coffee maker, there is an on/off button and a green light to indicate that the coffee machine is on.
How to make a cup of coffee with the Mr. Coffee 4-cup coffee machine
If the coffee maker is new, it is always best to wash the glass carafe and filter basket before use. Then, you can add a 4-cup paper filter and your favorite ground coffee. Replace the filter basket and close the lid. Add cold water to the water tank. On the water tank window, you can see the amount of water you need for the number of cups of coffee you want to make.
Click here to learn more about Mr. Coffee 4 Cup DR4 (White) on Amazon.com
Mr. Coffee recommends 1.5 teaspoons of ground coffee for two cups of coffee and 3 teaspoons of ground coffee for 4 cups. Also, be careful not to add cold water to the glass carafe when it is hot. It may crack.
Click here to learn more about Mr. Coffee 4 Cup DR5 (Black) on Amazon.com
Mr.Coffee 4-Cup coffee maker features
Because it is such an easy-to-use coffee machine, there isn’t a long list of features. The DR4 and the DR5 come with a Pause ‘n’ Serve feature. The coffee machine will stop the brew for 30 seconds when you lift the carafe off the hot plate. You can make a cup of coffee and then replace the carafe. Brewing will then continue.
The DRX4 and the DRX5 programmable coffee makers come with a LED clock, a delay brew, and a one-hour auto shut-off.
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Caring for your Mr. Coffee 4-Cup coffee maker
For daily washing, you should wait until the coffee machine cools down, and then you can wash the filter basket, filter basket lid, and glass carafe in wash soapy water. You should only use a soft cloth to wash the parts, or they are dishwasher safe when placed on the top shelf.
Every once in a while, it is also a good idea to decalcify the coffee maker. You can do this by running Mr. Coffee Cleaner or 4 cups of vinegar through the coffee maker.
Brew the vinegar or cleaning solution and leave the coffee maker on for 30 minutes. After, fill the water tank with water and brew just the water. Once the brew has finished, refill the water tank and brew again. This will help remove the build-up of minerals and keep the coffee taste perfect.
Mr. Coffee 4-Cup coffee machine troubleshooting
The advantage of having a simple coffee maker is that there are few things to go wrong. If the coffee taste isn’t right or the brewing cycle is slow, it means you need to clean it. You may also need to make sure you have the proper coffee ground to water ratio.
If coffee ground appears in your coffee cup it’s because the filter isn’t in the brew basket correctly. You can try dampening the paper filter so that the sides stick to the filter basket.
What people say about Mr. Coffee 4 Cup coffee machine
People are generally happy with this small coffee maker. Its economical size is perfect for brewing coffee for one or two people. You should bear in mind that one cup isn’t the same as a mug. The actual size of the coffee machine is ideal for smaller spaces and even offices. One user has this in her classroom.
If you have ever been frustrated by a cold brew, this is the machine for you. The brewing cycle is quick, and coffee comes out piping hot. That being said, not everyone has felt that it is hot enough. We assume this is down to each person’s idea of a hot coffee.
Most people found the coffee maker to be easy to clean. This is another perk for daily use. Its simplicity means you can’t go wrong using it, even first thing in the morning when a coffee drinker needs their brew most.
Click here to read the buyers’ feedback on Amazon.com for Mr Coffee 4 Cup DR4 (White)
The value for money is also excellent. The price is similar to other big brands of 4-cup coffee maker machines. At the moment, the black coffee maker is more expensive.
Click here to read the buyers’ feedback on Amazon.com for Mr Coffee 4 Cup DR5 (Black).
This is a shame but fairly typical when it comes to electrical appliances. There is a 1-year warranty with the Mr. Coffee DR4 and DR5 and a twin pack of 100 paper filters also comes at a good price.
On the downside, a few people have said that the coffee pot is hard to use. We felt that this was a bit of an exaggeration. You only need to lift it off the hot plate and pour. Indeed, it’s not easy to get the last bit of coffee out of the carafe.
Comparative coffee maker machines
Hamilton Beach has a commercial 4-cup coffee maker for a lot more than Mr. Coffee. The 4-5 cup home-use coffee machine is around the same price as Mr. Coffee, but the filter basket rotates out and the paper filters tend to collapse.
The design is nice, and it is simple to use but the markings on the stainless steel carafe wear off after some time so you have to guess the water amounts and you can’t see the water reservoir.
Another popular brand is Cuisinart. The Cuisinart DCC 4-cup coffee maker is smaller than Mr. Coffee but weighs more. It comes with a stainless-steel carafe and a dripless spout. It offers an auto shut-off which is a nice feature. Nevertheless, it costs more.
The overall look is rather nice, and the size is a bonus. Some people have complained about the unpractical lid design and while the coffee taste is good, it might not be the hottest.
You may not associate Black and Decker with coffee machines, but its 5-cup coffee maker is a few dollars cheaper than Mr. Coffee and it has a reusable filter.
There are a water tank window and glass carafe. The simple on/off button and the light indicator are similar to Mr. Coffee. We felt that it may be better value for money, but the design is not as nice.
If you are wondering why we didn’t compare Mr. Coffee with Keurig, we felt that it wasn’t really a fair comparison. Keurig is also an excellent coffee maker brand, but they use pods rather than a filter basket. This makes the price generally higher; most coffee makers are one-cup coffee makers.
The Mr. Coffee coffee maker brand
Mr. Coffee was founded in the early 1970s in Ohio. Vincent Marotta and Samuel Glazer hired two engineers to create a drip coffee maker. Before this, coffee was normally made in a percolator. Marotta and Glazer wanted to design a coffee maker that didn’t leave a bitter or burned coffee taste.
The first-ever drip coffee maker used gravity to pull hot water through the coffee ground, improving the overall taste. Later versions drew water up from a water tank as it boiled, much like the percolator but it didn’t require reheating of the coffee.
Some of the brand’s more recent coffee makers use a boiling chamber to flash heat water to temperatures of 195-200ºF. The brewed coffee stays warm in a thermal carafe instead of a hot plate. This again helps to prevent the coffee from burning.
Over half a century, Mr. Coffee has created a wide variety of coffee machines for professional use and home use. There is a range of coffee makers, espresso machines, iced coffee, and latte coffee makers.
Some have reusable filters and other paper filters. For a while, there was even a Mrs. Tea that used a drip maker to brew tea. Today, Mr. Coffee still has iced tea makers.
Mr. Coffee has stuck to the same motto since the first drip coffee maker was made. The brand wants people to be able to use a simple coffee machine to make a perfect cup of affordable coffee at home. This is very true of the 4-cup machine for drip coffee, which is both easy to use and very well priced.
There are two versions of the Mr. Coffee 4-cup coffee machine. Let’s go through their design, features, and ease of use.
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Wrap Up
As a coffee lover who has always been on the lookout for a great coffee, I can safely say that I have tried many different coffee machines. Espresso makers and iced coffee makers have their place but when you want that perfect cup of coffee, simple is often best. And treating yourself to a nice coffee in a bar or café is not always affordable or practical.
Then, the idea of having another bulky kitchen appliance on your countertop isn’t appealing. Not only will it take up more space but there is also more to clean. Luckily, Mr. Coffee is small enough to save countertop space and easy to clean.
Brewing coffee is fast and easy. It’s a case of filling the filter basket, adding cold water, and placing the glass carafe on the hot plate. One button and the brew cycle begins. If you can’t wait for a full coffee pot, just remove the carafe, fill your cup, and replace the carafe to finish the brewing cycle.
There are several other 4-cup coffee makers on the market, but none seem to tick all the boxes as the Mr. Coffee machine does. For a very good price, you get a simple, stylish design and a good amount of hot coffee.
Depending on your ground coffee and the amount of water you use, you can create a delicious coffee taste to your liking. Mr. Coffee has 5 decades of experience making drip coffee makers and it certainly shows.