Owly Rating
80/100
| Appearance | 19 |
| Features | 17 |
| Performance | 19 |
| Health & safety | 6 |
| Price to value | 19 |
General thoughts
Bunn MCU coffee maker is a very solid 4-in-1 appliance. Thanks to 4 separate drawers, it can brew k-cups, coffee grounds, k-pods and tea, without mixing the flavors! A great pick for individuals and families who can appreciate deeper coffee flavors. Versatile appearance and a perfect brewing temperature (195-200 F). I do not like that it’s primarily plastic, including the drawers. Though a bit more expensive than others, it offers a extraordinary price-to-value ratio due to great performance.
This product can be perfect for
Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker can be a perfect choice for individuals and families who value simplicity and high performance. It can also perfect for those who would like a compact model that fits into many lifestyles and spaces.
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You can find out more about Bunn MCU Coffee Maker:
Pros and Cons of Bunn MCU Cofeee Maker
Why choose Bunn MCU coffee maker over others?
I was very impressed as I was testing Bunn MCU coffee maker. As a matter of fact, it placed #3 on the 10 Best K Cup Coffee Maker Q2 2019 Ranking. With its unique design, I found this model to be very compelling and very different from other coffee makers available in the stores.
- Non-Keurig brand having all/most of the same features as Keurig but at a much lower price tag
- Robust feature set that allows users to control the brewing process (timing and temperature)
- Multi-functionality and flexibility: brews anything from k cups and ground coffee to k-pods (some Keurig machines are not compatible with k-pods, but this Cuisinart coffee maker is!)
- Great capacity (72oz removable water reservoir) to hold a larger party for coffee lovers
- Compact and lightweight
Who is Bunn MCU Coffee Maker perfect for?
Bunn MCU coffee maker is a wonderful appliance. It’s a very strong performer with an awesome look and very neat features. It’s a very unique model among other single serve coffee makers, and it can benefit many consumers like myself!
In my opinion, Bunn MCU singe cup is a perfect choice for the following:
âś“ Simple but highly performing coffee maker
âś“ Compact coffee maker that can fit into a lot of different spaces (including smaller kitchens)
âś“ Families and individuals who value delicious coffee brewed at perfect (or near perfect!) brewing temperatures
âś“ Ideal for keeping coffee flavors unmixed due to 4 drawers (separate for k-cup, k-pod, ground coffee and hot water)
âś“ Multi-functional for coffee and hot water (tea, anyone?)
âś“ Families and individuals who enjoy brands other then Keurig
âś“ Brewing coffee in a hurry
âś“ Preference for k cups and/or k pods
Who is Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker NOT perfect for?
Though Bunn MCU coffee maker is one of the top coffee makers available in the market, this model is not perfect for everyone:
âś— Coffee of a coffee shop quality
âś— Super low budget
âś— Preference for plastic-free coffee makers
âś— Preference for digital coffee makers with plenty of different controls
âś— Lightweight appliance
Bunn MCU Single Cup Coffee Maker: Review and Evaluation 🕵️
→ Appearance
Owly Rating
19/20
Bunn MCU coffee maker comes with one of the smartest design. It will consequently take very little space on a countertop. It’s compact, despite being a standard-size coffee maker. With its stainless steel cover on the front, it will most likely fit into a variety of styles and spaces. It looks reliable and sturdy.
Bunn MCU coffee maker is visually stunning, giving a beautiful industrial look and feel. I really enjoy the stainless steel in the front. My friends rave how handsome and appealing this coffee maker is. In my opinion, Bunn MCU can fit very nicely into many different styles and spaces.
Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker comes in just one color option: stainless steel with plastic top and sides. Though some parts of the unit’s exterior are made with plastic, stainless steel gives an impression of sturdiness and reliability. In my opinion, this model looks very good!
MCU is also unique in its design. Unlike other k cup coffee makers where coffee grounds and k-cups are replaced by opening up a top segment, Bunn MCU coffee maker replaces k-cups and coffee grounds by detaching so-called “drawers,” which are the bottom part of the brewing element. This saves significant amount of space, and makes MCU fit very nicely into a LOT of kitchens.
Consequently, Bunn MCU single cup is much smaller than most of the best k-cup coffee makers on our rank. MCU measures about 12 inches in height. I did not have any problems placing this coffee maker on my counter, and I do not need to pull it out to refill coffee, k-cups or water.
Given stainless steel, this model seemed rather heavy, weighing about 10 pounds. I found it doable to lift, move and clean. However, I do not want to do it after every single use.
→ Features and technical specs
Owly Rating
17/20
Despite being less robust than its competitors, Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker comes with really smart features and design. It’s k-cup and k-pod compatible, and it contains “drawers” for specific types of coffee. This prevents flavors from mixing. Further, drawers open horizontally, and not vertically, this saving a ton of vertical space.
Voltage: Bunn MCU coffee maker is made for 120V, and can be used in Canada and the US only.
Beverage size: Bunn MCU single cup coffee machine offers a handsome selection of beverage sizes, spanning between 4oz and 14oz. Because there’s no removable water reservoir, I can control directly how much coffee I would like by filling the tank with a desired amount of water. Unlike other best k-cup coffee makers, Bunn MCU can accommodate a 6.5-inch tall travel mug underneath a brewing segment. This can pose some difficulties for some mugs.
Weight: Given the stainless steel elements, I expected MCU to be a little heavier than a plastic single cup coffee maker in the same size. This beautiful k cup coffee maker weighs about 10 pounds. Though it was not an issue for me to lift it occasionally, I would not want to do it every day.
Unit size: Bunn MCU is very compact. It is about 10.1 x 7.2 x 12.5 inches. Because this model has a very smart design, it should fit into most kitchen spaces. Why? Unlike other best k cup coffee makers, MCU replaces coffee grounds and k cups by detaching the bottom of the brewing element. This design, thus, makes it much more convenient to use, without taking up a lot of space.
Additional perks: For such a compact k cup coffee maker, Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker offers some unique functionality and features.
✓Bunn’s MCU can brew 3 different types of coffee thanks to 3 different drawers (attachments for the brewing element). I could brew coffee from k-cups, coffee grounds and coffee pods. The process of using a drawer is very simple. When I felt like having a k-cup coffee, all I had to do is to put a k-cup into a k-cup drawer, and attach the k-cup drawer to the brewing element on the MCU. The process was very easy, and took me about 10 seconds.
✓ Bunn’s MCU can also brew water. In the fourth drawer, I was able to brew hot water alone. There was no coffee flavor in the water as the fourth drawer is specifically designated for water only. In addition to my predilection for delicious coffee, so MCU replaced my electric kettle!
✓ This k cup k cup is equipped with what Bunn terms as “Pulse Brew.” Pulse Brew works exactly like a strength control, allowing coffee to be deeper, stronger, and more fragrant.
Interestingly, Bunn’s MCU does not come with some of the “standard” features that traditional best k cup coffee makers got us used to. Specifically, Bunn’s MCU is not programmable. I am not able to set a specific time to start brewing coffee. Further, it does not come with a charcoal filter to purify water. Additionally, there’s no water reservoir to store water.
→ Performance
Owly Rating
19/20
Despite plastic drawers, Bunn MCU coffee maker yields some of the most delicious and fragrant cups of coffee I have ever had! I was able to brew those cups fairly quickly (in about 1-2 minutes) at a nearly perfect brewing temperature (190 F degrees). Along Moccamaster One Cup, it is one of very few coffee makers to brew at nearly perfect, or perfect, temperature.
Brewing time: Bunn MCU coffee maker takes noticeably less time to brew coffee than some other best k-cup coffee makers. From heating water to seeing the last drop of coffee fall into my cup, it took between 1 to 2 minutes. This time was largely contingent upon the beverage size.
Flavor: In many ways, Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker is the best k cup coffee maker. Among k cup coffee makers that I have tested, Bunn MCU yielded an absolutely delicious, fragrant and rich coffee flavors. Further, the 3 separate drawers for k-pods, k-cups and coffee grounds keep flavors from mingling. Pure goodness!
Temperature: Bunn MCU single cup is the best k cup coffee maker and the best k cup coffee maker when it comes to water temperature. It substantially overperformed other k cup coffee makers that I have tested over the last months. In my tests, the water brewed in Bunn MCU reached between 195 and 200 Fahrenheit degrees, which is on par with the perfect coffee beverage temperature.
Noise levels: I found MCU some noise. It gurgles and vibrates. This model is perhaps a bit louder than other best k cup coffee machines. It was not excessive and it did not bother me too much.
Customer-reported technical issues
There were very few users who have reported just a couple of issues with the Bunn’s MCU k cup coffee maker. Those issues truly appear to be an exception rather than the norm. In fact, MCU is doing much better overall than other k cup coffee machines.
While I do not believe those reports are a reason for a major concern, I’d like to flag some of them:
- Problems expelling water
- Water remains heated for 6 hours
- Machine quits working
→ Health and safety
Owly Rating
6/20
I was quite upset with Bunn’s lack of transparency on chemicals, plastics and materials on this model. I did a thorough research to find out more, and, as a regular shopper, I was not able to find any information. Not even whether plastic included in Bunn MCU coffee maker is BPA free.
I found it extremely difficult to find any information on health and safety of the product. I’ve read through the user care manual, done tons of research, and I was not able to find some official statements from Bunn.
Bunn has published a page dedicated to commercial products safety (http://www.bunn.com/commercial-support/resource-center/proposition-65), which specifies whether a product contains BPA. I was not able to find a similar website for home products, which include Bunn’s MCU.
I was not able to find information whether MCU includes chemicals such as lead, or whether MCU is BPA-free.
Despite this, MCU is UNFORTUNATELY primarily plastic. Whether it is BPA-free or not, this plastic comes into direct contact with scorching hot water. As you may know by now, I am personally very concerned about using products in which boiling water touches plastic.
The BPA-free status is helpful to know, but it typically does not guarantee that there are no other potentially dangerous substitutes used in the production process.
Reports show that many manufacturers replace BPA with other types of plastic. These types include but are not limited to BHPF (fluorene-9-bisphenol), TPP (triphenyl phosphate), and bisphenol S (BPS). The exact health effects of the BPA substitutes, such as BHPF, TPP and BPS, are unknown at this point.
Again, I am not able to verify as I have not been able to find any official statements from Bunn on materials or chemicals used by Bunn in the manufacturing process.
→ Price to value: is Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker worth the money?
Owly Rating
19/20
Bunn MCU coffee maker is just a bit tad more expensive than Cuisinart’s SS 10, but less expensive than K-Elite. Though the feature set is not as robust, Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker is a very high performer. It brews delicious, hot coffee in very little time. In my opinion, price-to-value is among the extraordinary ones!
Depending on the store, Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker typically sells in the $$$ price range (that should be between $100 and $150). This unit has some pretty amazing features. Most importantly, coffee flavors are much more superior to those of other k cup coffee makers. While $130 can be a big investment, I see the price-to-value ratio to be extraordinary. It is my firm belief that with its strong performance and absolutely delicious coffee, Bunn MCU coffee maker is the best k cup coffee maker of its kind.
I would love Bunn to fix the plastic from which the drawers are made. The less contact with plastic, the better!
Should I buy Bunn MCU single cup coffee maker? Owly’s verdict! 🔨
Bunn MCU coffee maker is among the best k-cup coffee makers. It’s a great option for those who value simplicity and very strong performance. Though with less robust features than its Keurig sisters and brothers, Bunn MCU single cup offers not just a very smart design, but quite an impressive performance.
Do you like your Bunn MCU coffee maker? Let us know in the comments!
This should be your #1 rated k-cup brewer as it’s the only one that actually brews at the correct temperature. Coffee quality should be the first and by far most important criteria with these and this brews a better cup then any of the other machines. Shame it’s been discontinued, there are no k-cup brewrs left that are worth buying.