Customer Reviews

Mr. Coffee HCLF Café Motion Hot Beverage Maker

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am completely pleased with mine. I had no problems with it whatsoever. It made a perfect cup of hot chocolate. I can see that it could be possible for the lid to seep if you make a full pot, but I never make more than two cups at a time, so not a problem with me.

It blended the ingredients (powdered cocoa and milk) perfectly with no lumps and put a little bit of froth on the top, just as I like it. It beats the heck out of a microwave or stove-top and stick blender with ten times less mess and clean-up.

I did not find any of the claims deceptive. It is a twist timer. The longer it runs, the hotter it gets. I never expected it to keep a pot of hot chocolate hot. For $28 it is a bargain that works.

This just showed up tonight and I am very disappointed with the product. For my birthday, I had received a Back-to-Basics Cocoa Latte machine, but we had problems with the beater on multiple machines, so we settled on the Mr. Coffee HCLF. It seemed to have everything the Cocoa Latte had except the dispenser spout.

Well, it's not what it appeared to be. Here are the issues I have with this machine:

"Easy Lock Lid twists and locks into place for pouring ease": The lid does lock into place for pouring, but it just sits on the top when "closed". Also, it doesn't close tightly, creating a gap at the pour spout. When you turn the machine on and it starts to blend and froth, the liquid seeps out of the top.

Before addressing the other two issues, I want to discuss how this machine heats . On the front is an on/off timer (like a standard kitchen time) that you can set infinitely from 1 cup to 4 cups. The machine runs so long as the timer is ticking, when the timer reaches "off" the machine shuts off.

"Auto Shut-Off turns your hot beverage maker off after the cycle is complete": Because of the way other hot chocolate makers work, I assumed that this feature gauges the temperature of your drink and turns off when it gets to the right temperature. This is sadly not the case. By "cycle" they just mean where you set the timer and by "auto shut-off" they just mean when the timer reaches "off" the machine turns off.

"Time to Heat Dial allows you to personalize your beverage experience", or as the actual Mr. Coffee website says, "Multiple heat settings to control the temperature of your drink": Now wouldn't you assume this means you can tell the machine, "Heat my drink to 110 degrees," or "Heat my drink to 150 degrees," and so on? No, it just means if you set the timer to 1 cup, it doesn't run as long as if you set the timer to 4 cups.

Another problem is that it doesn't mix very well. I just finished my cup of hot chocolate and there is lots of cocoa mix in the bottom (even more than when I mix it by hand).

I will admit, the timer heating feature isn't bad, it's just not what the marketing says it is. If I found the machine in a thrift store, with no packaging, I would think the timer heating feature was just fine, but with the marketing, I was sorely disappointed in the actual product.

Overall, I expect a quality product from Mr. Coffee, and this is not that.

I have used this hot chocolate maker for several months now after being ordered not to drink coffee. This is very easy to use. I fill my cup with milk, pour it in the maker, then add the powdered coccoa mix. Turning the dial half way makes a hot cup of hot chocolate two minutes after I start. Clean up is important. I purchased a wide brush and a pointed brush from Wal Mart. I follow them with a sponge and two minutes of work, immediately after pouring my cup easily cleans up. A good buy for the money.

After reading some reviews, I decided that for $20 + tax, this would be a fun investment for my office at work. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but do love a frothy cup of hot cocoa.

I have had this in my office for two weeks now and have had good luck with it. Let's face it, it's an incredibly simple machine!!

So far, my favorite has been Hershey's Cacao Reserve Mayan blend Drinking cocoa. It's the adult version of your childhood indulgent hot cocoa. Even made with water it is rich and seductive. The Cafe Motion Hot Beverage Maker does a very good job of mixing and frothing.... if you follow the directions, by putting liquid in first, then putting mixes in the liquid. If you do it the other way around, then you'll never fully mix the two and most of the powder will remain on the bottom.
It is exceptionally easy to clean, but if the pot is empty and you don't intend to clean it right away, it wouldn't hurt to add some water until you get to it.

That's just my two cents.

Santa brought this fun little appliance for my 8 year old daughter that likes to drink hot chocolate nearly every day. This thing is pretty quiet, very easy to use, and clean-up is very simple. It seems to make even the less expensive powdered hot chocolate taste better. We had company for the holidays and everyone loved using it and having a nice cup of hot chocolate. I recommend rinsing the pitcher out soon after use as that makes clean-up very simple. Santa is very happy with his find!

We love hot (mint) chocolate especially during the fall and wintertime, it is comforting and relaxing. Not looking for a top of the line hot chocolate maker, I decided to try this one. So far, we are using this since last year and we do love it. It even gives you a little froth on top.

- Simple & easy to use
- Smoking hot but not too scalding hot. Just the right temperature so you can enjoy your hot chocolate right away.
- Inexpensive
- For us, 4 cups is just the right size.
- It is not noisy at all.
- Auto time off using a simple twist timer
- Easy cleaning.

Love this product! I'm a flight attendant that flies to Italy, weekly, and wanted to buy a similar product overseas. One of the problems was the cost, and secondly was the number of cups. Cafe Motion makes many cups of cappucino with with instant coffee without the mess of cleaning the espresso machine. But, if you'd like, you can buy a stovetop espresso maker. Otherwise, the timer and froth make this a hit with all of my friends.

I purchased my hot beverage maker over a year ago and use it every morning. I have never had any problems with it. I did have to take out the little frothing pin at the bottom because it created too much froth. Without it, 16 oz of milk gets a tiny bit of foam - just the perfect amount. I also love it because it has saved me a ton of money from buying my chai tea lattes from the coffee store each morning!

I love this item. It is perfect for making a chai latte, which I drink every single day. Be aware. Never submerse the item in water when cleaning it. It will stop working. That's I why I had to buy a new one. The last one I had was great for a whole two years, until my husband decided to be nice and wash it for me, in a sink full of water.

I like this product. It blended my hot chocolate well, I even added a piece of Candy Cane for a mint flavor which it dissolved and blended quite fine. I wish it had a heat control, it does come out hot even when reducing the time. I added some milk to cool it a bit. It has a little froth, would like more. We tried both milk and hot water, worked well. It beats heating up liquid on the stove or microwave. Good price for the product.