I purchased this Bunn My Café MCU brewer to replace my problematic Keurig B70 machine, and I am very pleased with it here on day one. I felt the same way with my B70 when I got it, however, after a few months, and ongoing failures, those machines have been nothing but problems. As this was a replacement for my Keurig machine, I will be comparing this new Bunn My Café MCU machine to the old Keurig.

First, everyone hates instruction manuals, but take the time to read the first few pages. It will only take a few minutes, and it makes it easier to understand which drawer works with the different formats.

Out of the box, this brewer is a bit different as it uses drawers for the different coffee brewing formats. It can use K-Cups, pods, tea bags, and ground coffee. The different drawers provide that functionality. On page 4 of my manual, it shows a picture of each drawer, and their purpose. It can also provide hot water to mix with hot chocolate or oatmeal in the morning.

The Bunn My Café MCU does not have all the bells and whistles that the Keurig machine has. While I would appreciate having some of those features, I would rather have a machine that actually works and isn't always broken. The features the Bunn My Café MCU does NOT have are:

No storage reservoir. Like the B70, it has the internal tank, so brewing a cup is quick. However, you need to pour in the desired amount of water into the top each time you make a cup of coffee. The amount you pour in will control how much is pumped out.

There is no automatic on/off time. The unit is always on, but automatically sets back after six (6) hours of no use. After twenty-six (26) hours of no use, it goes to sleep. Later when you go to use it, it automatically wakes up, and returns to normal temperature.

The internal water temperature is set to 200°F. The only adjustment is for high altitudes above 4000 feet.

The Bunn My Café MCU requires an initial setup before you can brew your coffee. The brewer has an internal hot water tank that needs filled. They provide step by step instructions on page 3. You will need to add a few cups of water overall to get it filled. Once filled, it will begin to heat the water in the tank. This takes a few minutes, and the brew button turns a solid red. Red usually means problems, but now, it is just heating the water for the first time. Once heated, it will turn green, and it is ready to go.

Some notes:

The Bunn My Café MCU brewer makes a bit more noise compared with the B70 when brewing, but nothing objectionable.

The drawer for the K-Cups is easy to use. Inside, it has a handle that you may want to pull towards you. I have found that it works best if pulled more straight up first.

Unlike the B70, you can also use soft pods and tea bags. The ground coffee drawer is also nicer to use compared with the older basket I used in the B70.

This machine is probably only 2/3rd's the size of the Keurig. Overall, it is a nice size on the counter.

One feature the Bunn My Café MCU has that the B70 does not is a Pulse mode. This brews at a slower speed to extract a stronger, bolder flavor from the coffee or tea. I used this feature with one of my Columbian K-cups, and the coffee actually has a better, smoother flavor.

As for the warranty, the Bunn My Café MCU has a two (2) year warranty, compared with the B70's one year warranty. I have used Bunn commercial systems in restaurants for years, and they have been one of the most reliable appliances. I am hoping that same dedication to quality will exist in this home use machine too. As time goes on, I will update this review if I have any issues with this new Bunn My Café MCU brewer.

As a side note. This unit has been on back order from Amazon for some time now. I found it locally, and purchased it from a local retailer.

Update December 2012

After a month or so, I have had no problems with the Bunn. The only feature I have missed is that the Bunn does not have a water reservoir. Also, my tall 7½" insulated travel mugs do not fit in it for brewing. The largest mug that you can put in when using the K-Cup drawer is about 4 3/4" with the drip tray. Pull out the drip tray, and you can get a 6" mug in. If you use some of the other optional drawers, like the hot water one, you can get a slightly larger mug in. Right now, I have a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup that sits with the coffee maker that I use to fill it. And when I need my travel mugs, I just brew into that cup and pour it into the mug. However, in no way would these missing features make me go back to the Keurig. I works every time, and heats hotter and faster.

Since my initial review, I have used the drawer for ground coffee. I purchased a new bag of Starbucks Sumatra beans, grind them myself as needed, and works well. It took a few tries to get the perfect setting in my Burr grinder to get it just the way I like it. I like my coffee dark and strong. I ground it a bit finer compared to what you normally get in pre-ground coffee. I did that too with the Keurig when I first got it. Bought the extra do it yourself pod for the Keurig, but could never get anything really good out of it. I'm guessing it's just because the Keurig does not get as hot as the Bunn machine.

It's only been a month or so since I got the Bunn, but so far, no disappointments, and very satisfied!

Update January 2016

Since folks are still looking at this machine, I though I should post an update. It's still going strong! I've had no issues, and no regrets with this purchase. I brew several cups every day, seven days a week. The only thing missing that I would like to see in a future model, is a reservoir. However, I'm fine without it. This machine just works and there is no way I would ever consider going back to a Keurig machine.

Just picked this up two weeks ago and I love it. Have had four single cup coffee makers in the past: two Keurigs, one Hamilton Beach, and one Tassimo. This one is the best by far. The Tassimo was good but the coffee pods were very limited in terms of brands. The Hamilton Beach made very weak coffee. The two Keurigs were absolutely horrible. Neither made it more than a year due to pump failure. So far the Bunn MCU has been the best ever. It gives you complete control over the brewing process, from the type of coffee and tea to the amount of water you use. Pods, loose tea, tea bags, K-cups or ground coffee can be brewed in the unit. The amount of ground coffee can be determined by the user and coffee grounds are easily removed from the container by tapping the side of the container cup before emptying it out. Very easy to fill the coffee container as the top will stay open while you scoop the coffee in. Design of the machine is centered on giving the user total control over the brewing process. As long as the pump lasts it will be a big winner.

Just an update: coffee maker started to short cup my drinks. I use 8 ounces per cup and it was only brewing about 5 or 6 ounces. Water would then spill out of the coffee drawer when I removed it. Thought it was a pump issue like with the Keurigs. Called Bunn customer service. They were very professional and courteous. They diagnosed the problem as a dirty valve and sent me a link to a video showing how to clean it. After doing so machine works perfectly again. Keeping my rating at 5 stars for the machine and an additional 5 stars for the customer service. If you need the video link go to youtube and search for a video with this title: MCP Check Valve Cleaning

I did my homework and researched all of the single cup brewers. After spending a lot of time reading, I decided what I really wanted was the My Cafe MCU. Had to wait for the release, but pre-ordered it on Amazon. So very glad that I waited, it was well worth it. Bunn sent 4 sample pods with the coffee and I found that if you used the pulse option with the brew that they make a good 14 oz. cup of coffee. I also have used my own ground coffee and, I don't know how Bunn did it, but the bitterness that was in the coffee when I used my multi-cup coffee maker was gone. I don't know if I'll be using the K-Cups, they're very pricey and I don't really need them, maybe for a party, but right now I'm happy with the pods and ground coffee.

I was used to having a larger cup of coffee in the morning and I thought that only being able to brew 14 oz. was going to mean that I would have to brew a second cup, but it was more than enough. As I sat with coffee and took the last sip, I realized that this was the first time in a long time that I had actually finished my morning coffee. If I wanted, it would only take a minute or so to have another fresh cup.

The only down side that I see, is that I now need a shorter travel mug. When using the ground coffee attachment, the clearance is only about 7" and that's a lot shorter than the travel mugs I have now. That being said, I love the My Cafe MCU.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely, I recommend this to anyone who loves a GREAT cup of coffee!

UPDATE: Found this on Amazon: Contigo Autoseal Randolph Stainless Steel Travel Mug Vacuum Insulated, 16-Ounce and it works perfectly with the My Cafe MCU!