Mr. Coffee BVMC-FM1 20-Ounce Frappe Maker
Posted July 21, 2010
By Calvin
- Frappe maker brews and blends at the touch of a button
- Cross between a coffee machine and a blender
- Removable brew basket; “pulse” button for control over consistency
- 20-ounce dishwasher-safe blending jar; small footprint
- Measures 10 by 5-1/2 by 15-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty
Product Description
Go ahead, indulge. These thick, tasty drinks will perk you up, ravish your sweet tooth, and whip your taste buds into a frenzy. They can even be made with decaf for those who prefer the taste without the jitter. A Frappe is really any sort of icy, blended drink. It’s usually made with coffee, but there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the ingredients. A Frappe can be wildly imaginative, wonderfully exotic, thoroughly classic, or somewhere in between…. More >>
Mr. Coffee BVMC-FM1 20-Ounce Frappe Maker
this thing is great it tastes like starbucs but what i don’t understand is why the coffee is heated up b4 it dripps into the container it’s a HUGE design flaw because it melts all the ice you put in the thing and then whips it up so i get wet frappees when i like something thicker
maby i gotta add less water or less milk
i just got it yesterday so i gotta fine tune it
Rating: 2 / 5
I thought this machine would be a godsend as I was spending a fortune at starbucks so i was thrilled,after dropping hints, to receive one for my birthday.
I read thru the set up instructions and waited with baited breath. My better half had even built a special shelf for it as i did not want it taking up any of my precious counter top space. I loaded it with ingredients and turned it on .
How quiet it was, for the first few minutes barely a sound. THEN! OMG!! the blending cycle kicked in, it sounded like a lawn mower with several rocks caught up in it and what was that terrible high pitched screaming ???
I have blenders that are ice crushers so i know what that sound is, but this thing was twice the volume of my cuisinart blender. The high pitched screaming was Simone my Lhasa apso who is absolutely petrified by the sound of this machine, Her hang out spot in the kitchen is next to the washing machine so she is not adverse to appliance noise or vibration and I thought maybe with time she would acclimate but no she was having none of it .I have to say it made me jump out of my skin a couple of times when it switched to the second cycle also.
Now back to the results it did an OK job , but its a pity half of it gets sprayed around onto the machine and anything else surrounding it. After mopping up I served up the concoction which was delicious Kind of an annoying amount not quite enough for two servings but delicious never the less. I gave Simone a mild sedative and threw away several coffee soaked rags. I read through the instructions again assuming it must have been a stupid error on my part.
.Episode 2 produced similar results and a very perturbed canine,then I had an epiphany,I decided to move the machine to our ground floor cloakroom to avoid the shank eye simone had been throwing my way all day, I also draped tea towels over the machine so it could not spray out this time . I set it up next to the sink and plugged it in. For some reason that cloakroom has very good soundproofing,for which I’m sure my pet was eternally grateful . I turned it on and closed the door and went about some other tasks before remembering that I should go back and see if third time was a charm.
I could not believe my eyes, the machine lay on its side in the sink the jug empty on the floor the mirror, the sink,the vanity , the walls – all four , the sets of hand towels the beautiful designer rug and the benchseat and the two tea towels i had used as a splash guard all saturated with frappa mix!!!!!! one hours cleanup later and with not a dissenting voice in the house we decided it had outstayed its welcome and it was promptly returned to Walmart. i did in fact try it several more times and although we had no more roll overs it still sprayed out way to much . A poorly constructed machine not sufficiently weighted to balance the ice crushing process, poorly designed jug, etc etc. as someone else already said use your blender instead.Very disappointing, not recommended unless you are a hard of hearing heir to a papertowel fortune!!!Simone gave it zero paws and has taken out a restraining order against this model.
Rating: 1 / 5
Maybe I got a bad one but after a few weeks, I got so angry with this thing that I tossed it in the trash. We used it with flavored coffee and a bit of French Vanilla coffee mate. We had a sugary mess almost every time as the once it started blending, it would come out of the top of the blender.
I finally realized that the safety that was to keep it from running, the one that ensures the lid is good and tight, did not work correctly. You also have to measure accurately or it will spin out of the hole in the middle of the top even if you do have everything right. The teens in the house were always making a mess!
Rating: 1 / 5
Remember the so-called “golden age” of housewares? Whether a no-mess egg-yolk separator or a frappé maker, back in the 90’s we had lots of offerings in the kitchen for “revolutionary” stuff…that never delivered. Well, here we are in 2010, recession and all, and you know what? No one had $ for $#!% that doesn’t work!
Today I have great faith in new product releases – Amazon Vine makes my faith painless as well, I do admit
– and this product is great: put good stuff in and a great drink comes out. Easy to work, easy to clean.
I visit Starbucks and their ilk very infrequently; I order fancy frozen liquor-rich coffee-based drinks at bars even less frequently. This machine pays for itself – and I’d say that even if had had to pay for it myself – for those in this reality: buy the very best of what you love and make it, for yourself, at home. Don’t forget to tip richly.
Rating: 5 / 5
Mr. Coffee BVMC-FM1 20-Ounce Frappe Maker is an attractively styled and functional machine. It seems to be well built and works as expected. I like this Frappe Maker.
INITIAL SETUP:
The assembly is very easy. The machine consists of two main parts: The coffeemaker and the blender. All blender parts have a locking feature, and the blender cup locks to the base of the machine, so the whole setup feels very solid.
TEST:
The machine came with a book of recipes that seem to be easy to make. I tried the Classic Mocha Frappe because my favorite Starbucks drink is Mocha Frapuccino. The instructions were easy to follow:
1. Put a coffee filter, coffee and water into the coffeemaker,
2. Put ice, sugar, chocolate syrup, and milk into the blender.
3. Lock the blender cup onto the coffeemaker base and press “frappe” button.
The whole process took no more than 5 minutes.
CONCLUSION
THE GOOD:
* Easy setup
* Solid feel
* Easy operation
* I enjoyed the taste of the drink I made.
* Cleanup was easy
THE NOT SO GOOD:
* The drink was significantly more liquid than Starbucks’s. You would not mistake one for another.
* The machine left a few pea-sized pieces of ice in the drink.
* 4-5 drops came out of the blender and splattered on the counter. This was a surprise because I followed fill limits and the recipe exactly.
Mr. Coffee BVMC-FM1 20-Ounce Frappe Maker is a nice machine, and, if operated correctly, it is capable of producing a variety of quality frappes. It is easy and fun to use, and is a cheaper alternative to going to Starbucks. However, this appliance does not do anything you could not do if you already own a coffeemaker and a blender, and if you have limited counter space. I also thought that the process was a bit wasteful: the recipe asked for 3 table spoons of ground coffee and a 1/2 cup of water. I am not sure if the machine can efficiently extract all flavor out of that amount of coffee with so little water.
Rating: 4 / 5