Mcilpoog WS-203 Super-automatic Espresso Coffee Machine With Smart Touch Screen For Brewing 16 Coffee Drinks

2025 Update: Four years and nearly 4,500 drinks later, this coffee maker continues to impress. Routine easy-to-perform maintenance is all it takes. We absolutely LOVE this Mcilpoog coffee (espresso) maker! IMO, for under $1,000 there isn't a better unit available. The machine has been a delight, handling over 1,200 coffee drinks flawlessly in the two years we’ve owned it. The Mcilpoog, despite its ridiculous name, boasts an excellent design, ease of use, and super reliable operation. It quickly heats up and self-rinses at startup (and also during shutdown, which is a nice feature) and has a user-friendly, nice-to-look-at touch-screen. The machine's customization options are impressive. All drink settings are adjustable, and you can even tweak them on-the-fly. The milk attachment works perfectly, and not having an internal milk reservoir is a big plus (instead, you just drop the milk line tube directly into your milk container) and makes cleanup and maintenance much easier. Mcilpoog's tech support has been exceptional, even creating demonstration videos for my technical queries (e.g. how to clean the grinder with Grindz, although I haven’t had the need to do so yet). And the most important thing: it makes great coffee! Despite having 16 different options (if I remember correctly) it really only does five things: espresso, americano, milk-based drinks (like cappuccino and latte), hot water and hot milk. All are rendered beautifully, especially the espresso that is as good as you’ll find anywhere. My guests, including those with high-end commercial machines, have praised the espresso. There are a few areas for improvement. The machine could benefit from a confirmation step (at least as a selectable setup option) before starting a drink, as it currently begins making it immediately after selection. This quick start leaves a tiny window for adjusting the default settings (in particular, the coffee strength, since the grinder starts immediately) and if you accidentally press the wrong selection, it cannot be changed-- only cancelled. Which is a bit nerve-wracking. Changing from strong to weak, for example, leaves you only a few seconds at most. Additionally, the ability to change the order of espresso, milk, and water in drinks would be nice. Lastly, smart features and firmware updating capabilities would elevate it to the level of a leading edge appliance. Bottom line: It's a beautifully-engineered machine (with silly name) that makes fantastic coffee and has exceeded our expectations having proven to be 100% reliable during two years of daily use. Edit: 09/03/2024 This coffee machine continues to operate flawlessly after dispensing over 3,200 drinks and counting. Frankly, at this point if the machine died tomorrow I would consider it to have been a good investment and would buy another to replace it. But since it hasn't misbehaved at all, not leaking or doing anything weird, I wouldn't be surprised if it goes for another 3,000+ drinks. EDIT: 11/27/2023 I noticed several negative reviews complaining about the machine, esp the milk frothing system, not working after a while. I've never experienced any trouble, but that may be because I'm careful to clean it regularly. I do a manual rinse 2x after making any milk drinks. Every time. No exceptions. And then the machine does a third more thorough rinse during its normal shutdown procedure. This keeps the frother and the tube free of any dried milk, which I suppose would clog it up after a while. The reason to do this religiously is that once any milk dries inside it's going to be very difficult to get it off. I also rinse the removable base tray and grounds collector daily; and thoroughly clean and dry the removable coffee cartridge thing weekly. I have a feeling that people having trouble aren't treating the machine with the required care. So if you do decide to buy this machine, take my advice and clean it regularly and thoroughly. You'll be glad you did. P.S. I added a photo of the quick rinse screen.

I've had this machine since March, 2022. I've used it every day at least once since. There are many options for pre-set drinks and a menu that lets you adjust the pre-set drinks to be able to customize them as you desire. The frother works well, but you'll need dedicated container to use for the milk that you take in and out of the refrigerator, unless you want to use a cup every time and toss what's left. In all, you really get what you pay for. The flavor is OK, the grinder works well, but... We've got issues. A list of the issues I've noticed: - Milk frother constantly needs to be cleaned with no way to skip it if you didn't use it when turning the machine on and off. - Milk frother tube absolutely needs to be cleaned IF you use it, or will grow mold almost immediately. - No matter what setting I set, the "audible" tone will not turn off. - To clean the machine, you need to open the front face. This is very difficult and you need to lift up the machine to pull the face and tray out. - Cleaning out the discarded ground bucket earlier than it tells you to doesn't seem to reset the count on it being full or not. It'll still tell you to clean it out even if its not full. - The inside of the machine somehow is always leaking water into the drip tray. I keep a cup undernearth the outlet at all times, yet the tray still fills up with water gradually. This leads to MOLD. The used grounds are constantly growing mold. The inside near the waste container has grounds scattered around outside the bin which also constantly grows mold. - The side opens and the brewing mechanism comes out so you can rinse it. However, you can't clean any further inside and grounds are slowly making their way into the inside where the gears seem to be. My machine no SQUEAKS every time it moves the coffee puck into and out of position for brewing and discarding. - The software is very lacking. As mentioned above, changing some settings, such as the audible alarms to on or off, doesn't seem to have any effect whatsoever. The only thing that seems to work is changing the volume of the liquid or milk frothing time. All in all, I'd say look elsewhere. This machine isn't all that much cheaper than other options and is probably not going to last nearly as long as others. The little things that were small annoyances at first have made me want to look for a better machine already after using it for only a few months.

I've been using this nearly every day since I got it. The ability to customize drinks on the fly is exceptional, and so far it has consistently provided a quality cup for me. Excellent crema, fantastic flat whites, even does a pretty decent job with tea lattes. I believe that the one that I got was returned, as it had statistics on it already and needed to have the milk tube cleaned. I can't figure out why it was returned, and I can't figure out how it wasn't spotless. For an espresso machine, it's very quiet. Maintenance is a breeze. If you want my advice for lowering the amount of times that you have to clean out the water tray? Dedicate a mug to catching the water when you clean the milk steamer and the espresso dispensers. I only have to clean it out when the pucks fill up their tray, and cleaning only takes a few minutes at most if you want to be thorough. Honestly, the longest part is taking the pucks to the trash can. It automatically shuts off and runs a clean cycle if you leave it idle too long. Its footprint is entirely reasonable. It's very easy to get the hang of after two drinks. It's possibly the easiest espresso machine to clean. I reckon that at my pace, it will pay for itself well before the year is done. I've used cheap espresso makers and commercial grade ones, and while this does fall short of the highest end ones that weigh a ton and make hundreds of cups of espresso in an hour, for the average user it will easily beat waiting in line for a latte. So if you're hesitating? Get it. I suggest a mug to catch water with to lower the amount of times that you need to empty the water tray, and a dedicated glass of water to stick the milk tube in when you're not making drinks. Run the milk steamer clean cycle after every use (easy if you have that dedicated glass). This thing is seriously, without a doubt, awesome. An absolute necessity if you work from home and/or work long hours. EDIT: This is a follow-up written at the end of March, a little over a month after the review. In addition to exceeding my expectations, I have done a proper maintenance clean on it which did not take very long. I recommend scrubbing the tray with soap and water. I can also confirm that if you make iced lattes with espresso pulled from this machine, it will blow iced lattes from your typical chain coffee shops out of the water. The crema remains very thick. By my calculations, at my current rate of consumption it will pay for itself by May. Seriously, well worth it. I use it for tea lattes, iced lattes, cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, ramen, hot cocoa, and coffee. The utility is excellent. EDIT 2: I ran into my first "issue", so I decided to swing by here to let everyone know the solution in case you run into it. I got some VERY oily dark roast beans, far oilier than my usual selection. To my surprise after a few cups, it said "add beans". It clearly did not need more. I shut it off completely, turned it on, same error. I tried filling it completely. Same error. The solution was to take a coffee stirrer and prod around to move the beans. I'm guessing that since they're so oily it's a bit of a challenge for the hopper to detect the beans. If you run into this error, try stirring the beans around (all the way down at the bottom, so I recommend a coffee stirrer or straw) to see if it fixes it. Some of the pieces are creaking a little from all of the use, so I'm sure if I lubricated some of the joints it'd sound better. By now, it absolutely has paid for itself so I'm happy with it. I can't imagine going back to not having this.

The decision to move from Nespresso pods to a demand grind auto system was probably one of my better decisions. Another good decision was to purchase the WS-203. Not the most expensive solution out there by a long shot, but has proven itself to be right up to the challenge! For aesthetics, the machine looks great just sitting on the counter -and the digital touch screen display will impress any tech junkie! Have owned my McIlpoog for nearly 3 years now and it has produced multiple lattes every day with absolute reliability. Had 1 internal problem with the frother in the first year that was immediately corrected by the manufacturer in a most pleasant and prompt manner. Since then it just keeps on churning out cup after cup! Some of the things I have learned are really just common sense items. Like any complicated device, you need to take care of it! I cannot stress too much the benefit of keeping the machine clean at all times -and especially the milk system. Some say they think it's too much work, but it's really not that bad at all! The auto clean cycle when it shuts down is great, but I have always preferred to run an additional frother pre-cycle whenever milk is used just to be absolutely certain the delivery remains perfectly clear. It seems to have paid off with remarkable reliability. I do prefer to use a separate capture container to prevent direct discharge to the drip tray. Tends to reduce the need to empty the tray as much (a precise balancing act when full as I carefully tiptoe to the nearest sink) but keeps it cleaner without the debris. Really like having an external milk source that can be kept in the refrigerator between uses to prevent spoilage. Also minimizes cleanup with just a suction tube! If I were to complain about anything it would only be that I personally like a very hot beverage, thus when I add the cold milk it does reduce the serving temperature. I noted one user solved that concern by slipping the cup into the microwave for 20 seconds. Works for me! In short, I feel the overall value return on this machine in my experience has been exceptional. I will continue to provide regular 'deep cleaning' of the internal parts along with scheduled de-scaling and trust my machine will continue to make our mornings so enjoyable. Bottom Line: -a definite BUY Happily caffeinated in Florida!

Over a year update - this machine is still churning out the same shots of espresso as day one. More than paid for itself in less than a year, this has been a great purchase. I have used an assortment of beans and pre-ground decaf with zero issues. I use this machine over 5 times a day plus with no signs of issues. Regularly go through cleaning cycles. I e even threw parts in the dishwasher with no issues - but only top rack. 8 month update - still no issues - producing great drinks. Best investment for making espresso - and glad I replaced this with my older Phillips. Paid for itself in less than a year and more. I use Lavazza beans - and I switch back and forth between their Super Crema and Espresso Italia - the Espresso Italia runs about 11.99 for a two pound bag - and the Super Crema is about 20.00 here on Amazon. Also, try the Mcilpoog beans as well - while I didn’t personally like the roast, they all made a good cup of coffee. Don’t use cheap beans. 6 Month Update - Still going strong, great purchase! Will update after more use for longevity quality* I’m extremely impressed by this machine. Expectations were a little low for the features at the price, but I have to say this so far is a hidden gem. I made several different drinks, and am toying with the machine to get my presences set right. Pros: -Perfect pulled espresso -Adjustable strength of coffee flavor - Great froth - Americano / Coffee taste great Cons: -Temperature of Milk-Based Drinks depending on preference (i.e., your cappuccino may not be hot enough for your preference -water tank is smaller -loud - but should be expected from an automatic coffee / espresso maker -drink preference is saved from last drink, so you will need to change it each time if making it for someone else. So far, I have made about 10 of the 16 available drink options - some I will never likely use (I.e., coffee pot). All of them have turned out better than barista mill (ie Pete's, Starbucks) stores, each time. The Cappuccino wasn’t as hot as I would want it - but came out perfect otherwise. I don’t like scolding hot milk, but I felt personally it was a little cool. I am pulling milk straight out the fridge, so letting it sit at room temperature for a little bit can probably fix that. For $750.00, this machine will pay for itself. I don’t drink ice lattes, but they would turn out better most likely for sure. It’s big, which I knew it would be. Lots of plastic parts, which is why I will update for longevity. Well built - this performs as well as any other expensive automatic coffee maker. It cleans a lot - you will need a mug or will need to clean the drip pan often. Easy to clean - but some may find it a pain. I wish there was an app for phone connectivity instead of using the machine’s internal settings. The OS layout is fine, but the process to change drink settings seems like a chore if you intend on making drinks at different preferences. This is better than previous nespressos or Phillips Machines I have used, with more functionality. The frothing tube - make sure you clean it after use. I use their quick clean setting and a cup of hot water - no issues. I think you will find this worth your investment. If you like high quality coffee, and wish to make it in the comfort of your home, this machine is for you.

I liked the ease of use and the features. Coffee was pretty good. Temperature could be hotter. Cleaning was good. However, within two years it started to leak. After that, power glitches started to pop our circuit breaker. Cannot recommend a product that lasts less than 2 years. Customer service has been non responsive. This has been a pretty bad experience.

The first machine I received had issues with milk frother, did not produce the froth, so I reordered another. After changing the milk brother the latte produced was shown in the video above - no customization was made. But, the latte produced was not as advertised. (Layer of milk foam, coffee and milk) cannot be seen in this transparent cup. My old 250 dollars semi-automatic coffee machine makes better latte than this other than the foam is slightly more smooth from this machine. It may have variety of coffee but produces almost all little more than the size of an espresso. Yes, you can customize the volume of drink but at the cost of temperature as you select more time of milk / froth the drink will be cooler, also diluting the flavor. I feel bad to the manufacturer to return this. Hope not all machine is like this as I have also seen picture from other reviewer with 3 layers of latte. Disclaimer: this is my personal experience and cannot guarantee how other machine from this manufacture produces.

Mixed feelings on machine. Took a chance on an unknown brand with no feedback to give me more info to use. It is easy to use, turn on and select what to coffee to make etc. The machine self cleans at onset and off cycles, the water tray is shallow and needs to be spilled out each time or at very least everyday (depending on use) we drink a lot of coffee so we rinse/spill out several times a day. The puck container is always soggy with water. Idk how bc no holes in it to even get water so must come from machine itself not tray? Makes for dunking pucks a longer job then simply into trash, u must scoop out wet grinds into trash then rinse out sludge off container each time. Making my ideal dumping into compost not a choice. Machine is a bit loud for grinding also, and the water tank is tiny. Last complaint is when out of water or coffee or whatever the machine alarms and beeps until u fill it back up. So if u suddenly do not have a bag to refill coffee with u must shut machine off manually to stop the very high alarm sound. Same with purified water. We buy by the gallon and store in garage. I recommend using vs tap bc the machine stays clean then. And that is 1 thing everyone should do in any coffee machine to prevent calcification or sediment build up.