Mr. Espresso

I called Mr. Espresso to purchase a $ 2500 espresso machine they carry. I was told their sales people were out, so I left a message. When my call was not returned, I phoned back again and their sales people were not in. It has been almost a week and still no call.
It seems their retail side of the business is poorly managed

Your journey ends here with wonderful coffee, premium machines (commercial and residential) and a friendly and knowledgeable staff all guided along by the owner Carlo de Ruocco, a wonderful and fascinating man. Make the effort to schedule some time with Carlo before you stop by. Google Carlo and read about his history and his passion for perfect coffee. He knows more about coffee than anyone I have ever met.
You can absolutely trust him to guide you to the best machine for your needs. Absolutely. Take time to
understand the nuances of brewing the perfect cup of espresso and you will be rewarded for decades to come!
I have enjoyed owning an Italian espresso machine I bought from Carlo 25 years ago. It is as beautiful today as the day I took it home AND it makes perfect espresso today just as it did when I bought it. His machines are manufactured in Italy (not China) and are the best available, period!
Ciao

Old school coffee done right

Mulberrys Market in Piedmont began selling bags of Mr. Espresso and using it exclusively in their espresso drinks several months ago. I bought a bag of Breakfast Blend a couple of months ago, brought it home and made a cup of drip coffee, and immediately took the bag back for a refund. It was truly, in my opinion, worse than the cheap coffees you’ll typically find at chain restaurants.
The flavor can’t even be masked by chocolate. Last week, my wife and I made the mistake of ordering a couple of mochas there, and neither one of us could drink more than a swallow or two. It wasn’t just not as good as the Peet’s they had been using (not my favorite), it was for both of us, literally, undrinkable.

This is a review of their coffee, not this particular café. I have had Mr Espresso brewed and espresso at various venues, including St Mary’s Garage in SF, Clif Winery in Napa, and others.
I home roast, and drink as much specialty coffee as I can. So here is my opinion:
Mr. Espresso makes a balanced roast. I find many Third Wave coffees to be sour (here’s looking at you, Verve) and unbalanced. I have had heralded coffees such as Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, Heart, etc. pour-​overs and espressos that were borderline undrinkable for my taste. Not all, but many — I’d say coffees from many hardcore Third Wave shops are overdone as often as they are excellent.
This is not to say that all Third Wave coffee is bad; simply that it is a modern style that in my opinion is sometimes/​often overdone. In the name of acidity, balance is often forsaken.
And so, I can say I have yet to experience an undrinkable coffee from Mr Espresso, though his roasts typically display solid varietal/​origin flavor and a balanced sweetness that is clearly many steps above a commercial coffee house such as Sbux or Peet’s. These are often light/​medium-​roast coffees, though I have had excellent lighter-​roast single-​origin expressions of Colombia, Guat, and dry-​process Ethiopia at their shops as well.
If you have had a bad cup of Mr Espresso, it was probably either a fluke or a poorly prepared/​pulled. Or you’re a someone (more than likely a pretentious hipster) who believes any roast flavor in your coffee whatsoever is to be called «scorched».
This is quite good, balanced coffee that is consistently pleasant to drink.

At this past weekend’s Eat Drink SF events, I came across Mr. Espresso beverages for the first time.
I happened to have been fortunate to attend Friday’s (Day 1) industry day.
While in the lobby, I got to chat with Eric, the Quality Control manager at Mr. Espresso. Not only is Eric skilled at making coffee beverages, I could see his passion for making a quality product and listened to him speak about the business itself. The owner seems super cool. You just have to look at the postcards that were on display (on one of them the owner on a Vespa in a 1950’s photo in Naples).
On the last day of the EDSF event (this past Sunday), I ran across Eric again at the espresso bar. He was making coffee drinks and ensuring that each cup was made to order. I bellied up to the bar and asked for an espresso.
Gotta say that Eric made the B-​E-​S-​T espresso cup I’ve ever had. It also had a beautiful schiuma (foam) atop the cup. You can’t ask for more… well you could.

If you think this is good coffee you have no taste. Mr. Espresso supplies a bunch of cafes and restaurants in the area such as Bette’s Oceanview Diner in Berkeley.
The coffee is terrible! Thankfully one other reviewer on here also shares my opinion. They only reason they get away with it and even have market share is they heavily subsidized the equipment cost.
If you want good coffee go to Blue Bottle, or Philz, Four Barrel, or hell just order some Illy online.

Seriously!
Love that Organic Neapolitan Espresso Roast! Thank you!
Long-​time Mr Espresso fan here — first time was at Tartine in SF in 2002 — and I’ve been hooked ever since!
Gotta go to the Berkeley Bowl for the beans!

Ok. I have tried so many beans I could pop. I always ask at a restaurant what beans they use and some how I stumbled on Mr. Espresso. I am impressed. Better flavor and lower cost per pound. Makes great crema. A little bit of a hassle to buy but the staff at their location are terribly accommodating. A true hidden treasure.

I’ve had Mr. Espresso at heaps of Oakland cafes, since it seems to have become the coffee supplier of choice for wee hipster shops, and am not impressed. It’s not awful, but it always tastes scorched, and leaves me wishing I’d gone to a different café. Please, please, wee hipster cafes, pick a different roaster!

I think it’s good coffee. Chez Panisse served it for years until they changed to Blue Bottle several years ago. Cheeseboard still serves it.

Ive run into Mr Espresso in a number of venues now. My recent Americano i had today has finally got me to reviewing them. Good dark roast and a bitterness that is still smooth. Putting them on my list of solid coffee vendors around the bay area

I am shocked at how many people gave Mr. Espresso great ratings. Do you people really know coffee or are you just the Two buck Chucks of coffee? I ask because coffee is very much like wine. It has a region, a season, a way it should be roasted etc. Mr Espresso coffee tastes like burnt coffee. It doesn’t even match up to French Roast which all of us in the industry know is as close to burnt in roasting as possible.
I have been told their service to restaurants is the best but who cares about service if the coffee is bad. My take is anyone who currently services this coffee should switch to a GREAT coffee roaster, and we have so many here in the Bay Area. Some recommendations from a real coffee connoisseur (that’s me) would be:
Taylor Farms Coffee and Tea out of Sebastopol CA
Equator Coffee in the North Bay CA
Phil’s Coffee in Bay Area
Or even my old daily drinking stand by, Peets! PLEASE… do your customers a «flavor» and switch. You will get more business trust me.
And to be fair, I tried reaching out to Luigi Di Ruocco at Mr. Espresso to share my opinion and they black listed me from their email… so here you go Mr. Espresso. Thanks for letting consumers share their opinions without being hostel! He called me ignorant… WOW!

Great quality coffee. Ordered countless 5lbs bags of beans and all of them were fresh and consistent. I’ve tried ALMOST all of their offerings. My personal favorite is hands down the Kenya AA or drip coffee (i enjoy light roast beans) and the neopolitan espresso is just amazing. For a guy that prefers light roast beans, the Organic Bolivia is pretty damn good as well. Customer service is top notch.

Really freaking good coffee. Way to represent Oakland.

Ode to Mr. Espresso
How do I love thee… let me count the ways
1) Your coffee is rich and delicious every time!
2) The smooth smokiness of the oak wood you roast it over gives it a unique and distinctive flavor.
3) You make me want to get up in the morning when I could easily snooze for another 20 minutes.
4) You are local.
5) You are served at a few of my favorite places.
I could go on…
But really, what I really want to know is when are we gonna have a Mr. Espresso Café to eat, drink and be merry? Your true fans are waiting…

For espresso lovers, this guy knows what he’s doing — perfectly pulled espresso from freshly roasted beans. I just wish they sold to consumers in smaller quantities than 5 lbs because I can’t go through that much coffee and keep it fresh — so guess I’ll have to come back to the kiosk when I’m in the Bay Area. Well worth the extra 15 minute drive on my way from Oakland airport to Santa Rosa.

Mr. Espresso is the real deal; real oak roasted coffee beans, real machines, real Italians! Mario (God rest his soul) taught me all about espresso and coffee in general. Carlo (the owner) furthered my education enough to spend $ 5K on a grinder and machine for my office. And a $ 1,200 machine for the house. That was 10 years ago, I’m still using the machines and grinder daily.
Tip: If you love coffee, DON’T CHEAP OUT ON A MACHINE. Go to Carlo and get the real deal! You will be happy for life.

I remember the summer… where I spent the ENTIRE DAY being trained by a Mr. Espresso employee on how to make the perfect cup of latte at the (what used to be) Desiree Café in the Presidio.
The coffee beans were always perfect. This is the summer I learned to love coffee. Some beans are just too dry, others are too strong and potent… but Mr. Espresso beans are always just right. The aroma is fragrant and delicate to the nose, but pleasing all in the same breath!
I highly recommend trying this coffee… if you ever encounter it. Such a hidden secret!

When you think of Mr. Espresso, you’re probably thinking of their coffee beans. These beans are sold primarily to restaurants and cafes, but you can purchase them in 12 oz bags at the Berkeley Bowl. (I haven’t checked this lately, in fact.) I was a big fan of their gold medal and organic Neopolitan espresso blends. The coffee is roasted reasonably lightly (not charred in other words) over oak wood. You don’t get the burned quality that people complain about when the «full city roast» backfires at *$ and sometimes at Peet’s. However, you do get some smokiness from the oak wood. Some people like this added flavor component (I do), but you can get tired of it even if you like it at first. When I bought beans at Graffeo (in Beverly Hills), the counter guy made fun of me when I told him that I was buying my espresso from Mr. Espresso.
Mr. Espresso is a person: Carlo. See
for info about the company any its history. It’s worth trying to visit their showroom with its gallery of antique espresso machines. If you make an appointment in advance and all systems are «go,» Carlo will be there in person to pull you a shot. Some of the best espressos I’ve ever had were made with Mr. Espresso beans. The Phoenix Pasticceria and Chez Panisse used to get their espresso here and probably still do. (Phoenix is closing on Shattuck but opening up elsewhere — west and a bit south of the present location.)
It’s rare that individual customers will find their way down to the roasting plant on 3^rd street. One way you might get there is if you need your home espresso machine repaired. Mr. Espresso will overhaul your machine for you; their service is thorough and reliable, though it’s pretty expensive. Once you’re in the door, you can often buy directly from the counter as if you were a wholesale customer. They sell accessories like knock boxes, tampers and steaming pitchers as well as espresso beans.
Mr. Espresso’s logo frequently appears on espresso equipment in restaurants and cafes. That’s likely a sign that the establishment is buying coffee from Mr. Espresso and acquired its equipment there as well. If so, the shot you’re about to order will be above average.