Melitta TS Smart - Coffee Machine Review

With many coffee shops having been closed for the past several months and many still waiting to open, it’s been a tough time trying to get my daily coffee fix and I’m sure it’s been the same for many others. I’ve been trying to replicate barista style lattes, espressos and flat whites with cafetieres and milk frothers with little success.

However, thanks to the Barista TS Smart machine from Melitta, we can have barista style coffees at the touch of a button…literally. This fully automatic bean to cup machine can make and customise coffees directly from your smartphone so you can make your morning coffee from your bed as soon as you wake up.

Features

Smartphone Integration

I found the smartphone integration incredibly useful, as upon waking in the morning I could use the app to make an Americano so it is ready and waiting by the time I’m downstairs, filling the house with the unmistakeable aroma of freshly ground coffee. Just remember to put a coffee mug under the machine before you go to bed otherwise you’ll just be left with a big puddle of coffee! The app can also show how many uses you have until the cleaning cycle, when the water filter needs replacing, when the coffee grounds need emptying and can track your coffee consumption (although you may not wish to know this!)

Two bean containers

There are so many fantastic features of this machine but one that I really love include the two separate bean containers or hoppers that you can put two different types of beans in, allowing you to choose between caffeinated and decaffeinated beans or light roasted and dark roasted beans.

There’s also an option to choose ground coffee instead of coffee beans which is another well thought out feature that allows you to ditch the cafetière for good.

High resolution display

The front panel buttons on the high resolution colour display are fully customisable so you can set your preferred coffees and choose them with a single touch and there’s also sliders so you can easily configure the amount of coffee and water to your preferred taste.

21 preset coffees

There’s an incredible 21 preset coffees to choose from including the familiar favourites like espresso, cappuccino and latte to the more hardcore coffees like black eye, red eye and espresso macchiato. For me, espressos are a must first thing in the morning and the machine has consistently made high-quality espresso shots that are rich and full of depth with that all important oily crema on top that signals a great espresso. It’s without doubt the next best thing to an espresso from a manual coffee machine.

The milk-based coffees also come out amazingly well and the milk froth is always thick and foamy. I’ve tried almost all the different types of coffees using high quality beans I picked up from my travels to Vietnam and the machine has definitely brought out the best flavour from the beans that I have tasted yet.

Cleaning & Maintenance

The machine is super easy to clean with an integrated cleaning programme and the whole brewing unit can even be removed so you can clean the inside of the machine too. Just another well-thought out feature that Melitta has not overlooked and which doesn’t go unnoticed. The only thing I found a little annoying is the drip tray which doesn’t have much depth so requires regular emptying and does often spill out if you’re not careful. This is the only real fault I’ve found with this machine and one that I certainly can live with.

Aesthetics

What’s more, the machine looks sleek and sexy and will fit comfortably on most kitchen counters and won’t look out of place. All in all, a revolutionary kitchen gadget to fill your working from home days with a joy and happiness that only great coffee can bring.

Verdict

Having used the machine for two months now, the quality and consistency of coffee has remained impressively high with no issues whatsoever. Make no mistake, this machine delivers the best cup your coffee beans could possibly produce. I’m seriously impressed by this machine and if you want high-quality coffee at the touch of a button then you won’t be disappointed with this machine.