Melitta Filter Coffee Machine with Stainless Steel Jug, AROMAFRESH GRIND & BREW 1021-12 THERMAL

Relatively quiet in operation, this is a solidly built machine. As it is quite tall at 48cm, you need to make sure you have enough space above it. Otherwise you may have trouble filling the bean hopper or removing the water reservoir. Like the much more expensive barista, espresso machines, it grinds the right amount of coffee for the number of cups specified, but unlike them it uses all the water in the water reservoir, so you need to put in the right amount of water for the number of cups you want. This is usual with most, if not all, filter coffee machines. This machine has a quality grinder, which abrades the coffee beans between cogs, a method which, according to aficionados, retains more of the flavour and aroma than the spinning blade grinders. Unlike many filter coffee machines this one relies on single use paper filters and has no permanent nylon or metal mesh filter. This, for me is an advantage, because the permanent filters have to be washed out every time you use the machine, while with paper filters, you just take out the old one, put in a new one, and you are ready to go again. If this seems wasteful, bear in mind that you may well use half a gallon of water to wash out a metal or nylon filter, and get your sink blocked with coffee grounds to boot, whereas you can just chuck the used paper filter, complete with grounds, on the compost heap. Most filter coffee makers use a glass jug which is kept warm on a metal hotplate which usually turns off after about 40 minutes. This uses a well-insulated, double-walled, stainless steel jug but no hotplate. In my experience, this keeps the coffee hot for a good 40 minutes (depending on how much is left in the jug of course). The jug is much more robust than a glass one, but has two minor drawbacks: you can't see how much is left in it, and, because of its shape, you have to lift the jug beyond the vertical to pour out the last cup. On the whole, at under £200, this is an excellent coffee maker which gets the very best out of the beans and will take ground coffee too.

Initially when first using the grinder and beans, it makes the coffee really strong when using the beans i would normally use, not harsh coffee but way over strength for what i like.I now fill the water to 10 cups for a full pot and set the grind to 6 cups of ground coffee in fine ground at the one bean setting (weak?) (10,6,1) as i found if you use eg 10 of water 10 of coffee with a 3 bean strength max setting (10,10,3) you can use half a pack of coffee in one go but makes coffee that grabs your attention!Now i have my settings for my coffee It works reliably and consistently with the ability to use pre-ground coffee (Decaf in the evening) straight into the filter without having to grind from the coffee bean reservoir.A note on the filter; you will have to use 1x4 filter papers for this machine but i used the gold metal filter out of my old 'Ninja' coffee maker and it fits perfectly. For a few pounds you can get replacement plastic mesh and metal mesh 1x4 sized coffee filters on Amazon.Recommended for ease of use, good results when brewing and keeping your coffee warm...

I bought this machine to replace a previous bean to cup coffee machine which was a pain to keep clean and constantly leaked over my worktop. I was reluctant to buy something as big as this as I live on my own, but I do occasionally have my daughters visit and thought it would be good to be able to make a larger quantity if required.Reading the reviews and the specification of this machine convinced me to give it a go.When it came, it was indeed a large machine, but well made and substantial looking. it does fit under my kitchen cupboards neatly and looks the part.It was relatively simple to set up and adjust to suit my morning coffee needs and once set, it is very easy to use on a daily basis and consistently produces a good cup of freshly ground coffee. I use a stainless steel insulated flask which came with my previous machine and use this as a measure to add the water, a fresh paper filter, and away we go, simple as that and shortly a fairly faint ping announces that coffee is ready. I head up some milk in the microwave for 40 seconds and whizz this up so I end up with my version of a latte. My settings are 2 cups and three beans and medium grind using a good quality of columbian coffee number 3.I have tried the machine with ground coffee which you simply add to the filter and select the symbol for ground coffee and away you go. I wasn’t sure how the taste would compare between freshly ground beans and bought ground coffee but I prefer freshly ground every time, and with this machine it couldn’t be easier..This was a new year treat for me and so far I’m extremely satisfied with my purchase.

I have wanted a bean to cup coffee machine for years but didn't want to pay hundreds of pounds for one that was bulky, frothed milk and had loads of parts that needed to be constantly cleaned. I just wanted it to grind the beans and give me coffee.This machine does just that, it's not huge so doesn't take up the whole workspace, it grinds the beans into a filter so easy to clean, just lift out the filter. Water is easy to fill up and the grind is adjustable so you get it how you like it.Don't think about it, just buy it, it's worth every penny

This coffee filter machine is great, it does keep the coffee nice and warm. The only downside is that it only truly makes 4 decent mugs at a time, but it always makes a brilliant mug of coffee! Melitta is a great reliable brand that I also have a Bean-2-Cup machine from them, and they have a handy app to talk you through the descaling/troubleshooting/cleaning functions of your machine. Would definitely recommend, so easy to use too!

Works fine after one year