The Barista TS Smart by Melitta is a super automatic coffee maker with which you only have to choose the type of coffee you want to drink and she will take care of everything else. That is its main attraction, but is it really worth it? This is what I asked myself and after a few weeks of testing I am going to tell you the best and worst of a smart coffee maker.
A product of generous dimensions
The first thing you have to know about this super automatic Melitta coffee maker and other similar solutions is that you are going to need plenty of space in your kitchen or wherever you want to use it. Because they are products of generous dimensions and in this case even more so.
The Barista TS Smart by Melitta is a fairly large coffee maker , although its size is justified by seeing that it practically includes everything you need so you don’t have to worry about anything more than pressing a button, waiting a few seconds and having a nice cup of coffee. And we say practically because the only element that is left out is the milk thermos, but for an obvious reason: if you leave the milk out of the refrigerator, it turns sour.
For the rest, from the water tank to the grinding system, pressure pump, etc., it is inside the coffee maker itself, which looks attractive and with good quality finishes. At least in these days of use it is not a product that seems fragile. Although removing the front where we will place the cup to prepare the coffee, the rest is plastic and a fortuitous blow with more force than normal could damage it.
However hitting it would not be normal as it is a product that will remain fixed wherever you place it and that you will only move to clean the area a little. For the rest, so as not to overwhelm you with endless descriptions that are best seen with some images, this is all you will find in the Barista TS Smart by Melitta.
- Water tank with a capacity of 1.8l
- Double independent coffee tanks to use two different types of beans if you want
- Gate for the use of ground coffee
- Grinding system with five levels
- Water heating system and pump with a pressure of 15 Bar
- Height-adjustable outlet nozzle with LED lighting
- Removable tray to collect water when cleaning the machine and the coffee already infused
- Front with TFT screen and touch controls for quick interaction
Seeing everything that the coffee maker includes, I think it is clear why its dimensions. And yes, it is true that it is very cumbersome in small kitchens, but if you like coffee it is easy to assume this inconvenience in favor of everything you can do at the level of coffee preparation.
Bring out the barista in you
Making a cup of coffee is quite simple, but preparing a good cup of coffee is more complex . Because there are many factors that affect the final result such as the temperature of the water, its hardness, the type of coffee, its grinding, the ratio between grams of coffee and coffee drink that is obtained, the temperature of the milk, etc.
With the Barista TS Smart by Melitta you can completely forget about all this, you will always get a perfect coffee. The only thing you will have to control is the quality of the coffee bean that you are going to use and select the degree of grinding according to your own preferences and that best suits you to achieve the perfect coffee.
And it is clear that the main advantage of a proposal of this type is that it allows you to bring out the barista in you and always have the recipe you prefer ready, in a matter of seconds. It doesn’t matter what type it is. If today you fancy an espresso or a latte machiato, you can have it without problems.
This for those users who do not have much time is great, because they only select the type of coffee they want to drink and that’s it. Or also for those who have already tried to get the best coffee with their current coffee maker and cannot.
In addition, being able to configure and create your own recipe from the mobile application is something very interesting if you have the soul of a barista and want to experiment. Because there is no doubt that connectivity and the Melitta app are the great attractions of this super automatic coffee maker. Thanks to the Bluetooth connection, it is very easy to connect with the coffee maker and start creating your own recipes from scratch or from one of the 21 recipes already present .
In each of these recipes you can play with up to three shots that can be coffee, milk or water. And the best thing is that both the quantities and the order are set by you. Because according to each one, it is not the same to prepare a coffee with milk where the coffee first comes out and then I milk it or vice versa.
As if all this were not enough, from the application and even the touch controls of the coffee maker you can adjust the temperature, intensity and even the aroma level of the coffee. So again, the control is so great that getting that coffee of your dreams is pretty easy.
Is Melitta’s Barista TS Smart worth it?
The answer to the question of whether it is a product that is worthwhile or not is really going to depend on something as simple as what you are willing to spend. The Barista TS Smart by Melitta has a price of around 1,100 euros . It is a high cost for what many would be willing to invest in a coffee maker, but the quality of the drink you get is very good.
You have to start from the base that water and the type of grain are essential to obtain a good coffee, but know that it will always come out at the ideal temperature and with the exact amounts for each recipe (include milk or not, bring extra water or not) is something incredible.
Even so, I have to admit that Melitta’s proposal has its good and bad things , so I will list them for you and possibly it will be much easier for you to assess to what extent it is a product for you.
The best
- Ability to prepare up to 21 predefined recipes and memorize 8 more fully customized for you
- Control of settings such as intensity, aroma and temperature
- The coffee you choose will always come out the same. For example, if you like cappuccino, you will always get the same amount of coffee and frothed milk.
- Double tank for coffee beans and option to use ground coffee
- Bluetooth connectivity and the possibility of programming on and off to be able to activate it and make you a coffee while you are in bed or just watching a movie in the living room
- Easy to clean on the contrary with removable and easy to disassemble elements, from the water tank to the grinding system or the outlet nozzle and waste tray
Worst
- Takes up a lot of space in the kitchen
- The capacity of the tray that collects the water that releases when cleaning is very fair
- You have to be aware of the cleaning processes to always obtain the best flavor
- Price is logically a negative factor for many
- There is no indicator to show how much milk is left in the thermos
A product for coffee growers who do not want complications
With all this, I hope it has become clear to you that this is an ideal coffee maker for all those lovers of good coffee who do not want complications. And those who, in addition, also like to have a coffee menu as varied as possible.
If you are one of them, it is clear that this is an ideal product for you. You will have to dedicate a minimum of maintenance so that it is always clean and do not forget to connect the thermos and check that you have enough milk for the recipe you want to create, but if you do, you will always get a perfect cup.
On the contrary, if you are one of those who enjoys the whole process of preparing a cup of coffee, then this is a product that breaks with that somewhat Romanesque aspect of grinding the grain, preparing the filter holder, etc.
So the Melitta Barista TS Smart is a super automatic ideal for hassle-free coffee lovers.