I came back to Melitta!
Written: Mar 04 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good coffee. No mess on counters, or on hot plate.
Cons: Auto-shutoff too quick. Potential for milling unit mess.
The Bottom Line: Get it. Good coffee and clean counters make this a big win in my book.
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| jtjackson's Full Review: Salton MEMB1B 10-Cup Coffee Maker |
I've had some coffee maker problems, lately. First, about 6 months ago, my Melitta Fast Brew died. In my rush to replace it, since I really need coffee in the morning, I was stuck with a limited selection, and bought a Mr. Coffee. See my review here. Yep, hated it.
I went on an endless quest for the same Melitta coffee maker that I used to have, but couldn't find one. I gave up, and decided that getting any Melitta would probably be better than the coffee maker I was living with, so I bought the Melitta 10-cup mill & brew.
I certainly don't love it as much as my old Melitta, but it's far better than the interim Mr. Coffee.
The Melitta makes a good cup of coffee. It doesn't make it all that fast. Quantitatively, I haven't timed it, and I never timed the old Fast Brew. Qualitatively, I can get the dishwasher emptied and breakfast for the kids started before the M&B is done, but I couldn't beat the FB.
It doesn't make a constant mess like the Mr. Coffee. The drip spigot thing doesn't dump coffee all over the heating plate every time I take the carafe out. The carafe doesn't run coffee down the side every time I pour. These two items are important to me, and one of the big reasons why I had to get rid of the Mr. Coffee.
It's a big pain in the neck to clean. The milling section has to be completely removed to rinse it out. There is definitely a big opportunity for dripping and spillage here, but I've been careful and lucky. You definitely don't want to get lazy with this - keep a paper towel or something under these parts when you carry them around.
Now, the milling. I haven't used it much, so I don't really want to say for certain that it doesn't make a mess. It hasn't, yet, but I expect that a few too many beans or a blade starting to get dull may cause grind coffee to spray out of the basket. It should stay in the milling unit and not end up on the counter, but it will be something to keep in mind when removing the milling unit.
The milling button. Seems counter-intuitive to me. Turn the light on to not mill. Turn the light off to mill. Maybe it's a warning? If the light is on, the beans will be whole and you won't get coffee? I'd rather see the light on to indicate the milling is on.
The auto-shutdown is just too darn short. It's an hour, and I'd really prefer two hours. I've adjusted, however. Sometime in the first hour, I turn the coffee maker off and on again. Just be sure to hit OFF-MILL-ON, otherwise, you're going to spin up the blades in a basket full of wet coffee grounds. The mess stays inside, but it does spray around.
The process for loading it up with pre-ground coffee doesn't seem to be well thought-out. The lid over the milling unit is right where my hand with the scoop wants to be. I've adjusted. The opening for water is a little small. Pour slowly. I've adjusted. I guess what I'm saying here is that it's not perfectly laid out, and maybe this is to put the milling feature in, but it's not an insurmountable problem.
The timer works exactly as expected, one you figure out which sequence of buttons sets the clock, and which sets the timer.
It sounds like I've said more negative things than positive. The negatives (shutdown, milling light, potential milling unit mess) don't outweigh the positives (good coffee, clean counter, no drips). I'm very happy with the Melitta Mill & Brew.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jtjackson
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Location: Ellicott City, MD
Reviews written: 73
Trusted by: 5 members
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