Customer Reviews

Melitta 12-Cup Coffee Brewer

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I selected this Melitta brewer after having owned a DiLongi for a little over a year. I loved that machine, but it began to leak water all over my counter before the timer started the brewing action. I went to Amazon to look for another and found their reviews about that brand complained of the same problem. So I began searching other coffee makers and read their reviews. I was so very disappointed that most all makers do not last very long. Honestly you'd think in this day and age companies wouldn't make them so poorly that they end up in a landfill somewhere. Enter the MELITTA! The reviews of this machine were WONDERFUL! I did not hesitate but ordered mine right away and got a great price through Amazon, my new "go-to" shopping place. I have to say I LOVE- LOVE- LOVE this machine. The timer is easy to set so my husband has fresh coffee before work. The pouring pot has an extra piece across the spout so the coffee is not spilled when poured (big plus since my hubby used to drool drops everywhere when pouring his cup). I love the fact you have 3 choices of strength for the coffee (mild, medium, bold). It is easy to clean, wonderful to look at, brews GREAT coffee and I wouldn't trade it for any other brand.

I spent some time doing research on coffee brewers and finally made it to this machine. I looked at several machines, but for one reason or another, I moved on. I also looked at Bunn. They have good machines, but they are in the market to produce fast coffee. I was looking for good coffee so I moved on.

With Melitta, you can control the temperature of the plate under the pot. There are three settings and it does have a temperature sensor to monitor it on the bottom plate. Next, there are three settings for the brew of the coffee. It is the speed at which the water goes thru the machine into the grounds: Regular (fast), Bold (mid) and robust (slow). I can't really seem to tell the difference in flavor but I like to use different coffee beans and it just gets set to Robust. To me it seems that the coffee is not as bitter as my last machine, a Mr. Coffee, and thinking there might be something to do with the cone or funnel design. Then I decided to buy a gold filter. Melitta doesn't sell one for this machine. Take the basket to the store and see what gold filter fits. I ended up with a Cuisinart gold filter. After all this I do like the machine and the controls it has, I have choises. But I've also read, learn your machine for a good cup of coffee.

We have gone through several coffee makers recently because of one problem or another not because they wear out. My wife insists on a Thermal Carafe which has its own limitations. So for this purchase I read a lot of descriptions and reviews. For reference we have 4 coffee drinkers in the house one of us is a computer guy who uses a lot of "programming fluid" in a working day. We like our coffee hot and strong and start with a mixture of medium roast and dark roast whole beans. We normally use paper filters. While the reusable sieves produce a slightly better brew, the clean up is not as convenient.

We've had this model for about a month.

Pros:

* Produces excellent tasting coffee.
* Cone filters produce stronger better tasting coffee with less grounds than the flat bottom style.
* Multiple brewing speeds is also a plus with the robust setting our preferred almost always.
* The carafe is the best I've seen. Unlike all the others it does not leak.
* The initial carafe heat is a big plus. Finally hot coffee without preheating the carafe.

Cons:

* The swing out filter holder is not removable. There is an inner holder which is removable and good enough for normal cleaning. BUT if you spill some grounds and it gets outside of the inner core the best method I've found is to unplug the pot and carefully rinse out this section in the sink without getting the rest of it wet. If I'm too bleary eyed in the morning to make coffee properly, I'm not in the mood for this procedure.
* It's big. Not as big as some, and I won't argue with Melitta engineers but I wish they could have squished it somehow.
* Even with the preheater the carafe quickly cools to less than optimal temperature. A bit of zapping in the microwave is all it takes and you do not end up with the bitter burnt taste of hot plate pitchers but it is still advantageous to use a preheated Thermos for the pot you want to last for hours.

Bottom line is that I love it and as long as it lasts for at least a couple of years, I'll buy another when we wear it out.

I was encouraged by all the positive reviews of this coffee maker after sorting through so many other negatively reviewed models. My initial impression was favorable, but now I'm glad I waited a few weeks to write my review.

Pros: This unit makes really good coffee. The "Robust" brew setting means I can get a full-bodied cup of coffee without having to add extra grounds which a lot of other brewers require. I also like my coffee hot so the adjustable warming plate temperature is a plus.

Cons: The biggest drawback is the carafe. It is taller and slimmer than most other units and has a dam that covers half the neck opening. I suppose this is intended to prevent pouring water into the reservoir too quickly or maybe to keep from over-filling a coffee cup. However, it also makes cleaning really difficult. And quite possibly this is why I broke the carafe the last time I was cleaning it - the first time this has happened in over thirty years of making coffee. And to make matters worse, there is no OEM replacement carafe. You can only get a "universal" replacement carafe that has some type of sleeve that sits on top of the lid to adjust to taller units. So now, four weeks in, I basically have a $60 paperweight taking up space on my counter.

I am giving it two stars because it does make really good coffee. But to me, the carafe is a deal breaker. And I have to say, I expected better from Melitta.

(One more minor detail - this unit is taller that many other units (14.75") so make sure you have clearance under your cabinets.)

Imagine, a coffee pot that actually does it's job-makes HOT coffee!! I have big plans for my old Cuisinart that include smashing it in the driveway (don't worry, it's a thermal carafe) I decided to try this machine based on the name, I enjoy Melitta coffee so it seemed logical to try this brewer. It looks great, is quiet, doesn't leak and makes great HOT coffee! Just a few of the things my Cuisinart couldn't manage!

I had a Cuisinart that I loved, but it didn't last 3 years and I thought it ought to since it was not my usual cheap coffee maker - and those lasted longer as a rule. The Cuisinart actually shut off and apparently had a burning motor/element, judging from the smell. I never had a coffee maker go out like that, but was glad to be home when it did. Because I found that alarming and a possible fire hazard, I didn't want to get another.

Alongside my old Cuisinart sat a 4-cup Melitta coffee maker that I've had for at least 20 years. I got it from Gevalia, and I use it once daily. That coffee maker contributed to my decision to get this Melitta 12-cup brewer. However, there are many things I don't like about this coffee maker. It seems very large and odd-shaped, also seems heavier than others when moving it after filling it with water. I haven't measured, but it almost seems to make more coffee than others claiming the same capacity. Maybe that's why the coffee seems weaker. I tried lowest strength first, which brews fastest, then moved up to the next level. I haven't tried the strongest strength level because I am impatient, but I likely will do that sometime. It does make the coffee a bit hotter, and that is fine. I have that at medium level as well. There is a red band around the top of the carafe, and the carafe has an obstruction in the opening that makes it impossible to wash it the way I want to. The purpose of the obstruction is to allow for easy pouring, and it does do that. I like the way it pours, but I'd rather be able to wash the carafe easily and thoroughly.

Putting in the basket where you put the coffee grounds is highly annoying. It only goes in one way, and I suppose I will get used to it. It is designed more complicated than it needs to be, as far as shape. Pouring water in the reservoir is easy and more drip-free than I am used to, and I watch the hole on the back of the machine to be sure I don't overfill it - because that is easier to watch than the water-level indicator.

I don't like 2-hour auto-shut off. The description says it is programmable, so I thought I could set it to 4 hours instead. Not so. No choice. My husband makes the coffee 1.5 hours before I get up, so it doesn't stay on long enough for us by default.

All that, but the coffee maker does work. It makes coffee, good enough and hot enough as long as you hurry up and drink it - unfortunately for me, I can't hurry up until I've had my coffee ;)

I got this coffeemaker a few months ago, after many years of Braun machines. This Melitta makes great coffee but be prepared for a long brewing cycle! Not for the impatient. However, the carafe got cracked (it's pretty thin glass and must have cracked while I was washing it) and it appears that finding a replacement carafe is next to impossible. Definite thumbs down.

I bought this pot a month ago to replace a leaking 14 year old Braun. Unlike the Cuisinart, Krups, DiLongi and at least one other brand I've bought and returned, this one does those things a good coffee maker should do: It makes good coffee, it doesn't leak, the carafe has yet to drip one drop (why is this so hard?), it is easy to use (I disagree with another reviewer that the settings are hard to read, though they could be better), the reservoir is easy to fill, and the brew-pause feature doesn't drip and it's easy to re-insert the carafe. I'd give it 5 stars but (a) I wish you could control the length of time the hot-plate stays hot, (b) the machine is black and the coffee is black so it's hard to see with a glance how much coffee is left in the pot, and (c) it would be nice if, when changing the automatic start time, you could go backwards as well as forward, rather than cycling though a lot of hours or minutes. These three shortcomings are MINOR in light of all the really important things it does right. I hope is lasts as long as my Braun.

I've been through several coffee makers recently but this one will last a long time. This is a sturdy, well made coffee maker that fits under the counter and provides easy access to the water fill and filter compartment. Unlike some other brands, there is no "mess" from water condensation when accessing water fill lid. An added feature of the hot plate control is one I especially like in the winter. Simple, functional and sturdy.

Our previous coffee maker broke down. I like to grind my beans and prefer a bold rich tasting coffee. Got a nice deal on this at Sears after much research. Makes a great cup of flavorful coffee. Does not come with water filter, but I use filtered water from my fridge.