Customer Reviews

Melitta Espresso and Cappuccino Maker (4-cup) MEX 1B

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

If you're a coffee snob, then this cappuccino maker may be too "pedestrian" for you. However, this little gizmo pays for itself, and here's why:

My wife got herself hooked on cappuccinos from Starbucks, at 5 bucks a pop. Looking at the cost of this machine, including coffee and syrups, that equates to about 10 to 15 cups of coffee from the coffee shop. We've already made over twice that many cappuccinos, and it hasn't shown any signs of wearing out yet.

Oh sure, you can buy more expensive makers, and I looked at them before deciding on this one by Melitta. Most of the others are constructed the same as this one (out of the same type of plastic), they aren't any simpler to use, and according to reviews I've read, aren't any more reliable. So why would you pay between 3 to 5 times more for something that isn't any better?

This little cappuccino maker gets the job done at a fraction of what you'd otherwise pay. I can't think of any better endorsement than that.

I had developed a taste for chai lattes and English Breakfast lattes, so I figured I could save a lot of money doing it myself at home (not to mention time). I bought this appliance at Target after reading the many good reviews (and bad). But it was cheap so I wanted to see how much use I got out of an espresso machine first before getting a more expensive/better quality machine.
Well, it worked wonderfully for several months: perfect foamy tea lattes and easy enough to clean. I never bothered to watch the video; I just read the manual. I was careful with the carafe since other reviewers mentioned it was difficult to get replacements. You do have to wait between batches, but that's to be expected: you just shot super heated water through it. I really liked it and used it daily even though it took about 10 minutes. It didn't really seem too cumbersome; fairly straightforward process. Although it was a little annoying that you had to heat your milk up first, otherwise your drink comes out lukewarm.
But then something went flukey (my brother suggested a blown gasket) and even though the espresso function still works just great, most of the steam for the milk escapes from the resevoir. A bummer, since the point of a latte is nice foamy milk. I did run vinegar through it to clean it per the manual instructions, but it didn't do any good.
So it is cheap and it does work for awhile. You might get lucky and get one that never has problems. But if you can afford a better one (read: more expensive) and/or know you'll use it a lot, spring for another model. As one reviewer said, you get what you pay for.

its a great product and the price is fabulous! i normally use it twice a day and the controls are really simple. i got my more than my moneys worth!!!

Don't let the low price tag fool you. This little 4 cup machine makes great expresso / cappucino and is easy to use. It's solidly built with an expensive look and feel and we made perfect capp the first time...right out of the box! If you're casually serious about exp/cap then don't even consider the [other] machines. You'll be absolutely delighted with this little machine.

This little machine makes a great cup of cappucino, and isn't difficult to use. This is an excellent buy if you don't intend to make more than 2 cups of cappucino or expresso at a time. The one thing I would change is that you have to buy the stainless steel frothing pitcher separately. I found a little one perfect for this sized machine at Bed Bath and Beyond for about 6 bucks.

I first bought this exact same machine at Macy's (under the Salton-maxim name) and it was double the price (came with a few little extras also). It lasted me for a few years and when it finally broke I was very pleased to find it at Target. The only drawback is that the Melitta machine does NOT come with a frothing pitcher, but otherwise it is ready to go right from the box. A little Starbucks houseblend coffee, some Ghiradelli Double Chocolate hot chocolate powder, some 1% milk (warmed in the micro before frothing) and you have one delicious mocha!! Buy the machine, save some $$ and ENJOY!

I am very pleased with this product. The direction and set up of the machine are simple and straight forward. I have owned a $100+ machine in the past and this machine is definitely comprable!!
(The frothing is tricky but it is not the machine, it just takes practice. My husband makes a nice thick froth and I can never seem to get it right.Also, any beans taste good but try some good quality espresso beans.)
I highly recommend this product. Why pay more???

I just woke up this morning to use my new Malitta espresso machine and found that I had lost the instructions. I gave it a try anyway and ended up whipping up a couple of awesome cappuccinos first try!! I bought a bag of Starbuck beans & ground them up and used this espresso machine to brew it. The milk frother really works good too. Not too shabby indeed. I recommend this to anyone, especially considering the low cost.

I live in NYC where Cappuccinos and Lattes run close to $4.00 for a 10 oz. cup (half of it froth). In the interest of saving money I wanted to buy a machine that was small enough to fit in my small kitchen, but sturdy enough to make my favorite coffee drinks on a daily basis and quick and easy to use. This machine features it all. After 10 cups I recouped the cost of my machine and a small Nissan thermos to carry my Lattes in to work.

I bought it 6 months ago and I now can't live without it. And have not encountered any problems whatsoever. My brother in law has had the same machine at the hospital where he works for a year now, providing espresso to the ER staff 24/7. They're only problems with the machine has been caused by staff (one person broke the glass carafe, another clogged the frother by not cleaning it).

I've read the other reviews and some of them complain about things such as the carafe or the frother. It's all common sense use problems. The carafe is made of thin glass so you must be careful with handling and the tempeture of the water you wash it in. This means you don't wash the carafe or put it in the sink if the carafe is hot because the glass will crack. As for the frother, it's got to be cleaned every single time and has to be declogged once a week by placing the frother in a tall tumbler with hot water for a few minutes, making sure that the tip is submerged under the water. That will loosen any dried milk within the mechanism. I then pour water in the reservoir and turn the machine on. After making espresso for myself, I allow some of the steam to come out of the frother and into the tumbler with water. You'll see a lite white cloud forming in the water. Remove it after awhile and wait for the machine to cool wipe down the frother. If during the week the frother gets clogged simply use the clean end of a pin to insert it into the frother end and that should do it.

I hope these tips help you enjoy your little machine as much as I have enjoyed mine.

This little machine is the bomb! It works amazingly well, takes up little space and is one of the few espresso machines that actually comes with a pot to collect the good stuff.

I use it every day. I'm through chucking out cash at [local coffee store]. You will be too.

There's also no need to spend more on a machine when you can get one that works this well for this price!