Customer Reviews

Melitta MEMB1 Mill & Brew Coffeemaker

5 star:		(407)
4 star:		(170)
3 star:		(64)
2 star:		(61)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

I researched a grind and brew coffee maker for 3 months before purchasing this one. I'm thrilled with it. I used to work at prominent kitchenware store and didn't hear good customer reviews about the Cusineart Grind and Brew and the Capresso.... The Melitta makes a great cup of coffee, it's easy to use, grinds the beans quickly and you get your choice of course to super fine. The only programing is easy as is the clean up...no hassle which was important to me. The only thing I have noticed is that you need to use more scoops of beans than specified. (I make 4 cups each morning and use about 3 scoops of beans for strong coffee)...

This is definitely the best grind and brew coffeemaker available, and I love it. As I write this, I am drinking an amazing cup of coffee made by it. I know the Cuisinart quite well, and the Melitta is a far superior machine. All automatic grinders are going to make noise, but the Melitta is comparatively quiet, easy to operate and clean, and has a timer. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Two friends have bought it and love it, too. No filters ever again, no more coffee grinds all over the counter, and the coffee really tastes fresh. It is also the smallest grind and brew out there. After you first get it, you have to experiment a little with the grind time, which will affect the strength of your coffee. But anyone who has ever used a coffee grinder will master this in about two pots of coffee. Great product.

The Melitta Mill and Brew Coffeemaker is perfect for anyone who takes their coffee seriously. I have used it for several weeks now, preparing everything the night before and setting the timer for a fresh pot in the morning. By doing so, I save myself the time and hassle of grinding separately and transferring grinds to the machine. There are several reasons why I rate this machine at 4 stars and not 5. Although it comes with a wire mesh filter (no need to buy anymore), if the mill setting is set for "fine", you'll have some grinds that go through the mesh and into the pot of coffee. If this doesn't bother you, it won't be a problem. Otherwise, you'll need to adjust the mill setting to be more coarse. Also, the part of the machine which houses the filter needs to be washed thoroughly because, again, the grinds which escape the filter settle in this area. Luckily, the housing can be easily taken off the machine and washed. Washing the filter itself is no problem becuase you would expect to do this with any reuseable filter. These minor inconveniences would not have stopped me from purchasing this machine. It is a welcome addition to my kitchen.

I had a Cuisinart Grind & Brew for about two-and-a-half years and loved it until it unceremoniously died the other day. I was sold on the grind-and-brew concept but wanted to check the other options on the market. After reading the other reviews here, I decided to try the Melitta Mill and Brew instead. I'm glad I did, and I offer the following for those trying to decide between the various brands of coffe maker/grinder combos.

As a means of context, I should mention that I like my coffee blacker than a starless night. But it is always possible to make a lighter cup in a grind-and-brew and not always so easy to make a dark one, so I'd say it's the ability to make a pot of steaming tar that distinguishes one maker from another.

After some experimentation, I was able to make pretty good coffee in the Cuisinart. The brew-select feature was, I thought, utterly worthless. The manual's line about how not all the water needs to pass through the grounds to make a good cup of coffee was, I found, a bunch of hooey. I just turned the brew select to "off" and forgot about it. I also found that in order to make strong coffee, you need about one scoup per cup, plus an extra scoup for good measure.

The way the Cuisinart works is this: The beans go in a small chamber with the grinder blade. One wall of the chamber is a piece of metal with small holes. Once the grounds are small enough, the blade shoots them through the holes into another piece of plastic, which guides them into the filter. This is all well and good, except that some of the grounds invariably get stuck in the grinding chamber, in the metal screen, and in the piece of guide-plastic. The slightest bit of moisture on any of those pieces greatly exacerbates the problem, so you need to either wash and dry all three pieces (grinder-bottom-metal-filter-basket, grinder top and guide plastic)in the dishwasher every day or thoroughly rinse them off and dry them with a paper towel. That wasn't a huge pain, but all things considered, I'd rather not have to do that. Also, the design of the machine frequently caused grounds and sometimes whole beans to get into the water reservoir, which was nearly impossible to clean. Another problem was that the bean chamber was too small to fit enough beans for 10 strong cups of coffee; eight was pushing it. There are ways to get around this, but they're complicated.

In all respects, the Melitta design is superior. The machine as a whole is smaller and a bit less funky looking. Its grinding aparatus and water reservoir are better separated, so there isn't a problem with grounds getting where you don't want them. In the Melitta, the filter and grinder are combined into one piece, so the grounds don't have to go anywhere, thus reducing the number of parts that need to be cleaned and the opportunities for wasted grounds. It's true as some reviewers have mentioned that some of the grounds get stuck on the sides of the filter and not in the bottom, but compared to the waste in the Cuisinart, this seems not to be a big deal. Also, only one part -- the filter basket -- needs to be cleaned, and it need not be so meticulously dried as the Cuisinart parts do. I'd say cleaning it takes only slightly longer than cleaning a permanent filter used in a regular coffee maker. Another significant edge of the Melitta is the grind select feature. With the Cuisinart, there's no way to vary the fineness of grind.

The bottom line? Using the same amount of beans I would in the Cuisinart, I get a much stronger (and surprisingly not bitter) cup of coffee. If you're deciding between the Cuisinart and the Melitta, get the Melitta and don't look back. It's even cheaper.

After 2 years with the Capresso Coffee Team grind and brew unit, which made a fine cup of coffee, we switched to the Melitta Mill and Brew. Why? Well, the Capresso has this burr grinder they tout highly. It turns out to be the Achilles Heel of the unit, since it clogs and twice stopped completely when a hard bean got stuck in it. We sent it back to Capresso twice, at $45.00 plus shipping (they paid return shipping) each time. Then, recently, the grinder started grinding all by itself at odd times and wouldn't shut off unless we pulled the plug. I heard it running in the early morning and feared it would overheat and start a fire. That was the 3rd strike, and out.

I researched here at Amazon for other grind and brew machines and discovered the Miletta Mill and Brew. Never knew they had consumer machines. Since we had friends who had the Cuisinart and didn't particularly like it...too noisy and messy...we ruled it out and decided to try the Melitta. I was sceptical that a machine less than half the price of the Capresso could be any good.

My snobbishness proved to be unfounded. The Melitta is doing an excellent job so far. I had to adjust the bean volume slightly, but it is now giving us brewed coffee that tastes as good as we had with the Capresso.

Then we discovered the other niceties of the Miletta. There is no problem using oily beans...the grinder is inside the filter basket, therefore no chute to clog...very clever. Also, unlike the Capresso, there is no coffee "dust" clinging to the outside of the machine and on the countertop after the beans are ground. And, amazingly, the carafe doesn't drip when you pour. We were used to having paper towels under the Capresso and on the counter, to help with the debris and drips. No more! The Melitta just sits there, sleak and shiny and clean. It's about a third smaller than the Capresso, in "footprint" on the counter. Also, it is about half as loud when grinding. Somebody got this thing right!

Negatives? Cleaning the filter basket is not quite as easy as was the Capresso. It's not difficult, but takes about 20 seconds longer to rinse the grinds out. Not a big deal, just a difference you might notice coming from the Capresso.

Why not 5 stars? I have only had this machine a couple weeks. I believe duration should be a factor in these ratings, so I withheld the 5th star for now.

By the way, another poster said she was unable to get a replacement carafe. I called Miletta to get a back-up carafe and was able to order one with no problem. I even pointed out that someone said they couldn't get one and the customer service person couldn't understand that. She said they have always carried them and other parts, such as the filter basket. Try again.

This is an excellant coffee maker! I was looking to buy a coffee maker that freshly grinds the beans and automatically brews the coffee. My decision was narrowed down to the Cuisinart Grind and Brew, the Capresso Coffee Team Plus, and the Melitta Mill and Brew. The Capresso was out of my budget, and I heard that the Cuisinart was a hassle to maintain, so I decided on the Melitta, and I'm so thrilled to have it! It's smaller the the other two models, for one thing, and it costs less than the Cuisinart. I found it on sale and got an even better deal! It has three removable components that need to be rinsed before each use, which is no problem. I do not miss the paper filters at all! Everything gets dumped down the sink and the garbage disposal takes care of the rest! Very low maintence. I have had no trouble with the grinds leaking through the filter. The coffee tastes and smells wonderful! Much better than the traditional drip Mr. Coffee coffee maker that we all have owned at one time or another, even if you grind your own beans! And there is absolutely no mess! I have a friend who owns the Cuisinart, so I've tried the coffee and cannot tell a difference in taste between that and the coffee from my Melitta, using a similar brand of coffee beans. I highly recommend this coffee maker! You will love it!

After my twenty dollar fifteen year old Mr.Coffee bit the dust, the wife and I decided that we should look around and put a little money into a stepped-up machine. I was convinced that there should be a way to get the $/cup coffeehouse taste at home. I did the research and landed on Melitta.

I love this pot. I've been using it for about a month. Morning coffee has become more of a treat rather than a bitter dose of caffeine. I enjoy an afternoon pot on the weekend. The aroma is wonderful. Using filtered water, I haven't made a bad pot yet.
One thing to point out-the grind feature is easily over-ridden and you can use your plain old grocery store "ground in the can" brand. It tastes a lot like premium with this gem.

The thing was simple and instinctive to use right out of the box. I enjoy not using paper filters. Simply put, Melitta Mill and Brew is a professional quality pot and can make a coffee house style cup of coffee for pennies rather than dollars.

I got this coffeemaker for my husband for his office. It is absolutely WONDERFUL. He is in the military & gets to work at 5 am. I searched for a coffeemaker that would have the coffee ready when he got to work. Not only does it grind the beans automatically, there is absolutely NO MESS, and best of all, NO FILTERS!!!!! I highly RECOMMEND IT!!! Kimberly Beck

Features: 5 of 5 stars
Function: 5
Form: 5
Cust Svc: 5
Quality/durability: 3

I bought the MEMB1B .... At the time I think I could only find one other brand with the same combination of features. I really like all the features, functionality and form factor of this model. Every pot of coffee is consistent after finding the right balance of grinding time, beans and water. It's an attractive unit and relatively easy to clean.

But after 6 months of daily use (2 cups a day, gentle handling, never dropped) I was suprised that the side locking buttons for the "mill/brew assembly" just broke off, making it useless. Salton/Melitta honored the warranty and quickly sent me a replacement "mill/brew assembly," so I give them high marks on customer service.

After 9 months of gentle daily use, the "mill/brew assembly lid lock" broke off. This required sending the entire unit back to Salton/Melitta and they shipped me a brand new replacement. So again, I give them high marks on customer service.

Now that my original warranty has run out, I just have to wait until something else snaps off making the unit unusable. Of course, I realize that any machine used daily will eventually wear out, but 2 significant quality problems within 9 months of normal use is not acceptable. I really love having this coffee maker, but even at the current ... price, I'd have to caution others to shop around and inspect other brand units for durability before making a decision to purchase.

I bought this when my noisy and messy Cuisinart Grind & Brew stopped grinding and brewing. This machine is absolutely amazing. (All of my comments are based on a comparison to the original Cuisinart Grind & Brew.) The grinder (not really a mill) is much much quieter than the Cuisinart. It no longer sounds like an F16 taking off in my kitchen! You can't even hear it two rooms away. There are fewer parts to clean each time (5 compared to 7). Not one molecule of the grounds escape the grinding chamber (the Cuisinart sprayed them all over my counter.)

My only gripes? Instead of a paper filter you are forced to use the permanent one, thus it is slightly more of a pain to clean - but I get to save some dough on filters. The coffee isn't very strong. I end up using one scoop to every four cups of water instead of one scoop to every six.