From now on, the issue of coffee machines, and more specifically super-automatic, automatic or semi-automatic coffee machines, is taking positions when it comes to choosing those small household appliances. From being an arbitrary decision, the question is now a weighty fact more when the issue of smart appliances comes into play. Not everyone is worth it and not all deserve a place in our home. And the one who writes these lines confesses to having entered the game squarely.
Gone are the times of the Italian coffee maker on fire or the classic glass and filter. Since the Nespresso sect broke into our homes, as well as all its copies and variations, the world of coffee has changed indoors. Later came more sophisticated variations. The Moccamaster, an advanced version of filter coffee. The semiautomatic ones with arm that conquer by price and quality . And later, the super-automatic or automatic coffee machines. Some models that, although they enter through the eye in terms of performance, not so much for their drawbacks and prices. The Melitta Barista TS Smart enters precisely this segment.
And is that the subject of coffee is easily comparable to religious terms. The atheists, a worrying group – increasingly growing – that rejects coffee. The agnostics who might as well live with a Cola-Cao, and if a coffee falls, welcome. The flexible devotees, who adapt to whatever comes their way; It is possible that this is the most dangerous segment of all, having accepted the atrocities of roasted coffee as a normality.
Believers missal and daily prayer. Those who will only have a coffee if it is worth drinking. They will only give up if the machine, the process and the product are up to their palate. And between these last two, the fluid believers who still maintain the hope that something good will happen between the orthodox and the liberal, but who day by day lose hope. Servant, and the super-automatic coffee maker that she brings us, thinks she is among this group, or at least she expects it.
That said, and if you are looking for a new super-automatic coffee maker for your home, we tell you about our experience with the Melitta Barista TS Smart during almost a month of use, more or less rough.
First of all, a technical part of the Melitta Barista TS Smart
There are many super-automatic coffee makers, even if it doesn't seem like it. Choosing one is really difficult. Not only for its benefits, but for the price that ranges from 600 euros to 1,600 euros. The Melitta Barista TS Smart came to exceed the threshold of 1,000 euros, but right now you can find offers of less than 900 euros.
As always, everything depends on the benefits of it. The Melitta Barista TS Smart reaches 15 bars ; a more than correct measure for a domestic super-automatic coffee machine. A professional would be around 9 bars of pressure; This difference derives from the parts of the machine that cause it to lose intensity as the coffee-making process progresses.
As for the temperature, this super automatic coffee maker reaches 87-93-97 degrees. Also within the average for this segment of small appliances. The ability to choose the grades is important. As a rule, this type of model had been putting the coffee almost on fire; capital sin for the devotees that we mentioned at the beginning. For lovers of the product this is a sacrilege: a coffee must be at that point where it can be drunk without losing the taste buds along the way and, more importantly, without leaving it stand for a few long minutes of contemplation. This has undoubtedly been something that I have learned over time.
In anyone's houses, and in old-fashioned bars, coffee will always be at the level of a foundry. In the case of this model, you have to play with the temperature since it runs the risk of increasing during the coffee-making process.
Programmable for various types of coffee strength and 21 recipes –in addition to those that one can design on the fly–, the wide variety is one of its greatest advantages. Although the truth is that, after a while of use, the selection is reduced to the classics of the day to day . The rest of the recipes are for visits and parties to save. And if we are honest, many of the options that are offered on paper end up being the same in their result. Mocca, cappuccino and latte differ little in this case, which we can choose both from the application and from the touch panel.
It also has several deposits for coffee: option of ground coffee, or various types of beans for all tastes with 5 degrees of grinding intensity. This is, in fact, one of the best benefits offered by this type of machine. Using a semiautomatic machine with an external grinder in my daily life, the idea of dispensing with the step of grinding the grain – a process that usually ends with coffee on the counter – is quite attractive.
It goes without saying that the quality of the coffee will depend on the quality of the bean. So if you want to invest in a super automatic, don't skimp on it.
More technicalities and, yes, problems with cleaning Before talking about the results, we must continue with some points of the Melitta Barista TS Smart. One of them applies to your water tank and its cleaning.
It is, honestly, one of the biggest stumbling blocks that I have encountered these days with the super-automatic coffee maker. With a DeLonghi on my arm for a few years now, I hadn't had to interact as much with a coffee maker until the Melitta Barista TS Smart came along. It has a capacity of 1.8 liters. If this sounds like a lot to you, I can assure you it falls short. The water consumption of this type of super-automatic coffee makers is above any other model on the market. While it is true that filling the tank is very simple, it is a process that must be repeated quite often.
Why do you use so much water? Very easy. The Melitta Barista TS Smart pulls this tank to make coffee, of course, but also to clean itself . It is in the hygiene part where more water is used.
And it is that the coffee maker does a self-cleaning every time it is used. A detail that keeps the interior of our machine in perfect condition, but that generates three parallel problems. The exterior of the coffee machine, as well as the surroundings where it is located, end up being victims of the expansive wave of the steam jet that it emits when cleaning. If you are a cleaning freak, this machine may be your kryptonite; I lost the battle of keeping the stainless steel parts spatter-free. We don't even talk about the countertop and the floor.
The second problem is that is quite noisy . In general it is a silent model, considering that grinding grain always generates noise. But when it is cleaned it is anything but discreet. There have been many scares to think that someone was at home when the Melitta Barista TS Smart began to clean itself.
Finally, the question of the tank where the waste will end up. Here's a big design problem . The water that the machine discharges, as well as the used coffee, will end up in the same place. But independently of course.
It is not easy to empty it , especially if you have the pulse to play tambourines. If the kitchen sink is far from where the Melitta Barista TS Smart is located, you have a problem. The safest thing is that something will end up spilled on the floor since it is a full plate of water the size of a coffee maker with really low edges.
How many times will we have to empty this deposit? Quite a lot. The calculation is at 10 coffees per round – quite a few in my opinion -, so if your consumption is high you will have to proceed several times. And yes, it will always be at the least opportune moment.
Size matters in a super automatic coffee machine
Home appliances suffer from the mobile trend. They were huge in the beginning, they got smaller – the more invisible the better – and now they have grown again. The Melitta Barista TS Smart is gigantic, openly.
Today's kitchens, mostly hallways and precarious free counter space, are not made for super-automatic coffeemakers. With a dimension of 372 x 259 x 467 mm, it is similar to a microwave but with more height.
Your biggest problem? You need space on all sides. Above to fill the coffee and water. On the sides to put the milk tank and in front to be able to remove the tanks. Plus the shock wave when it emits steam and cleans itself. That is, it does not fit in the corner hole of your kitchen, in the end it will end up being uncomfortable.
Yes it is true that it is not entirely heavy and anyone can move it. About 10 kilos, which considering its size, is not bad. But that depends, of course, on the fact that its exterior is practically plastic. In fact, on the fly more than one piece ended up detaching from the device.
The milk tank, loved at the beginning and hated at the end
The Melitta Barista TS Smart has an external milk container. We can acquire the official brand or versions of it. In our case, it was the one that came with the super-automatic coffee maker.
Who doesn't like a good coffee with their frothy milk? It is a whim that we can hardly refuse. In my case, I have not. Each and every one of the coffees prepared with the Melitta Barista TS Smart have pulled the external milk tank. But honestly, it's a real nightmare.
If the coffee machine is technically super-automatic, it is not at all practical. Along with the question of tank cleaning that we talked about above, the issue of milk has been a headache. There is no moment of truce in this regard.
It is probable that, over time, he would have dispensed with this device and would have returned to the microwave of a lifetime
Milk has sugar, and it is also a product with a short shelf life outside and inside the fridge. This combination forces us to have an extreme control in our management of the milk tank after each use. Not only for hygiene, but also for food safety. Although the tank can be put in the refrigerator, the milk pipe must be cleaned after use. If you leave it longer, you run the risk of not being able to do anything later . The milk will curdle and impede the passage in the future. And trust me, it gets stuck really fast. In addition, this tube is really narrow and difficult to clean if you want to leave it as it came from the factory.
It is likely that, in time, he would have dispensed with this device and returned to the microwave of a lifetime.
An app always looks good
I'm not going to lie, I loved this part . Despite the problems endured. The Melitta Barista TS Smart is Bluetooth enabled. Yes, now all of our appliances have it for a reason. The issue in this case is that it also has an application to control the machine. And it is really easier than handling the touch control panel, which is already designed so that we do not have to interact a lot with the device beyond the fact that we want very personal options. From this app, we can choose our recipes, create new ones or modify existing ones with a simple touch.
It is the perfect system for those who want fresh coffee as soon as they get out of bed. If you put the cup down before going to bed, you can make your coffee before you get out of bed and drink it without intermission. I have not done it, but I confess that I have fantasized about the idea.
Despite everything, we see a problem with the application: it disconnects from our device regularly. You will have to search for the Melitta Barista TS Smart almost every time you use it. But, despite this, it has that curious touch that we like .
Let's be clear, what is the result of the Melitta Barista TS Smart
Let's be honest. Any resemblance of the coffee in the promotional photo with the reality that we take at home is pure chance. Neither the milk is so frothy, nor the coffee so sumptuous. That is, the coffee is purely correct, even with good quality beans. Better than a traditional bar, light years away from a specialty barista shop. In my opinion worse than in my arm coffee maker, but better than the classic models that are still allowed to be sold – which makes no sense –
It is, perhaps, the option of having several types of coffee at our reach the greatest attraction of this type of this type of super-automatic coffee machines. Despite the fact that they always end up consuming the classics. Choosing how much coffee or milk we want in our cup is interesting. That first coffee first thing in the morning is not the same as that after lunch or after lunch. Being able to choose is an advantage. In fact, I can say that with this machine you may have reduced the amount of caffeine consumed throughout the week.
Can I buy the Melitta Barista TS Smart?
When asked whether you should buy the Melitta Barista TS Smart or a super-automatic coffee maker, the answer is complicated.
Its size and consumption must be taken into account. I said, it is super-automatic in the process of making a coffee, but it requires time and dedication in terms of its optimal maintenance. It's something to consider. Please measure before you buy it. If you doubt if it fits, the safest thing is that it does not do it. It really takes up a lot.
The high price, compared to the automatic or semi coffee machines, is high, so it is something to think about. It will be a long-lasting coffee maker, and as in any relationship that has the long-term on the table it will take time to get to know each other and specify the tastes . Although it is easy to handle, the number of options can be overwhelming in the first instance and getting the hang of the taste of coffee in terms of quantity and temperature will take time and many trials. If price is a barrier to entry and doubts, perhaps it is best to go for more modest models. Less technological yes, but also with less headaches.
In short, if you are a coffee orthodox, this is not your church, but if you still accept flexibility and want to give new trends a chance, maybe you can make room for it in your day-to-day life.
