Product Review: Melitta 4-CUP Steam Espresso Maker - MEX6B

If I spent as much time writing articles and reviews as I do filling out on-line surveys I'd probably be a lot more well known on AC and have a lot more money in my PayPal account! I have gotten all kinds of cash, web certificates, and gifts for accumulated points for different survey sites, though.

I have wanted an espresso/cappuccino maker for a LONG time. I love the frothed/steamed milk, but buying one of these has not been on the top of my list because of budget reasons. When I saw that I had about 5,000 points saved up from Harris Polls Online, I checked and saw that I could trade them in for this Melitta espresso maker. So, I ordered the espresso maker and when it came in I quickly opened the box and tried my first cups of espresso and cappuccino. My initial thought: "NUTS...All those surveys for THIS???" The espresso is fair but don't expect this unit to do a good job of steaming/frothing the milk.

What's a perfect cup of espresso?
Some may disagree and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not an expert so this only based on what I've read. A double shot of espresso is between 2 and 2-1/2 ounces. A properly brewed cup should have, floating on the top, what has been called a layer of marbleized foam. A proper cup of coffee should be brewed at about 190 - 195 degrees.

THE MACHINE!
The capacity is 4 cups. Melitta says this is model is a 3.5 bar pressure unit. My understanding of bar pressure is the amount of pressure that is built up to force the water through the grounds. Too low a pressure and the result is a bitter cup of espresso. The remaining pressure is used to steam and froth the milk. To give you a comparison of this machine to a better one, I have read that the optimum bar pressure to create that foam and a good cup of espresso is 15-19 bar. So, for $30 bucks you can't expect much. The pressure build up is also used for steam to froth the milk.

The machine is delivered with the carafe (of course!), the filter holder, filter basket, and a measuring scoop/tamper. The tamper is needed to tamp or press the grounds down into the filter basket.

I'm not going into the detailed instructions on how to use this machine. Telling you how to actually brew a cup of coffee with this is out of scope for a REVIEW on a product.

Making Latte's and Cappuccinos-or "How I learned to Do Without Them!"
You need the frother if you want latte or cappuccino drinks. I followed the instructions and used fresh and very cold skim milk (skim milk is critical, btw, and next time you go to Starbucks or another coffee place for latte's or cappuccinos make sure you tell them you want skim milk since it steams and froths much better than milk with fat).

Melitta tells you to use a small pitcher and fill only halfway with milk to leave room for expansion since the volume will double. I could never find a pitcher that would fit between the frother and the counter and also hold enough milk to make a regular cup latte. Again, I'm not an expert so this open for discussion but Melitta says that a traditional 6 ounce cappuccino is generally defined as 1/2 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 frothed milk. A latte is traditionally 1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk.

The unit has a steam control knob that you slowly turn to turn on the steam. When the milk is at the desired consistency (it never actually gets to that state before the steam runs outs) you turn knob to the off position. By-the-way, the steam can cause burns if you're not careful. The milk, as well, gets hot. You also need to let the milk stand a minute to let the foam separate from the steamed milk.

Also, if you ever decide to buck my advice and buy this thing, make SURE you clear the frother of milk before turning off the unit because dried milk will be a royal pain to clean or remove later on.

So, bottom line. I used my 5,000 hard earned points on something that will most likely end up for sale on Ebay or in a garage sale.

I have found that after brewing the coffee there is not enough pressure left to steam or froth the milk properly. That pretty negates the frothing feature of this espresso maker!

Final Thoughts
Spend more to get a better unit. This doesn't make a great cup of espresso and it certainly doesn't do a good job steaming the milk.