Melitta One:One Re-Review from Guest Writer Russell Miner

At Single Serve Coffee.com - we love to have a diversity of opinions. That being said, you can expect that if I can pass along any of the coffee makers and gadgets to other Single Serve readers or friends for their opinion - I will do it.

I asked my good friend Russell Miner to take the Melitta One:One off my hands after I had done a multi-week review and get his impression of the single serve maker. He had the following to say.

From Russell Miner

Pod.

Even the name evokes some kind of futuristic experience. And I have to say, with the Melitta One:One, the future is here!

Russell Miner Loves Coffee

To begin my review, you should probably know about me as a coffee drinker. I'm definitely a "cup every day or I die" person. I typically get a Dunkin Donuts medium skim milk only. And when I brew (mostly on weekends) I brew a half pot of whole bean with my favorites ranging from Blue Mountain, to Kona, and my most likely being Dunkin Donuts regular roast. I also have big mugs. I would estimate the mugs hold around 16 oz. And on some weekends, to my wife's great chagrin, I have two. At 32 oz. of coffee, I'm quite a force to be reckoned with.

It was with some admitted reluctance that Jay introduced me to the Melitta. Sure, she was attractive. But pods? I mean. Will brewing one cup at a time be annoying? Will be easier than my old standby? Will the pods cost an arm and a leg? It seems that all of my fears were misplaced. This little beauty is definitely changing my views on a great cup of coffee.

The machine:

It’s a very attractive little device. To me it looks a little like a spaceship. You put you little space men inside. and brew them! Yum! It also isn’t too large. I'd say it’s a little bigger than a loaf of bread stood up on its end.

Cleaning is an absolute snap. Just dump the used pod, and occasionally rinse out the drip tray.

Refilling is a little trickier. Like Jay, I had some real issues trying to take the reservoir off the machine, and instead I now just bring my Brita over and fill it up by pouring. That probably makes better coffee anyway.

The coffee:

The coffee that comes out is very good. I think it’s better than my home brew, as it makes a perfect ratio of coffee and water. The taste is smooth, and has that "just right" flavor that I usually only get at fancy restraints. Superheating the water also seems to add something to the brewing process that makes for a better cup. I have tried the medium roast, french vanilla, and hazlenut pods so far, and all have been exemplary. I have not as yet tried the tea, but I suspect they will be as good.

My largest complaint thus far, may be the amount of coffee you can brew. We have a 5oz, and an 8oz option. As you can imagine, that looks quite sad inside of my 16 oz mug. I have gone against the manufacturer’s advice, and tried the coveted "8" then "5" with one pod, with some success, but trying a double "8" with one pod yields watery crap. Trust them when they say you need to change pods. To compensate for this smaller cup, I have just typically made 2 separate 8oz cups with 2 pods. I may be spending more on pods, but it’s just a superior cup of coffee.

The best part is how little you have to do to make a cup. Total time is about 8 minutes, and that’s with cleanup. It’s so easy, even my wife, who normally isn’t into coffee, has been enjoying it too. I think not having to wait 10 minutes for a pot to brew, and then not having to clean out a basket of grounds makes the overall experience much better.

Overall Pros:

Fast to warm up (like 2-3 minutes and its ready to brew)
Brews an excellent cup
Easy to clean (about 1 - 2 minutes of cleanup, 30 seconds if your just changing pods)
Looks nice on the counter

Overall Cons:

Water filtering - My big pot has a water filtering device. It might be nice to have a changeable filter that the reservoir passes through.
Pod count in a box could be higher -- they go pretty fast.. Especially when I have several pods a day.
Amount of coffee is small - 8 oz? Imp an American. Give me 16.
Cream coffee - I have tried the Senseo at Jay's and there is something nice about a crema coffee. I wish that option was available on the Melitta.
Heat retention - The cup doesn’t come out REAL hot (which can be good because I can drink it immediately) but as a con, it won’t stay too hot for long. (10-15 minutes and its cool again)

And where does this leave me?

Wrap Up

I haven’t been to Dunkin' Donuts all week, and I haven't brewed a pot either. After just ordering more pods from Amazon, they seem to be a reasonable value at about $5 for 18. In addition, I am trying to drink a little less coffee each day anyway, and I might as well have a cup that really does the job with taste and caffeine. Consider me a convert to the single serve coffee phenomenon.

October 11, 2004

Melitta One:One Re-Review from Guest Writer Russell Miner