I have been looking forward to writing this Melitta Caffeo Barista TS Smart review for you, for sometime.
Now normally writing reviews is not something to be getting excited about. But for some reason I have been looking forward to this one.
Why you ask? Well I love 2 things, coffee and technology. The Barista TS combines both of these in an attempt to produce the first truly smart bean to cup coffee machine.
It should be no surprise the company that patented the very first coffee filter and the same company pushing boundaries again with the smart coffee machine.
The smart eyed among you will have noticed the Melitta Caffeo Barista TS only featured at number 10 on my list of the best bean to cup coffee machines. Well firstly to make the top 10 means it is a great coffee machine and it would have been much higher but for it’s price, it is towards the more expensive end of the scale.
Smart Coffee for the Future
Summary
The future has arrived, the Caffeo Barista TS offers amazing coffee and great smart features. It sounds very complex , well it is behind the scenes. But it so easy to use that almost anyone can now be a Barista.
Key Features
- 15bar pump pressure
- 1.8 litre water tank
- 270g (2 x 135g) Bean Hopper
- Integrated Burr Grinder
- Thermoblock boiler
- Fully automated milk frother
- Connect App and touch screen custom settings
- Changeable water filters
- My Coffee Memory system
- Intense Aroma feature
- Automatic cleaning and descaling programs
- 21 pre programmed recipes
- One or Two cup dispensing
- Fresh coffee beans or pre ground coffee
- Dimensions : 25.9cm (W) x 46.7cm (D) x 37.2cm (H)
- Weight : 10.4kg
My Melitta Caffeo Barista TS Review
So what have Melitta done to upgrade the ever popular Caffeo Barista model, to warrant the “TS” and and increase in price.
Well the short answer is they have kept all the good things you love about the original coffee machine and made it future proof, by adding smart features and connectivity.
Read any of the customer reviews online and you can see that Melitta have another hit on their hands. The vast majority of them are overwhelmingly positive.
The Espresso Making
As you have probably guessed with such and technically advanced machine the Barista TS is fully customisable when it comes to the espresso making. Not only do you have full control but different people can store their personal preference for future use.
Bean Grinding
Being a true automatic bean to cup coffee machine, the Caffeo Barista TS has an integrated conical burr grinder, this means you simply put fresh coffee beans in the top and the machine does the rest.
Same as any other bean to cup right? Wrong!
The Barista express is different in this department, but in a good way. The clever people at Melitta recognise that most people like different beans depending on whether they are having an espresso, ristretto etc or a milk based coffee.
So to aid in this, they have given you two 135g bean containers to use, and you can program which of two different types of beans should be used for which of the coffee recipes. Smart Eh?
I think the Barista TS is the only coffee machine I know of with a “aroma safe” hopper. This means the bean containers are airtight and have tinted lid, protecting your beans freshness from the air and light.
Another awesome little touch from Melitta is the “grind until empty” feature, in simple terms this ensures all the grinds are used each time. Meaning that the next coffee you make does not contain old grinds from yesterday’s shot. Ensuring maximum freshness each and every cup.
Setting the grind coarseness is the only manually part to the whole process, this is controlled via a level on the side.
Extraction process
You have completed the only manual step above, and set how fine you like your beans ground. Now it is onto brewing the perfect coffee.
You will first need to decide how strong you would like you shot, my advise would be start of somewhere in the middle, maybe number three. And you can adjust from there, Coffee Strength is really a personal preference and most people will like different strengths.
You can also control the temperature you would like the brew, this is quite specialist and I would urge if you don’t know to just stick with the factory setting.
You obviously have the choice of coffee you would like: Espresso, Ristretto, Lungo, Americano, or Long Black, and of course you can choose double for all of them.
Don’t fancy one of the pre programmed options, then you can easily program your own.
All of the above are really easy to select, either on the TFT screen or the smartphone app. And all are controlled with the “touch and slide” control system.
The brewing itself is the final part of the “Best Aroma System Plus”, and incorporates Melitta’s Aroma Extraction System which pre wets the ground coffee just prior to the brewing process. This ensures maximum flavour extraction.
For those who like a very intense coffee experience, then there is a pre set option instead of the standard brew. Called the “Intensearoma” brew, you don’t need to do anything else other than select this at the start.
Espresso Verdict
Having an espresso made by the Melitta Caffeo Barista TS Smart is a fantastic experience and for me, I could not tell the difference between this and one made by an experienced Barista on a manual machine.
You get get a great tasting shot, with a perfectly thick and rich crema. But best of all the whole kitchen fills with the intense coffee aroma, that whisks you all the way to an Milan espresso bar.
Milk Based Drinks
When it comes to the milk based drinks, then this is where the Melitta Caffeo Barista TS comes into it’s own. For starters you have 21 coffee specialities to choose with just one touch of a button.
Unlike other bean to cup machines, you can also program your own recipes as well as download new ones to the Barista TS Smart.
People will tell you, and me included that coffee machines do not texture milk as good as a Barista, well of course they don’t. But the milk system on the Barista TS Smart is as close as you can get.
Not only does it produce perfectly frothed milk every time, but it is really easy to use. All you need to do is select the drink you want on the touch sensitive screen or phone app.
If you don’t fancy one of the 21 different types of drinks in the menu, you can make and store your own recipes with the “My Coffee Memory” function.
8 Different people can each store their own perfect coffee settings, and can recall them with one touch. Keeping the whole family or office happy.
If you don’t want to create a whole new recipe, and simply want to just add some hot water or extra milk then of course you can with the Caffeo Barista TS.
The milk container (Carafe) is not internal, this is great for storing your milk in the fridge when not in use, but can be a bit of a pain moving it back and forth. You can upgrade to a thermo milk container, which allows you to leave the milk out all morning.
Available milk based recipes
Below are some of the more popular menu items available in the app, these are available with either single, double or triple shot.
- Cappuccino
- Latte
- Latte Macchiato
- Cafe au Lait
- Cafe Creme
- Espresso Macchiato
- Latte Macchiato
- Flat White
Milk Based Drinks Verdict
As automatic coffee machines go, the Caffeo Barista TS produces great milk based drinks. It is the closest milk froth you can get to a manually produced coffees.
Having so many different settings and programs to choose from, it may surprise you that I also score the Barista TS highly on its ease of use.
Smart features and APP
What really sets this bean to cup machines apart from its peers, is its Smart features. hence the name Barista TS Smart.
You can control almost every aspect of it, either via the touchscreen display or the smartphone app. The only non connected part is the level for grind settings.
All changes can be made by simply sliding the control bar across the screen to your desired level, it really is that easy to use. Once you have your prefect settings you can store your personal recipes in the app. In fact up to 8 different people can store their own recipe.
If that wasn’t enough you can even download extra recipes direct to the app and connect these to the Caffeo Barista TS via WIFI.
The best part for me though, and something I think you will all really like is the ability to order a coffee via the app and it be ready by the time you get to the kitchen. It is like having a Barista on demand.
Cleaning and Maintenance
This is a completely manual and old school process involving a lot of elbow grease and little fiddly brushes.
WHAAAAT I hear you shout, don’t worry I am only kidding. Of course this is also full of smart features to make your life easier.
The Caffeo Barista TS is very easy to clean. Firstly you are reminded after each use to, to start the easy clean system, which will flush the whole machine through with steam and hot water to keep it pristine.
The only manual cleaning from you, is the same as any other machine. You will be required to give the different parts a soak, this would include the drip tray, removable brewing unit and milk container. These are all easy to remove and therefore very easy to clean.
When it comes to descaling, there is an automated program which you need to run with some descaling solution. The good part here is if you use the “Melitta Pro Aqua Water Filter” then you only need to descale yearly and not every three months like most machines.
Other Features
- Drip tray is also a cup warmer
- Auto off function
- Water hardness settings
- Energy saving mode
- Guarantee : 2 years
- Pre Brewing feature
- Adjustable nozzle height
Frequently asked questions
A few of the regular questions I have been asked or see in the various coffee forums I check.
Is the Melitta Caffeo Barista TS Value for money?
The Melitta Caffeo Barista TS is good value fr money. True it is expensive but it is also has more features and smart controls than any other bean to cup coffee machine
Can I use mugs?
Yes you can use mugs, the nozzle is height adjustable and the maximum setting is 140mm.
How Big is the Melitta Caffeo Barista TS?
Dimensions are 372mm height x 259mm width x 467mm depth. This should fit in most kitchens, but do check first.
My Final Verdict
The Melitta Caffeo Barista is a fantastic coffee machine for those that can afford the price tag. You will be getting real coffee enjoyment when you get this machine home.
The ease of use for such an advanced automatic machine, means almost anyone will be able to produce great coffee recipes with the touch of a button.
You only need to check the online reviews to see just how loved the Caffeo Barista TS is by anyone invests in one.
Yes the price may put some off, but it is often reduced from its RRP so it is wort checking the current price before looking elsewhere.
