Melitta AromaFresh II Review
Quality filter coffee the easy way.
Verdict
A high-quality filter coffee machine with a built-in grinder, the Melitta AromaFresh II takes beans to coffee in just a few minutes, filtering through paper filters. It’s straightforward to use, makes brilliant coffee and can even be timed to come on. If you love filter coffee and want the easiest way to make it, this coffee machine is hard to beat.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Can dose coffee
- Excellent coffee
Cons
- Always uses a full tank
Key Features
- TypeThis is a filter coffee machine with built-in bur coffee grinder.
- Hot plateKeeps coffee hot for your choice of 20, 40 or 60 minutes.
Introduction
Fancy espresso-based drinks may be the hallmark of high-end coffee shops, but it’s hard to beat a cup of filter coffee for pure, simple taste and smell. With the Melitta AromaFresh II, you get a simple one-touch way of making a pot of coffee, with the machine automatically taking care of grinding and water flow.
This is a great choice if you like your coffee by the pot and want the minimum hassle.
Design and features
- Integrated grinder
- Makes up to 10 cups
- Timer function
Considering that the Melitta AromaFresh II has a coffee grinder built in, it’s not actually that big. More tall and thin, it won’t take up much room on a kitchen counter.
An update to the original Melitta AromaFresh, the new version is a little neater to look at and the screen is easier to read.
Using the Melitta AromaFresh II couldn’t be easier. This coffee machine takes a full 250g bag of beans, poured into the grinder on top. That’s enough to get you through around three full carafes of coffee, although you don’t need to make this much.
There’s a simple dial to adjust the grind. The middle setting seemed to work well for most beans; filter coffee isn’t quite as sensitive to the grind as espresso is.
A 10-cup glass carafe and 10-cup water reservoir give up to 1.25-litres of coffee. The reservoir can’t be removed, but that’s alright, as it’s easy to fill up using the carafe instead.
While the controls let you select how many cups of coffee you want, this setting controls the grinder only, not how much water is used. Each time the Melitta AromaFresh II pours coffee, it uses the entire water tank. It’s important, therefore, to select the number of cups you want and then add this amount of water only, using the markings on the side of the tank as a guide.
Other options include setting the coffee strength (three options), a timer (if you want to wake up to hot coffee), and an option to bypass the grinder altogether and use freshly ground coffee.
For the latter, after adding a paper coffee filter into the machine, you’d pour in the ground coffee. If you use the grinder, an empty filter is all you need.
With everything in place, the Melitta AromaFresh II runs until it has run out of water, dripping coffee into the carafe. Thanks to the anti-drip mechanism, the carafe can be removed mid-brew to pour out a coffee and dropped back in place to finish the job.
By default, the hot plate is set to turn on for 40 minutes, keeping the coffee hot, but this can be overridden to 20 or 60 minutes. And, the hotplate can be turned off immediately by hitting the Start button again.
Once the water hardness level is set by following the instructions in the manual, the Melitta AromaFresh II will light up the Calc button when it’s time to descale. It’s then easy to follow the manual to run the descaling option.
Otherwise, maintenance is easy: the used coffee grounds and filter can be removed and thrown away, while the glass carafe, lid and filter insert are all dishwasher safe.
Coffee quality
- Smells incredible
- Rich and deep coffee
- Perfect temperature
Part of the joy of coffee is the way that it smells, and the Melitta AromaFresh II makes the most of this. As the machine grinds and brews, the rich smell of freshly-ground coffee permeates the room. Could there be anything better than that?
I found that my coffee was delivered at 75C, which is about right for filter coffee, which should be a little warmer than espresso, but far from boiling point.
The taste is excellent. Using my Peruvian Fairtrade beans, the full richness of the coffee came through: the coffee is robust and has pronounced acidity.
With something more subtle, such as my Jamaican Blue Mountain beans, I found that the delicate berry flavours came through with zero bitterness and a smooth aftertaste. For this kind of coffee, a filter really is the best way to develop the flavours and get the full complex palette.
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Should you buy it?
You want beautiful filter coffee made simple: The integrated grinder and simple controls deliver delicious-tasting hot pots of coffee with the minimum amount of hassle.
You have a grinder or don’t want a hot plate: If you have a coffee grinder, a standard filter machine will be better. Those that prefer a thermal carafe should look elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
Brilliantly built, easy to use and excellent at making coffee, the Melitta AromaFresh II is the top machine for those that want to filter coffee in the easiest way possible and don’t want a separate grinder to use with a machine, such as the Moccamaster KBGT. See my guide to the best coffee machines for alternatives.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every coffee machine we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main coffee machine for the review period
Tested for at least a week
We roast our own beans for regular coffee machines, so we can fairly compare each machine; pod machines are tested with a variety of compatible capsules
Depending on capabilities, we test each machine’s ability to make espresso and cappuccino
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FAQs
This model can make up to 10-cups (1.25-litres).
The filter holder, glass carafe and plastic lid are all dishwasher safe.
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
