Melitta Barista T Smart: two hoppers, 4 users

Two hoppers, four users, eighteen drinks

Melitta states the machine stores drinks for four different users and offers 18 specialities, covering espresso, long coffee, cappuccino and latte macchiato among others. The double bean tray totals 270 g, and a separate hatch takes ground coffee. You choose which side to grind from for each new cup.

A 1 to 2 cup mode is part of the title, so two coffees can be made in one go. Coffee and milk come out of a single all-in-one spout, which means no moving the cup between a coffee outlet and a milk outlet.

Using the app and the colour display

On the machine, a TFT touch and slide colour display handles selection. The Melitta Connect app lets you customise drinks, manage users, follow maintenance and create recipes from your phone. Melitta also offers a separate Companion app with illustrated guides and tutorials, which may help less confident users get set up.

Milk, filters and descaling

Milk is drawn through a hose, and the box includes both a standard and a long milk hose, plus an optional milk tank according to the listing. Pipe systems need regular rinsing, and the listing points to cleaning and descaling programmes in the menu, with an indicator light for descaling.

Melitta says that with the Pro Aqua filter cartridge, changed six times a year, you only need to descale once a year. That is a useful saving in time in a hard water area, though the filters are an ongoing cost to factor in.

The water tank holds 1.8 litres, the operating pressure is listed at 15 bar and the bullet gives dimensions of 259 x 372 x 467 mm with a weight of 10.6 kg.

Alternatives with two hoppers

The De'Longhi Rivelia carries two larger 250 g hoppers and adds Bean Adapt, while the Siemens EQ900 Plus gives each hopper its own grinder. The cheaper Melitta Barista SE has a dual chamber and four profiles too, but no app or stated 18 drink menu.