MelittaCoffee Maker, 6 Cup Pour-Over Brewer with Glass Carafe, 1-Count

I chuckle when I see all the expensive and complicated ways people choose to make coffee in their home. Nothing is as SIMPLE and INEXPENSIVE as this Melitta system, and it makes a fine cup (or pot) of coffee! You do NOT need electronic equipment to make coffee. You do NOT need pods or other pre-measured portions (so overpriced and wasteful for the environment). You do NOT need to impress your friends about what a sophisticated barista you are. THIS is all you need, assuming you would like a traditional American brewed cup of coffee (rather than espresso, latte, cappuccino, etc.)You get a carafe (a simple glass container); a plastic cone that fits on top, a paper filter you place in the cone, scoop some ground coffee into that filter, and pour hot water over it. You can easily control the strength of the coffee by putting in less or more coffee grounds (and it's not gonna matter that much if you're a little off).The basic package comes with the glass carafe, the plastic cone, and a few No. 4 size paper filters. (Refills of the filters are readily available, including at many stores, at just pennies per filter -- and you can use just about any brand of filter, you're not locked into having to use Melitta).The carafe is easy to clean. (MUCH easier than, for example, the Chemex coffee maker), dishwasher safe (upper tray only). Everything works, every time. No fuss, no muss.I also own a single cup Melitta plastic cone -- those are great because you can place that directly on to your coffee cup, use a smaller (No. 2 size) paper filter, and thus make your coffee directly into your coffee cup. I mean, how convenient is that.I am a coffee lover whose day does not really start until I've had my morning coffee. I swear by my Melitta Coffee Maker. It really is hilarious to me how people go out of their way to spend more money on complicated coffee makers. In part, this is because the kitchen supply stores like Sur Le Table, Bed Bath & Beyond, Williams & Sonoma, etc push the more expensive stuff. (How much profit can they make by selling you this item,which only costs about $12???)OK, there is one minor negative. The glass is not super-strong. It's not uncommon after a few years that it breaks or chips. For example, if you drop it, it will break). But that's a trade-off for how inexpensive it is. You can just buy a new one if/when that happens. Really no big deal.

This is a basic drip funnel and carafe that uses a #4 filter.I've been a fan of steam espresso machines for twenty years, every day, every day for twenty years. The problem, the espresso machines would scale up and either need cleaning (descaling) or blow the safety valve in the lid and be rendered useless. We have gone through countless steam espresso machines over the years and spent many a Saturday (yes, the whole day) soaking the espresso machine in descaling solution and then cleaning the descaling solution out of the espresso machine so the first cup in the morning, wouldn't taste like descaling solution.Well, we can no longer find.....anywhere, basic steam espresso machines as all we can find are fancy espresso machines that will quickly clog up with scale or drip coffee makers that churn out weak, watery coffee shop style coffee....."More coffee hun?" Do you really want to know?Enters this drip carafe as I tried making drip coffee out of a paper towel and a strainer and found the coffee to be acceptable but still a bit bitter and not up to par. I ordered up this carafe with six hundred #4 filters at less than one-third the cost of what a replacement steam espresso coffee maker would have cost, based upon the last purchase price of eighty dollars US.Yes, it's a bit of a "BIG" pain to make a carafe of coffee. The water needs to be heated in a microwave, two cups at a time for four minutes and then slowly drizzled over the fresh grinds until all the water has been allowed to drain through the filter. This needs to be done twice, using three heaping teaspoons of fresh ground, French Roast, coffee beans, in each of two filter baskets.The good, now that's what I'm talking about! The resulting coffee is fresh, thick, robust, smooth, full flavor, that's what I'm talking about, coffee. The point, if you care about your coffee and how it tastes, for the effort, this is for you. We drink our coffee black and do not find need to add creams, sugars or otherwise to make it palpable as we like our coffee in the morning, just as it is, perfectly black.An aside, we buy filters, six hundred filters at a time. We use three to four filters each morning as we brew up coffee at the rate of sixteen ounces per three heaping teaspoons of fresh ground coffee, per filter. Doing the math, this is about a six month supply of coffee filters.If you're looking for convenience, dash and go, this is not for you. If you're looking to have fresh, smooth, robust coffee in the morning and don't mind the hassle it takes to get what you want, this package is definitely for you.---------------------Addendum:I like this combination so much that today, 10Aug13, I purchased a second pot/filter cone combination. FYI, the coffee is the best morning coffee we've had. We are very happy with the coffee this hand pour drip system makes. It's a bit slow working with a single filter cone so in a few days, we'll have a second pot/filter cone to speed the morning coffee making process up. Yes, more cleaning after making coffee but definitely worth the extra effort.

Llegó roto el vaso del filtro. A pesar de que en remates de almacén decía que estaba en perfecto estado.

I have been intrigued by the pour over coffee makers. We have a Bunn automatic that uses pour over and it produces a good cup of coffee, but I DH likes his coffee strong and thus the coffee is usually a bit bitter for my taste. I usually stick to tea. Everything I have read says the manual pour over produces a strong but smoother coffee. I priced out various pour over cones and carafes, but the priced seemed high when we didn't even know if we would like it. I saw this Melitta at a great add on price($9 @ my purchase). It seemed perfect for a starter set. The cost was less than some of the other brands paper filters. The set includes the cone filter, the carafe, a lid and 5 paper filters- everything you need to try it out. I considered getting the larger one, but another reviewer noted that the coffee does not stay warm long and figured we would be better off with a size we could drink quickly. While I was looking for a non-plastic cone, this is BPA free. The carafe is made in Germany, the cone top is made in Canada. Now to the coffee... It is fantastic! I use the espresso grind that DH uses in the Bunn. The coffee is just as strong without the bitterness. It doesn't seem to take any more time. I use the Hario kettle on our induction stove so boiling water takes no time. Then, the pour over is almost zen like. I mainly use this on my late mornings and on weekends. We may eventually upgrade to ceramic cone, but this suits our needs at present.

I've used a grinder and a French press for nearly a decade, but I've eventually tired of the sludge in press coffee left by the coarse metal screen. I recently bought this pour-over coffee maker and have been extremely happy with it. I'm still experimenting with amounts of water, amount of coffee grounds, and pouring techniques, but even my worst cup made with the Melitta is better than my everyday press coffee. Cleanup is easy and storage is a breeze. The only real expense involved was buying a kettle with a pour-over spout, and I'm happy with a cheap Japanese import stainless kettle that was a third the price of some others.With the press, pre-ground coffee (especially flavored coffee) was not appropriate; the amount of sludge that got through made it undrinkable. Since buying the Melitta I've been going through my stores of gift and flavored coffees and have thoroughly enjoyed the change. The amazing economy represented by the Melitta combined with the quality of the brew is wonderful. To heck with the critics who say that paper filters filter out the essential coffee oils, etc. This is great coffee for a pittance. I might try a Chemex or Aeropress some day, but I'm more than happy with this. I also saw the cone and filters without the carafe recently for $2.99 in a grocery store. Unbelievable for the quality you get from it. Great stuff doesn't have to be expensive.EDIT: Well, after 3 months with this I had to get a replacement because I broke the cone out of sheer stupidity. Replacement cones are available from Melitta's Web site, but the price plus shipping is more than this complete unit from Amazon. Go figure.The coffee from this is the best, is consistent, and will be my preferred method from now on. The bamboo filters are, IMHO, better than the regular paper filters for a super clean-tasting cup.