Melitta Bean to Cup Machine, With Adjustable Coffee Intensity, Adjustable Double Outlet for One or Two Cups, Cup Warming Function, Self-Cleaning Option, SOLO, Sandy-Grey, E950-877

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As a result, the espresso had a very foamy crema that dissipated quickly and was very light in colour. There are also three different brew temperatures to choose from, and this allows the user to make a truly professional tasting cup of coffee. I found that the preset temperature was fine but my preference is for a stronger brew so selected the maximum strength. That and how the cheaper Melitta Caffeo Solo is still being ‘pushed’, even though it’s a discontinued model.

However, you would then have to use an external kettle to get your hot water because, understandably, there’s no hot water nozzle on the Solo. With slightly weak espresso and over-excited milk frothing, the quality of the drink isn’t as good as I’d hoped. We recommend investing in cleaning tablets to remove build up of coffee, water and oils, as well as coffee machine descaler to remove limescale from your pipes.

In terms of durability and performance for the life of the machine, the Melitta Caffeo Solo is a step above the competition — even some of the high-end machines that are out there. While the general espresso quality is good enough, milk frothing isn’t up to scratch, plus the basic interface makes it tricky to achieve the drink you want. It pulls out from the right-hand side of the case and can be rinsed under a tap and left to drip-dry. Dimensions are 325mm height x 200mm width x 455mm depth, this makes it a fairly compact unit, and should fit easily in most kitchens. Still, we do have to contrast one machine with the Solo — namely because it follows the same design concept.

People have been poking fun at how this fully automatic coffee machine doesn’t have a milk frother on board, and I see why. In between, there are buttons for single-cup brewing, double-cup brewing and to set the strength of coffee to be brewed. All they are is model numbers to identify which specific machine (for example which colour) you’re referring to.Melitta has led the coffee industry since 1908, when founder Melitta Bentz made the first paper filter bags. I did find it a bit odd that the setting page for the brewing temperature is buried in the menu on the Purista, as it’s directly accessible on the Melitta Caffeo Solo.