Barista TS Smart is Melitta’s most convincing all-rounder for homes that want café variety on tap and care about the details behind the cup. You get a genuine dual-chamber bean hopper with Automatic Bean Select, a well-designed milk system that rinses quickly via Easy Steam Cleaning, a removable brew group you can wash in the sink, and the Connect app that unlocks 21 drink recipes plus freestyle programming. Double Cup mode works for milk drinks as well as black coffee, which saves real minutes on school mornings.

Strength, temperature, grind, volume, and brew profile are all adjustable, and the machine remembers up to eight user profiles so everyone gets their own button. Capacity is kitchen-friendly at a 1.8 liter tank, 2 × 135 g split hopper, and a dregs drawer that holds about sixteen pucks. It is a smart, serviceable platform that favors repeatable results over flash. 

At a glance

• Drinks: 21 specialties on board, controllable on-machine or via the Melitta Connect app.
  
• Hopper: Dual-chamber design with Automatic Bean Select, 2 × 135 g typical capacity. Manual override available. Active Bean Monitoring warns before you run empty.
  
• Profiles: “My Coffee Memory” stores preferences for up to 8 users.
  
• Adjustability: 5 strength steps, 5 grind steps, brew temperature selection, volume and recipe order control, plus an IntenseAroma mode for more punch without changing dose.
  
• Milk system: External, dishwasher-safe container with tube that docks left or right of the spout; Easy Steam Cleaning runs a hot water and steam purge at the touch of a button. Two milk drinks at once supported.
  
• Double Cup: Two cups at once for most recipes, including milk drinks; Americano and Long Black remain single due to a single hot-water outlet.
  
• Brew group: Removable for sink rinsing.
  
• Capacities and size: Water tank 1.8 L; dimensions about 259 × 372 × 467 mm; weight around 10.6 kg; rated power about 1450 W. Grounds bin approx. 16 pucks.
  

Glanceable specs

• 21 one-touch recipes plus app “coffeeWorld” additions via Connect
  
• Dual-chamber bean hopper with Automatic or manual Bean Select
  
• Five grind steps and five aroma strength steps
  
• Brew temperatures selectable in three steps on many SKUs; typical targets 87, 90, 93 °C
  
• IntenseAroma alternate brew routine for stronger flavor without changing coffee or water quantities
  
• Double Cup mode for two coffees or two milk drinks at once
  
• Removable brew group
  
• Easy Steam Cleaning for the milk circuit
  
• All-in-one height-adjustable outlet up to about 140 mm
  
• 1.8 L water tank; 2 × 135 g bean capacity; ~16 puck dregs bin
  
• Connect app for drink control, favorites, and freestyle recipes
  
• Pro Aqua filter compatibility; with filter, descaling intervals extend to roughly annual in typical use, per retailer guidance
  
• Typical UK street price in 2025 sits around £499 to £599 depending on finish and promotion
  

Figures above consolidated from Melitta’s UK and International product pages and leading retailers with technical listings. 

Build and design

The Barista TS Smart sits cleanly under standard wall cabinets and looks like a proper appliance rather than a science project. The body is a mix of stainless facings and molded panels, the cup platform is solid, and the outlet assembly moves smoothly through its travel. The footprint is friendly for a full super-automatic at roughly 259 mm wide, 372 mm tall, and 467 mm deep. At around 10.6 kg you can slide it forward alone to refill the tank or to access the brew group. Power is 1450 W, which lines up with the heat-up cadence you feel on first use. 

The split hopper is the design highlight. Automatic Bean Select can pick a bean chamber based on the recipe or your saved preference, and you can override it if you want. If you like darker beans for espresso and a gentler roast for long coffees, this is a real quality-of-life win. Active Bean Monitoring warns you before a chamber runs empty so the grinder does not free-spin mid-drink. The airtight lids help keep aroma in for the week between grocery runs. 

The milk hardware keeps the counter tidy. Melitta supplies a dedicated container that you can store in the fridge, and the silicone tube snaps to the front outlet. You can also skip the container and drop the tube directly into a carton for a quick session. The machine’s Easy Steam Cleaning routine uses hot water and steam to purge the milk path at the end of service, which is how you keep foam consistent month after month without elaborate rituals. 

The interface is a small TFT with touch and slide controls plus soft keys. It is not a giant tablet. It is fast to read, quick to navigate, and paired with a clear app for folks who want to program in comfort on the couch. The app is not an afterthought here. It mirrors key controls, opens the full 21-drink set, and lets you see what is in a recipe before you send it. 

The brew group is owner-removable behind a side door. Pull it weekly, rinse, air-dry, reinstall. The ability to physically clean the group is the difference between a machine that tastes right in six months and one that drifts into stale. Melitta documents the removable group and the general cleaning cadence clearly. 

Workflow

The morning rhythm

Power on. The machine runs a short rinse that warms the spouts and clears yesterday’s residue. Load the beans you want in each chamber. The panel lands you on four direct one-touches and the drink menu for everything else. Two cups at once is as simple as toggling Double Cup, and it works for most milk drinks. Americano and Long Black remain single because there is one hot-water outlet. That is honest engineering rather than a hidden limitation. 

Bean strategy

Use the dual chambers on purpose. Put a darker blend in one side and a medium roast in the other. Map espresso, espresso macchiato, and flat white to the dark side. Map café crème, Americano, and milk-heavy drinks to the medium side. Automatic Bean Select can follow the recipe logic, or you can pick manually. Active Bean Monitoring saves you from “where did the beans go” mid-shot. 

Profiles that stick

“My Coffee Memory” saves profiles for up to eight people. Store strength, temperature, volume, the bean chamber to use, and the milk sequence for the recipes that matter to each person. Now no one is overwriting your settings after you go to work. The profiles live on the machine and are surfaced in the app too. 

Fast adjustments

You have five aroma strength steps, five grind steps, brew temperature choices, and a useful IntenseAroma function. In practice, treat strength as your first-line adjustment for presence, grind as a flow control to keep shots in a sensible window, and temperature as a finish knob. IntenseAroma switches the brew routine for a more forceful cup without changing dose. It is worth testing on milk drinks and on long coffees. 

App cadence

Use the app to build favorites and to see the long list of recipes. The Connect app exposes “freestyle” programming, lets you adjust recipe order in the cup, and saves the results to a user. It is also a clean way to teach new owners what a flat white or red eye actually is before they press brew. 

Espresso performance

What this platform is tuned to do

Super-automatics compress a lot of work into a compact brew chamber. The TS Smart’s strengths are consistency and flexibility. With medium roasts it produces sweet, balanced espresso that stands up well on its own and pairs neatly with milk. The split hopper lets you dial the feel of the shot by roast choice before you ever touch grind. The grinder has five macro steps. The useful range for espresso is typically one click finer than center with strength at 3 of 5. Expect a compact, even crema and clean finish rather than heavy syrup. That is the right target for this class. 

Dialing a new coffee

Start at medium temperature, strength 3 of 5, grind in the middle. Pull a short espresso around 30–35 ml. Taste. If it is thin or lemony, go one grind step finer or enable IntenseAroma first, then retaste before bumping strength. If it is bitter and slow, move one grind step coarser and keep strength steady. Once flow is right, use strength to set presence and temperature to round the edges. This approach fits Melitta’s control scheme and keeps you out of endless micro-tweaks. 

Double shots that make sense

Use the machine’s 2× functions for two singles rather than stretching one long pull. The TS Smart’s Double Cup logic grinds twice, which keeps flavor from going hollow. For very large milk drinks, rely on extra coffee doses rather than extending a single espresso past the sensible window. 

Long coffee

Skip over-long espressos. Use café crème, Americano, or Long Black. With Americano and Long Black you get post-brew dilution that protects extraction. Only Americano and Long Black are single-cup due to the one water outlet. Everything else can run as a pair. 

Milk steaming and texture

What to expect in the cup

The TS Smart’s milk system pulls from the container or carton through the tube, froths, and dispenses from the same all-in-one outlet as coffee. Foam is fine-bubbled and stable. Cappuccino lands airy and sweet. Flat white presets bias to a denser texture, and you can alter milk volume and the pour order to tighten the profile. That order control is not just a party trick. It changes the presentation in the mouth. Melitta’s literature calls the approach “Italian Preparation Process” on sibling models, which is the same logic you can implement via sequencing here. 

Two milk drinks at once

Two cappuccinos or two latte macchiatos at once save you real time in a family kitchen. The spouts are close enough that you will want cups with similar height. Double Cup is available with milk drinks, which is not universal in this segment. It is one of the reasons the TS Smart punches above its price in workflow. 

Plant milks

Barista oat and soy behave best here. Almond runs lighter. If you switch between milks, the Easy Steam Cleaning purge and removable parts prevent carryover. Run the short purge after the last milk drink of the session and refrigerate the container. The manual and Melitta’s FAQ emphasize the quick purge as standard hygiene, which is the realistic way these machines keep tasting right. 

Temperature reality

Milk exit temperature from super-automatics is intentionally conservative to protect sweetness and prevent scalding inside small circuits. If you prefer a hotter cup, pre-warm mugs on the deck and keep milk in the container cold before service. This class of machine is designed for repeatable, hot-enough milk rather than café-wand levels of steam. That expectation keeps owners happy. Retailer specs confirm the thermoblock architecture and target brew temperatures, which align with the sensible milk temps you see. 

Maintenance and reliability

What you actually do

Daily: empty the tray and dregs bin when prompted, run Easy Steam Cleaning after milk drinks, refill water, and wipe the spouts. Weekly: remove the brew group, rinse under warm water, let it air-dry, and lightly clean the inside cavity. Monthly: replace or reset the water filter and run the guided cleaning and descale programs when the machine calls for them. The logic is built in and well documented. 

Filters and descaling

Fit the Pro Aqua filter if your water needs it. With the filter installed and replaced on schedule, Melitta and several retailers indicate you will typically descale roughly once per year under average household use. The machine tracks hardness and prompts you. Follow the on-screen steps and use the supplied tablets. 

Milk hygiene

Use Easy Steam Cleaning every time you finish a milk session. It takes seconds and sends hot water and steam through the circuit. Disassemble the milk fittings and container weekly and run them through the dishwasher. This is how you preserve foam quality beyond the honeymoon period. 

Common owner errors and quick fixes

• Grinder stalls with oily beans. Switch to a cleaner medium roast. This is a universal super-auto truth.
  
• “Fill water tank” with tank full. Check the float in the reservoir and make sure it moves freely.
  
• “Insert brew unit” after cleaning. Seat the group and side door firmly, then restart.
  All three are addressed in the manual’s troubleshooting section and mirrored by retailer guides.
  

App experience

Melitta Connect is not just a remote button. It surfaces all 21 recipes, explains them, and lets you freestyle new ones by adjusting coffee, milk, water, sequence, and size, then save them to a user. It is helpful for teaching family members the difference between a flat white and a latte macchiato and for setting your own “Sunday latte” without hunting through on-panel menus. The app also carries maintenance reminders, which is precisely the nudge that keeps owners on schedule. Android and iOS stores list the supported models explicitly, including Barista TS Smart. 

Taste notes and recipe guidance

Espresso

Medium roasts shine. Set grind one step finer than center, strength 3 of 5, temperature on the middle step, 30–35 ml yield. If your beans are lighter, enable IntenseAroma for a push without over-concentrating. Dark roasts benefit from dropping brew temperature one step to protect sweetness. 

Café crème and long cups

Use café crème for a larger black coffee that still tastes like coffee. For very large mugs, use Americano or Long Black so the extraction stays in range and water tops up post-brew. Remember Americano and Long Black are single-cup only on this machine because of the water outlet. 

Cappuccino and flat white

Cappuccino defaults to foam-forward and pair-service works well. Flat white runs a tighter milk texture and a stronger coffee dose. If you like more definition, set the sequence to coffee first, then milk. If you prefer softer and layered, milk first. The ability to set pour order is a rare but useful control in this class. 

Two-bean choreography

Use the dark chamber for espresso, doppio, macchiato, and flat white. Use the medium chamber for café crème, latte, and Americano. If you have a decaf household member, store decaf in one chamber and regular in the other, then map recipes to the chamber in their profile. The machine remembers, so you do not. 

Competitive comparisons

Jura E8

Jura E8 brings polished milk foam and an elegant UI with a sealed brew unit that relies entirely on guided detergent cycles. It expands the one-touch milk menu beyond what you get by default on the Melitta and has a premium feel across the board. What you give up is the removable brew group and the dual-chamber hopper. If you want to rinse the group yourself and assign beans per recipe, Melitta answers better. If you want Jura’s ecosystem and are fine living inside prompts, E8 is the more premium experience. 

Siemens EQ.700 Integral

Siemens EQ.700 counters with an integrated milk container, a larger touch display, Home Connect features like coffeePlaylist, and an automatic steam purge after every milk drink. Espresso character is comparable. Siemens wins on container hygiene and UI size. Melitta wins on dual beans, per-recipe bean control, and an owner-removable group. Price can overlap on promo weeks.

De’Longhi Dinamica Plus

Dinamica Plus is a value monster with a friendly touch UI and a consistent LatteCrema carafe. It lacks a dual hopper and the per-recipe bean mapping. If your priority is a lower price and thick foam with minimal setup, De’Longhi is strong. If you care about running two beans and saving real barista-style recipes per user, Melitta pulls ahead.

Philips 5400 LatteGo

Philips’ LatteGo carafe is the quickest milk cleanup in the game because it has no tubes. The trade-off is less control and a single hopper. TS Smart offers more flavor steering, better profile logic, and two beans. If the fastest possible rinse after milk drinks is your number one need, Philips wins. For taste control and dual beans, Melitta is the smarter pick.

Nivona 8 series

Nivona’s 8xx machines share the “removable group, app, solid milk” DNA and add dual-milk output plus extraction profiles you can hear. Their UI is simpler and the app is more basic. If two cappuccinos at once is your daily move and you want extraction profiles rather than IntenseAroma, Nivona deserves a look. If you want app polish and a deeper recipe catalog with bean mapping, Melitta is stronger.

Pricing and variants

The TS Smart family appears under several codes by finish, such as F85/0-101 in silver, F86/0-100 in stainless, and 6764549 in black for UK listings. In the UK during 2025, street pricing regularly hovers in the £499 to £599 band depending on color and retailer promotion, with higher list prices outside sale windows. Confirm the box contents. Most packages include the milk container, water filter, cleaning tablets, descaler, and the usual accessories. 

Core specs remain the same across finishes: 1.8 L tank, dual hopper, five strength and grind steps, removable group, app control, Easy Steam Cleaning, and Double Cup for milk drinks. If you see “TS Smart Plus,” you are looking at a cosmetic and bundle variant built on the same platform. Always verify the feature list on the retailer’s page. 

Benchmarks and numbers that matter

• Water tank: 1.8 L removable side tank
  
• Beans: Dual chambers, 2 × 135 g nominal capacity
  
• Dregs bin: About 16 pucks
  
• Brewing: Five strength steps, five grind steps, IntenseAroma alternate brew routine
  
• Temperatures: Three brew temp settings with typical targets 87, 90, 93 °C on common UK/EU SKUs
  
• Spout clearance: Up to around 140 mm
  
• Milk system: External container or direct-to-carton tube; Easy Steam Cleaning purge
  
• Electrical: 1450 W thermoblock system
  
• Size and mass: Approx. 259 × 372 × 467 mm; 10.6 kg
  

Sourced from Melitta’s product page and retailer tech sheets. 

Scores

• Build quality: 8.4/10
  
• Grinder quality: 7.9/10
  
• Espresso quality: 8.0/10
  
• Long coffee quality: 8.4/10
  
• Milk system performance: 8.6/10
  
• Workflow and ergonomics: 9.0/10
  
• Cleaning and maintenance: 9.0/10
  
• App and connectivity: 8.7/10
  
• Noise: 8.2/10
  
• Value at current street prices: 8.6/10
  

Overall: 8.5/10

Why these numbers: dual beans plus per-recipe control, two milk drinks at once, a quick and realistic cleaning routine, and a removable group deliver above-class ownership. Espresso is very good for a super-automatic, and the milk menu lands consistently. The grinder is competent rather than boutique, which fits the mission.

Who it is for

• Households that want two milk drinks at once and a deep menu without learning barista technique
  
• Families who will actually use two different beans and want the machine to remember which recipe gets which chamber
  
• People who value an owner-serviceable brew group and straightforward cleaning over sealed-unit mystique
  
• App-friendly users who like building and saving recipes without living in nested menus
  
• Offices and studios that need speed, profiles, and consistent milk without a carafe science experiment
  

Trade-offs to expect

1. Macro grinder steps. Five positions keep you out of the weeds. If you want micrometric tinkering for Scandinavian light roasts, this is not that tool.
   
2. Milk heat is conservative. This is true of most super-automatics. Pre-warm cups and start with cold milk if you like a hotter finish.
   
3. Americano and Long Black are single-cup only. One hot-water outlet means these recipes do not run as pairs. Everything else practical does.
   
4. App is practical, not flashy. It does the right things and stays out of the way.
   

Final verdict

The Melitta Barista TS Smart earns its counter space because it gets the small things right. The dual-chamber hopper with Automatic Bean Select is not a gimmick. It makes daily cups better by matching beans to the drink without asking you to think. Double Cup for milk drinks turns a two-person morning from a queue into a handoff. Easy Steam Cleaning is short enough that owners actually run it, which is why foam and flavor are still solid in month nine. The removable brew group keeps maintenance honest and cheap. The Connect app adds the long list of recipes, profiles, and your own freestyle presets, then gets out of the way.

If your coffee life is milk-forward, you want variety, and you do not want a machine that demands attention, buy the TS Smart while it sits in the £499 to £599 band. If you want a sealed-group status symbol or a giant touch screen, you are shopping different brands. If you want predictable espresso, a wide menu, dual beans, and a realistic cleaning routine, this one hits the spec that matters. 

TL;DR

A dual-hopper, app-savvy super-automatic that makes two cappuccinos at once, remembers up to eight users, cleans its milk path with a quick steam purge, and lets you map beans to recipes. Espresso is balanced, milk texture is consistent, and maintenance is simple because you can rinse the brew group yourself. If you want café variety and low friction, the TS Smart belongs on your shortlist. 

Pros

• Dual-chamber hopper with Automatic Bean Select and real bean-low warnings
  
• Double Cup works for milk drinks as well as black coffee
  
• Easy Steam Cleaning keeps milk parts hygienic with one touch
  
• Removable brew group and guided clean and descale programs
  
• App exposes 21 recipes and real freestyle programming with user profiles
  

Cons

• Five-step grinder limits fine-tuning for very light roasts
  
• Americano and Long Black are single-cup only
  
• Milk temperature is intentionally conservative for sweetness and hygiene
  
• The display is small compared with some touch-heavy competitors
  

Melitta Barista TS Smart – frequently asked questions

Answers to the questions people ask most before buying the Barista TS Smart.

Is the Melitta Barista TS Smart better for espresso or for milk drinks? ▶

It is built as a milk forward all rounder. Espresso from medium roasts is clean and balanced for a super automatic, with enough body for straight shots, but the platform really hits its stride in cappuccinos, flat whites, and lattes. Double Cup for milk drinks and the ability to map beans per recipe make it a daily driver for households that live on milk drinks more than on short ristretto shots.

How does the dual hopper and Automatic Bean Select actually work? ▶

The Barista TS Smart has two separate bean chambers, each around 135 g. Automatic Bean Select can choose which chamber to use based on the recipe or your saved settings in “My Coffee Memory”. In practice you can load a darker blend for espresso on one side and a medium roast for long coffees on the other, then tie specific drinks to a chamber. There is also a manual override, so you can force a drink to use one side if you want to use up a bag.

Can the Barista TS Smart make two milk drinks at once? ▶

Yes. Double Cup mode works for most milk drinks as well as black coffee. You can prepare two cappuccinos or two latte macchiatos in one cycle, as long as the cups fit under the all in one outlet. The main exceptions are Americano and Long Black, which run as single cups because there is only one dedicated hot water outlet for those recipes.

How easy is it to clean the milk system and the brew group? ▶

Daily, you run Easy Steam Cleaning at the touch of a button. It sends hot water and steam through the milk circuit and takes only seconds, which is why owners actually use it. The milk container and fittings are dishwasher safe once disassembled. The brew group sits behind a side door and is owner removable. Pull it out weekly, rinse under warm water, let it air dry, and drop it back in. Guided cleaning and descale programs handle the chemistry when the machine prompts you.

Which beans work best in the Melitta Barista TS Smart? ▶

Medium and medium dark blends designed for super automatic machines are the safest choice. The five step grinder is tuned for confidence rather than extreme fine settings and oily dark roasts can cause clogs in any super automatic. A simple rule of thumb:

• Use a medium roast for café crème, Americano, and larger milk drinks.
• Use a slightly darker roast for espresso, macchiato, and flat white.
• Avoid very shiny, oily beans to keep the hopper and grinder happy.

How often will I need to descale if I use the Pro Aqua filter? ▶

With the Pro Aqua filter fitted and replaced on schedule, Melitta and retailers indicate that most households only descale roughly once per year. The machine tracks water hardness and usage, then prompts you when it is time. Follow the on screen instructions and use the recommended descaler, and descaling becomes an occasional maintenance task rather than a monthly chore.

Is the milk hot enough and can I make it hotter if I like very hot drinks? ▶

Milk temperature on the TS Smart is intentionally conservative, like most super automatics. That protects sweetness and keeps milk from burning inside narrow circuits. If you prefer a hotter drink, you can:

• Pre warm cups on the top deck or with a quick hot water rinse.
• Use milk straight from the fridge so the machine can hit its target curve cleanly.
• Bump brew temperature up one step in your profile if your beans tolerate it.

If you want café wand level super hot milk, a separate steam wand machine will still do that better than any super automatic.