Melitta 1-Cup Pour-Over Review

The Melitta 1-Cup Pour-Over is simple, cheap, and effective. Across nearly all of our metrics, this dripper scored fairly well. Considering that you can buy one of these little buddies for less than ten bucks, we gave it our esteemed Best Buy Award. While the shape of the Melitta is not the most ideal for backpacking, it is among the lightest weight options in our review, so in a pinch, this brewer could definitely be a decent option, especially if you clip it on the outside of your bag.

Performance Comparison

The simple and competent Melitta cone, ready to brew some delicious coffee.

Photo: Penney Garrett

Brew Features

The Melitta is a pour-over style cone, which uses #2 basket-shaped filters, which you can find at most grocery stores. Its biggest asset is the way the dripper hole is elevated above the base so you can see the level of coffee in the mug while brewing and eliminate surprise overflows. For group situations, if you're careful, you can use a #4 filter and load this up even more. The Melitta is a great brewer for the uncomplicated nature of its design.

Taste

The Melitta makes a good cup of coffee. It's not the greatest we've tasted, but it's more than decent — especially if you properly weigh and measure your beans and water. The taste of the coffee you make with your Melitta will improve as you master your pour-over technique. Be patient, and you will be rewarded with a tasty cup of coffee for an incredibly low price.

At first glance, you may not notice how this dripper is any different than the V60. The main difference between these two plastic brewers is the shape at the base and the size of the hole your water will be flowing through. The V60 is cone-shaped (at a 60° angle to be specific), and the hole at the bottom is large. The Melitta, on the other hand, is V-shaped and wide at the bottom with a tiny hole. These design choices have a lot of effect on the final flavor of your brew. The V60 delivers a noticeably better cup because water can flow through more evenly and consistently. However, if brewed with care, the Melitta can still be perfectly decent, even for diehard coffee snobs. While it does not score as high as some of our more highly rated brewers, it produces a consistently delicious cup once you hone your technique, and for the price, it is unbeatable.

The drastic difference in design between the Hario V60 and the Melitta 1-Cup Pour Over.

Photo: Penney Garrett

Ease of Use

This cone-style coffee maker is fairly straightforward and wicked easy to clean. There are no small parts to keep track of, just the cone, a filter, and some coffee grounds. The view-hole in the side makes brewing even easier since you can monitor the level of coffee in your mug — no more sneaky overflows! However, given that the Melitta is a pour-over brewer, it does take some time to finesse your brewing method, which is why it does not score as high as some of our other options for this metric. That said, with a little attention to detail and some finessing, this brewer will produce a decent cup of coffee in no time at a fraction of the cost of other models.

The view-hole in the base of the Melitta is our favorite feature - though it does allow heat to escape more quickly.

Photo: Penney Garrett

Group Cooking

The Melitta 1-Cup is best suited for one to two people (hence the name), but, as mentioned above, if you're careful, you can use a larger filter, load it up, and brew more at a time.

While this option can work in a pinch, it does sacrifice some flavor. If you want to use the Melitta to produce a delicious cup of coffee, our reviewers suggest sticking to the recipe for a single cup and making multiple rounds to appease the whole crew.

The Melitta with its basket-style filter. You can use a larger filter if you need to brew for more people at once, though it tends to affect the final flavor in a less-than-ideal fashion.

Photo: Luke Lydiard

Portability

This brewer is relatively bulky and does not fit as easily into a backpack as some of the other models in our review. Additionally, the shape of the cone-style filter is a bit awkward for tight-packing in your kitchen bin.

That said, the light-weight nature of the Melitta more than makes up for its odd shape. You would be remiss to overlook this brewer if you are looking for a budget pour-over option to take backpacking. If you pack your coffee grinder and coffee adjacent to the Melitta in your stuff sack, you will barely notice its awkward shape. Past reviewers have noted how even though this dripper doesn't collapse, in a pinch you can attach it to the outside of your pack by threading a carabiner through the view-hole. The Melitta's featherweight, portability, and affordability combine to make it a decent option for both car camping and backpacking, though we prefer it for adventures in the car.

Early desert mornings are for making coffee. Fumie Hiromitsu pointing out her camping coffee-making kit with the Melitta.

Photo: Mary Witlacil

Weight

This is one of the lightest brewers in our review and the lightest of the cone-style makers, weighing just 2.01 ounces. This weight makes the Melitta a painless option for car-camping, and even though it doesn't boast the most packable shape, it is a great weight for backpacking trips too.

Instant coffee packets are certainly lighter, but in every side-by-side comparison, the Melitta beat out the taste of all of our instant options. While there are other options that are better suited to backpacking, if you are drawn to a pour-over brewer and prefer to stick with the convenience of filters, the Melitta is your best bet.

The Melitta is a fantastic way to stay light while traveling or backpacking.

Photo: Penney Garrett

Value

This cone is a bargain, hence our Best Buy designation! While there are other brewers that produce a better flavor, the Melitta produced a perfectly drinkable cup, every time. It is also easy to use, durable, and lightweight. Just don't forget, you will need to purchase filters and, ironically, those cost more than the brewer itself. You'll get 100 filters at a time in a box or, if you're willing to do a little washing, you can purchase a reusable cotton filter and be done with it.

Conclusion

The Melitta 1-Cup Pour-Over works great for any camping and many backpacking situations. It is also one of the most economical options in our review — hence the Best Buy award. For hardly any chunk of change at all, you get a multi-use, high-quality coffee maker that's great for the house or the campsite.

Brew with ease and style with the classic Melitta cone.

Photo: Penney Garrett