Review on Melitta SENZ V Pour-Over Coffee System: Manual Coffee Maker with Cordless Design, 12oz Capacity by Carrie Goldberg

This is my first real foray into infusing coffee. Before I started playing with this product I did some research on how to make a good frosting just to make sure I was looking at it from a conscious perspective. Melitta Senz V is actually manufactured and sold by Melitta's licensee - this licensee also manufactures a wide range of other products. This was evident in the quality of the guide provided (not very good) and the relative difficulty of navigating the website and app. The product itself is pretty well put together. It consists of a thick ceramic bowl on top shaped to match the size of a #2 filter, a glass and plastic manifold with a temperature probe, a decanting trap, and a graduated base. The manufacturer thoughtfully included four Melitta No. 2 unbleached filter papers to get you started. Through trial and error (partly because my eyes are too old to read the tiny text in the manual and aren't optimized for mobile devices, and partly because the "manual" was just a page of diagrams), found I figure out how to use this device.1. Press and hold to turn on the base station. Note that even if the display shows the Bluetooth icon when you turn it on, you don't have Bluetooth unless you have a specific model (I don't). I don't know why you personally need it. 2. Although there is a tare scale function, you don't really need it for brewing.3. Pour some hot water through the filter to wet it completely and wash the starch off the paper (you can find this tip online). Drain excess water and reinsert the carafe. Don't worry about the weight displayed on the scale.4. Press the start/stop button for one second. The scale will reset to zero and the coffee bean will flash on the display. This is a signal to add coffee. I added 0.75 oz per cup of strong coffee.5. When hot water is ready, press the start/stop button again. The scale will reset to zero and a drop of water will flash on the display. This is a signal to add water. I added about 2 ounces of soil moisture and bloom, waited 30 seconds, and then added another 10 ounces in 3 minutes for a total of 12 ounces (1:16 ratio).6. Press the start/stop button one last time when done. This really has no purpose other than to show how the machine assesses your drink's strength and acidity (it displays its thoughts), and to show the brewing temperature, which isn't visible while you're pouring water. 7. One more thing - my device didn't have a charging cable and block - it's micro USB if you need it. Luckily I have about a thousand of them. It's battery operated so you don't have to keep it plugged in. After finding everything out, I got a very tasty cup of coffee from him. The thick ceramic cone perfectly maintains the temperature of the ground coffee in the filter. I think there is some sort of pressure or temperature operated valve in the glass distributor because it seems to collect a certain amount of liquid before it's poured into the decanter. I haven't figured out exactly how this works, but don't be surprised if the coffee comes out at different speeds. I'm sure you could get comparable results and maybe save some money with a kitchen timer, a separate scale and the much cheaper Chemex or equivalent. I love that all I need on my countertop is a grinder, a saucepan and this gadget - it takes up a lot less space in my precious kitchen. I also enjoy my 7 minute morning prep - now it's a relaxing part of my routine. Difference that matters - but I wonder if this device isn't overpriced for what it does. It's certainly well made and I can understand why it's so expensive given the quality, but I'm sure you could save money and get the same cup of tea if you were willing to put in the extra effort. I'm - now I'm spoiled.