King of Coffee - The Melitta Clarity

I am putting the finishing touches on the second part of my Bonavita brewer vs. the Technivorm blog so think of this one as the half time show or intermission. I seem to be on a Melitta related theme lately so what better to post about than a blast from the past called the Melitta Clarity. This model is still available in other places sold under the brand name called King of Coffee Inventum HK100W.

 

What is the big deal about a coffee maker no longer even sold in the US? Nothing if you do not already have one.  To those with one of these coffee makers on their kitchen counters this blog will make perfect sense.  This design is one of those rare machines that can get to the proper temps of 197 - 198 ° F within the first sixty seconds of brewing measured in the grounds.

This doesn't seem like a big deal but if you go shopping today for this feature instead of a clock, a pause n' pour, or a color to match the new paper towel rolls then you will realize how rare and difficult this feature actually is to find.  Personally I know of less than ten non-commercial coffee makers in the world that can pull this off - most can't get to this temp ever during the brewing process much less under a minute. The King of Coffee aka Melitta Clarity takes around 50 seconds if you are keeping score.

Another neat feature found on this coffee maker is decent grounds saturation in the basket. 40 seconds in the grounds are saturated with this hot water and the extraction process kicks into high gear with brew temps climbing over the magical 200 ° F mark for the remainder of the process. In under six minutes your liter (a little over a quart) of water and 60g of coffee grounds are finished brewing.  This speed means your coffee is not over extracted but will still be full bodied and full flavored.  The carafe has a funnel built in to send the last drops toward the bottom of the pot to thoroughly mix the coffee for a balanced taste from first cup to last.

Unfortunately these beloved coffee makers left out market too soon - the advent of single serve brewers coupled with a sinking value attached to our dollar might be to blame but that is speculation on my part - what ever the reason, it is gone from our market, but not forgotten. 

/files/u2252/Mellita_Clarity2.jpg" align="bottom" height="400" width="450" />