The Melitta Caffeo Passione OT is a compact bean-to-cup machine, just over 25 cm wide. It has a one-touch milk tube system, 10 preset drinks, a colour display and adjustable grind, strength, temperature and volume. Owners mostly praise the coffee and the easy recipe tweaking. The drawbacks are a small 1.2 l tank and 125 g hopper, cleaning that some find tedious, no app or user profiles, and a few owner reports of brewing-unit or grinder failures. It suits one or two people with limited counter space who mainly want espresso-based and milk drinks. It is a poor fit for busy households or offices. In the UK it is hard to find new: the one in-stock seller supplies an EU-plug unit with a UK adapter. Independent long-term reliability data is not available.
Strengths
Narrow 253 mm footprint, which makes it easy to fit under cabinets and in small kitchens.
One-touch milk drinks plus 10 coffee recipes, with two black coffees at once.
Broad adjustment of grind, strength, temperature and volume, which owners use to tailor drinks.
Show all (5)
Coffee taste and crema are the most frequent praise in owner reviews.
Guided rinsing, cleaning and descaling programmes, plus a removable brewing unit.
Things to consider
Small 1.2 l water tank and 125 g hopper need frequent refilling, which owners also note.
Some owners report brewing part or grinder failures within months.
Cleaning is seen as long or frequent by some owners.
Show all (5)
No app, user profiles, ground-coffee chute or twin bean hopper.
Limited UK availability: the in-stock unit has an EU plug with a UK adapter, and the main UK chains do not stock it.
Who is it for, and who is it not for?
Good for
Singles or couples who want automatic milk drinks in a small kitchen.
People who like to fine-tune drink strength, size and temperature.
May not suit
Busy households or offices making many drinks a day.
Buyers who want app control, multiple user profiles or a decaf chute.
Buyers who want a UK-plug machine with mainstream high-street retailer support.
The Passione OT is Melitta model F53/1-102 in black (GTIN 4006508215485) and F53/1-101 in silver (GTIN 4006508215478). The same codes appear on UK retailer pages and in Melitta's own data.
It makes 10 preset coffee drinks plus hot milk, milk foam and hot water, with a One Touch milk system using a milk tube. Two black coffees can be made at once, but milk drinks only one at a time.
Grind (5 levels), strength (5 levels), brewing temperature (85/90/95 °C) and water quantity (stepless, up to 220 ml) are adjustable, and pre-infusion is included.
There are automatic rinsing, cleaning and descaling programmes, a milk system cleaning programme and a removable brewing unit. The machine is water filter compatible and shows a filter change indicator.
In the UK, the new machine was found in stock only at Coffee Friend (black). Coffee Friend's silver unit is out of stock, Amazon UK's OT listings are 'Currently unavailable', eBay UK's catalogue pages are sold out and its search shows only pre-owned units, Currys, AO, Argos and John Lewis do not list it, and Melitta UK shows only refurbished units, which are sold out.
Owners describe it as straightforward to use with a clear display. Several adjusted the preset recipes for cup size, strength or temperature, though one found the instructions lacking at first.
Some UK owners report breakdowns. One had two machines whose brewing part failed after about 8 months each, and another reports a grinder clogging with dark or oily beans (on the non-OT Passione). Amazon's own review summary also flags durability complaints. These are individual reports, not a failure rate.
Opinions on cleaning are mixed. One owner finds the weekly brew-unit rinse simple, while others find cleaning long and frequent or harder than on a Philips machine.
Amazon UK's rating panel combines the non-OT Passione (F53/0, F54/0) and the Passione OT in every colour, and each of these listings shows the same top reviews, so it does not measure the OT alone.
No hands-on independent test was found. Coffeedant's assessment is explicitly research-led, and it highlights the compact width and guided cleaning against the small tank and hopper and the lack of profiles or an app.
It makes 10 preset coffee drinks plus hot milk, milk foam and hot water, with a One Touch milk system using a milk tube. Two black coffees can be made at once, but milk drinks only one at a time.
Grind (5 levels), strength (5 levels), brewing temperature (85/90/95 °C) and water quantity (stepless, up to 220 ml) are adjustable, and pre-infusion is included.
There are automatic rinsing, cleaning and descaling programmes, a milk system cleaning programme and a removable brewing unit. The machine is water filter compatible and shows a filter change indicator.
In the UK, the new machine was found in stock only at Coffee Friend (black). Coffee Friend's silver unit is out of stock, Amazon UK's OT listings are 'Currently unavailable', eBay UK's catalogue pages are sold out and its search shows only pre-owned units, Currys, AO, Argos and John Lewis do not list it, and Melitta UK shows only refurbished units, which are sold out.
Owners describe it as straightforward to use with a clear display. Several adjusted the preset recipes for cup size, strength or temperature, though one found the instructions lacking at first.
Some UK owners report breakdowns. One had two machines whose brewing part failed after about 8 months each, and another reports a grinder clogging with dark or oily beans (on the non-OT Passione). Amazon's own review summary also flags durability complaints. These are individual reports, not a failure rate.
Opinions on cleaning are mixed. One owner finds the weekly brew-unit rinse simple, while others find cleaning long and frequent or harder than on a Philips machine.
Amazon UK's rating panel combines the non-OT Passione (F53/0, F54/0) and the Passione OT in every colour, and each of these listings shows the same top reviews, so it does not measure the OT alone.
No hands-on independent test was found. Coffeedant's assessment is explicitly research-led, and it highlights the compact width and guided cleaning against the small tank and hopper and the lack of profiles or an app.
Owners mostly like the coffee itself: good taste and crema, and recipes that can be tuned for cup size, strength and temperature. Many find it simple to operate with a clear display, and its compact size suits smaller kitchens. The recurring complaints are a small water tank and bean hopper, cleaning that some find long and frequent, and a few reports of breakdowns (brewing part failing after several months, grinder clogging with oily beans). A minority could not get rid of a sour taste. Single reviews mention noise and milk that is not very hot. One reviewer suggests it suits home rather than office use.
What buyers like
Coffee tastes good, with good crema9 reviews
Recipes, cup size and temperature are easy to adjust7 reviews
Easy to use, clear display6 reviews
Good value for the money3 reviews
Compact design2 reviews
Common complaints
Water tank is small3 reviews
Cleaning is time-consuming or harder than rivals3 reviews
Breakdowns: brewing part failure or clogged grinder2 reviews
Sour or poor coffee despite adjustments2 reviews
Noisy grinding; milk not hot enough1 review
Instructions could be clearer1 review
Other observations
Water collecting in the drip tray from rinsing3 reviews
How was this summary made?
Summarised from 15 reviews. The summary is drawn from opinions that recur in the reviews read; each theme shows how many reviews mention it. These counts are not a rate and do not apply to every unit.
15 unique texts, all UK store pages: 13 on Amazon UK (same on s3, s5, s25, s26; 8 UK, 5 abroad; 5 non-OT) and 2 on eBay UK (s7, s31). Deduped by author+date+text. 1 eBay rating without text. Below 20: no more UK texts reachable.
Show reviews (10 of 15)Read the texts as published by the store
10 original reviews can be listed on this page. The number of reviews analysed may differ.
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B***5/520 March 2019AmazonPassione OT, Black (Amazon UK)
I was really sceptical about the coffee machine having read some of the reviews online and here on Amazon, the following is my findings based off just over a weeks usage and 67 drinks made from the machine (as you can see in the photo). … Really simple to use and on-screen instructions are easy to follow. I have had no leaks or issues, just be aware the unit does a quick self clean when you power on and power off the unit. … Finally, weekly 'clean' is really simple. … This has been much better than the DeLonghi that I had and returned last year.
L***2/55 December 2019AmazonPassione OT, Silver (Amazon UK)
This machine makes a truly great coffee, it's easy to use, versatile and looks great. There is one major problem we make a lot of coffees and we've had 2 of these lasting about 8 months each before brewing part broke, eventually decided on a refund and got Philips one which works as good as new after a year! In comparison, this is more difficult to clean than Phillips, and larger too.
T***5/517 December 2021AmazonPassione OT, Black (Amazon UK)
Straightforward to use. Water tank a little small, but easy to refill. Takes a little bit of time to get used to and to adjust the recipes the way you like them, but then OK.
J***2/51 March 2017AmazonPassione OT, Black (Amazon UK)
Decent machine. but not worth the money in my opinion. Besides its glossy finish which makes it a fingerprint magnet the machine looks nice and its quite silent compared to my previous Melitta which was around 400 quid. Also the menu is really nice and you can configure every coffee to your taste. … I struggled to make good coffee and it failed till the very end. Changed water temperature, coffee grind setting, bought expensive coffee and all - still got sour coffee no matter what. … Every time I made coffee, the tamper which presses on the coffee inside was wet and with leftover coffee.
D*** D***5/530 September 2019AmazonPassione OT, Silver (Amazon UK)
They work fine, just as I would expect. The original recipes were fine but for quite small cups. I have adjusted them all for my own personal cups and I have adjusted the recipes for my own personal taste and it is now just perfect. So now I could not be happier.
This machine is a nightmare, doesn't worth a bag of coffee beans. The only good thing about it is I now know how much Melitta worth. Never again. … You can't use dark or oily coffee beans as it clogs the grinder and no way to clean it; after every coffee I have to pull the brewer unit and clean it as coffee leftover on the tamper; the coffee amount coming out is not consistent......etc.
a*** w***5/518 May 2020AmazonNon-OT Passione, Black (Amazon UK, shared review pool)
Very complicated and long process to clean. Also needs to be clean more often that I would expect
J***5/52 November 2024AmazonPassione OT, Silver (Amazon, reviewed outside the UK)
There are three brands with completely tasty coffee. Melitta, Nivona, Delonghi. I choose the Melitta Passione OT because of the price and the size. This coffee machine is exactly for espresso and coffee with milk lovers. It produced amazing flat white and make me happy everyday.
o***4/511 November 2020ebay.co.ukBlack F53/1-102, new unit, verified purchase (eBay UK)
The machine is fine, the instructions could be better, and there are no good walk throughs, in English on the web. However after some trial and error, I've mastered most of the settings and managed to produce cups of cappuccino, which is what I like, and fill my double skin 375ml glass coffee mugs. … The coffee it produces, is great.
d***5/510 March 2021ebay.co.ukBlack F53/1-102, new unit, verified purchase (eBay UK)
Love it. So far so good. Easy to use. Looks great. Coffee outstanding.
Read the summaries; tap a moment to watch the video from that second.
1 videos · Timestamped summary
YouTube · Other
Passione® OT - Original Preparation Process
The Melitta Caffeo Passione OT features the Original Preparation Process to replicate authentic Italian coffee specialities. It ensures that the sequence of ingredients is added in the correct traditional order for drinks such as Latte Macchiato and Cappuccino.
10 (ristretto, espresso, lungo, black coffee, americano, cappuccino, latte macchiato, espresso macchiato, café latte, café au lait) plus hot milk, milk foam and hot water
Technical fact · melitta.de
Milk system
One Touch automatic milk system with milk tube; adjustable milk foam volume
Technical fact · melitta.de
Two-cup function
Yes for black coffee (2 at once); milk drinks 1 at a time
Technical fact · coffeefriend.co.uk
10 (ristretto, espresso, lungo, black coffee, americano, cappuccino, latte macchiato, espresso macchiato, café latte, café au lait) plus hot milk, milk foam and hot water
Technical fact · melitta.de
Milk system
One Touch automatic milk system with milk tube; adjustable milk foam volume
Technical fact · melitta.de
Two-cup function
Yes for black coffee (2 at once); milk drinks 1 at a time
Technical fact · coffeefriend.co.uk
This page is compiled from manufacturer, store, review and video sources; every piece of information links to the source it was read from. Technical values are as stated by the manufacturer or store; user experiences are summarised from the reviews read and do not apply to every unit. We do not test products ourselves.
