Start with the number on the box, because it flatters every filter machine. The Morphy Richards Equip is sold as a 10-cup machine, and it holds 1.2 litres. That works out at 120ml a cup, which is about a teacup. Pour into proper 300ml mugs and you’ll get about four.
Four mugs is still a good morning’s coffee for one heavy drinker or two normal ones. If that’s you, and you don’t care about crema or latte art, this is a sensible way to stop making coffee one mug at a time on dark mornings.
On paper
- A 1000W machine with a glass carafe and a hinged lid
- A reusable polypropylene filter, so you don’t have to keep buying papers
- A water window marked up by cup, and an orange light on the power switch
- An anti-drip device, so you can pull the jug out mid-brew without coffee landing on the hotplate
- A body measuring 22 x 21 x 32cm, weighing 1.9kg
One odd thing: the Amazon title says “for Instant Coffee”. Ignore that. It’s a drip machine that brews ground coffee, and instant has no business going near it.
The 40-minute hotplate is the real limit
The listing says the keep-warm plate runs for up to 40 minutes and then switches off. Some people will find that annoying, but I’d call it about right. Coffee left on a hotplate for a couple of hours turns flat and bitter anyway.
So this suits a morning routine better than a pot you sip at until lunch. If you do want it to last, pour what’s left into a flask as soon as it’s brewed. That keeps it hot without cooking it any further.
Don’t expect to wake up to it
Nothing on the listing mentions a timer, and the controls are basic. You fill it, press the switch, and wait. If having a pot ready when you come downstairs is the whole point, look at the programmable Swan in our budget coffee maker roundup instead.
Getting a decent pot out of it
Morphy Richards talks up its “pour over” shower head and “aroma blender”, and I wouldn’t read too much into either. What’s in the basket makes more difference. About 60g of coffee per litre of water is a common starting point, so roughly 70g for a full tank. Weigh it once or twice until you can judge it by eye.
Buy coffee ground for filter, or grind it medium if you’ve got a grinder. Espresso-fine grounds will brew slowly and taste harsh.
The listing says it isn’t dishwasher safe, so plan on rinsing the filter and carafe by hand. Hard water areas will also need to descale it now and then. A machine that’s started to brew slowly is usually telling you it’s time.
Who should skip it
If you only ever want one coffee, this will waste beans and counter space. A Hario V60 costs little and makes a better single cup. And at 32cm tall, it’s worth measuring the gap under your wall cupboards before you buy, bearing in mind that you need room to fill the tank with the machine in place.
