Now available: the Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus.

Today, guests expect classics such as café crème, espresso, cappuccino or latte macchiato to be served in consistently high quality – ideally also with different bean and milk profiles. At the same time, unusual creations such as pistachio latte, protein cold brew or strawberry matcha latte are becoming increasingly important on beverage menus in the out-of-home market.

With the new Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus, Melitta Professional will launch a fully automatic coffee machine in May 2026 that can do both: reliably prepare standard specialties and easily implement modern trend drinks. The top model of the Melitta® Cafina® CT series offers the option of processing up to four types of beans as well as up to four types of milk or plant-based alternatives fresh, while storing recipes in the fully automatic machine in a standardized way.

Thanks to the optional “Low Pressure Brew” technology, the Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus can also prepare beverages in a filter-coffee style on request, without crema, thereby satisfying not only fans of espresso and café crème specialties, but also filter coffee enthusiasts. Whether it is a proven coffee offering, seasonal campaigns, creative coffee specials or high-quality decaffeinated whole-bean variants, the Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus offers plenty of scope for personalised coffee experiences, whilst ensuring that even the most complex trendy drinks can be prepared easily and consistently on a daily basis.

Standardizing trend drinks intelligently

Trend drinks thrive on creativity – but in day-to-day business, they must be just as easy and reliable to prepare as classic coffee specialties. This is exactly where the Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus comes in: Different recipes and preparation profiles – such as varying doses, grind settings, dispensing volumes or milk foam variations – can be stored in the system depending on the concept and accessed via touch control. This means the trend drink is not just a one-off promotion, but becomes a reliable part of the product range that can be served day by day in consistent quality.

Up to four bean hoppers make it possible to offer different coffees in parallel – and this can be used very differently depending on the market: in the USA, for example, with different roasts and blends such as house blend, single origin and decaf, in other markets, more with separate bean profiles for café crème and espresso. Specific recipes can be assigned to individual grinders, for example a recipe with a reduced dose or a particularly intense espresso with a higher dose, as is strongly demanded in parts of Asia.

At the same time, the milk offering can be expanded with different types of milk and plant-based alternatives such as oat drink or other plant-based drinks – up to configurations with multiple milk types, as used for example in China for espresso-based trend beverages. This enables the CT8plus to reflect regional preferences and support contemporary, individually combinable drinks worldwide.

More choice in milk and milk foam

Depending on the configuration, one or two milk systems (TopFoam Plus or Professional plus) are available. They automatically deliver cold or hot milk foam in three different consistencies without requiring manual adjustment – from liquid to creamy, mousse-like variants.

Cold milk foam in particular shows its strengths in modern drinks: it is the basis for popular iced coffee creations, signature drinks and protein-rich beverages that are gaining importance internationally – from iced and cold drinks to oat and coconut variations. The Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus makes it possible to dispense this cold foam in reproducibly high quality – from a light topping to a stable, visually striking foam for photo-worthy drinks.

With two separate milk systems, milk types or plant-based alternatives can be used without mixing – a plus for guests with specific dietary preferences and for businesses that want to structure their offering clearly. In addition, hot water for tea specialties and up to two optional instant canisters for cocoa-containing beverages and other specialties such as matcha expand the beverage range – from popular classics to creative beverage creations.

Convenient operation and digital connectivity

The extra-large 12.1-inch touch display offers clear, intuitive user guidance in both operator and self-service mode – whether in a café, bakery, hotel, institutional catering environment or office. Products and promotions can be displayed clearly, trend drinks can be presented attractively, and orders can be triggered quickly – for dine-in as well as takeaway.

Via an integrated telemetry module, the Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus is “ready for Melitta® INSIGHTS,” the cloud-based customer platform from Melitta Professional. This enables operators to digitally connect their machine fleet, analyze usage data, optimize assortments and make service processes more efficient. In this way, the Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus becomes an important foundation for data-based coffee management and for the targeted development of both trend and standard beverages.

Technology for the highest coffee quality

The Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus is designed for high cup output and lasting reliability. Large grinding discs made of durable tool steel ensure gentle, even grinding. The brewing unit, made predominantly of stainless steel, stands for precision, stability and durability and does not need to be removed for cleaning.

A key advantage is the Automatic Coffee quality System ACS®. It continuously monitors important parameters of coffee preparation and adjusts the grind setting automatically. This keeps dose, extraction time and taste stable even with high output volumes – the 1,000th cup tastes like the first.

With the variable piston pressure (VPS® – Variable Pressure System), the brewing process can also be adapted to different beverage profiles. The microfine sieve ensures that no particles enter the cup even with very fine grind settings.

For concepts with a classic barista focus, the “Steam Perfect” steam wand is optionally available. It supports the foaming of milk and plant-based alternatives in the barista pitcher and ensures reproducible results – ideal as a basis for latte art. An automatically height-adjustable outlet adapts to different cups, glasses and mugs, reduces splashing and supports an appealing in-cup appearance – also ideal for self-service concepts in which guests position their own vessels.

“Clean in Place” (CIP®) ensures hygiene and easy handling: the daily automatic cleaning of the coffee, milk and instant systems takes place in a closed system, without disassembling components.

The platform for tomorrow’s trend beverage offering

With its combination of beverage variety, standardizable recipes, high-performance technology, ACS® for consistent quality, flexible milk systems and digital connectivity, the Melitta® Cafina® CT8plus is the foundation for modern coffee concepts. All of these components interact and ensure that trend beverages as well as standard specialties work at the touch of a button – in reproducible quality, day after day. Businesses can quickly take up current coffee trends, develop their own signature drinks and integrate them securely into daily operations – from small cafés to chain foodservice and institutional catering. This turns the idea of a trend drink into a permanent part of the assortment that delights guests and strengthens the coffee business in the long term.