Coffee Maker Question
 

My old trusted coffee maker died. Had it for 15 years.

Who likes theirs? Any recommendations?

Senseo, from Philipps. The pods are somewhat expensive, but the coffee is great.

I don't know the name brand of it, but I LOVE tecoyah's coffee maker - there's a built in filter, s you don't have to waste money buying the filter paper to put in every time. I'll see if I can get him to post here next time he's on.

Almost any auto drip coffee maker is gonna be ok.... I like my Black & Decker, and have onwed many Mr Coffee makers... The real key is the coffee, the quality of water, and how much coffee you use. :thumbsup:

I'll second texxasco's advice. Fresh roasted, 1 Tbsp/cup, filtered water.

As far as dripping water on grounds, the things are basically equal these days. Timers, chrome, and an insulated carafe cost extra.

Maybe try a french press? Give it an honest week to get used to the new texture. I'm back on drip again but know several people who aren't happy without their Bodum.

I was actually thinking about the french press. But i wanted others opionions as well.

As for quality of coffee, i only buy Peets coffee. Viennese Roast. Finest coffee in the world.


Question Does anybody think the material the carafe is made up of makes a difference in quality?

Now, as to those coffee makers that uses those pods, do you have to use strictly that manufacturers pods or can i make my own?

thanks guys :)

If you want to keep it warm longer without burning, yes. Stick with glass vacuum bottles vs. the foam insulation found in most carafes. Vacuum keeps the contents warm 3-4x as long. I just fill a good thermos when the brew cycle is complete.

BTW, if you get a chance, try roasting your own beans. Sort of like the homebrew beer effect for coffee. The best brands never taste the same.

typo
 

This is my kind of crowd...... coffee drinkers. My taste is not all that refined, but I like to grind my own beans at times. I can't remember the brand offhand, but I get a few pounds every time a buddy of mine heads into the great Northwest (he's a trucker). For everyday drinking I normally go with Starbucks brand already ground...and always have a small can of folgers as a backup. Maybe there will be some good ideas of brands to try... I'm game.

Thanks! :thumbsup:

Texxasco, give Peets coffee a try. I dont know where you live but there are stores in San Francisco, Berkeley, throughout the Los Angeles area. Their coffee is to die for. Puts Starbucks to shame. I know they have a website.

and no, i am not a shill for Peets. I started drinking their coffee at least 25 years ago when i was still an undergraduate student at Berkeley. They started with that one store on the north side of Berkeley and now they have expanded. Get whole bean coffee, grind it yourself and grab a little piece of heaven. :thumbsup:

I have an $8 "coffee maker" from walmart that super-quick heats water to boiling and then slowly pours it onto my tea bags, whether they be some normal tea, or some of the chinese tea I have... coffee is one of the very few things in life I just don't like. It's funny for me, then, to hear people put so much stock and thought and conversation and technique into "the perfect cup"...

I just need hot water, and tea is cheap as hell. lol

I have a Black & Decker.....and bought a copper filter....no more freakin filter issues...heh. Throw me into the "Beans make the Coffee" crowd.

I either use a french press or a stove top espresso maker... Good beans freshly grounded (ie by you) or at least a good quality pre-ground coffee and you will be in heaven.

I don't worry too much about the water source eventhough I know it makes a difference.

Also, find a good source of fair trade, organic. I know I feel better drinking it.

I use a Nespresso espresso machine that takes differnt pods from the Senseo.

http://www.nespresso.com/precom/sima...c150_430_1.jpg

I have a Mr. Coffee coffeemaker I got from Costco for $15. Great coffeemaker. My dad has always used Mr. Coffee or Black & Decker coffeemakers, and he drinks upwards of 5 cups a day. So there you go.

I'd agree with all the "drippy" comments above. Drip coffee is about the bean and the grind. Although, hotter the water makes a drip difference.

I think every one should have two machines - a basic drip and a espresso machine. That covers all bases. I have a Krups drip - with a water filter in the reservior and a Krups Il Primo. Just an idea - I picked up the drip machine at a resale shop - it was clean and only $5. Same with the espresso machine - Garage sale for $2. If you are intested in the Frech Press - look for the Bodum - found a couple of those for under a buck !

BTW, when's the wake for the 15yo coffee maker?

^^ that is effing funny!

so true, oh so slow!

Starbucks.



duh

There was a consumers reports issue [within the past few months or so] that did a review of coffeemakers. I forget the model and brand, but the point that it was only $15-20 and beat out $100+ makers stuck in my mind.
Even if you don't subscribe to the mag, you can go to the local library and check the recent issues, they should have them in a special section away from the other magazines.

As for mine, *goes to glances at the coffeemaker* it's a standard, small mr. coffee. I don't know how it rates really, the roommate brought it and I've only used it a couple times...I can't really compare coffee yet; It's still only a few weeks in my freshman year :D

catcha back on the flipside,
will.

Braun Aromaster KF400, for $20.

"The Braun (1) is top-rated and inexpensive, but it lacks auto shutoff and produces 10 especially small cups of coffee. "

Thanks for the tip.... Its worth a shot. With my schedule and long hours at times, I depend on coffee to give me a kick in the ass to get moving. I probably drink way too much, but I guess there are worse habits, or addictions to have. I am SE Texas, near Houston...so with a little effort I should be abel to find it... Thanks! :thumbsup:

I have a Mr Coffee....it was about 25 bucks at Kmart. I guess it makes good coffee....it certainly makes a hell of a jug of iced tea :thumbsup:

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but hubby has never complained about the coffee it makes.

I want a Bunn, but they're too expensive. I have a Braun, had it about 8 years now. It cost about $60.00 bucks then, and has the dial to make it stronger or weaker. I grind my own beans every morning, just what I need to make that time. Plus they are stored in the fridge, in an air tight container. Every once and a while I'll buy flavored beans.

My black and decker works great. $20 if I remember right. There's a temp control for the burner so it doesn't get too hot and ruin your pot. And I have a French Press that I use on Sunday mornings (Sundays' deserve something special :-) ). The only coffee makers I didn't like were Bun. They charged a lot for them, but they weren't worth it, IMO. BTW, Peets coffee is online (http://www.peets.com/). I usually head down to any local coffee shop and pick up some beans Guatemalian or Costa Rican are my favs.

We had a Melitta grinder/maker that was heavenly, but it broke. We bent to popularism and replaced it with a cuisineart. It comes with the copper filter and can make already ground coffee, or grind the beans for you. It's nicer, but I still feel like a consumer ho for abandoning Melitta.

Another useless tidbit... If you use a copper filter and grind your own, try adding a paper filter for one batch. Just for a reality check. Especially if you get gunge in the bottom of the pot. The reason being too fine of a grind means dust. The dust falls through the loose copper mesh leading to cloudy, bitter batches. This is especially common with blade grinders since the output isn't uniformly sized.

Oh, and always fill your cup before the new guy makes a pot.

I have a Senseo too. The coffee is ok, not great.. But I like the convenience :).

However, I am a big espresso fan, so I was wondering, Daniel_, what was your opinion on the Nespresso, and how does it compare to the Senseo with regards to price / pod price and availability / speed (how much time between turning it on and being able to produce a cup). Thanks!

I have a french press I use occassionally. It;'s a pain to clean out and you have to warm the pot with warm water first. I use it when I want that kind of coffee.

My main brewer that I picked up a few months ago after my Krupps died is a Cuisenart with the grinder built in. I load it at night and it grinds and brews the next morning. Not quite the same as grinding and brewing immediately but surely the next best thing.

I had a Flavia system installed a few years ago at the office. Man, that is the way to go. Tons of choices including teas, etc., and the convenience factor is wonderful.

Coffee choices are various Starbucks since I like darker roasts and especially the latin American coffees and also Lily expresso roast in cans from Whole Foods, although you can order it on line and I sure can find at other locations like Whole Foods.

mmmm why has no one mentioned the awesome coffee from Hawaii.... Kahula or something like that... so good!

I used to work for a company which designed, sold and installed ridiculously expensive coffee machines.


All of the restaurants we sold to used LAVAZZA coffee.

Their website tells you everything you could ever want to know about coffee.

It's been so long since I bought anything else that I can't really compare it.

The water at home is very very hard, so I've been killing drip coffeemakers at the rate of about 1 every 6 months for quite some time. I kept thinking about buying distilled water to stop that from happening, but realized I would spend more on water over a 6 month period than a new coffeemaker cost.

However, I'm thinking of getting a french press. I was wondering if anyone could tell me the ups and downs of the whole french press idea...it seems to me like it shouldn't take long to make a pot, but there's nothing to keep it hot. Also, I don't have a grinder, so I'll have to grind beans at the store until I can affored a decent burr grinder.

Also, anybody ever use a percolator? Does it make decent coffee?

From what I understand a vacuum coffee maker is the way to go:

http://www.coffee-makers-espresso-ma...ee-brewer.html

I'm ordering one pretty soon ... just to try it out. I'm still searching for that perfect cup of coffee. I've also been roasting my own beans for a while now - but that's in a different thread.

Useless tidbit #4826: Go easy on the soap. Clean coffeemaking bits are good, but soap residue destroys the taste like bad water. I rinse daily with hot water and only use minimal dish-soap every few weeks to a month followed by a serious hot rinsing.

#4827: Grindings and coffee goo will become rancid. Wipe out the grinder mess (and shute on a burr model) at least every few days. A rag dipped in hot water works great where running water won't.

about every 2 weeks or so (less if you use springwater) youalso want to run diluted white vinegar thru the coffee maker. I usually run it once with vinegar andt wo more pots to cleanit out...

I've had many different coffee makers over the years... and as a person who has coffee in their veins rather than blood -- there's not a lot of difference between machines... you really get the machine for the features you want... ie timer, larger pot, etc.

The vacuum pots are good because it's the air that makes coffee go bad (I tend to toss the coffee after about 30 minutes if i haven't finished a pot. the vacuum carafes would keep it longer.

Lavazza makes alovely coffee.... it's got a richness that most other coffees don't have. I also really like some of the cuban/spanish coffees out there.. like Cafe Bustelo...

I've never liked the French press. Too murky and gritty. If you don't mind a two step, where you boil your water in a teapot on the stove first, you really ought to consider Chemex. You can find good prices on ebay. With Chemex you get clean delicious coffee every time and you get to control the water temperature for a perfect brew (180-185 F).

All these pod machines.....too expensive, some of these pods cost 30 cents each! That's ridiculous.

Also, using distilled water really makes a difference, as you never have to worry about calcium deposit build-ups

Oh, and never use vinegar to clean espresso machines. Use citric acid powder dissolved in water. Vinegar is terrible on the rubber components.

Unfortunately, I don't really have a drip coffee maker at the moment. I'm living in Germany for a year, and pretty much everything here is espresso. I have a little tiny stovetop espresso pot. Not nearly as nice as a fancy one, but it gets the job done. I think I'm gonna try to find a drip coffee pot soon, as I'm really jonesing for more than 2oz of coffee at a time.