Coffee Machines

[Ron Johnson]

Or, do I just accept tepid coffee as being hot?

[cherrypi]

Or, do I just accept tepid coffee as being hot? 

Or, do I expect coffee to be litigation-worthy scalding?

[snowangel]

Yes , the HD 7610 is the correct model. I didn't look it up before purchase because I didn't know Philips was in the caffeemaker business.

The filter basket is easily removed for cleaning--and it's dishwasher safe.

If anyone else tries the Philips, I'd be interested in hearing about the experience. I'm very happy with it, but I have been known to engage in self-delusion.

Dave

This model has been discontinued, and the new models look crappy and cheap.

Although I prefer the french press or melita, on a weekday morning, as I scramble to get husband and three kids out the door, with lunch bags, backpacks with homework, everyone dutifully coated/hatte/mittened and kisses, an automatic fills the bill.

So two days ago, our ancient automatic just died. So, like a good girl, I research on e-gullet, and note Dave's recommendation. So, off to Target I trot, only to find out that the new Phillips are substandard, do not mention wattage, and look like they will not make it a year. The manager is nearby, and suggests I go to the clearance area; she mentions that they are getting ready for a major remodelling, and they have tons of stuff from the storeroom deeply discounted. There, sitting on a shelf, are two of the old model Phillips, one with glass carafe, one with thermal. They are marked down to -- get this -- $8.97. Needless to say, I bought both. Must have been a reward for cleaning out the deep freeze.

And, they are definitely a much higher performer than our old automatic.

[frankj]

Drip coffee can be great.

But I've largely switched over to espresso. Home espresso machines have gotten to be good.

The nice thing about the French Press is that the grind isn't as essential as for a drip machine.

Just don't go overboard on grinding and get too fine. After a while, my grinding blade wore down to where it couldn't get too fine and produced a very nice grind for a pressoir.

[guajolote]

I have the Krups with the thermal carafe. I just brewed a pot and it came out at 171 degrees F.

Alton Brown recently did a show on coffee. He uses 2 teaspoons of grounds per 6 oz. cup!

alton brown on coffee

Edited January 16, 2003 by guajolote (log)

[Rob_Ontario]

A bit late in this thread but, I love my Technivorm KBT-741 10 cup maker. I was an espresso junkie before, but switched to drip for simplicity.

For a review of coffeemachines here is a Wine Spectator review by Sam Gugino.

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Main/Fea...97,1577,00.html

[Fat Guy]

Perhaps we could do a little updating here. I went to look for the Philips model described above and they have all new models now. The manufacturers seem to change their designs all the time. Anybody have new info on the best drip machines currently available, based on recent purchases?

[Marlene]

I'd be interested to know as well. I'm looking for a new thermal carafe machine.

[Marlene]

Ok. I bought this one Cuisinart today. I really wanted either the Capresso MT500, or the Dualit Cordless Percolator or even the Farberware Cordless Percolator, but Canadian Stores being what they are - not. WS in the Eaton's centre possibly has them, but I don't have time to go into Toronto at the moment. Anyway, i was quite pleasantly surprised by this Cuisinart.

The machine grinds the beans just before brewing. You can set it to do this automatically if you like for fresh brewed coffee when you wake up, but I prefer using cold water. Left to sit overnight, I don't think the water quality is as good. Brewing time was reasonably quick, and after grinding, pretty quiet. I forgot to preheat the thermal carafe with hot water, and still the coffee was pretty hot. An hour later, the coffee was still hot. I'll let you knnow what happens after 4 hours . There is an option to turn the grinder off if you want to use ground coffee as well. The filter basket comes out for easy cleaning and is dishwasher safe. The grinder is in the back of the machine and also comes out easily for cleaning. It has a pause and serve feature, but I didn't try it. I did notice that even after the beeps sound to let you know the brewing cycle is complete, water still drips into the carafe for a few minutes afterwards. I noticed it dripped on the hotplate a bit.

The carafe is stainless steel and seems to be pretty solid. The machine shuts itself off after the brewing cycle is complete. The only drawback I've noticed so far, is that the water reservoir is on the right hand side, making it a little awkward for us left handers to fill the reservoir. But all in all, not too shabby! It isn't as big as I thought it was going to be either on the counter.

[Dave the Cook]

But Marlene --

uh, how was the coffee?

[Marlene]

Oh didn't I say? I used vanilla hazelnut beans from Second Cup. The coffee was excellent. You can set the grind to be finer or coarser. I used the factory set grind (medium). It really was a great tasting cup of coffee. No oily residue, not bitter at all. 3 hours later now, and the coffee is still hot and fresh.

[Marlene]

An update on the Cuisinart Grind and Brew Thermal Carafe Machine. I've been using this machine for quite some time now.

This is generally a great machine. It still grinds and brews terrific coffee and the coffee stays hot for hours. It sounds kind of like a rocket launcher when grinding, and the worst thing about it is the grinder sticks sometimes when I'm trying to get it out to clean it. Damn near broke my shoulder this morning trying to get it out. I don't know if that's a flaw of the machine in general, or just the one we have. I'm currently in touch with Cusinart to get a replacement to see if it's any better.

We've been experiementing with different beans. Currently we're trying Kenya (a little bland for our taste), Gutamalan (one of our favourites), and still to try are Nicaragua and Sumatra.

Any other good grind and brew machines out there?

[malachi]

Those of you who are serious about coffee: Do you think a drip machine can ever make good coffee?

No.

Vac Pot, French Press, Moka Pot, commercial espresso machine. If you want truly good coffee those are the options.

Just my humble opinion of course (grin).

[malachi]

Do I grind extra fine for the press?

While it depends upon personal taste and the type of press the short answer is no, grind coarse.

[stephenc]

At home, I'm really old school and use a percolator.

[phaelon56]

I'll respectfully disagree with the notion of using a percolator because they do a really, really bad thing - they boil the coffee! This is never good. Don't get me wrong - a percolator will make a robust cup of coffee but boiling destroys some of the best and most subtle flavors of coffee. The better the quality of the beans, the more you lose with perked coffee. I suppose that vacuum brewing is really old-school as it goes back to the mid to late 1800's. I recently started vacuum brewing and love it - offers the full-bodied robust flavor of French Press but without the sludge. That said... it is a bit of a PITA and does not lend itself to just pushing the button.

You can get very good coffee from an auto drio maker but I suggest the three following requirements:

1) Research and find one that brews at the right temp (meaning hot enough - most of the brand available don't brew at a hot enough temp).

2) Brews directly into a thermal carafe (or else manually transfer the brewed coffee to a thermal carafe right away after brewing). Try preheating the carafe with hot water for a few minutes and it works even better.

3) Consider using one of the gold mesh filters. It makes ecological good sense, the residue of grounds can safely be washed down the drain and it allows some of the essential flavor oils to get through that are normally leached out with paper filters. If you do use paper filters try to get the unbleached ones and also prewet the filter before adding and brewing the coffee.

The absolute best place to read both professional and more important... consumer written reviews... is Coffeegeek

[natasha1270]

3) Consider using one of the gold mesh filters. It makes ecological good sense, the residue of grounds can safely be washed down the drain and it allows some of the essential flavor oils to get through that are normally leached out with paper filters.  If you do use paper filters try to get the unbleached ones and also prewet the filter before adding and brewing the coffee.

Its been a while since I had or made Drip coffee, I went lo-tech and make French Press or Moka at home, but I don't recall ever hearing about prewetting the filter.

Does it help prevent the oils from leaching out to the paper or is it somthing to do with the paper itself?

Thanks,

N.

[phaelon56]

Does it help prevent the oils from leaching out to the paper

I believe that to be the case but am not absolutely certain. I have noticed that when the paper filter is prewetted in a manual drip system (i.e. Melitta), the coffee seems to start dripping through more quickly and more consistently. Brewing time is a crucial factor along with proper water temperature. A 3 to 3 1/2 minute brew time is ideal. Very few auto drip makers achieve this with a full pot (apart from Bunn and a few others but it's easy to do with a vacuum pot or a French Press. Prewetting the filter should also allow you to hit the desired brew time mark with a manual drip system.