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Coffee Makers


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Just had a 2 yr old Cuisinart die. Bottom rusted out. Shite.

Checking Amazon isn't encouraging. Every unit has a significant number of terrible reviews. The Cuisinart model I'm scrapping apparently has a habit of catching fire (now I can see how that happens). Others just die young. And these aren't cheapo units.

I hate the K-cup type brewers. Too pricey/cup, can't make a pot for a dinner party, too slow for impatient me.

Any suggestions (other than drinking tea)?

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Honestly, I buy really cheapo odd-brand drip units ($22-25 range) and use them 'till they die, then replace them without much weeping. They make good coffee quickly, and the brand name isn't that important to me. I've never had one blow up, melt down, or otherwise cause a hazard - usually I replace them because I've dropped the caraffe in a moment of slack-handedness.

I think my current one is an UMCO. It makes a nice big pot in about 6 minutes, and I paid less than $20 for it.

Elizabeth Campbell, baking 10,000 feet up at 1° South latitude.

My eG Food Blog (2011)My eG Foodblog (2012)

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http://egullet.org/p1293549

More reviews in eG's Coffee & Tea forum...

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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My best friend had a Keurig but after having to send it in for repairs - it stopped heating the water - she gave up and bought one of these

Cuisinart coffee makers, at Lowe's.

They use freshly ground dark roast coffees and say the results are excellent.

She said that Kohl's also had them on sale a couple of weeks ago - just before Thanksgiving so if you have a local store, check there.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I like my keurig for a quick cup and out the door to work . It can be a challenge to find decent coffee for it though. A cup that brews strong enough , and isn't so stale that you might as well be using woodchips. I was very happy to find that Presidents choice brand Great Canadian pods work in the keurig and generally have a much fresher taste and stronger brew than just about any k-cup I have tried.

Given time to fuss around a bit I prefer to use my plungepot and fresh roasted coffee from a local roastery.

I keep looking at the Aeropress and wondering if it would be a good upgrade to my plungepot . Has anyone used one? How does it stack up to a plungepot?

"Why is the rum always gone?"

Captain Jack Sparrow

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I like my keurig for a quick cup and out the door to work . It can be a challenge to find decent coffee for it though. A cup that brews strong enough , and isn't so stale that you might as well be using woodchips. I was very happy to find that Presidents choice brand Great Canadian pods work in the keurig and generally have a much fresher taste and stronger brew than just about any k-cup I have tried.

Given time to fuss around a bit I prefer to use my plungepot and fresh roasted coffee from a local roastery.

I keep looking at the Aeropress and wondering if it would be a good upgrade to my plungepot . Has anyone used one? How does it stack up to a plungepot?

I use an Aeropress daily.

It's quite quick and produces a pretty clean cup, though not clean as you would find with a Chemex, I think. I assume by "plungepot" you are referring to a French press? If so, it's not really a question of upgrading, but rather preference for the type of cup you are trying to achieve. One bean may work better in the Aeropress while another will taste better in the French press. I tend to find coffee brewed in a French press quite oily and intense for a daily brew, but that is just personal preference. The Aeropress is so cheap and easy I'd say just buy it and give it a try. The one thing you'll need to think about is that the Aeropress and French press will require different grinds.

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thanks for the info folks.. loved the video.. I will be asking for one for christmas now. :)

I have a low end burr grinder that I believe will work well for it.

oh and yes I meant a bodum style french press.

Edited by Ashen (log)

"Why is the rum always gone?"

Captain Jack Sparrow

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Bunn A10.

Bunns are "pourover" machines, which gives them the advantage of not having to boil water to propel it over the grounds.

This lower temperature water extracts fewer undesireable compounds from the grounds, resulting in a better tasting brew.

They also brew a pot much more quickly than any regular drip coffee maker.

Lastly, Bunns are built to last a lifetime.

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Bunn A10.

Bunns are "pourover" machines, which gives them the advantage of not having to boil water to propel it over the grounds.

This lower temperature water extracts fewer undesireable compounds from the grounds, resulting in a better tasting brew.

They also brew a pot much more quickly than any regular drip coffee maker.

Lastly, Bunns are built to last a lifetime.

Just be sure to have the carafe in place before you pour. We had a big double one in my office and I can't tell you how many times someone would use the "working" carafe to fill the tank with water, only to have it begin to instantly start dispensing...

I finally had to put up a LARGE sign to READ the directions if one was not familiar with the machine. It had two dispensers and two keep warm plates up top. We went through a lot of coffee when my boss was working full time and we had 10 employees, besides me.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I have been everywhere a person can go with coffee machines over the past 50 years, and presently own a Gaggia Platinum fully automatic, a French press and multiple sizes of the Bialetti moka pot. I will confess to having access to an extraordinary artisanal coffee from Asti, Italy, which surely makes a difference, but nothing that I have ever used makes better coffee than the Bialetti. Most Italians will tell you that it is the "true" espresso. If I want a barrista-style espresso with a great crema, I will use the Gaggia now and again, but if you use a good 100% Arabica coffee, I find that the moka makes a rich, strong, smooth cup of coffee suitable for drinking by the mug, American-style...

Bill Klapp

bklapp@egullet.com

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Bunn A10.

Bunns are "pourover" machines, which gives them the advantage of not having to boil water to propel it over the grounds.

This lower temperature water extracts fewer undesireable compounds from the grounds, resulting in a better tasting brew.

They also brew a pot much more quickly than any regular drip coffee maker.

Lastly, Bunns are built to last a lifetime.

Just be sure to have the carafe in place before you pour. We had a big double one in my office and I can't tell you how many times someone would use the "working" carafe to fill the tank with water, only to have it begin to instantly start dispensing...

I finally had to put up a LARGE sign to READ the directions if one was not familiar with the machine. It had two dispensers and two keep warm plates up top. We went through a lot of coffee when my boss was working full time and we had 10 employees, besides me.

It's happened to me a few times when making coffee while half asleep. Still, I love my Bunn for American style coffee, and my Nespresso for everything else (I know I could get better results with a non-capsule machine, but the convienience is unbeatable and the espresso pretty good and consistant).

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I use an Aeropress daily and a Chemex for special occasions.

~Martin

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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I have a Bunn made for home use it has a SS Thermal pot that keeps the coffee without 'burning' the brew. It also has a valve that keeps the water in the filler till the pot is in its place and the cover closed. My older Bunn did not have ths feature and I had coffee on the counters at least once.

Edited by pyrguy (log)

Dwight

If at first you succeed, try not to act surprised.

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and of course, those beans you put through those paces!

:wink: I do 95% espresso so these are of little use for me. when I do drip I do the Pyrex/stir/goldfilter/Melita.

the techinivorm does have a long and trusty Hx though, not to say the Brazen makes its appeal.

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:wink: I do 95% espresso so these are of little use for me. when I do drip I do the Pyrex/stir/goldfilter/Melita.

the techinivorm does have a long and trusty Hx though, not to say the Brazen makes its appeal.

Me too. Use a Duetto II, 95% of my coffee..but for work i make a brazen pot and bring it in a thermos... great stuff

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