Coffee Aficionados - I need a new coffeemaker, your recommendations please.

[ellisonz]

Last edited Fri May 10, 2013, 02:54 AM - Edit history (2)

So my cheap crappy coffee maker isn't passing the taste test. I'm leaning toward a thermal carafe and would like one easy to keep clean. I'm open to spending $80 max with preference given to cheaper, yet still high quality products. I will likely be ordering off of Amazon so you can use that as an actual price point reference.

Edit: I went with the Krups Thermal Filter Coffee Maker marked down to $60 from Amazon warehouse deals because the packaging is damaged. While I concede to the purists that a French Press process might produce an initial better cup, I'd rather not be boiling water at 5 am before work just to have a cup of coffee, so that's not a good lifestyle option for me personally YMMV. I liked this one because it's a simple design, I don't want a programmable coffee maker especially, and I'm into simple design. I also like that I can remove the water tank for cleaning but don't need to do so to put water into it and that the interior of the carafe is glass, not steel. Thanks everyone for your comments! I'll update once I receive my coffeemaker and have a few cups of coffee, or rather a couple dozen.

[Aristus]

1. Braun is a terrific brand.

"Brown" not "brawn", by the way.

Makes a great cup of coffee!...

[LunaSea]

2. Can't go wrong with Krups or Braun

Skip the Italian makes, no matter how cheap. They too often substitute plastics in internal parts where metal should be used and the heat just breaks them down.

[pokerfan]

3. French Press

should only set you back $15 to $20. Apply the balance of your budget towards a decent grinder.

[ellisonz]

5. I need coffee fast at like 5 in the morning some days before going to work.

Other days I slow drink coffee over an hour or so and I'm a solo coffee drinker.

I'm also lazy in the kitchen. Ask how to cook? Ask me, I dare you!

[Moondog]

7. A Chemex, or a French Press

seems to be what you are describing. I've tried both, and if I were to look hard enough would probably find that I still have at least one of each. Between the two, I actually prefer a French Press for tea, and a Chemex for coffee. But my purist friends in both camps regularly denounce me for my heresy in this regard.

I now basically view these things as caffeine delivery systems, and no longer worship at the altar of the "ideal cup".

Instead, I have become a total slug, and thus went to a Keurig a while back. More spendy than you would like, but very easy, very fast, and low maintenance if you use filtered / soft water in them. But once they croak, if the factory blows you off (and, supposedly, they are fairly good about not doing that), it's a replacement drill.

In short, if there is a perfect solution, I have not yet found it.

[ellisonz]

9. See I'm a slug too who really just wants an excellent, economical caffeine delivery system...

We can be heretics together, Moondog.

[pipi_k]

23. Fellow slug...

I also have a Keurig. Actually, it's a Cuisinart Keurig, but whatever.

And it's the third one. Two previous ones crapped out on us. I'm starting to think maybe it's our water that kills them even though I clean them well within the recommended time period.

Anyway, Keurig was real good about sending a new one each time.

So, not that I'm a coffee gourmet or anything, but it sure does make a good tasting brew.

[marmar]

4. Agree on Braun or Krups.....

....... Being single, I like the concept of a Keurig (no cleaning messy coffee grounds out of the filter), but it's just too doggone expensive that way.

[ellisonz]

19. I'm leaning toward a Krups.

This One. - what can I say, I'm sucker for German engineering.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

6. Listen to Pokerfan! Makes the best coffee

and get a good grinder as well...a burr grinder if you can!

[BainsBane]

8. the best coffee

comes from NO coffee maker at all. You boil water (electric tea kettle is my choice) and pour it through one of these:



That way you have no residue taste from the gunk in the machine. If you are making it just for yourself, make it in a single cup. You could also make a larger quantity into a thermos carafe.

Another advantage: They cost less than $5 bucks and you can get them at the grocery store.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. I am going to get one the next time I am at the store. Thanks for that review. Always wondered about

that gadget and if it worked.

[BainsBane]

14. You'll need filters too

either seize 2 or 4, depending on the size of funnel you get. For a single cup, size 2 works best.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

28. I have a Krups right now but, I am going to try this system. Makes sense, I think. n/t

[winter is coming]

16. Yes, they work well, although if you use a bottle brush on your carafe every day

you won't get an aftertaste. We have a some 2-cup Melitta coffee brewers and also a 10-cup Melitta coffeemaker with thermal carafe. Both make good coffee; it just depends on how much you want of it.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

29. thanks for the info, winter is coming.

[winter is coming]

36. Some days, one cup just isn't enough.

Those are the days you wonder what would happen if you ground up the coffee extra-fine and just snorted it.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

37. or mainline it ?!

[elleng]

17. Been using it for years.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

30. that does it! if it is good enough for elleng, it is good enough for me!

[elleng]

32. HAHAHA!!!

Thanks, Tuesday!

and only recently found the best coffee, at small coffee house when visiting Chestertown, MD, fell in love with their decaf (what I drink, to reduce anxiety!) so now I order the Spicewood Classic from Cuvee Coffee, Austin, TX, grind it immediately prior to using, and brew it one cup at a time! Had been making in pot, so 3 or so cups at a time, but find I MUCH prefer FRESH FRESH FRESH!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

33. Spicewood Classic from Cuvee Coffee, Austin, TX, you say? gotta order some! thanks, elleng

i like the name already ... Spicewood Classic ... just sounds good, yanno.

[elleng]

35. Yes, sounds and TASTES good,

something subtly dunno how to describe, smokey sweet spicy about it, great aroma, I sometimes have the bag of whole beans beside me on couch (being a potato, yanno!

[peacefreak]

13. 'Nother vote for this one.

Neat & sweet & ready as fast as your kettle will boil. Been using one for years.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

31. thanks, peacefreak!

[ismnotwasm]

11. We got a Keurig

Took a little experimentation , but now I'm loving it. We have our own filter thing so we can use beans or teas if we like.

[ellaydubya]

12. Keurig

I work for a company that represents the Keurig brand and have used one for years. I absolutely recommend- whether coffee, tea, hot chocolate, every cup fresh with no leftovers/waste. You can even do iced drinks. Worth the price if you can afford it- you won't be disappointed.

[In_The_Wind]

15. Mr Coffee is the best for my needs.

http://www.mrcoffeestore.com/detail/COF+FTTX95-1 $74.99

Form follows function with a sleek coffee maker, and the Double Wall Stainless-Steel Thermal Carafe that keeps coffee piping hot. The Brushed Chrome Accents pair perfectly with today's stainless-steel kitchens. And Mr. Coffee's Brew Strength Selector lets you wake up to a pot of coffee tailor-made to your taste.
Features:
Programmable, thermal carafe
Removable filter basket lifts out of brew basket for quick and easy cleaning.
Brewing Pause 'n Serve lets you pour a cup of coffee while the coffee maker is still brewing.
Delay Brew allows you to set your coffee maker up to 24 hours in advance to begin brewing at a specific time.
Dual water windows show the amount of water in the reservoir for accurate filling.
Special cleaning cycle makes cleaning your coffee maker quick and easy.
Brew strength selector lets you choose to make your coffee stronger.
Water filtration removes up to 97% of chlorine for better-tasting coffee.
Audible ready signals alert you when the coffee maker has finished the brewing or cleaning cycle.
Cord storage safely stores excess cord to keep your countertop neat.

Or the 8 cup:
http://www.mrcoffeestore.com/detail/COF+TFTX85 $59.99

[toddaa]

18. Spend your money on a quality burr grinder instead

Of course, easy cleaning coffee grinder is an oxymoron, but if you are after a good cup of joe, a burr grinder is a must. I've got a Capresso grinder, but I have no idea what model it is or how much it cost as it was a birthday gift. Had it for about two years with no issues. I'd think a reasonably priced, quality grinder will set you back about 40-50 bucks. After that, just buy a cheap filter top, like the one BainsBane posted.

[tokenlib]

20. I swear by a Bunn..they outlast the cheap ones and are dependible

OK, I have friends who gloat and swoon over their Keurigs. But I like my coffee by the pot, as well as the cup. A Bunn is fast..you can snatch one for $80-90, and they have a thermal carafe model for a bit more.

When the top seal washer/gasket deteriorated due to hard water (after a few years), the company cheerfully and helpfully sent out a repair kit..at no charge.
Keurigs are great if you don't mind the expense for all those little cups, you can buy a reusable cup to keep all those other ones out of the landfills... but I'd recommend the Bunn for brewing a pot in a hurry.

[pipi_k]

25. Pods...

that's what I do with my Keurig.

I don't bother buying the little K cup things.

The reusable pods work great, and I get coffee grounds for my composter so nothing goes to waste.

[steve2470]

21. this old thread might help you too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9789335

[olddots]

22. The Bunn is the one !!!!!!!!

A coffee roaster told me and he was right ...got one for 89$ and popped for the gold filter ----no bells and whistles just a fine coffee maker with tips and reasons about cleaning it = its a professional machine .

[DFW]

24. I don't know what's available back in the States

But the Nespresso machines here, much as I hate their advertising, make some pretty amazing cups of coffee.

[ZombieHorde]

26. Keurags are really nice, and make great coffee.

Expensive and lots of packaging though.

Coffee presses make really smooth coffee. They're cheap, and have very little packaging.

[olddots]

27. when you're really addicted to coffee

don't make the mistake of trying to snort fresh ground coffee ----you get these gross boogers and stuff .

[Moondog]

34. Yeah, and if your nose gets really runny

the drippings look particularly bad on your upper lip if you are as fair-skinned as I.