Shopping For New Coffee Maker

[MilDoc]

Over 20 years ago I bought a Krups ThermAroma, makes 12 cups into a thermal carafe. A lot of the thermals don't keep coffee hot, but this one does, for at least 5-6 hours. Avoids leaving the carafe on the burner, ruining the coffee.
I run a cleaning solution through it monthly and IMHO it makes great coffee (which i also fresh grind).
I had a Brun. Didn't like the flavor. And to me most restaurant coffee (made in Bruns) is awful. Of course, there may be many other reasons for that!
If my old Krups died now, this is what I would replace it with:
http://www.amazon.com/Krups-FMF4-14-...&s=home-garden

I really don't care about the timer, but the 1-to-3 cup flavor setting, the descaling indicator, and the built in water filtration system are great! a friend has one and I am jealous! I know the Amazon reviews aren't good, but my buddy's is 5 years old, runs well, and makes great coffee.

(Shoot, now I might just have to get one now!)

[wardprobst]

Larry,
Life is too short for coffemakers- get your filtered water, pour it in the electric kettle that will shut itself off at 200F, grind your beans, fill the French press with coffee & water, smell the brew, store in a good thermos. Don't let the cyborgs make you settle for less.........coffee is way too important!

DP

[messmaker]

I would vote for the Bunn stainless model. Makes coffee in a flash. I have a Mr. Coffee with a timer that is a work of simplicity though. it may last forever.

[boblon]

Atlhough I won't recommend any specific model, I do highly recommned a thermal carafe.

True they won't keep the coffee hot all day, but like others have said, they do a pretty good job for a couple of hours, which is usually long enough to finish off a pot.

I personally hate the burnt bitter taste of coffee after sitting on a hot plate. To me the only good cup of coffee out of a non-thermal carafe is the first one, maybe the second if your quick. After that, well, it's not really coffee anymore.

So, if the choice is coffee that could be a little hotter, or coffee that is just plain nasty, I'll go with the former.

I think the glass lined thermals work pretty good. I heard the all metal ones lose heat quickly.

BobL.

[jseklund]

There may not be anything here that you are looking for, but it may be worth looking at. Smartbargains sent me an email, they are having a sale on their coffee brewing "stuff". Here's the link:

http://www.smartbargains.com/events1...id=19211477733

[PALefty]

I was once on a quest for a great auto-drip coffee maker myself. At the time I was considering the all-in-one grinder, timer, drip variety. In doing some research online (mainly coffeegeek.com), I came to realize what I was missing in the coffee world. 4 of the most important factors in producing good coffee are: Brew Time, Brew Temp, Fresh Roasted Beans (ground just prior to brewing), Proper Uniform Grind. Sadly, almost all coffee makers on the market do not reach the correct temps to brew coffee properly (195-205deg). There were a few that used to be available that were very good in this area (Melitta Clarity, Presto Scandanavia), but through poor marketing etc they were since discontinued. If I were to buy one today.. and money were no object, I would buy the Technivorm (sp?). It is the top of the line as far as auto drips go. If I were to pick some others that have decent reviews... I would look at the Capresso CoffeeTec and a Bunn. The Bunns brew a little on the fast side.. but you can grind a little finer to slow it down some. For info on the Technivorm, check out sweetmarias.com.

I am not big on the carafe models.. because most coffee maker carafes are made like crap. To make matters worse, all carafes require you to pre-heat them (with hot water) in order for them to maintain temperatures. If you don't pre-heat it first, then when you add your hot coffee to it, it will just transfer the heat out of the coffee. I prefer to just brew my coffee and transfer it to a pre-heated carafe when it is done brewing.

As for a good grinder... it is a very important piece of the puzzle. The Solis Meastro Plus as previously mentioned is a great grinder for what you are looking for. There are some others that fit the bill.. for a little more money, but I have been happy with the SMP for my daily grinder.

I am a French Press man myself (and vacuum pot on occasion).. and although it is not quite as convenient as an auto-drip, it is not that much extra work to get awesome results. It works for me and every morning I get to enjoy the results.

Good luck in your search...

[Ken Weaver]

I have been most pleasently surprised by this Mr. Coffee unit, ISTX85. I like it because it uses the thermal carafe which means the coffee isn't cooking the whole time. I usually make 6 cups on weekday mornings (2+ mugs) and on the weekends make the full 10 cups. The carafe keeps things hot for 3- 3 1/2 hours and it still tastes fresh as when made. Only $54 plus change at Wal-Mart.

I grind my own and get the beans from http://coffeebeandirect.com/, excellent choices, best price I've found. I recommend them highly.

[brumere]

We have had the following Capresso coffee maker for over 3 years now and I would give it a big thumbs up:

http://www.epinions.com/Capresso_Cof...ay_~full_specs

Prior to this we had the Cusinart grind and brew. I would really have to hate somebody to wish this piece of junk on somebody. Difficult to clean and it broke ever year for three years until they stoped replaceing it under warranty.

[gerti]

There are probably as many opinions as there are coffee drinkers...

It starts with fresh beans. I roast my own, a $10 hot air popcorn popper and some green beans from the internet get you started. Actually not that hard, though strictly an outdoors activity.

Grind with a burr grinder. I use a hand-cranked model.

I use a dedicated thermos, they tend to be higher quality than the ones coming with a coffee maker. Preheating them with hot water helps too.

Another reason not to use a coffee maker with thermos: A thermos holds warm best when full all the way. So if you have the coffee maker fill it up, then take your first mug, it will not be full anymore. With my coffee makers I usually make enough for a Full thermos + a full mug.

Coffee makers: A very moving target it seems. Krups used to be a safe bet for a very long time, but no longer. Quality has gone down.

Best coffee I ever had from an electric coffee maker was the Bodum electric vacuum coffee maker. But they don't last: Not that easy to clean (can't be submerged because the heating element is built into the pot) and over time the plastic becomes brittle and cracks and/or the seals fail. I had 2 in a row, both broke in a similar fashion after not much more than a year. And that even though I babied them...

The Cusinart grind and brew intrigued me, but a quick look at it's construction told me that cleanup would be a royal PITA, which others here seem to confirm.

I settled on a 'regular' Cusinart. Main reason was that it allows to set the plate to a low setting, so that it doesn't scorch the coffe while brewing and before I get a chance to transfer it to mug & thermos. It is also supposed to have a proper water temperature and flow rate for optimum brewing. It makes decent coffee. An has that cone-shaped gold filter you are looking for.

[sinjams]

Coffee Pots

Over the years I have had a number of different coffee pots. The best coffee pot I have had is a Stainless Steel Vacum pot but I can not get a new seal for it so it sits on the shelf. But I by chance go my hands on a commercial Bunn Coffee maker(Don't Ask the Price) it was a steal.

No waiting for the water to heat which reduces to time it takes to make 12 cups.It uses a flat bottom filter as do almost all commercial machines but it always makes a great cup of coffee and when I need to take a coffee to the shop I use a Thermos cup with a locking 360 degree lid. This will keep the coffee hot for about 2 hrs and does not allow any dust to get into the coffee. I do not grind my coffee beans as it is to noisey and takes to much time. When I want my coffe I want my coffee! An the weekends we will go throught about 5 to 6 pots per day and that is just for my wife and myself. We have tries many differanct brands of coffee and to date we are using Folgers with good results. You will need to experiment with the amount of coffee you add to get the results that you want.

The only draw back on the Bunn machine is that it is on 24 hrs a day to keep the water hot.

[Rslaugh]

I have been most pleasently surprised by this Mr. Coffee unit, ISTX85. I like it because it uses the thermal carafe which means the coffee isn't cooking the whole time. I usually make 6 cups on weekday mornings (2+ mugs) and on the weekends make the full 10 cups. The carafe keeps things hot for 3- 3 1/2 hours and it still tastes fresh as when made. Only $54 plus change at Wal-Mart.

I grind my own and get the beans from http://coffeebeandirect.com/, excellent choices, best price I've found. I recommend them highly.

I bought two of these pieces of crap and will never buy anything that has "Mr. Coffee" anywhere even near it again. The first one stopped perking the water up the tube to the coffee beans after 4 months. it would just sit there and steam up the inside of the display. I read the instructions and saw the part where you should clean it every x number of pots with their special cleaning solution. I used vinegar in water to no avail. Pretty pee o'd at this point cuz I've only cleaned coffee makers when they get scuzzy in the past and they've never quit working.

When I called customer service I got the "Well that shouldn't happen but sorry it's out of warranty speech." I thought to myself that I just got a lemon, it's a good name, you should have read the instructions and stupid me I bought another one. Same result with cleaning on a monthly basis.

Good luck with yours Ken.

[Ken Weaver]

I bought two of these pieces of crap and will never buy anything that has "Mr. Coffee" anywhere even near it again. The first one stopped perking the water up the tube to the coffee beans after 4 months. it would just sit there and steam up the inside of the display. I read the instructions and saw the part where you should clean it every x number of pots with their special cleaning solution. I used vinegar in water to no avail. Pretty pee o'd at this point cuz I've only cleaned coffee makers when they get scuzzy in the past and they've never quit working.

When I called customer service I got the "Well that shouldn't happen but sorry it's out of warranty speech." I thought to myself that I just got a lemon, it's a good name, you should have read the instructions and stupid me I bought another one. Same result with cleaning on a monthly basis.

Good luck with yours Ken.

A real shame - I'm normally not a fan of Mr. Coffee products either, but this has been a surprise - I hope it keeps going (knock on wood) its been nearly a year.

[dlminehart]

I've been very happy with Braun, especially when loaded up with my favorite Peets coffee. The Braun is quick enough that I've not bothered with the timer -- I load it up, bring in the newspaper, read through the first section, and pour the coffee. The flavor is excellent: apparently they use the right temperature and flow rate to get the good stuff without the acids. Stays warm enough on the heater to get you through two cups at least before the flavor deteriorates . . . I'll often pour from the carafe into a thermos to keep it warm without burning.

Only downside of the Braun, in fact, is that the pouring lip on the carafe, shaped into the glass, can often result in messes if you don't pour at just the right rate. Varies from carafe to carafe.

[rcp612]

Unlike everyone else (which is normal for me) I have and highly recommend the Phillips Senseo. The pods come in different strengths and some flavors (dark roast for me) and not that costly for a great cup of coffee. The only drawback is you can't fill a thermos but, for the workshop it's perfect IMHO!

[Brian in Dawson Creek]

The best cup of coffee I ever had came from this machine. It only makes one cup of coffee at a time and it doesn't take long and it is hot. Here in Canada it works out to about 80 cents a cup. I'm trying to talk my wife into buying this machine but she had heard that Van Houtte's coffee was rated low in a taste test but I'd bet that they are not talking about this type of coffee.

During a recent labour dispute I went back to my old job, driving truck and hauling invert from oil rigs. At the scale house they had one of these machines and the coffee was free. All the truck drivers are in radio contact and one fella did a poll … every person that I heard on the radio said it was the best coffee they had ever had.

Truck drivers should now … Shouldn't they?

Brian
http://www.vanhoutte.com/en/shop_onl...er/keurig/b50/