OT: Coffee maker selections, which to choose?

[khauser]

I think there's a small misunderstanding here. Rob108 wants a coffee maker that brews the coffee automatically at some point in the morning. If he brews that in to a thermos it will lose heat fairly quickly because it isn't closed and such units don't have heat trays. The service person was a bit dumb to suggest that preheating the water could in any way help that, if you ask me.

Personally I lean towards the snobby side, but not to the point of having custom beans, etc. I like both regular and espresso, for different occasions. I can't drink regular coffee without sweetner of some sort ... and I prefer it with cream as well. Espresso, on the other hand, goes right on down, no extra's required. That's not to say I don't like latte's, etc.

Sometimes I like what Starbuck's will call an Americano in place of "regular" coffee ... basically brew espresso and then dilute with equal amount hot water.

Coffee is wonderful stuff!

[idamtnboy]

The absolute best coffee is made in a pot with nothing but water and coffee grounds inside boiled over a campfire. Unfortunately this can't be made at home with the same wonderful results. My husband bought a very cheap little coffee maker from Walmart that I expected to be complete junk. It is the best CM I have ever had. It is fast and the coffee is hot. We have used it for several years now. I guess we just got lucky.

I'm with Stormy on this one. You can cook it at home, just have to watch it so it doesn't boil over which makes a mess. Try the trick of old Finnish homemakers, when the coffee is boiling crack an egg into it. Makes for great coffee!

[Rob108]

You are pretty much right khauser. I bought a cuisinart with the glass carafe because I ruined the one we had with the stainless steel (thermal) carafe by not placing the carafe under the brewing spot. It then brews the full supply without an outlet, filling the inner workings. In my defense I did this at 4:15 am where I was very tired & hadn't started cpap yet.

[hyperlexis]

BUNN machines. We got one and it seems to do a very good job and is relatively inexpensive. It has a timer and it gets the water just short of boiling before brewing.

If you absolutely must go with a single-serve machine I would recommend only the Keurig VUE machine, simply because the VUE version (Not K-cup) is the only coffee pod out there that is (slightly) recyclable. http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/artic ... serve-pods

[chunkyfrog]

Idamtnboy; You only need the eggshells. Alkali is in the shells, to counteract the acidic coffee.

[johnthomasmacdonald]

http://www.nespresso-us.com/machines/?u ... 1t1-VQ16-c

http://www.nespresso.com/us/en/pages/gr ... ffee-range

my wife uses this, it makes an excellent espresso but the pods are a bit expensive although they have like 20 different varieties of espresso

[Vader]

Regardless of your brew method, every serious coffee drinker needs to try Starbucks Sumatra roast.

[Pugsy]

http://www.nespresso-us.com/machines/?u ... 1t1-VQ16-c

http://www.nespresso.com/us/en/pages/gr ... ffee-range

my wife uses this, it makes an excellent espresso but the pods are a bit expensive although they have like 20 different varieties of espresso

I splurged and got one of the Nespresso machines not quite a year ago. I don't use it for my morning coffee though. Not sure why but maybe it's because I like the Latte flavored stuff and it's a PITA to do first thing in the morning when I am not woke up good yet. Gotta get the syrups out, froth the milk and all that. Heck, first thing in the morning I am lucky to push the button to start the brewing.
My husband calls it "foo foo" coffee but on occasion he will request one of those "foo foo things you make"
Yeah the pods are a little pricey but I feel I am worth it. I am sure your wife is also worth it.
I splurged and got a box of the really pricey special limited pods last Christmas...From EBay because Nespresso had long sold out at get this $2.00 a pod. I won't tell you how much I got suckered in for with the EBay purchase. But it as a LOT more than $2 a pod. Anyway...the cheaper 60 cent pods satisfy my more normal needs and I don't mind the cost all that much since I don't use the machine every day...and last year anyone wanting to know what to buy me for Christmas...I pointed them to the Nespresso pods.
I am fixed up pretty good for quite a while. My daughter and grandson got me a big box full of all sorts of pod flavors.. around 15 sleeves if I remember right.

For our morning regular coffee...we just use a Mr Coffee. Used to have a Bunn until it died. I did like the Bunn coffee a little better I think.

[chunkyfrog]

Hubby bought some refillable k-cups, and will resume mixing his own when the good priced stuff is gone.

[idamtnboy]

Idamtnboy; You only need the eggshells. Alkali is in the shells, to counteract the acidic coffee.

I'm sure you're right. Memory has faded after 50+ years since Saturday night sauna at the old Finnish homesteads in Idaho. I just remember that coffee and cinnamon rolls served up after were a real treat for a teenager.

[Steve of Cornubia]

I'm afraid my choice won't suit everybody, because it's rather expensive for just a means to make a cup of coffee, but I'm very happy with my choice. I have had percolators and a 'manual' espresso machine when I found I much preferred the espresso to filter coffee. I made great coffee, but it was a bit of a pantomime when I had to make two or more cups......

Then I took a job with a small New Zealand company that had a Saeco 'auto' coffee machine in the kitchen. You know the type of thing I mean - hit a button and it grinds the beans nice and fresh, then pumps hot water through the grinds espresso-style. I loved it and in a sudden fit of financial don'tgiveashit I bought one myself. After a bit of experimentation with grind and water volume settings, I am now able to simply hit a button and get a bloody good shot of espresso. It has a frother/steam wand but I don't bother with it. I just microwave a cup of milk then drop a single shot of good, strong (but low volume) espresso into it. Easy peasy and I can honestly say most coffees we buy from cafes don't match our own.

It cost AUD1200 a few years ago, but the coffee counter says we've made more than 8000 coffees so far.

I drink exclusively 'flat whites' her in Oz. If you don't know what a flat white is, Wikipedia will tell you.

[NateS]

If you absolutely must go with a single-serve machine I would recommend only the Keurig VUE machine, simply because the VUE version (Not K-cup) is the only coffee pod out there that is (slightly) recyclable. http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/artic ... serve-pods

hyperlexis, the Rogers Family Coffee Co. states that their San Francisco Bay coffee containers, which we use in our standard(K-cup style) Keurig machine, are: "97% BIO-DEGRADABLE".

http://www.gourmet-coffee.com/pages.php?pageid=57

Regards, Nate

[Apneanderthal]

I'm lucky enough to work from home, but that means I can't just grab coffee at the office. I'm a bit of a coffee snob and like my espresso. I'm willing to put in the bit of time and effort (usually about 5 minutes) in the morning to make a really good cup of coffee. I have a Breville machine after going through many sub par machines over the years.

But when I can't make an Americano with my double shot of espresso, I go straight for the french press. I think it makes such better coffee than a drip coffee maker. And it sure is cheaper. And the time investment is modest. You only need a few minutes to make it. I use espresso roasted beans since I like it big and bold!

[hyperlexis]

If you absolutely must go with a single-serve machine I would recommend only the Keurig VUE machine, simply because the VUE version (Not K-cup) is the only coffee pod out there that is (slightly) recyclable. http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/artic ... serve-pods

hyperlexis, the Rogers Family Coffee Co. states that their San Francisco Bay coffee containers, which we use in our standard(K-cup style) Keurig machine, are: "97% BIO-DEGRADABLE".

http://www.gourmet-coffee.com/pages.php?pageid=57

Regards, Nate

Interesting! The used grounds pouch can be peeled out and the plastic shell composted -- however do take note. It requires industrial composting, from a town's composting service, something that involves very high temperatures to break it down. Not many towns have such composting services. Alas, its also almost never achievable in a home composting pile with lower temps. It will definitely not bio degrade in a regular landfill due to low heat. The Keurig VUE cups are #5 plastics and can be recycled at some locations like Whole Foods and some town's recycling services. But if your town has a compost service and you take the time to use it, then the Rogers cups may be a good option for a dedicated recycler.

[Pachyderm's Nose]

I did the search a few months ago. I finally got a Cuisinart single cup maker that doesn't need filters. I looked at the Keurig, but refused to pay the premium to get one that would make a larger, stronger cup. Most other single cup makers would not let me brew directly to my travel mug but the Cuisinart has a two level cup rest and will accept the tallest mug I have and it will brew up to 14 ounces. It also has a button to brew slower and make a bolder cup. I really like not using paper filters and the screen basket gets dumped and rinsed before each cup. I like a bolder cup so I compress the coffee a bit when I fill the basket and use the bold button for a slower brew. It's still ready by the time take my pills and put the dog out.