Coffee Maker Suggestions (Not K-Cup)

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I'm going to buy a coffee maker / brewer for home use and would like some suggestions. I'm looking for quality, but am not going to spend $2,800 or even $500 USD. Anything more than $200 is out of the question.

Here are my "must haves:"
-No larger than 4-cup (I live alone and don't want to waste coffee every time)
-Programmable (no manual brews)
-Not K-Cup (I searched and found some threads for K-Cup machines, but they are too wasteful)
-Quality (brewing temp. is appropriately regulated, carafe stays warm, etc.)

It would be nice to have a grinder included, but along with my "must haves," that is very limiting.

What brand / model do you suggest?

LifeInTheBikeLane

French press. I know you want programmable but seriously, this takes less them then having to set a timer every night. It's simple and it's what we use at home for myself and my SO. Takes less time and less clean up and creates an awesome cup of coffee every time. You can get cheap ones made of plastic or slightly more expensive ones made of glass. We have two of them, a 4 cup and a larger 12 cup.

You can also dabble in the world of pour overs. Single cups, so no leftovers. Still takes less time than programming.

If you are completely against taking the 4 minutes to brew an amazing cup of coffee each time you could get a Mr. Coffee single serve. We have one but it's somewhere in the back of our microwave stand. It has a timer and makes pretty good cups of coffee. I have a K-Cup brewer at work for residents but moved it to the back and dug out our old drip brew because it makes better coffee.

My life is coffee. I will always swear by French press. In order of best to worst brewed coffee it goes Pour Over-French Press-Drip...everything else.

robininfl

We love our Aeropress, though it fails your programmable and automatic qualifications, I've adjusted to just making the coffee manually, and it is so incredibly simple to use. It was about $20 on Amazon, plus another $5 or so for a metal filter, we don't like paper filters, and this makes the best coffee we have ever produced at home.

The kitchen aid automatic pour over coffee maker is inside your price range on Amazon and gets great reviews. It has an 8 cup carafe but can do from 2-8 cups per batch, and I think meets your standards except for grinding.

TaraTall

Also, if the wastefulness is your main concern for the K-Cup, they have the reusable k-cup things where you put your own coffee in and use and re use the k cup. I go the tassimo route because I'm the only one who drinks coffee in the house.

And I will also second the manual element of the french press.

Keep an eye on kijiji (craigslist?) and garage sales, you might be able to find an inexpensive one that ticks off all your wants.

bensmom555

Have had every kind from Starbucks Expresso Machine to French Press. I love my Breville Grinder/Coffee Maker. It has a SS thermos that keeps coffee hot for hours on end and you can brew from 1 to 12 cups as desired, adjust the strength if you want easily with each brew, remove the filter basket holder as a unit easily for cleaning, and it automatically grinds the beans just before each brew. To me, freshly ground beans are the answer for the best brew! It's priced just over $200 but you can find it on sale (I got mine at Bed Bath Beyond w/free shipping). Here's a link to Amazon just so you can see what it looks like: https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BDC650BSS-Grind-Control-Silver/dp/B00VGGVQCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466434369&sr=8-1&keywords=breville+coffee+machines.

bensmom555

Also, the Breville has a BURR grinder, not one with "cutters" - very important for proper grinding!

pomegranatecloud

Another recommendation for a French press.

Timshel_

Best deal I have found personally.
http://www.costco.com/Cuisinart®-14-Cup-Programmable-Coffeemaker.product.100226551.html

Can do 14 cups, but I use the 1-4 cup setting all the time. I have had two in the last 10+ years, only because I was too lazy to replace the $14 pump on the first.

For me though the BIGGEST coffee improvement was buying a good burr grinder and getting fresh beans. Make all the difference in flavor and boldness.

Ready2Rock206

I absolutely love my ninja coffee bar. I did have a k-cup one and upgraded to this - so I've never been a fancy coffee maker person. The ninja coffee bar can do one cup or a whole (small) pot and just uses regular coffee. No grinder but it is programmable (I've never used this feature) and makes the absolute best iced coffee. There are also settings for a regular or stronger cup of coffee.

cmriverside

I just have a $100 espresso machine. :shrug: One cup at a time, tiny footprint.

chelseamoberg13

Also recommend the french press. After trying almost everything else I finally settled on the French Press. I get up, walk to the kitchen & put my tea kettle on the stove, get ready in the bathroom & then go grind my coffee & put it in the press pour the water on the grinds, set a timer for 4 minutes, go get dressed & then press the coffee. Literally takes me 2-3 minutes of effort. It will make one of the best brews you have ever had & once you make it part of your routine it is reaaally easy. Also you can get one for very cheap. You should be able to get everything you need for under $50 if you shop around. I spent a total of $30 to get the grinder, french press, & tea kettle.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

bensmom555 wrote: »

Have had every kind from Starbucks Expresso Machine to French Press. I love my Breville Grinder/Coffee Maker. It has a SS thermos that keeps coffee hot for hours on end and you can brew from 1 to 12 cups as desired, adjust the strength if you want easily with each brew, remove the filter basket holder as a unit easily for cleaning, and it automatically grinds the beans just before each brew. To me, freshly ground beans are the answer for the best brew! It's priced just over $200 but you can find it on sale (I got mine at Bed Bath Beyond w/free shipping). Here's a link to Amazon just so you can see what it looks like: https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BDC650BSS-Grind-Control-Silver/dp/B00VGGVQCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466434369&sr=8-1&keywords=breville+coffee+machines.

bensmom555 wrote: »

Also, the Breville has a BURR grinder, not one with "cutters" - very important for proper grinding!

This looks like it will fit all of my "must haves" and my "nice to have." Thank you very much!

To all suggesting a French press: I understand your point about quality, but it is a lot of effort and a lot of time that I just don't have. For those suggesting that I DO have time because I can just do other things while the water is heating or while it is seeping, I can't go out for a 30 min. run and come back to a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me with a French press like I can with a programmable coffee maker. If I make it before I leave, it is cold. If I wait until I return, I have to spend time and energy to make it when I want it to be ready right away and I'm still half-asleep. Yes, I could make it with a French press the night before, but the quality argument is defenestrated by having cold and old coffee.

Francl27

Get a Keurig and buy a reusable/refillable kcup. It's what we use... that way we don't waste any coffee, my husband compared and he said it actually uses less coffee this way than with a standard filter. Plus he uses decaf and I use real coffee, so it's win/win for us. It just takes 30 seconds to empty/rinse the kcup between each use.

ponycyndi

I'm cheap and lazy, so I passed on the French press. I have this one, which does ground coffee AND Kcups.

https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Single-Serve-FlexBrew-49999A/dp/B00EYZVWWW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466454818&sr=8-2&keywords=hamilton+beach+single+serve+grind+and+brew+coffee+maker

The have one that does the grinding too, for a few bucks more, but doesn't handle Kcups.


https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Coffee-Single-49989/dp/B00NSNKZMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466454818&sr=8-1&keywords=hamilton+beach+single+serve+grind+and+brew+coffee+maker

bioklutz

robininfl wrote: »

We love our Aeropress, though it fails your programmable and automatic qualifications, I've adjusted to just making the coffee manually, and it is so incredibly simple to use. It was about $20 on Amazon, plus another $5 or so for a metal filter, we don't like paper filters, and this makes the best coffee we have ever produced at home.

The kitchen aid automatic pour over coffee maker is inside your price range on Amazon and gets great reviews. It has an 8 cup carafe but can do from 2-8 cups per batch, and I think meets your standards except for grinding.

I LOVE my Aeropress! It is so easy to use and clean.

michmill98_1

We use the Nespresso Vertuoline machine. Our schedules are so different that a single serve machine works better for us. Hubby can brew his cup of coffee at 4:50am while he packs up his lunch box and heads out the door and I can brew my cup at 7 when I sit down and start working (I get up and workout before I have breakfast). Most mornings, I only have one cup but occasionally I'll have two so a drip machine was a waste for us.

Pros:
1. Single serve pod so you aren't wasting coffee
2. Pods are fully recyclable when sent back to Nespresso using their prepaid pouch or can be dropped off at most William Sonoma's or Sur La Tables
3. The Vertuoline can brew either a single cup of coffee or an espresso. It usually takes about a minute or two to brew a cup of coffee so while it may not be ready the instant you walk in the door, it doesn't take as long as a french press.
4. Machine can be purchased at major kitchen stores and I know at least our local Williams Sonoma usually has a Nespresso rep in-store on the weekends preparing samples
5. A frother/aerator is also available if you like fancy coffee drinks

Cons:
1. Pods can only be purchased thru Nespresso (website or a limited selection of stores). While they are available on Amazon, the Amazon pricing is a lot higher than Nespresso
2. There are only 12 coffee pods available (including 3 flavored, 1 half caff, and 1 decaf) and 4 espresso pods available (including 1 decaf) so if you like a lot of variety, you're out of luck
3. The Vertuoline machines are not programmable (they do have one Original line machine that is but the Original line is an espresso based line and while you can trick the machine into brewing a lungo, it isn't true American style coffee)
4. Some reviewers have complained that the temperature of the brewed coffee isn't as hot as they'd like. I like my coffee hot but not so hot that I can't take a sip right away so this machine is fine for me.
5. Coffee pods are running $1.10 per pod on the Nespresso site. So while it's still cheaper than a cup of coffee from almost any restaurant or coffee shop, it is more expensive than buying beans or ground coffee.


We had used Keurigs for years and when our last one died, we replaced it with the Nespresso (bundled with the frother). We think the coffee is better and also, since we live in a small tourist town, the closest chain coffee shop is 15 miles away (we have a local shop but they don't open until 8am).

ReneeDawalga5100

I suggest the ninja coffee bar. You can make a 1 cup or travel, or half pot or even full pot. No special pods needed, just a number 4 paper filter. LOVE IT

ReneeDawalga5100

Avoid anything with a pod, such a waste of money

VeryKatie

Cuisinart has some drip coffee ones. Black and Decker if you have that brand comes in multiple sizes.

Remember for most drip coffees, you don't have to fill the tank with more than you want as well.

I have a Tassimo but it's similar to a Keurig. But the pods are only $0.30 CAD at Costco so I don't consider it a waste of money. That being said, it's a good fit for me since I only make two cups of coffee a week (weekends) and otherwise drink free coffee from work. So the pods don't expire as fast as a bag or tin of coffee grounds would.

Francl27

ReneeDawalga5100 wrote: »

Avoid anything with a pod, such a waste of money

Not when you use reusable ones.

jessiethe3rd

Nespresso makes a good cup but to be honest my stove top espresso maker gets the use. Afforable, practical, simple.