Coffee makers
ReenieHJ
Posts: 9,724 Member
It's time for me to trade in my cheap $20 special Black and Decker coffee maker. I kind of left it on with an empty pot in it and burned the heck out of it. 
I'm not sure if I want to buy that kind again; I'm perfectly happy brewing that way but wonder if Keurig would taste better; do a better job, be easier, worth the cost? Or any other kind of maker. I'm frugal so am not sure I want to pay the money.
And simple so not in the market for fancy.
What do all you coffee drinkers use for making coffee at home?
Thanks
I'm not sure if I want to buy that kind again; I'm perfectly happy brewing that way but wonder if Keurig would taste better; do a better job, be easier, worth the cost? Or any other kind of maker. I'm frugal so am not sure I want to pay the money.
And simple so not in the market for fancy.What do all you coffee drinkers use for making coffee at home?
Thanks
2
Replies
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French Press for the win. Zero counter space. Quick brew. Always fresh.
Coffee left on a warmer for 20 minutes is dead anyway.7 -
I'm frugal but like aesthetics. So I have a moka pot that stays on my stovetop at all times.2
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French press for me too. IMO, Keurig makes a weak flavored coffee. Blech.1
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I personally like my Keurig because I like my flavored coffee pods. I got it from Costco for a good price.1
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French press girl here. Keurigs can be SO wasteful if you buy the little premeasured cups4
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Keurig with Starbucks Sumatra Dark is not too bad. I have a large and a small French press and use them when people gift me ground coffee, but they are too labor intensive for several cups per day use. Others may recall that I was once a coffee products research lab technician at the P&G basic research food lab at Center Hill Ohio. I can tell you that millions of dollars has been spent proving that electric percolator with distilled water is the number one best preparation method for coffee.6
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I have a dizzying array of coffeemakers. Let me tell you about them.
1. French press - I got a 4-cup Bodum French press coffeemaker for Christmas and I've used it literally daily since 12/25. It makes precisely enough coffee at one time to fill the 20oz Yeti Rambler I also received for Christmas, or two good-size mugfuls of coffee for me and my husband. I also have an electric burr grinder and use freshly-ground beans that I purchased from a local roaster, so the coffee my French press makes is delightful. Cleaning is a little more involved than some other coffeemakers I have, but all of the parts are dishwasher safe, it's just the disassembly-reassembly and disposal of spent grounds that takes the barest amount of effort.
2. Gen 1 Keurig - (link is to the current "basic" Keurig model, mine is older) scored this at a flea market some years back, we use reusable K-cups and grocery-store ground coffee (your Folgers, Maxwell House, etc). It's okay, it gets the job done, but I wouldn't buy one of these new. I've never been particularly impressed with the single-use K-cups; the coffee isn't great and it creates a lot of waste. It's also hard to clean.
3. Stovetop espresso maker/moka pot - Requires very very finely ground beans. Cafe Bustelo comes ground finely enough, and I'm sure my grinder could also handle it. Requires kind of a lot of babysitting and takes longer than most of my other coffeemakers, but if you like espresso, it does what it says on the tin and makes very good espresso. Also requires some disassembly-reassembly, but you have to wait for the whole thing to cool down first.
4. Aeropress - was my go-to before I got the French press for when I wanted a good cup of coffee. Plastic, but I've been carting this baby around for 10 years and it's still going strong. Dishwasher safe with minimal small parts. I'm still using paper filters, I keep meaning to grab a reusable metal one but I never remember when I'm in a position to actually buy one. Takes up very little counter space.
5. Coffee siphon - I think I've actually used this thing maybe three times, ever. It's the most elaborate setup I have. Involves a butane open-flame burner, so that's exciting, but it also takes literally 15 minutes, and cleanup is a bit of a chore.2 -
goal06082021 wrote: »I have a dizzying array of coffeemakers. Let me tell you about them.
1. French press - I got a 4-cup Bodum French press coffeemaker for Christmas and I've used it literally daily since 12/25. It makes precisely enough coffee at one time to fill the 20oz Yeti Rambler I also received for Christmas, or two good-size mugfuls of coffee for me and my husband. I also have an electric burr grinder and use freshly-ground beans that I purchased from a local roaster, so the coffee my French press makes is delightful. Cleaning is a little more involved than some other coffeemakers I have, but all of the parts are dishwasher safe, it's just the disassembly-reassembly and disposal of spent grounds that takes the barest amount of effort.
2. Gen 1 Keurig - (link is to the current "basic" Keurig model, mine is older) scored this at a flea market some years back, we use reusable K-cups and grocery-store ground coffee (your Folgers, Maxwell House, etc). It's okay, it gets the job done, but I wouldn't buy one of these new. I've never been particularly impressed with the single-use K-cups; the coffee isn't great and it creates a lot of waste. It's also hard to clean.
3. Stovetop espresso maker/moka pot - Requires very very finely ground beans. Cafe Bustelo comes ground finely enough, and I'm sure my grinder could also handle it. Requires kind of a lot of babysitting and takes longer than most of my other coffeemakers, but if you like espresso, it does what it says on the tin and makes very good espresso. Also requires some disassembly-reassembly, but you have to wait for the whole thing to cool down first.
4. Aeropress - was my go-to before I got the French press for when I wanted a good cup of coffee. Plastic, but I've been carting this baby around for 10 years and it's still going strong. Dishwasher safe with minimal small parts. I'm still using paper filters, I keep meaning to grab a reusable metal one but I never remember when I'm in a position to actually buy one. Takes up very little counter space.
5. Coffee siphon - I think I've actually used this thing maybe three times, ever. It's the most elaborate setup I have. Involves a butane open-flame burner, so that's exciting, but it also takes literally 15 minutes, and cleanup is a bit of a chore.
Oh my! I feel like you and James Hoffman would REALLY get along...
https://youtu.be/cSEgP4VNynQ 0 -
I recommend French press or pour-over. Both are inexpensive and require no counter space (unless you go for a fancy pour-over set-up). Pour-over is super easy clean-up; French press is pretty easy. Finally, they don't have electrical or moving parts to break down (although a glass press or glass/ceramic pour-over set-up obviously can break if dropped).
I just use a plastic funnel, paper filter, and a coffee mug for my pour-over set-up most of the time, unless I'm doing a full pot, in which case I use the basket and pot/carafe I saved when the heating unit in my old drip coffeemaker broke. You can get a plastic or (better) ceramic pour-over doohickey with a flat bottom that lets it sit on top of your cup.1 -
I have an Italian espresso machine. If I well remember I found it at target.
I bought my wife a kureg, but she uses it mostly for tea (you can put the tea bags where the pod goes, or buy a small adapter and use bulk tea).
You can make coffee on kureg as watery or as strong as you want, so I'm sure you can find the right consistence you want. The only thing you can't do is espresso, not enough water pressure.1 -
I love French press coffee. I bring my press if I have to go to my parents house(they drink instant) or my in-laws house(keurig users). I hate keurig, it all tastes like burnt plastic to me.
We use an electric drip maker most mornings. I like it because I set it up the night before on its timer and then wake up and not have to add another thing to my to do list. It makes drinking coffee with my husband more pleasurable because we are relaxed. My family splurged and bought me a breville espresso machine in the $300 range about 3 years ago. It is my love and we use it primarily on the weekends and occasional weekday afternoons.2 -
I recently purchased the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew(I think it was around $80). My (very old) keurig had stopped heating water, and my regular use coffee pot was on the fritz.
It brews a 12 cup carafe, as well as k cups/single serve cup or travel mug. I've been using it since before Christmas, and love how easy it is to use. Plus, I no longer need to have more than one appliance for my coffee needs.1 -
this is the one ive had for several years and I love it. my old pot died, I borrowed (this same model) from a friend and ended up purchasing it. i don't do the k cups often, but when I have coffee in the afternoon or at other random times, its fantastic to be able to make just one little cup. we go through way too much coffee in the mornings to do kcups at that time of day LOL
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I don't like Keurig in concept because of the waste, let alone the cost, let alone sanitation concerns with some models. Very convenient, though.
I only drink a couple of cups a day, but even when hubs was alive, we used a filter cone (plastic or porcelain thingie that sits on a cup (small size cone) or thermal pitcher (bigger sized cone). (Like NorthViewVintage showed.) They require a filter. Paper filters are more wasteful (though compostable), reusable filters are IME slower and make a harsher coffee (require a different amount of coffee), maybe let a little powder grounds through into the coffee. Process: Heat water, pour through ground coffee in filter/cone combo. Easy.
When there were two of us, we made the coffee in one of those insulated thermal pitchers (glass liner) like many offices use in meetings. The coffee stays hot (in a good one) for hours, and doesn't develop harshness like on a burner to stay hot. Now, I just do cup at a time atop my coffee mug.1 -
I had a Hamilton Beach FlexBrew carafe plus K-cups/single serve cup and my OH had a Hamilton Beach Single-Serve. When we combined households we went with the single serve. Both were fine but the single serve takes up less space so the bigger one went up in the attic until my brother's coffee maker died and he got it.
IMO Keurig cups are overpriced and wasteful. I have a reuseable filter basket so zero waste except for the grounds, which are compostable.0 -
I have the Ninja CM401 and love it. Never used the frother or carafe though. I've had it a year or two and it's been great. I had multiple Keurigs for years before that but it finally clicked in my head how wasteful they are and had to jump off that ship.
This is the one I have but they are on sale for lower price fairly often in stores.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TKNHX29/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_M0FdGbVDGH678?_encoding=UTF8&psc=10 -
French press if you want good coffee
Keurig if you want quick and convenient .
I have both, and quick and convenient usually wins when it's 6 AM and I need all the caffeine.1 -
I don't expect any converts, but the reason an electric percolator makes the best coffee is the temperature. A french press starts out around 180F and goes down from there. By the time if is poured it is closer to 160 and that is starting with a boiling kettle.
Electric percolator superheats the water in the base (steam) and delivers very close to boiling water, over and over again. Hence the full bodied flavor not possible with a French press. If I could tell you how many lab experiments were conducted on this you would laugh out loud. But, trust me. it has been extensively researched.
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I concur that an electric percolator makes the best coffee.
Personally, I really dislike using a French press. We gave ours away. Keurig seemed too wasteful/expensive for us, especially since my spouse will drink a whole pot every day.
We bought a Cuisinart that does a good job. It's definitely superior to the old Black and Decker.0 -
My son got us a Nespresso Viruoline for X-Mas. I wasn't happy. I'm an old school guy and I've worked with Sustainable/Green startups for over two decades (I'm a huge tree hugger). These plastic pods are the new cigarette butts. Practically no one recycles them and most end up in the ocean. Not a fan.
My wife loves it, though, so I'm working on getting bags from Nespresso to mail them back for recycling.
I'm a fresh grind, organic bean guy (fair trade). Nothing like it if you get great beans. Automatic drip. I've already got a pod I can reuse for the Nespresso but it's not quite as good.6 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »I don't expect any converts, but the reason an electric percolator makes the best coffee is the temperature. A french press starts out around 180F and goes down from there. By the time if is poured it is closer to 160 and that is starting with a boiling kettle.
Electric percolator superheats the water in the base (steam) and delivers very close to boiling water, over and over again. Hence the full bodied flavor not possible with a French press. If I could tell you how many lab experiments were conducted on this you would laugh out loud. But, trust me. it has been extensively researched.
By the time I drink it, it's going to be a lot less than 160F, no matter what it started out. You can't taste the coffee if you burn all your tastebuds.
Seriously, though, was the research on the temperature of the water in the different methods, or the taste of the coffee in the different methods? The hotter the water when it hits the beans, the more likely you are to extract the bitter flavors, is my understanding. There's a reason why cold brew is so popular.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »wilson10102018 wrote: »I don't expect any converts, but the reason an electric percolator makes the best coffee is the temperature. A french press starts out around 180F and goes down from there. By the time if is poured it is closer to 160 and that is starting with a boiling kettle.
Electric percolator superheats the water in the base (steam) and delivers very close to boiling water, over and over again. Hence the full bodied flavor not possible with a French press. If I could tell you how many lab experiments were conducted on this you would laugh out loud. But, trust me. it has been extensively researched.
By the time I drink it, it's going to be a lot less than 160F, no matter what it started out. You can't taste the coffee if you burn all your tastebuds.
Seriously, though, was the research on the temperature of the water in the different methods, or the taste of the coffee in the different methods? The hotter the water when it hits the beans, the more likely you are to extract the bitter flavors, is my understanding. There's a reason why cold brew is so popular.
I tend to dislike percolator coffee because it tastes harsh to me, but I figured that was just another example of me being a cranky idiosyncratic philistine, similar to preferring overdone or even browned eggs over runny or "creamy" ones. 🤷♀️2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »wilson10102018 wrote: »I don't expect any converts, but the reason an electric percolator makes the best coffee is the temperature. A french press starts out around 180F and goes down from there. By the time if is poured it is closer to 160 and that is starting with a boiling kettle.
Electric percolator superheats the water in the base (steam) and delivers very close to boiling water, over and over again. Hence the full bodied flavor not possible with a French press. If I could tell you how many lab experiments were conducted on this you would laugh out loud. But, trust me. it has been extensively researched.
By the time I drink it, it's going to be a lot less than 160F, no matter what it started out. You can't taste the coffee if you burn all your tastebuds.
Seriously, though, was the research on the temperature of the water in the different methods, or the taste of the coffee in the different methods? The hotter the water when it hits the beans, the more likely you are to extract the bitter flavors, is my understanding. There's a reason why cold brew is so popular.
Cold brew may be popular but it would never stand up in a blind tasting if compared to just about anything made conventionally and then cooled down.
The aromatic esters that come off the beans early and at lower temperature are quite acidic. Very bitter. The higher temperature extractions are quite full bodied and mild. In an instant coffee spray tower, they blow off the esters into a scrubber and discard the condensate. Some makers use the esters in secret process.
You could easily see these principles at work by tasting the french press grounds with a second flush of boiling hot water. It will be unappealingly weak. But not bitter.0 -
I use a double walled stainless steel French press. I heat the water to 190F and then pour over fresh ground beans. I let steep for 4 minutes. It is perfectly hot and delicious.3
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We love our Bunn with a thermal carafe, I think it's now called a speed brew. It brews a cup or 12 cups in about a minute. Coffee tastes good too, provided you start with good beans. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for about two hours. We've only had 2 coffee makers in the last 28 years, both Bunn, so they last a long time. They're expensive but worth it.
We had a Keurig for our RV and it was OK for that. I don't like all the pod trash, prefer fresh ground beans and even if you use the refillable pods, it's just a constant state of mess and clean up to make several cups of coffee. We eventually switched the Keurig in the RV out for a french press and put the Keurig in the shop for visitors.0 -
Am I the last person on earth to use a stove-top percolator? I own a Krups espresso machine and a good French press. I like them both, but I still prefer my ancient percolator.
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Wow, had no idea there was such a variety of ways to make coffee.
I remember my parents using a percolator for years then switched to something like what I have. I may have to do some serious studying on amazon for a new coffee maker. I need cheap and easy but great tasting.
I actually had a Keurig given to me many years ago but didn't like the waste or cost of buying pods. So it got sold at a yard sale. My sister has one and while I love the convenience, I still am seeing the cost and waste of pods.
Thanks everybody for your input!! It's been very helpful, insightful but confusing. However, I place more trust in opinions like these than reviews on amazon. 6 -
You all are making me want an electric percolator. When my Mr Coffee dies (and it will, they last like 3 years, like clockwork), I'll look into getting one. Haven't used one of those since my camping days in college.0
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I know. I want a percolator now.1
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