Coffee Maker Suggestions (Not K-Cup)

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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).

Avoid anything with a pod, such a waste of money

ReneeDawalga5100 wrote: »

Avoid anything with a pod, such a waste of money

Not when you use reusable ones.

I bought a keurig for on my office which I absolutely love and we have a keurig at home for everyday use and a Bunn brand coffee machine. While it is a 12 cup pot and it isn't programmable you don't have to make the full 12 cups and even if you do make 12 cups it take only 3 minutes for it to brew 12 cups so it would take even less time to brew 4 cups. It was a gift from the in laws (they also have one and they have gifted one to all their children) I believe they paid $110 for it but we are in Canada so I'm sure it'll be cheaper in the U.S. if that's where you are.

ReneeDawalga5100 wrote: »

Avoid anything with a pod, such a waste of money

Reusable pods make them worthwhile. They are like $10-$15 and you can fill them with anything you want.

I've got a plain old Mister Coffee drip pot that makes four or five cups depending how you fill it.Takes the smaller basket-style filters, still sold in places like Target and the supermarket (though usually only a name brand not store brand). I think it cost *maybe* $20. It's the third one in a row I've had, but the first one I've bought online instead of in a store thanks to the pod craze that has crowded them off the shelves. Each one has lasted over ten years.