Let's talk about coffee makers

[John Coloccia]

We need a new coffee maker. Our last one died a couple of months ago. Anyhow, we're looking online and I don't think I trust any of the reviews or ratings.

What are you guys using?

[Jamie Buxton]

French press, also called push-down pot. For instance http://www.peets.com/shop/essentials_presspot.asp?cm_re=essentials-_-feature4-_-Image It is fast, not too messy, and makes tasty coffee.

[Kent A Bathurst]

This one.....7 years old; works just fine. One thing - the glass carafe will not bounce when it hits a tile floor...............

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TE0KYYAVL._AA300_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DCC-1200-12-Cup-Central-Coffeemaker/dp/images/B0006SFFAQ/ref=dp_image_z_2_0?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&img=0&color_name=2)

$72 here:

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DCC-1200-Central-Coffeemaker-Brushed/dp/B00005IBX9/ref=dp_cp_ob_k_title_1

[David Weaver]

A cuisinart maker. It's OK, but I don't know if there are any really good non-commercial ones for a price I'd pay - i think they're lacking in power a little bit, but I've seen opinions before that coffee brewed at too high of a temp gets bitter.

I still like coffee out of a percolator better than any drip maker, and that's boiling.

Thermal carafe is a must, that's probably #1, and one with a charcoal filter is nice, but you can do that with a brita or whatever if you're using city water.

[Jamie Buxton]

I also grind my own coffee. This is a big component in tasty coffee. This grinder works well: http://www.peets.com/shop/essentials_detail.asp?id=145&cid=3005 . I've gotten to the point that I buy only a half pound at a time, so it is never more than a week from the roaster.

[Andrew Kertesz]

Most Cuisanart coffee makers come with a 3 year warranty. They no longer make the model we used to have so when it died after about 7 years we just used an old Gevalia coffee maker that was collecting dust.

[David G Baker]

I am a big fan of BUNN coffee makers. The home version costs around $100. If you have good water they will last a long time, I have well water with high iron and lime content and mine last me around 4 years before they start having problems. The Bunn is on all of the time keeping the water hot so a pot of coffee can be ready to drink in a very short time but this consumes electricity.

[glenn bradley]

Over the years I have developed the opinion that anything that brings the water to an appropriate temperature and heats the carafe well can make a decent cup of coffee with clean water and good coffee grounds. I am currently running a "free" coffee maker that I got from ordering a trial of Gavalia coffee 7 years ago or so. It has made coffee nearly every day since the day I first plugged it in. I have also had coffee makers that cost as much as a good saw blade and with good coffee beans and clean water, they both make a good cup-a-Joe.

At work we use the Kuerig (sp?) K-cups. When I first saw these things I thought "what a gimmick, how ridiculous". I now humbly submit that for our work environment, this silly thing is fantastic. No coffee grounds to mess with. Pop in the filter and push a button and in about a minute you have a perfect cup of coffee with no mess (very important since we operate an illegal coffee operation in our offices and don't use the building coffee room). At about 40 cents a cup combined with the lack of any additional peraphenalia (filters, coffee can, scoop, drippy used filters and grounds) it pretty much rocks. I am an unwilling convert ;-)

[John Coloccia]

I am a big fan of BUNN coffee makers. The home version costs around $100. If you have good water they will last a long time, I have well water with high iron and lime content and mine last me around 4 years before they start having problems. The Bunn is on all of the time keeping the water hot so a pot of coffee can be ready to drink in a very short time but this consumes electricity.

Bunn is what I'm looking at right now. I had a Cuisinart. I didn't like it the first day and I didn't like it when it died. It did last a long time but I always thought it was cheaply made and never really worked right.

[Bill Huber]

I am with David, we have had a Braun for about 12 years and it works great, no filters to buy. I have replaced the basket one or two times but that is it. I do have an under sink filter and that is what gets used for the water or tea.

It is auto shut off so I don't have to worry about turning it off. Not only does it do the coffee in the morning but I also use it to make my ice tea.

[Myk Rian]

I am a big fan of BUNN coffee makers. The home version costs around $100. If you have good water they will last a long time, I have well water with high iron and lime content and mine last me around 4 years before they start having problems. The Bunn is on all of the time keeping the water hot so a pot of coffee can be ready to drink in a very short time but this consumes electricity.
+1 on the Bunn. We don't like waiting 1/2 hour for coffee to brew.

[Bruce Page]

I bought a Cuisinart DGB-900BC Automatic Burr Grind & Brew coffee maker about a year ago. It brews the best cup of coffee that I have had out of a conventional coffee maker. It does use a fair amount of coffee beans if you like Starbuck strong coffee. The thermal carafe does an excellent job of keeping the coffee fresh & hot.
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DGB-900BC-Thermal-Automatic-Coffeemaker/dp/B000T9XPHC

[Tom Stenzel]

+1 on the Bunn. We don't like waiting 1/2 hour for coffee to brew.

+2 for the Bunn.

Ours is 15 years old and still going strong. The one problem that we had with it was the gasket between the reservoir and the heating tank will go bad and leak when water is dumped in the top. The gasket was easy to replace.

-Tom Stenzel

[Howard Brown]

Another vote for the Bunn. We us reverse osmosis water in ours works very well and have had ours for quite a few years. My parents had one and the coffee pot was literally on morning to night making pots of coffee. It survived their use and kept on making coffee for a long time.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Vote for french press. We use Gevalia coffee for more then 15 years. Ground beens before use, two-three minutes and nice hot and tasty coffee.
Ed.

[Dennis Peacock]

The LOML and I got really tired of replacing electric coffee makers. We researched coffee makers of all types and settled on this one:

http://www.lehmans.com/store/util/enlarged_images?Args=&imgsrc=1065425.jpg

I will NEVER have to replace another coffee maker. :D

I can take it camping and make the same quality coffee that I make at home.

[Shawn Pixley]

I would vote for the Capresso MT500 with the thermal caraffe. It was the top reated at coffeegeek.com. We had one for seven years before it finally died. We replaced it in kind. Maybe not the most convenient, but absolutely the best tasting coffee from a machine I have had. The cone filter is superior to a flat bottomed one in my opinion. Never, ever use a heater element to keep your coffee warm. The current model MT600 is not rated as highly, though it is cheaper.

While I like my french press, this beats it for taste.

[Gary Hodgin]

I got a Bunn at Kmart a couple of years ago for around $100. It's been great. We make a couple of pots a day and no problems.

[John Coloccia]

Capresso and Bunn now in the running.

[Russ Filtz]

I would vote for the Capresso MT500 with the thermal caraffe. It was the top reated at coffeegeek.com. We had one for seven years before it finally died. We replaced it in kind. Maybe not the most convenient, but absolutely the best tasting coffee from a machine I have had. The cone filter is superior to a flat bottomed one in my opinion. Never, ever use a heater element to keep your coffee warm. The current model MT600 is not rated as highly, though it is cheaper.

While I like my french press, this beats it for taste.

+1, or a Technivorm Moccamaster. Neither are the cheapest out there, but are also the only rated coffemakers certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) to brew at the correct temperature, because the water has to boil in order to leave the heater. Also they contain no internal components made with aluminum - the heating element is copper or stainless.

Or try one of the Vac presses. They look tricky to me though and potentially dangerous?

[Jerome Stanek]

Look at what the restaurants use most have Bunns

[Jerome Stanek]

Dennis Lehmans is just around the corner from where I work. I used to love going there when they catered to the Amish but now it is a tourist attraction.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

-1 on the Technivorm. I sent mine back after I woke up to find that it peed all over my brand new cherry cabinets. Expensive Rube Goldberg Contraption.

[Paul McGaha]

I am a big fan of BUNN coffee makers. The home version costs around $100. If you have good water they will last a long time, I have well water with high iron and lime content and mine last me around 4 years before they start having problems. The Bunn is on all of the time keeping the water hot so a pot of coffee can be ready to drink in a very short time but this consumes electricity.

I'm with David, We like Bunn Coffee Makers. Good about lasting and brews a pot of coffee in 4 of 5 minutes. Brews half a pot (Something we do a lot) in 2 or 3 minutes.

PHM

[Luc Vincent]

One more vote for the Bunn!! I run at least 2-3 pots a day, everyday, all day. On average I get about 5 yrs of use per unit. NO WAY any other coffee maker can stand up to that kind of abuse!

[Greg Cuetara]

John how much coffee do you drink in a single day? Do you drink multiple cups right in a row to warrant a pot? I ended up buying a Keurig home coffee maker for my wife for christmas, it was less than $100. We typically only have one cup in the morning...well actually LOML drinks decaf and i drink Hot Chocolate. It works out great for us because they have lots of different flavors and the coffee is much better than anything that comes out of a pot. Also, when we have family up they can have whatever they want, regular or decaf or tea and we don't need to brew a whole pot. LOML used to brew a whole pot and half would always go to waste. If you drink a lot of coffee then it might not be for you but if you have a few cups a day it works great. If you are really worried about reliability they make commercial ones which stand up much better for continued use.
Greg

[Tom Hamilton]

Yes to the Keurig. It is fast, convenient and has so many options: coffee, tea, hot chocolate or just hot water. I ground coffee for two decades and used a number of different brewers. The Keurig has them all beat...by a wide margin.

[Jim Tobias]

+1 ON THE Capresso! 3 years and counting.

Jim

[Larry Frank]

We use a Cuisinart which does not have a carafe. It keeps the coffee and a good temperature and does not burn it. The coffee is still good a couple of hours later. I would not buy another brand but it sounds like others have had good luck with other brands.

We also buy good quality beans and grind them in a good burr grinder. I think that the grinder makes a big difference. I only drink a couple of cups a day and want a good cup.

[BOB OLINGER]

For us, nothing but BUNN; same for work. We tried a Cuisinar but went back to BUNN within a month. We've used BUNNs for like 30 yrs.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have a Black and Decker under cabinet mount that I hope never wears out. I run white vinegar through occasionally and it seems to be going strong after I don't know how many years. The thing I like is that you pull out the reservoir and don't have to pour water at 5 AM, just slip the reservoir back in and turn it on. Coffees good.

My aim is not always good that time of day....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I use Bunn. We have hard water. I replace my Bunn about every 7 years or so. I've tried others and just didn't like the wait.

[Marc Ward]

Look at what the restaurants use most have Bunns

Means little...they get them free with the coffee.

[Marc Ward]

-1 on the Technivorm. I sent mine back after I woke up to find that it peed all over my brand new cherry cabinets. Expensive Rube Goldberg Contraption.

Operator error?

[Marc Ward]

+1, or a Technivorm Moccamaster. Neither are the cheapest out there, but are also the only rated coffemakers certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) to brew at the correct temperature, because the water has to boil in order to leave the heater. Also they contain no internal components made with aluminum - the heating element is copper or stainless.

Or try one of the Vac presses. They look tricky to me though and potentially dangerous?

Technivorm Moccamaster. None better. This is the one I have...

200454

Video review here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJURQMYLH6Q

[Dave Gaul]

At work I use a Hamilton Beach Brew Station, been making at least one pot per workday for over 3 years. Clean it with vinegar about once a month, and use RO water.

At home, just switched to the Keurig, absolutely love it!

[Zach England]

burr grinder(mine is manual)+french press+freshly roasted beans is the only way to go

[Gerald Wubs]

Cuisinart now - It's not bad. We used to use a Melita, which was so good my wife made me put it in the basement because at 20+ years it was out of style in our kitchen. Still works. Maybe I can drag it back up when it becomes retro cool.

[Dan Hulbert]

It was back around 1986. We were replacing our coffee maker about every 9 months due to hard water. My wife had enough and bought a BUNN VP-17. This is a commercial pour through model. Been making one or two pots every day since then. I've replaced the thermoastat once and the heating element once. Both were 15 minute jobs. Parts are readily available.

Once brewed, the coffee ussually goes into an AirPot. Stays hot and keeps the fresh taste.

Buy good tools once.

[Greg Portland]

I am a big fan of BUNN coffee makers.This is about as good as it gets with drip coffee makers. For our drip coffee we use a Capresso CoffeeTeam TS10 (with thermal carafe) which comes with a built-in conical burr grinder and have been very pleased with the results. The only complaint I have is the lack of a timer (i.e. start coffee @ 6am, etc.).


The Bunn is on all of the time keeping the water hot so a pot of coffee can be ready to drink in a very short time but this consumes electricity.Bunn now sells models that will not be continuously on and will heat the water on demand. However, this obviously makes the brew cycle take much longer.

[Greg Portland]

+1 to the comments recommending freshly roasted whole beans (with appropriate resting period) & a decent adjustable grinder (burr, NOT a blade grinder). This + using water @ the proper temperature makes a huge difference. You can get excellent coffee from different methods (pour-over, press pot, vac pot, drip brewers, etc.) once you've figured out the idiosyncrasies.

Avoiding brewers with hotplates also helps; the hotplate ends up scorching the coffee and makes it taste very bitter. A good thermal carafe will keep the coffee hot for a few hours.

[Steven DeMars]

CHEMEX Coffemakers are trouble free & will last a lifetime . . . and, they make great coffee . . .

[Robert LaPlaca]

Oh my heavens, a Technivorm Moccamaster hands down.. Only other brewing device that beats the taste of the coffee from the Moccamaster is a French Press..

i owned a Capresso Mt500 for 10 years, a very good drip coffee maker.. But the Moccamaster makes much better tasting coffee, lets just say the new Capresso's are not as well made as the older units. The secret is the temperature of the water coming out of the Moccamaster..

[Tim Morton]

I would vote for the Capresso MT500 with the thermal caraffe. It was the top reated at coffeegeek.com. We had one for seven years before it finally died. We replaced it in kind. Maybe not the most convenient, but absolutely the best tasting coffee from a machine I have had. The cone filter is superior to a flat bottomed one in my opinion. Never, ever use a heater element to keep your coffee warm. The current model MT600 is not rated as highly, though it is cheaper.

While I like my french press, this beats it for taste.

x2 a very good coffee maker!!

[Mike Hollingsworth]

-1 on the Technivorm. I sent mine back after I woke up to find that it peed all over my brand new cherry cabinets. Expensive Rube Goldberg Contraption.


Operator error?

Probably. does it matter? No other coffeemaker has ever leaked all over my cabinets while I slept.

[Ben Hatcher]

I have the same one as Bruce, Cuisinart DGB-900BC Automatic Burr Grind & Brew. I like the grind and brew feature, though it does require additional cleaning to ensure the chute doesn't clog with grinds. You can control the strength using the pre-programmed light, medium, strong, or by selecting a higher number of cups on the grinder that what you've actually put in. The thermal carafe is great, and the shape of it prevents you from pouring that last bit of sediment filled coffee should you choose to use the included gold filter. I just wish it had a sensor for the carafe to prevent me from accidentally brewing a pot right onto the counter.

[Greg Portland]

Oh my heavens, a Technivorm Moccamaster hands down.. Only other brewing device that beats the taste of the coffee from the Moccamaster is a French Press..

i owned a Capresso Mt500 for 10 years, a very good drip coffee maker.. But the Moccamaster makes much better tasting coffee, lets just say the new Capresso's are not as well made as the older units. The secret is the temperature of the water coming out of the Moccamaster..Yes, the Moccamaster + Baratza (or similar quality) grinder will make excellent coffee... for $450-$500. I've measured the water temp coming out of my Capresso @ 198 and 202 the two times I bothered measuring. Complaints regarding water temp are IMO from people measuring the coffee temp in the carafe. As for quality issues I will not argue that point about the previous models. However, I feel that they've fixed most of their problems with the latest versions (less moving parts so less failures, etc.). In summary, the newest Capresso CoffeeTeams are (IMO) a good option for people wanting an all in one drip unit. Bunn + refurb burr grinder is probably the best budget drip option with the moccamaster + higher end grinder being the best drip option.

[Greg Portland]

Maybe we should ask the OP what budget we're looking at :D

[Bill Cunningham]

Another happy Keurig user here.. Costco has the platinum w/60 assorted k-cups (so you can find the one you like) for $179 bucks in Canada. I'm sure it will be a LOT cheaper in the U.S. (Canadians are born to be ripped off).. A good selection, and you never have to get bored with your coffee, or just instant hot water and a teabag..

[John Coloccia]

Maybe we should ask the OP what budget we're looking at :D

I hadn't really thought of it. Certainly not in the $500 range. I'm not a coffee connoisseur and to be honest the only coffee I drink is:

1) Duncan Donuts
2) home made espresso (I can't stand it out of an espresso machine...it tastes horrible to me. I like it out of a stovetop maker just like my family has done for many many decades)

I would just as soon drink water or tea than drink Starbucks or any other fancy pants, burnt coffee (my sincere apologies to those who prefer their coffee like this - you are in my prayers :rolleyes:). I'm just looking for a basic maker. I think we may go with a home version of a BUNN but I'm still thinking about it. I've been a bit preoccupied taking care of some things concerning my parents the last few weeks so I have some time to waste researching this and worrying about it :)

[Greg Portland]

IMO, Bunn is the one you want. Get the PhaseBrew if you can wait 10m, it doesn't constantly keep the water hot when the unit is not in use (i.e. power savings). The VelocityBrew is the "old school" Bunn where the water is hot and ready (3-4m until coffee).

Grinding the beans right before brewing makes a big improvement, I'd look at the refurb Baratza grinders.

[Russ Filtz]

I hadn't really thought of it. Certainly not in the $500 range. I'm not a coffee connoisseur and to be honest the only coffee I drink is:

1) Duncan Donuts


Don't be ashamed of liking DD coffee. It's actually pretty good IMO and is sustainably procured so you can be proud of being "green"! I too hate overroasted coffee (CHARbucks! :p). A good roast for me is a light milk chocolate brown, not black. Light roasted coffedd also has more caffeine as the longer roasting process destroys more of it in dark roasts. It tastes stronger because of the bitter burnt flavor.

Another hint for good coffee. You need to experiment with the right amount of coffee vs water ratio and grind. If you find the coffee too bitter/strong, the problem may be over extracting. The trick then is to actually use MORE coffee but a coarser grind (best to use a burr mill grinder for this, not the typical whirlygig spice grinders most people use).

[Jerry Bruette]

Don't know what you're looking for in a cup of coffee, or how much you drink per day but for about thirty bucks you can get a Toddycoffee maker. A friend at work told me about the one he bought and brought me a sample. I thought it was smooth without the bitter acid taste. Google Toddy coffee and see what you think.

Jerry

[Ryan Mooney]

Ok, I have a slightly different perspective here. I do believe that you can have great drip coffee from a machine, but I'm going to argue that other techniques produce a superior cup with minimal extra effort. If you're a "drinker for effect", this probably has little to no interest for you, otoh if you like flavor.. read on.

I would strongly encourage those of you happy with your current systems to not try any this as its a mad disease that soon leads to having all sorts of strange contraptions around the house (homemade and otherwise) just to see if it may just be that slightly better cup for that one style of bean you've roasted this one other way :rolleyes: Tis a slippery slope here... I now know at least two people who now have to take their own coffee and brew systems with them on travel cause they're spoiled by the good stuff. Very sad :p

For american style coffee I think you'll have a hard time beating what comes out of a "vacuum coffee maker" (ok do try this, the coffee is fantastic). Sadly most of the modern new ones are expensive, fragile (all glass) and generally have very poor reliability. If you look around at popular auction sites they aren't hard to find though. We have an all metal one (sunbeam brand, highly recommended) from (we believe) the 40's (could early 50's) that still works great and produces excellent coffee 100% of the time, I think we paid $12+shipping. The replaceable filter was missing so I ginned one up from the remnants of a broken french press (could have just used a piece of cotton.. but hey wheres the fun in that).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_coffee_maker

Wikipedia says "excessively complex", but I don't really feel that thats true, its just that you don't see the insides of most of the other methods so visibly exposed (nor can you tweak them as much - practically I spent 30m adjusting ours more because I wanted to than because I needed to; it was fine as it was, its just slightly better now :D).

The magic of these is that the water is - by the power of science (regulated by steam pressure) - always exactly the right temperature when it is pushed up into the coffee. The sunbeams are easily adjustable, there are only one adjustments you really need to make most of the time - making the switch trip at the right point so that most of the water is pushed up, but so that it doesn't "cycle" up and down to much before tripping (a little is ok, to much and it burns the coffee). This is accomplished by turning a screw to adjust the tension on a bimetalic switch - simple, effective and tough.

Surprisingly about on par (although imho slightly less rich of a brew, but still very good) is the pour over drip systems:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-brewers/filtercones.html
I've had coffee from both the $11 "Filtercone - #6 size with Thermos Extension" and the $15 "Clever Coffee Dripper w/ Lid", both were really good. They are a great way to make one cup of coffee. Use a small electric kettle to heat the water and away you go. It does take a little technique with the Filtercone (you should "bloom" the coffee with a small bit of water for about 30s-1m, then pour the rest of the water slowly over), but the clever is darn near fool proof. For the price and simplicity they're hard to beat (volume is perhaps a bit low for some folks though).

If you decide to get overly nerdy.. check out sweet maries and get you some green beans then roast them suckers at home (there are other green bean suppliers, but they've been reliably good for me and have fair prices). I've had good luck with the hot air popcorn popper method (although the fresh roasted coffee is so good most people switch to something that can give them more volume shortly thereafter). Unless you have a real neighborhood roaster, this is about as close to coffee heaven as you can get... http://www.sweetmarias.com/instructions.php#chooseMethod. Some folks are just to impatient though.. Yes it had been ~5 years I was gonna build a bigger better roaster than the popcorn popper (which is limited to about 3oz/roast).. but we^wshe got the "Behmor 1600 Roaster" (admittedly its probably better than whatever contraption I'd have have built).

[Troy Turner]

http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances-1/coffee-products-3/-[KCM534WH]-400588/KCM534WH/

We had a Kenmore for a little less than a year when it gave out...took it back to Sears and they asked if I had to reciept. Uh, no. And it was't in their computer so no help. Did some snooping around and found this one. She wanted white to match everything else. What sucks about this, I paid $79 and how it's $54. It's great. Makes a great cup of coffee and quickly too. Simple programs (1-4 cup for a stronger cup of coffee and auto-on). It also shuts off after 2 hours. It's a solid litttle unit. Liked it much better than the Kenmore. We looked around alot too even at the Bunns. Yeah, you get a quick cup of coffee, but save the extra $50 and just use the auto-program and you'll have coffee when you get up...it's nice :)

[Doug Colombo]

So John - what did you end up getting ? We have the Kureg and love it !

[Tom Stenzel]

My parents received a Sunbeam vacuum drip maker when they married in the early '50s. During an over-caffeinated period in the '70s I tried it out for a couple of weeks. It worked OK and the coffee is good but I found it messy to clean. It's easier if you can wash grounds down the drain but not so easy if you can't. Also the stand the upper section rests in when not used becomes top heavy and easy to tip. Because the top comes off and has to be elsewhere, the whole affair took up more counter space that I was willing to give up.

But they do look cool on a counter!

It's still at my Mom's house, intact with all the parts. The bottom sees occasional use to heat water but it hasn't brewed coffee in 30 years or more.

My favorite coffee maker was the Chemex I had. Alas, my wife shattered it less than a week after she moved in by hitting the edge on a kitchen cabinet. That's when the Bunn Pour-O-Matic arrived in 1997, still in use.

-Tom Stenzel


Ok, I have a slightly different perspective here. I do believe that you can have great drip coffee from a machine, but I'm going to argue that other techniques produce a superior cup with minimal extra effort. If you're a "drinker for effect", this probably has little to no interest for you, otoh if you like flavor.. read on.

I would strongly encourage those of you happy with your current systems to not try any this as its a mad disease that soon leads to having all sorts of strange contraptions around the house (homemade and otherwise) just to see if it may just be that slightly better cup for that one style of bean you've roasted this one other way :rolleyes: Tis a slippery slope here... I now know at least two people who now have to take their own coffee and brew systems with them on travel cause they're spoiled by the good stuff. Very sad :p

For american style coffee I think you'll have a hard time beating what comes out of a "vacuum coffee maker" (ok do try this, the coffee is fantastic). Sadly most of the modern new ones are expensive, fragile (all glass) and generally have very poor reliability. If you look around at popular auction sites they aren't hard to find though. We have an all metal one (sunbeam brand, highly recommended) from (we believe) the 40's (could early 50's) that still works great and produces excellent coffee 100% of the time, I think we paid $12+shipping. The replaceable filter was missing so I ginned one up from the remnants of a broken french press (could have just used a piece of cotton.. but hey wheres the fun in that).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_coffee_maker

Wikipedia says "excessively complex", but I don't really feel that thats true, its just that you don't see the insides of most of the other methods so visibly exposed (nor can you tweak them as much - practically I spent 30m adjusting ours more because I wanted to than because I needed to; it was fine as it was, its just slightly better now :D).

The magic of these is that the water is - by the power of science (regulated by steam pressure) - always exactly the right temperature when it is pushed up into the coffee. The sunbeams are easily adjustable, there are only one adjustments you really need to make most of the time - making the switch trip at the right point so that most of the water is pushed up, but so that it doesn't "cycle" up and down to much before tripping (a little is ok, to much and it burns the coffee). This is accomplished by turning a screw to adjust the tension on a bimetalic switch - simple, effective and tough.

Surprisingly about on par (although imho slightly less rich of a brew, but still very good) is the pour over drip systems:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-brewers/filtercones.html
I've had coffee from both the $11 "Filtercone - #6 size with Thermos Extension" and the $15 "Clever Coffee Dripper w/ Lid", both were really good. They are a great way to make one cup of coffee. Use a small electric kettle to heat the water and away you go. It does take a little technique with the Filtercone (you should "bloom" the coffee with a small bit of water for about 30s-1m, then pour the rest of the water slowly over), but the clever is darn near fool proof. For the price and simplicity they're hard to beat (volume is perhaps a bit low for some folks though).

If you decide to get overly nerdy.. check out sweet maries and get you some green beans then roast them suckers at home (there are other green bean suppliers, but they've been reliably good for me and have fair prices). I've had good luck with the hot air popcorn popper method (although the fresh roasted coffee is so good most people switch to something that can give them more volume shortly thereafter). Unless you have a real neighborhood roaster, this is about as close to coffee heaven as you can get... http://www.sweetmarias.com/instructions.php#chooseMethod. Some folks are just to impatient though.. Yes it had been ~5 years I was gonna build a bigger better roaster than the popcorn popper (which is limited to about 3oz/roast).. but we^wshe got the "Behmor 1600 Roaster" (admittedly its probably better than whatever contraption I'd have have built).

[John Coloccia]

Update!

So after all of that, my wife got tired of my "research". She came home a day or two ago with a cheap piece o'junk, $10 little miniature 3-4 cup coffee machine. I'm not even sure of the brand. I think it's supposed to sound like a popular brand, like Mr. Toffee, or Klups...maybe it's a BUMM...I don't know. You put ground coffee and water in, and out comes coffee.

[Bruce Page]

Sigh.......

Enjoying a good cup as I type...:)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Yup..... my two basic needs in life ......a good cup of coffee and the love of a good woman. I am a lucky man....I have both.......everything else is gravy.....

[Chris Fournier]

I use RO water when I make coffee.

I too am tired of buying consumer kitchen stuff that has a life span equal to a pair of jeans.

Presently I have a Cuisinart Thermal Carafe unit and it's been around for almost 11 years. I like the thermal carafe much more than the standard glass carafe, the maker makes coffee and it's off. I also have a Barista (from Starbucks) espresso maker which has been flawless and it's about 7 or 8 years old. On sale it was $400 but it makes great capuccinos and my wife says that its worth it to her (that I get a serious cafine shot that is).

I use a KitchenAid burr grinder for all of my coffee, its the one that looks like a bubble gum machine. I've had to re-work the motor mounting screws after it all came loose and the warranty repair shop did a bad "repair" job. It has worked well for 4 years now. I would like a slightly better grinder but will soldier on with what I have for now.

If I wasn't such a lazy guy I'd just use the French press. It makes a great cup every time. It's my go to unit for road trips etc.

I spend a LOT of time in the kitchen. I work from scratch with my ingredients and make my own sausages, bacon and pasta etc. At this point in my life I am sick of one use immersion blenders, stand mixers, coffer makers, toasters and food processors. I refuse to buy that consumer garbage anymore. Sadly all of the Brands crank out this landfill junk. My solution to this problem has been to buy commercial grade stuff from the US online webrestaurant suppliers. I have been very happy with the Waring Commercial line of appliances. Sadly as great as they are and they truly have that made in US look, they are made in China. Regardless the stuff is bullet proof and should you need to repair something the parts are available. Of course Sheilah was a bit touchy about bring home the 22 pound 4 slice toaster from a US business trip. One bagel and she quieted down.

As with our woodworking pursuits, we get what we pay for for the most part. I may be learning this finally. Apparently my stomach gets my attention.

[Russ Filtz]

My Capresso is going on about 10-yrs I believe.

[Ryan Mooney]

Update!

So after all of that, my wife got tired of my "research". She came home a day or two ago with a cheap piece o'junk, $10 little miniature 3-4 cup coffee machine. I'm not even sure of the brand. I think it's supposed to sound like a popular brand, like Mr. Toffee, or Klups...maybe it's a BUMM...I don't know. You put ground coffee and water in, and out comes coffee.

Haha, man does that sound familiar! :rolleyes:

[Karl Card]

We need a new coffee maker. Our last one died a couple of months ago. Anyhow, we're looking online and I don't think I trust any of the reviews or ratings.

What are you guys using?

I am so inclined to agree with you....

[Mike Null]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Tassimo. It has the single cup feature. It brews quickly with no mess. The cappucino is pretty good, the coffee is ok, not great, but consistent. I like great coffee but not enough to put up with the hassle.

[Ron Fleice]

We owned a Restaurant for over 20 years and used a commercial Bunn coffee maker
That coffee maker is still going strong and makes better coffee than the local
Tim Hortons..The secret is in the Restaurant supplied packaged coffee pouches
Nabob ...And you do NOT get the coffee maker free just for buying their coffee
Ron

[Larry Klaaren]

We drink about two pots a day, buying the better beans and grinding. We have tried several brands and types of coffee makers over the years. We finally decided, that after when it comes to the coffee maker, at about the $70 level, the law of diminishing returns sets in real fast. We use a Mr. Coffee coffee maker and arevery happy with it.

[Mike OMelia]

Kuirig all the way. You can grind Ur own too. I put the Braun away for parties. Love the Kuirig. Special edition model. Holds lots of water. I do grind my own and use the adaptor that allows you to use your own coffee. $110 at bed bath and beyond using a 20% discount coupon.

Mike

[Alan Trout]

I know I am late into this but being a coffee snob. I would not be without my super automatic. They are not for everyone and can be a tad expensive but the Jura is hard to beat at the lower end of the super automatic market. I really like Latte's I have not been to a coffee house or a Starbucks in 4 years because mine quite frankly are better. It paid for itself in no time. Here is the one that I have. http://www.amazon.com/Jura-Capresso-13531-Impressa-Automatic-Coffee/dp/B00330QVLG

Alan

[Reagen Ward]

We drink a lot of coffee. A lot. We wore out a Thermos/Nissan thermal french press in 9 months - the screen wore out. Before that, we wore the glass on a Bodum press until it wasn't transparent. Given that the first 30 minutes of a morning are spent figuring out how to boil water while asleep, we figured it was time to return to drip makers with timers. But we like thermal carafes! And quality coffee! And we're value conscious! Oh, and while I like the convenience of a Bunn, I know better than to use pre-heated water to make coffee. We drink a lot of coffee, so we want it to taste good.

The answer, after a lot of research and lurking on coffee-oriented forums (CoffeeGeek is the best), was a Zojiurishi. Thermal carafe that holds 10 cups. Programmable timer. $66 at Amazon! As with all thermal carafes, it helps when you warm it up before using, and if I warm it at night before pressing 'auto,' coffee is warm from 6AM until 2PM. No joke. Quality coffee. Really darn near 205F. Best coffee maker I've ever had, and I've had.. hmmn... maybe 20 I can remember?

The cons:
1. As with most such systems, the hot water is piped through a hose that runs through the cold water chamber. A tip on the coffee geek forums suggests insulating the hot water line with a buck's worth of hose, but I haven't gotten that far.
2. It's Japanese. Not really a con, but it's a tad quirky, so you have to learn its quirks because it just *feels* different from a western maker. Or maybe that's me.

If you get one, message me and I'll tell you the 3 quirks to watch for.

[Jeff Mackay]

About six or seven years ago, we went with a Capresso and really liked it. It lasted about three years. Replaced it with another Capresso that lasted about two years. Replaced that with a Cuisinart that makes reasonably good coffee but only lasted a year. I was about to pull the trigger on a Technivorm when I found another Cuisinart on sale. If this only lasts a year or two, I'll definitely go with the Technivorm.

[Ryan Mooney]

The super auto's are really cool. I think if I had it plumbed in I'd like it better - I think? the one you linked to is plumbed in? We have an older (~9 years old was $600ish at the time) super auto that you have to fill (and clean) a water reservoir which is a bit of a pita. It hasn't been used in ~3 years since one of the fiddly little bits inside broke (I have a replacement part, just haven't installed it). I didn't include that on the list because they start at $600 and rapidly go up from there (heh as you note $1000+ is still the "lower" end) and I figured that that was probably outside the OP's price range :D

yes we have to many coffee makers, its a disease I tell yah.


I know I am late into this but being a coffee snob. I would not be without my super automatic. They are not for everyone and can be a tad expensive but the Jura is hard to beat at the lower end of the super automatic market. I really like Latte's I have not been to a coffee house or a Starbucks in 4 years because mine quite frankly are better. It paid for itself in no time. Here is the one that I have. http://www.amazon.com/Jura-Capresso-13531-Impressa-Automatic-Coffee/dp/B00330QVLG

Alan

[Russ Filtz]

About six or seven years ago, we went with a Capresso and really liked it. It lasted about three years. Replaced it with another Capresso that lasted about two years. Replaced that with a Cuisinart that makes reasonably good coffee but only lasted a year. I was about to pull the trigger on a Technivorm when I found another Cuisinart on sale. If this only lasts a year or two, I'll definitely go with the Technivorm.

What happened to the Capressos? Do you have crappy water, electricity, or something? I've had mine for ~10-yrs no problems. No way your coffee makers should go out that fast.