ATOT: Help me buy a coffee maker!

[Otaking]

Here's the deal.

I want to buy a coffee maker - a *GOOD* one. I've been looking at the mill/grind & brew's, the cuisinarts, krups, bunns, and I just cannot decide which one to get.

Please give me your recommendations.

I have no limit on $$, space, or anything else. However, I do want a machine that's easy to clean.

"Kthx"

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Some Nescafe, and something to boil some water in
/thread

 

[Washoe]

If you're really into coffee, I recommend considering a good French Press coffee maker. This one looks pretty good!

 

[Otaking]

Originally posted by: Washoe
If you're really into coffee, I recommend considering a good French Press coffee maker. This one looks pretty good!

 

[vi edit]

If you want one with a grinder built in, Sam's Club carries a Cuisinart with a built in grinder for around $100. I have the non-grinder version, as do about 5 other people I know and we've been really satisfied with it.

 

[Otaking]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
If you want one with a grinder built in, Sam's Club carries a Cuisinart with a built in grinder for around $100. I have the non-grinder version, as do about 5 other people I know and we've been really satisfied with it.

I heard the grind & brew Cuisinarts were a PITA to clean?

 

[Descartes]

None of those you mentioned are really any good. Do yourself a favor and do the following:

1) Buy a decent burr grinder. You can get a Bodum Antigua for ~$50 or so I believe, and while the build quality isn't exceptional it's still a capable grinder. Consistent grind is an imperative.
2) Buy a press pot or a vacuum pot. Bodum makes inexpensive ones that you can get for $30. I have the Bodum Chambord press pot and the Santos vacuum pot (among others), and they're fantastic; they produce a much better cup than any drip maker could ever esteem. If you do get a vacuum pot do yourself a favor and buy a Cory glass rod on eBay.
3) Get FRESH beans. By fresh I don't mean preground, in a can, or even whole-bean roasted sitting on some shelf. Find a local roaster that roasts frequently and can guarantee you are in receipt of coffee no later than 7 days past the roast date.

As I always do in a coffee-related thread, this is my setup. Note the press pot in the corner. I drink almost exclusively espresso and cappuccinos though.

 

[Ornery]

There is only one! Just ask your local cafe, donut shop or favorite restaurant.

We just purchased our third, since 1978. Brews 10 cups of perfect coffee in just 3 minutes.

Originally posted by: krcat1

Originally posted by: shilala
Bunn Thermofresh.
The most awesome coffee maker on earth. It keeps water hot inside itself so you get a full pot of coffee in 3 minutes or less.
The carafe keeps the coffee fresh and warm for hours.
I'm seldom very happy with anything. This coffee maker is one thing I'm very happy with.

I second this. We got one a few months back, and it make coffee super-fast.

The coffee tastes good too. I have bought some rather expensive pots to brew good joe, ans this is one of the better maker.

I third the Bunn recommendation, but I don't see the point of paying $30.00 more for the insulated carafe. There's a heating plate to keep it warm.

We owned our first Bunn for 18 years, and it's still functioning, but in a box in the attic. Second one lasted 8 years, before the heating element in the plate quit. Just replaced it this last Mother's Day, with the B10-Black, on sale at Sears.

Ten cups in just 3 minutes! :thumbsup:

 

[Otaking]

Originally posted by: Descartes
None of those you mentioned are really any good. Do yourself a favor and do the following:

1) Buy a decent burr grinder. You can get a Bodum Antigua for ~$50 or so I believe, and while the build quality isn't exceptional it's still a capable grinder. Consistent grind is an imperative.
2) Buy a press pot or a vacuum pot. Bodum makes inexpensive ones that you can get for $30. I have the Bodum Chambord press pot and the Santos vacuum pot (among others), and they're fantastic; they produce a much better cup than any drip maker could ever esteem. If you do get a vacuum pot do yourself a favor and buy a Cory glass rod on eBay.
3) Get FRESH beans. By fresh I don't mean preground, in a can, or even whole-bean roasted sitting on some shelf. Find a local roaster that roasts frequently and can guarantee you are in receipt of coffee no later than 7 days past the roast date.

As I always do in a coffee-related thread, this is my setup. Note the press pot in the corner. I drink almost exclusively espresso and cappuccinos though.

THAT is impressive. :shocked:

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Ornery
There is only one! Just ask your local cafe, donut shop or favorite restaurant.

I'd like to know where you're going, because Folgers in my cup is never suitable. Cafes, donut shops, and restaurants generally brew for efficiency, not taste. I wouldn't base recommendations from what they have in their establishments.

We just purchased our third, since 1978. Brews 10 cups of perfect coffee in just 3 minutes.

Perfect coffee?

Originally posted by: krcat1

Originally posted by: shilala
Bunn Thermofresh.
The most awesome coffee maker on earth. It keeps water hot inside itself so you get a full pot of coffee in 3 minutes or less.
The carafe keeps the coffee fresh and warm for hours.
I'm seldom very happy with anything. This coffee maker is one thing I'm very happy with.

I second this. We got one a few months back, and it make coffee super-fast.

The coffee tastes good too. I have bought some rather expensive pots to brew good joe, ans this is one of the better maker.

I third the Bunn recommendation, but I don't see the point of paying $30.00 more for the insulated carafe. There's a heating plate to keep it warm.

We owned our first Bunn for 18 years, and it's still functioning, but in a box in the attic. Second one lasted 8 years, before the heating element in the plate quit. Just replaced it this last Mother's Day, with the B10-Black, on sale at Sears.

Ten cups in just 3 minutes! :thumbsup:

[/quote]

Heating plates are bad; do get the thermal carafe if you absolutely must get such a machine. Coffee that sits on such plates are inconsistent in temperature, often taste burnt/metallic/worse, and the quality just generally degrades very quickly.

:beer:

 

[Ornery]

Coffee that sits on such plates...

Might be a good idea, if your coffee is left to sit, but that just doesn't happen around here. Another pot is only 3 minutes away, no matter what.

 

[Otaking]

Originally posted by: Ornery
We owned our first Bunn for 18 years, and it's still functioning, but in a box in the attic. Second one lasted 8 years, before the heating element in the plate quit. Just replaced it this last Mother's Day, with the B10-Black, on sale at Sears.

Ten cups in just 3 minutes! :thumbsup:

What do you use to grind fresh beans?

 

[Ornery]

What do you use to ROAST your fresh beans? Roasting is more important than grinding. You think Perkins, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds roast and grind their own beans everyday? Got any qualms about their coffee?

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Ornery
What do you use to ROAST your fresh beans? Roasting is more important than grinding. You think Perkins, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds roast and grind their own beans everyday? Got any qualms about their coffee?

I do.

However, I do roast about 2-3 times a week on average. Also, you could take my recommendation from above and seek out a local roasterie. Almost all cities have some roaster that can change your experience with coffee from banal to approaching ethereal; yes, the difference is that huge.

Just to name a few top roasteries in the US:

Vivace
Hines
Stumptown
Zoka
Gimme Coffee
Coffee Emergency
Intelligentsia

That's just off the top of my head. ALL of those places can get you absolutely fresh coffee from the absolute best beans in the world in a matter of a day or so after the roast; they roast on demand.

If you live anywhere near me you're welcome to stop by for espresso as well (in Cleveland now and heading for Atlanta in a few weeks).

 

[MrBond]

We have one of those Bunn machines at work - they've got it hooked right into the filtered water supply so it's pretty much "fire and forget". I love the way coffee tastes from it personally, I'm not a coffee snob by any means.

I'm checking amazon now - they're pretty expensive, but it just might be worth it. I'm going to miss the coffee from work when I start grad school next month

 

[Descartes]

I thought I'd post a picture of the amount of coffee I keep with me pretty much at all times. This is what I have in my apartment in Cleveland; I keep more at home that I roast when I fly back and bring with me. I keep the larger 55-110lb bags and bring back about 10-20 pounds at a time. Nothing more fun than choosing what beans I want in the morning...

Interestingly enough, I actually save a substantial amount of money by roasting my own. Consider that I can buy the best beans in the world for ~$5-8/pound, and I go through a pound in about 10 days. If I were to go to Starbucks ,or any other coffee shop, for the same amount of espresso (as I said, I'm an espresso drinker) I'm looking at at least $60 for the drinks I generally order. That's a pretty substantial savings, and the quality is so far beyond anything I can get anywhere else.

 

[Ornery]

First of all, I don't drink coffee, except fo special occasions, because I get heartburn from too much of it. Second, my wife is the one who drinks it, and she's too damn lazy to dump the grounds while they're still hot & wet, let alone grind or roast beans. If we can slap a pot together, that tastes as good as our local donut shop, inside of three minutes, that's good enough for me. Never had any complaints in 30 years!

Edit: I'm 25 miles east of Cleveland. I should come over and see what espresso tastes like!

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Ornery
First of all, I don't drink coffee, except fo special occasions, because I get heartburn from too much of it. Second, my wife is the one who drinks it, and she's too damn lazy to dump the grounds while they're still hot & wet, let alone grind or roast beans. If we can slap a pot together, that tastes as good as our local donut shop, inside of three minutes, that's good enough for me. Never had any complaints in 30 years!

Edit: I'm 25 miles east of Cleveland. I should come over and see what espresso tastes like!

Hey man, I'm heading to the bookstore in Beachwood in about 20 minutes!

 

[Ornery]

Beachwood? That's too hoity-toity for me. Have fun!