A different type of Sunbeam Coffeemaster

[polkanut]

I had a few extra minutes during work today so I stopped at an estate sale today and this came home with me.  I'll use it for a while and if I don't care for it it will be donated to one of the local charity shops.  I did run a pot of water through it, and was kind of surprised that it heats the water in the reservoir before the brewing process finally begins.   Does anyone have any pros or cons about these machines?

 

[rp2813]

It looks like a variation on a Black & Decker from the same period.  I was snapping up the B&D ones for my mom because with her macular degeneration it was difficult for her to use a slide-in brewing basket.  The basket that sat in the top of the carafe was much easier for her.

 

As far as the brew from either a B&D or the Sunbeam, I'd say it's somewhere in the average range.

 

[polkanut]

Ralph,

Now that you mention it I've seen a similar type K-Mart branded machine online awhile back.  If memory serves me right I think it had something similar to the Corning Spice-O-Life pattern on it.

 

[sarahperdue]

Interesting

I've never, ever seen one. I've owned all three of the "modern" vacuum models, the c20, 30 and 50. I'm trying to stop collecting, but I'd have a hard time resisting the vacuum model of the early deco pot with hot plate. I've seen plenty of the drip version on eBay, but only one vacuum version.

And of course, there's the long series of Coffeemaster percolators, but this, I've never seen.

I'm curious--when does the water heat on most drip machines?

And the pictures: 1) The elusive deco vac pot. 2) The C30, my daily driver. 3) a really cool diagram of the C50, and 4) the glass beehive made during WWII to conserve metal

Sarah

 

[launderess]

Heating water before brewing

Supposedly produces better drip coffee, and was something found on commercial units.

This technically is called "pour over" coffee brewing and was sold or done manually for years. One simply heated water to near boiling, then poured it over coffee grounds allowing the brew to "drip" through anything from cheese cloth to various other filters. Melitta, Silex and others offered various sorts of manual coffeemakers based upon this principle.

Bunn commercial coffeemakers introduced and still use the "pour over" method for making coffee for all I know. It explains why coffee in restaurants, diners, offices, etc.. often was hotter and better tasting than from home or other drip coffee machines.

Your Sunbeam is based upon same principles as Bunn. That is water is first heated in a separate chamber to proper temperature, then sent spraying over coffee allowing to brew via a drip sort of method. Other drip coffee makers simply pulse cold water from a chamber over a heating element. If water isn't brought up to proper temperature during that one pass, too bad; that is all she wrote.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeemaker#Pourover,_water_displacement_drip_coffeemakers

 

[polkanut]

Thanks for the ad, Launderess!  Even the same design on the pot as the one I have.

 

[tomturbomatic]

This came out in the 70s and Sunbeam tried to capitalize on the "Coffeemaster" name but they flopped. As you mentioned, they heated the whole reservoir of water before dripping began so they were the slowest of the ADC machines. They tried to say that was to guarantee the proper brewing temperature but it did not
sell. Every time I came to work and saw that name "Coffeemaster" it was like a slap. We did have customers see the name and ask about the original Coffeemasters, often when the Sunbeam reps were there.

 

[justjunque]

I have no experience with them.
But, I think it's beautiful looking!
Glad you're going to give it a try.
Maybe you'll like it!
Good luck!

Barry

 

[supersuds]

Interesting history. Sarah, your collection is gorgeous!

 

[launderess]

Cannot be sure

But believe over years temps on domestic drip coffee makers has been dumbed down much like steam irons. This may have been in response to complaints and or ligation over *hot* coffee.

Reason one avoids modern coffee makers and uses either vintage Sunbeam C50 or stove top vac pot is the drink should be just that; *HOT*. Coffee (or tea for that matter) ought to come hot enough that it can stand dilution with a bit of cool milk or half and half.

 

[lordkenmore]

>But believe over years temps on domestic drip coffee makers has been dumbed down much like steam irons. This may have been in response to complaints and or ligation over *hot* coffee.

It's also quite possible that temperatures get dumbed down in order to make things a bit cheaper.

 

[sarahperdue]

I wish...

all of the pots I posted were in my collection--but nope. The only one I actually own is a C30. I have owned a C50 (got stolen from The Pines) and a C20 which I sold. The C20 only used cloth filters. The C30 had the option of cloth or stainless, and I really like the stainless better.

I bought a Yama glass stovetop vacuum pot at the thrift store and gave it a test run before selling it on eBay. It made very good coffee, but the stainless filter wasn't as fine as the Coffeemaster, and the filter was harder to clean.

I'm trying to get out of collecting and just keep the things I use--the constant battle between enjoying owning cool stuff and wanting to simplify.

Sarah

 

[polkanut]

So this morning I experimented to find out exactly how long it takes to brew a pot of coffee from start to finish with this machine.  To make it easy I used the timed outlet on our undercounter kitchen clock radio.  I set everything up last night, and the timer was set for 5:45AM.  When I walked into the kitchen at 6:05AM, the brewing process was just finishing.  

 

I don't think this coffeemaker will be around too long when it takes 20 minutes just to brew 10 cups of average coffee.  I'll stick with my Norelco Dial-A-Brew which makes a hotter and more full flavored cup.