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sudsmaster

sudsmaster

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Joined
Dec 23, 2004
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Or the recession...

Anyway, I bide my time. There was a certain small appliance I saw at Kohl's when I picked up the Hamilton Beach slow cooker a month or two ago... but the price was steep... $240 list, down to about $219 on "sale". Then I started getting mailings... "use your Kohl's charge card and get ... peel this off ... and extra 30% off ... then another mailing with a $10 gift card.

At that point I couldn't resist. At the last possible evening, I went in, found the item in question. It had already been marked down to $215. With 30% off plus a $10 gift card, I got out of there for $158.25 including 9.75% sales tax (about $145 before tax). Whee!

What was it, dammit?

The latest and greatest Cuisinart Thermal Grind 'n Brew, the one with the built in burr grinder, coffee bin, and easier cleaning regimen. The only Cuisinart to get tacit approval from the coffee purist gurus.

So I guess I'm drinking coffee agin, lol..

sudsmaster++10-7-2009-23-37-41.jpg
 
Sears Is Doing The Same

Every other day my "Inbox" has one or two offers for discounts, with further reductions if one uses one's SearsCard.

Yes, have taken them up on some deals, but at 27%APR you can be sure the bill is paid in full when it arrives.
 
When I went looking for a graphic to post with the first message, I saw that Cuisinart has dropped the retail price on the model to $199 on their web site. So instead of the $95 savings the Kohl's receipt claims, it's more like $55. But $145 is still a deal.

Like I said, it's partly the retailer and partly the recession that is leading to some bargains. But I think it's wise to watch and wait, as I did, before buying something. I had my eyes on this model for some time, and waited until the price got closer to what I consider reasonable territory. I suspect most consumers are adopting a similarly cautious approach.

Now, if the home improvement stores could just drop their pricing on corrugated lexan roof panels... these things have shot up in price over the past couple of years, and I need to buy mass quantities to redo the covering over the carport...
 
Rich, I have that same machine but with the glass carafe. I'm on my 2nd one, as the first machine literally ground to a halt one morning less than six months into things. Technically I'm on my 3rd, but that's only because when the first one failed, the only thing the retailer had was the thermal carafe model. I found that carafe difficult to clean and pour from so I brought it back to a location that had the model with the glass carafe. So far so good with the present machine. I like the coffee this model makes, it'll brew up a stout pot on the "strong" setting, and the hopper/grinder assembly is easier to clean than that of the Capresso burr grind & brew that it replaced.

Enjoy!

Ralph
 
Lord, yes

I redid my parents' back porch which I had covered with those panels several years ago as well as a new project this summer.

The price for the standard (I recall it as 26x96 so don't shoot me if I'm wrong) went over the summer from $19.95 to 12.95 back to $14.95...

When I asked why the enormous variation over such a short time, Homo Depot flat out told me: When a product moves, we raise the price.

OK, by that logic we should stop selling white paint in gallon cans and only sell it in quart...

I've noticed that thrift stores have been raising their prices a lot lately. ARC and Saviors particularly. Anybody else noticed that?
 
Ummm . . . Keven

I think your post landed in the wrong thread.

Meanwhile, Rich, you should hang onto your receipt. I may be headed for another exchange. Now the mechanism won't kick into brew mode after grind mode. It keeps on rotating and clicking and beeping and for the past three mornings I've had to shut it off and set it for "Grind Off" and then turn it back on. Maybe it's a maintenance oversight on my part, but I checked under there and can't see anything obviously wrong. I thought it was a fluke but three days in a row indicates otherwise. Now I'm wondering if Cuisinart can turn out a machine that lasts more than six months.

I may end up going with a different manufacturer and a blade grinder since the Capresso burr machine takes up a more space. I honestly can't tell the difference between burr and blade grind myself.

Ralph
 
Ralph,

I keep ALL my receipts! It was worked out well for Costco purchases, but Costco's selection, while intriguing, is limited.

Hopefully I'll have better luck with the thermal burr grind and brew than you.

I actually have one of each generation of Grind 'n Brews. The original, which used a cone type filter. Worked ok but was a real hassle to clean, and the lid on the decanter kept on busting. Still have it, in a box.

Currently using the thermal second gen grind and brew. It's pretty good, but I don't care much for the basket type filter, and it could be easier to clean and you have to be careful when you close the filter door. Unless you test it for locking, it might spring open during brewing with predictable and messy results. The blade grinder works fine, and I agree that there's not much difference between its results and burr ground coffee. I think that's because it automatically ejects the ground coffee into the filter, so it can't get over-ground and "burnt".

Still haven't un-boxed the latest one. Might wait until the weekend for that.
 
Rich

I checked mine out yesterday while washing the basket and carafe and it seems the lever to close the flap on the ground coffee chute was hanging up. I gave it all a good wiping down and flicked the lever a few times and this morning the machine behaved normally. Maybe some ground coffee got stuck in the mechanism or something.

I tend to prefer the medium/full city roasts and agree that with Peets everything is too dark and tends to be bitter. For years and years I've been drinking a blend of Columbian that contains 1/3 each of dark, medium and full city.

That reminds me. It ought to be done brewing so it's time for my morning mugfull. Or two or three.
 
It's model DGB-900BC. But the 30% discount sale ended this last Wednesday.

Still haven't unpacked it. Blood test, grocery shopping, nap, and then vehicle rust renovation has consumed most of my day. That and watching Joan Crawford croak her way through "Follow Me... LOL..."
 
There are several in vegas that have just opend..And they where sold outta these cause they where running a sale (at least the one up by the Sears Grande and JC Pennys on Flamingo)for $199 last night.. I checked today and they where $219... And still out
 
You can order this thermal burr grind and brew model from Cuisinart's web site for $199...

This morning I gave the coffee maker its maiden voyage.

Result: quite good coffee. The beans are a bit older than I'd normally use, but not yet "rancid" and the coffee past the black-no-sugar taste test. I brewed six cups of water, medium strength setting.

The unit seems to be a definite improvement over the 2nd generation machine:

The 2nd generation machine would let some coffee grounds escape the filter housing and they would land up on the carafe lid. Then they'd drop into the first cup of coffee poured. This model doesn't do that... which is nice.

With the previous models one had to measure the desired amount of coffee beans to add to the grinding chamber. With this model, one simply fills the hopper and then set the desired amount of coffee with a little dial on the front of the unit. Another plus.

This model also has a handy water level indicator which for some reason isn't on the previous two generations. I use a large measuring cup to add water; typically I brew 32 oz of water which translates to "six cups" on the level indicator.

This model also doesn't seem to lose its clock settings if unplugged. At least one (1st I think) of the previous generations would lose its settings if power was cut.

This model is also a bit quieter when grinding than the previous blade type units. It takes longer to brew, but I understand that's a good thing.

All told I'm happy enough with this model. Hopefully it will last a while and give consistent results.
 
Thermal Carafe

Ralph,

I'm familiar with the thermal carafe issues. It does pour much slower than a glass carafe, probably due to the construction designed to keep the heat in longer. It was an issue with the 2nd gen thermal carafe, and it looks like they used the same basic design for the 3rd gen, which is 2 cups bigger as well (12 cups). I got used to it with the previous model, and haven't had an issue with it so far with the 3rd gen machine.

When I get home about 9 hours after brewing the pot in the morning, it's still warm (but not hot) in the thermal carafe. I usually pour a cup and nuke it for 30 seconds or so, if I want coffee in the afternoon.

So far I'm very pleased. I used a paper filter for the first pot, but now am using the mesh filter and the result are, in my opinion, even better. I especially like the easier cleaning - the 1st and 2nd gen machines had too many fiddly parts related to the grinding chamber. I used to stick it all in the dishwasher which took time and spread grounds around too much. Now I can hand wash the three simple parts (basket, basket lid, and mesh filter) and then hand dry them so I can set the coffee maker up in the evening for the next morning. Much more practical.
 
Browsing Costco today (don't worry, didn't buy anything, was there to RETURN something!)...

They have the downlevel version of the burr grind 'n brew - glass carafe, no stainless trim. Mechanically, internally, probably identical to the one I have, for $100.
 
> I tend to prefer the medium/full city roasts and agree that with Peets everything is too dark and tends to be bitter. <

Ralph, we've never noticed this with Peets. It's usually fresher than other brands (especially in whole bean form), so a little less is needed when measuring. For their Major Dickason's Blend we use 1 Tbsp. per 8 oz. of water, instead of the usual 1 Tbsp. per 6 oz, and the coffee is always great.
 
I believe it's part of Peet's coffee roasting philosophy to do a darker roast than most places did at the time Peet's was founded back in the 70's... I used to sip coffee from time to time at the original store on Vine Street in Berkeley - it's still there, too. Back then all coffee tasted too bitter to me so I'd load it up with sugar and cream/milk to mask the bitterness. Nowadays I drink it black with just turbinado sugar so I'm a bit more particular about the bitterness. I used to buy a lot of light roast Guatemalan back then for home use... nowadays it seems difficult to find anything with a light roast... more's the pity.
 

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