Help me choosing a coffee maker

[harriserickson]

Hey guys. I’m not a barista or anything. Just a regular person who likes his coffee. I’ve been googling and searching and it seems I can’t find anything consistent. So here’s a little back story to help with helping me find a coffee maker.
I work a 12-hour shift and I live about an hour away from my office. However, I live alone so it isn’t feasible for me to make a 12 cup pot on my days off. I’ve been wanting to get a nice coffee maker that I could potentially replace my Keurig and my drip maker with(when I take my thermos). I’m really interested in the grind and brew systems. A long time ago I was given an espresso-style grind and brew with the frother thing on the side. I never used the frother but the coffee was always rich bold and so fresh tasting.
I just want a good cup or two to have to brew a whole pot. I hope to hear something about the espresso machine ( https://www.faema.ca/ ) back soon. My Keurig's pump is starting to get loud which is why I’m in the market for a good coffee maker.

Thanks for the help!!

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Large French Press?

My French press takes about 6 minutes from start to finish. The taste is incredible. Also, it’s cheap! Keurig coffee is horrible tasting in comparison.

 

[thomasortega]

Kitchenaid + Brazilian Melitta "Extra Forte" coffee that you can find in Brazilian stores all over the country.

1) Brazilians don't care about french Braristas say about water temperature.
2) Coffee must be like men (Black, hot, strong and tasty and with a touch of sweetness)
3) Most cheap coffee makers make a lukewarm coffee that tastes like pee. (not that I ever tasted pee. but...)
4) I discovered a Kitchenaid Coffee Maker that makes a HOT coffee.

If you want to try before you buy the coffee, go to a 7-Eleven and ask them to brew a fresh batch of the Brazilian Roast. They import the Melitta coffee from Brazil and theyr coffee maker is great (Bunn)

 

[iheartmaytag]

Bunn

Bunn even makes a single serve coffee maker.
They do pay attention to temperature, and brew/contact time.

 

[rp2813]

The basic Cuisinart auto drip maker that's been around for many years consistently receives top ratings by CR as well as various coffee authorities.   I had a few of their burr grind & brew machines, because they kept having issues under warranty.  I'd steer clear of those.  Maybe the kind with blade grinders are more reliable.

 

Ultimately, when I was done with Cuisinart and in the market for a replacement, I ended up with a glass carafe Bonavita auto drip teamed up with a '60s/'70s vintage KitchenAid grinder (which took a while to find at a reasonable price on line).  I hacked the Bonavita with a glass Chemex carafe and the brew it rendered got even better.  No frills, no blue tooth, no clock, it won't tell you who won the World Series of 1934 or how bad the traffic is, and as a result it does the one thing it's designed for really well with just a single on/off flip switch.

 

I don't like the idea of storing brewed coffee in a metal thermos.  Glass lined is OK, but most that are included with auto drip makers these days are not glass lined.

 

[luxflairguy]

Love my French press!  Faster than anything else and the quality is better too!

 

[vacerator]

I, and We've had several over the decades.

The MR. Coffee ones used to last a long time, but our most recent only 2.5 years. Of course, we had used it nearly every day. We had a Bunn, and it began leaking water after 2 or 3 years. A small Kitchen Aid prior to that, which I gave to someone at work for their cabin up north. We had one Braun, nothing special either.
Last summer, we got the Cusinart 12 cup with the Kuerig self contained. So far it has been excellent. Each reservoir has a charcoal filter, and Amazon has a 12 pack of those for about $10. They last at least 2 months. It takes the Melita cone No. 4 filters, and came with a gold filter also. Full retail is $199, but they can be bought for $169, and Bed Bath and Beyond sends out 20% off coupons in the mail frequently.

 

[ea56]

I’ve owned and used just about every kind of coffeemaker and coffeepot known to man. I have enjoyed collecting them and learning how to make coffee in all the many different ways possible.

That being said, this past summer I bought a Braun Aromaster 10 on ebay, and it is bar none the very best coffeemaker I’ve ever owned! It makes constantly excellent coffee, quickly and easily. It has a small footprint on my kitchen counter and its simplicity makes it look very nice sitting out on the counter too.

I have a digital electric outlet timer programmed for both my morning pot and evening pot of coffee, and I mostly just use plain old preground Maxwell House Colombian coffee, and always get a nice rich, strong full flavored brew. I have the permanent gold filter, but I find that I like the brown Mellita #4 paper filters better. This is a very easy coffee carafe to keep clean too.

Out of all the over 100 different coffeemakers I’ve owned, I’ve used this Braun for a longer period of time than any of the others. In fact, its cured me of my obsession to continually acquire another coffeepot. Got that monkey off my back, LOL.

Eddie

 

[rp2813]

What Eddie Said!

I completely forgot about the Braun Aromaster!  That brewer has always received high marks.  We had one for many years (paired with the same Sunbeam toaster) until I upgraded to Braun's variant, the "FlavorSelect," which employed an additional side-shot of brewing water into the basket.  I still have that one as a spare/camping brewer (like we camp or have an RV anymore, lol).

 

I've sworn off thrift stores since making my giant purge before moving last year, but in my experience Aromasters could often be found on thrift store shelves or just their carafes to have on hand in case of breakage.

 

The big thing that confirmed the excellence of the Aromaster happened on TV when I spotted one on a counter in Ina Garten's kitchen.  Even if it was only a prop, it made a statement.

[this post was last edited: 3/7/2019-19:27]

 

[funktionalart]

An oddball choice for most, but I swear by these:

Krups Moka (aka t8). I probably wouldn't buy the newest version (made in China, I believe). I use one of the late 90s/early 2000s French made ones (mine's the black one in pic below). Mine was made for the US/North American market electric power...though you can get a 220v European one and either convert it for power here or rig up a 220 outlet in your house.. These were HUGELY popular in Europe since the 60s. They deliver the tastiest brew (to me, at least). Use great quality water and equally good beans of your choice, and you'll be hooked. The flavour is not far off from French Press method. The brew system is by steam/pressure, and it leaves a quite dry "hockey puck" of grounds behind in the filter holder. You can basically smack the back of it and the compacted ground drop into the trash.

The downside (to alot of Americans, anyway) is that they can seem time consuming to set up. There is only on/off (no timers, etc). If you want coffee ready when you wake up, you'll have to fill the machine at night and plug it into a timer. I also agree with the recommendations of older Braun Aromasters.

 

[mattl]

I use the classic highly rated Cuisinart pot, and have for many many years.  That said I'm thinking of picking up a cheap MR. Coffee. We had one at work and it turned out decent, albeit not great coffee, no matter the brand of coffee.  Plus it uses significantly less coffee to do it.  I'm in no way a coffee snob, Maxwell House is my daily grind, but have always hated Folgers but in the Mr. coffee it was fine, as were other inexpensive coffees.  in the Cuisinart I use 2/3c for 10 cups of coffee, the Mr. Coffee I'd use 4 heaping scoops for 12 cups, significantly less.

 

I've ground my own beans, used a vac pot for many years, but the difference to me did not outweigh the extra cost and effort. YMMV, but I'd suggest trying several different pots from a place you can return them if your not happy. 

 

[foraloysius]

I have one of those Krups T8 models too, I bought it in the nineties. In the past I have had one of the original ones too. In comparison the newer versions are lighter built, the carafe is thinner (more vulnerable to breakage) and they take longer to make a full pot of coffee. I have had it on my countertop a few times to use it as a daily coffee maker, but I never got excited about it. It takes more coffee to get a decent cup of coffee in comparison to other systems I have used.

Right now I have a Moccamaster again for daily use. It's much faster and gets more flavour out of the coffee. Don't use brown paper filters though, they influence the taste of the coffee in a negative way. I use white paper filters (Melitta) at the moment, but also have a gold filter.

French press is good too, it's a fast way of making a good cup of coffee. It takes a bit more time to clean it though. If you consider a French press, look at a Bodum, their filter is better than most of the other ones.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money and you want to grind your own coffee, consider a french press or a glass poor over and a Krups F203 coffee grinder. In general buur grinders are better than blade grinders, but this is a good blade grinder and much better than a lot of the cheaper burr grinders. The Krups is available on Amazon for $18.95 and a french press will set you back $15.- - $30.-

 

[superocd]

I'm very picky when it comes to certain kinds of applian

Like I need to have stainless steel kitchen appliances, a front loading washer with steam, no in-door ice or water on my fridge, a high-CFM range hood, an NSF certified sani cycle on my dishwasher, a direct-air vacuum cleaner, etc., but my coffeemaker is nothing special, it's just a simple $15 Mr. Coffee model from Wal-Mart and it does the job really well. It's just the kind with a simple switch. When it dies it will be replaced with another one, though I might get a Bunn.

 

[lotsosudz]

Perked Coffee

I have a 12 cup Farberware Superfast Percolator, that makes a nice, hot whole bodied cup of brew. Sometimes I think in this day of automation, and Technology, we often overlook the simple methods, that were tried and true. I think we over complicate our lives with all this gadgetry. P.S. the farberware is quick for those mornings when you need the caffeine kick fast.
Hugs,
David

 

[xraytech]

I have to say that my favorite pot is my Corning Ware Drip-o-latorits simple to use, makes a good cup of coffee fairly quick, and it’s eady to clean.

 

[gusherb]

My drip brewer is a Bunn VP-17 commercial brewer. Almost impossible to screw up coffee in that, always comes out good (provided you put something good in it). I have a shelf full of brewers and that’s my go-to.

 

[twintubdexter]

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">I like reading all these coffee maker reviews. Just about everyone loves their coffee. I guess I've just been lucky with my choice of brewers. 17 years ago when I bought this house I purchased a Capresso machine. I chose it because of the thermal carafe and that the water reservoir is removable for easy filling. All these years later it still works  perfectly. I have never used the milk frothing feature. I occasionally use Dip-It coffee maker cleaner to keep it humming.</span>

 

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">Unfortunately this model is no longer made. I've seen them offered used. I don't know how much the Swiss know about coffee drinking but they sure know how to build a coffee maker.</span>

 

[dustin92]

I'm not a coffee drinker, so take this for what it is.. My parents used Bunn for years but never got more than about 3 years out of one until they inevitably started leaking.. At first a small dribble, gradually getting worse until it's making a huge mess, or shorts out the electronics (we had both over the years) They faithfully bought numerous Bunn machines at $100+ a pop, until I picked up a 12 cup Cuisinart at a thrift store for less than $5. I had originally intended for it to last until they could afford another new Bunn, but they LOVE it, and here we are 4-5 years later and my Dad has even said he doesn't want another Bunn, he said if this one dies he wants another one just like it. He said the Bunn made fast coffee, the Cuisinart makes good coffee, and with the timer, no waiting for it. They both say it makes better coffee than a Bunn ever did. Bunn coffee makers can make a pot of coffee in 3 minutes, sure. But they require a lot of maintenance to do so, if it clogs up, plan on waiting 15-20 minutes for a pot, and once the brew cycle is started, it can't be stopped.

 

[wayupnorth]

I have an exact same Brawn but finding cheap V filters and a new carafe is not easy. I use an old Proctor Silex. Makes me 2 mugs every morning and thats all that counts now that I am retired.