how do you make coffee?

[hunter]

Awesome!

What great responses, folks!

(Regarding electric kettles, I have often wondered if the reason why they are not more popular in the States is not only because we don't drink as much tea as coffee, but our 110v electricity means that it takes far longer for water to boil.)

 

[iheartmaytag]

Coffee is like anything else

It comes down to what you prefer. As an American, I like American coffee, Hot, Black, and strong.

Remember we Americans were originally colonist that started to drink coffee instead of tea just to piss off the Brits. It appears that we are just continuing the tradition.

Still like my Bunn with good ole Maxwell House dark. I will have to say that McDonald's coffee is some of the best I have tasted in awhile. Very smooth, good aroma. Starbucks always taste a little burnt to me. Like campfire coffee, not a big fan there.

 

[panthera]

I bought my parents a sunbeam last year

which actually comes close to the 2000 W standard we use here in Europe - it ran at 1650 watts!

Of course, it broke in less than six months and cost three times what a stainless steel, non-exposed element with detached base costs here (€9.00).

But kettles in the US are getting faster and faster. Which is a good thing. As Hunter points out, 110v does kind of limit things.

 

[circlew]

120 volt

Should be able to have kettle or any other appliance draw up to 1920 watts on a 20 amp 120 volt circuit if it is equipped with a 20A receptacle. Many commercial appliances such as toasters, food warmers, etc. require them. The kitchen in my house that I'm renovating is going to have 6 20A circuits, all with the 20A receptacles, for the countertop appliances, plus seperate circuits for the ref., microwave, vent fan, disposer and dishwasher. I don't expect to trip the breaker except in the event of a short. Before I was always running to the breaker box as I only had one circuit in the kitchen other than the one for the ref.

 

[hunter]

Yeah 20A is the key.

I agree, 20A is the key.

When I lived in NJ, I had considered wiring my kitchen with some 220V/20A outlets; given the large number of people who bought appliances to take out of the country they were widely available.

Ultimately I moved before I did that though.

 

[whirlcool]

I buy my coffee at a local coffee roasting shop where they roast it onsite. Whole bean, of course.
Since I received my new gasket for my Coffeemaster (C-30), I have been using that as a daily driver to brew our coffee with.

Just incredibly smooth coffee each and every time.

 

[frigilux]

Ray---The DeLonghi makes good espresso, but the milk frother is a little weak. Unless you're going to spend $1000 (or more), the best espresso maker is the Rancilio Silvia. A friend has one and every time I use it, I want to steal it. The coffee is outstanding, and the frothing rivals commercial machines.

Rancilio has lowered the price of the Silvia---which skyrocketed for a couple of years (it was up to $699 at one point)---in light of the economy, no doubt. The price took off as the rave reviews and videos of the machine started popping up all over the web. I really want to get one before the price starts to go up again, but I have to save up for it.

Check out the Silvia at the link.

http://www.1stincoffee.com/rancilio-silvia.htm

 

[rayjay]

Rancilio

Eugene. Thanks again for confirmation on an espresso machine. My cousins friend sells them along with coffee and other equipment to restaurants. He told me last year that he can get me this machine for 600.00 I do not know if it has changed. But...I can find out for you if you are interested. You can email me privately. But......I have heard nothing but great reviews on the Technivorm. I cannot wait to get one. Maybe I can arrange for the Cuisinart to break????? lol lol

Thanks so much

Ray

 

[panthera]

In case anyone is curious why 'only 1920W'

CircleW is right:

20A x120V = 2400W
.8 x 2400 = 1920W

That's standard loading at 80%, you never want to push a circuit to it's limit. I wouldn't get upset about 2Kwh...

 

[rickr]

We make coffee with my grandmas old C-30 Sunbeam coffeemaker.Grandma gave me her old Sunbeam coffeemaker in the 1980's because she knew I liked vintage appliances. We simply use Folgers Classic Roast in it, and I mix milk with mine. My partner mixes sugar and milk with his.

 

[sudsmaster]

Boiling hot?

Very hot beverages are actually a health risk, not just for potential burns.

It turns out that people who drink very hot beverages on a regular basis have a higher incidence of tongue and throat cancer than those who let it cool off a bit first. I believe the study was done in a population that drinks mostly sweetened tea, but I suspect the temperature, and not the actual beverage, is the causative factor.

 

[foraloysius]

Found another Moccamaster this week in a thriftstore. Only €4.- (less than $6.-). It cleaned up wonderfully, this machine is from the 80's, the previous owners took very good care of it.

 

[mielabor]

What television program were you watching?

 

[foraloysius]

The latest DVD from our webmaster.

 

[frigilux]

That's a nice Moccamaster, Louis. The design has changed very little from the 1980's. It's in great shape for its age.

 

[foraloysius]

Yes Eugene, it is indeed in a great shape. I descaled it with some citric acid although the signal light wasn't on yet, but I just wanted to clean the innards too. It was rather dusty, but the dust was dealt with swiftly. Unfortunately the thriftstore people taped the machine together and used a lot of sticky tape. Most of it came off, but the space just over the buttons still feels a bit sticky. This model doesn't have a drip stop yet

 

[jasonl]

Grind, boil, and press

I grind Starbucks Pike Place Roast (it is NOT dark or bitter. It's wonderful) and brew it in a glass french press.

I use sugar and half-and-half.

The coffee comes out FAB-O-LICIOUS!

 

[scott55405]

Frig/Suds: those are attractive units. Frig you mentioned that the coffee was good and "free of bitterness". Do they use a special process as compared to similar automatic units?

 

[frigilux]

Not a special process, just timed and heated correctly. Ideally, you want 190 degree water to take exactly 6 minutes to go through the grounds for a full pot of coffee. This extracts the desirable flavor compounds from the ground coffee, while leaving most of the undesirable flavor compounds behind.

The Technivorm Moccamaster comes closest to providing both those parameters.

With many drip coffee makers, the brewing cycle starts with water that is too cool, and ends the cycle with water that is too hot. They often also take either less than or more than 6 minutes.

The Moccamaster also has a thermal carafe to keep the water hot, avoiding the burned flavor when a carafe sits on a warming plate for more than 10 minutes.

 

[sudsmaster]

One reason why I got the Cuisinart thermal grind 'n brew is that it's one of only three automatic coffee makers that the purists recommend for acceptable coffee results. Apparently the water temp is correct as is the brewing time (I notice it takes longer than the 2nd generation Grind 'n Brew model it replaced), and the thermal pot avoids the "burnt coffee" syndrome.

The other main reason is that it's much easier to clean than the previous models.