More fun with coffee makers

[danemodsandy]

Tim:

That works for home, but in the office, a Norelco was a little less handy. My therapist of the time had one in his office waiting room, and it was not huge fun for his receptionist to take care of.

 

[polkanut]

I'm sure she was po'd plenty having to deal with a mess like that.  I'm always on the lookout for the separate Norelco warmer that was sold as an accessory when Dial-A-Brew's were new.

 

[danemodsandy]

Tim:

Those warmers were also sold under the Chemex name; Norelco and Chemex partnered on an electric version of the Chemex. Imagine a Norelco Dial-A-Brew with a Chemex pot in place of the carafe and basket assembly, and you get the idea. As with the Norelco version, the warmer was an accessory.

Anyway, that warmer was very popular for a while for Chemex owners, whether they had the electric version or not.

 

[polkanut]

Just found what I was looking for on Ebay.  It should arrive somewhere between Oct. 1-3.  YAY!  The idea of using a Chemex pot with the warmer makes perfect sense to me.  I hadn't seen one for sale in quite some time.  But then again, I wasn't really looking either.  This thread inspired me to search for one. 

 

[danemodsandy]

Ah!

Reverse mojo!

Glad I could, uh, help!

 

[danemodsandy]

ovrphil:

The perc tube brush I've been happiest with is the one made by Rubbermaid. It's available through Ace Hardware. Very sturdy and lasts a long time.

I do not recommend the Quickie brand; that one wears out very fast.

 

[rp2813]

". . . the tube that lets water pass through . . ."

That's the same thing that I mentioned above.  It has occurred to me that it could be a defense against overflow, a situation that would create a big mess.  When brewing a whole pot with the basket full of grounds I suppose the drip action could get backed up, in which case the tube would route excess water into the carafe.  Just a guess.

 

A while back I found a barely-used early Norelco at a neighborhood estate sale for a few bucks.  The carafe on it has the black band around the neck as opposed to the brushed aluminum one that came later.  I bought it with my sister in mind, who has one of the auto-drip Chemex models Sandy mentioned above.  After daily use for so many years, it's only a matter of time before something crucial fails on it (though she does have a spare), so I bought the Norelco as a potential parts donor.

 

I decided to hang onto the Norelco because it's too nice to part out.  I've posted the picture below before, but am repeating my request here in case anyone ever comes across a Chemex out there at a thrift store, flea market or garage/estate sale -- grab it and I'll reimburse you.  The difference with the Chemex is that it has a "shower head" emitter and also pauses for a "wetting" process to make sure the grounds have been saturated before continuing with brewing.  It also has a thermostat for the warming plate.  And as you can see, the Norelco is by far a more handsome machine.

 

Tim, I still have my mom's Norelco "+12" warming plate.  They're handy for any glass carafe that will fit on them.  If I had known you were looking for one, I'd have picked one up.  I've seen one or two of them in thrift stores in recent years.

 

[polkanut]

That's ok Ralph, it wasn't really high on my priority list.  This thread merely served to jog my memory, and I got lucky with Ebay this morning.  

 

[philr]

I've never seen the Chemex, is it as tall as the Norelco 12? (there was a 10 cups version which was a bit shorter)

I like the idea of an adjustable thermostat for the warmer plate. I drink my coffee black but I don't like it too hot.

 

I also like the on-off switch which is lacking on older Philips/Norelco units!

I used to have a Philips Mini-Drip at my office that lacked an on-off switch so I replaced it with a Mini-Drip Deluxe that did have one (it was the only difference between the regular and Deluxe model!) and I think it was an useful feature as the plug was hard to reach and being illuminated it reminded to stop the machine after use as the regular Mini-Drip didn't even have a light to tell it was still plugged!

 

Sandy,

 

My Faberware basket has a spreader, it's the other Phil who asked you about that! (I sometimes get private messages that should go to him!)

And about the Philips/Norelco baskets with disc filters for use at office:

When I was at my office, I had a small sink in the backroom and I just went there with the carafe and the basket filter still sitting on it. I left the filter in the sink to clean it with the cover and it didn't create any mess! I prefer to have those than open at the top basket filters that remain on the coffee maker, the cover over them protects the coffee maker from getting dirty. Also, if you remove the carafe while some water is still dripping, it avoids spilling coffee on the warmer plate (I know some newer coffee makers have valves but I don't like newer ones!)

 

Now I'm looking at the paper filter on the Chemex, and that looks a bit more tricky to clean!  Still I'd love to find one like that too!

 

To clean coffee makers, I like to use citric acid too. It does a decent job at removing scale and it's not toxic! Philips/Norelco also recommends using vinegar in the cover of their coffee makers but that's something I won't try as I hate the smell of acetic acid!

 

[NYCWriter]

I can't stand ...

... modern "drip" coffeemakers. Much to fussy to clean.

I'm using a 1965 Hoover percolator, identical to this one pictured.

And before any of you coffee "purists" protest, let me tell you I've had plenty of coffee snobs at my place (hello, it's MANHATTAN), and I've gotten nothing but raves about my coffee. Many of those snobs, in fact, were horrified to discover the coffee they were savoring came from a -- gasp! -- PERCOLATOR!

By the way, the beauty of this percolator is that it's electric and completely submersible! No, you cannot run it through the dishwasher (I don't use mine anyway), and I'd never dream of actually submersing a nearly 50-year-old electric appliance (even if it was designed to do so), but it's perfectly safe to completely soap up and run under the tap.

 

[danemodsandy]

And Wait, There's More!

The other great thing about percs is there's very little worry about limescale if you are keeping them reasonably clean in the first place.

No vinegar smell, no special descaling products, just regular cleaning.

Kinda nice. Especially here in Waterloo, Iowa, where the water is so hard you have to descale damn near everything.

 

[NYCWriter]

Sandy ...

... one word for you:

Berkey.

The Berkey water filters are hands down the best in the world.

They don't require electricity. They don't require special cleaning. Their filters last for something crazy like 50,000 gallons (and aren't that expensive to replace). They filter out *everything* including fluoride from the water (which most filters simply do not do). The United Nations even uses them in their third world disaster zones; you can put the most disgusting pond water through them and it'll come out crystal-clear -- WITHOUT NEED FOR BOILING!

They're not even that expensive. I got the "Royal" size for $350 or so. Within three months it paid for itself in the bottled water I was no longer buying from the store (gallons at a time, dragging them 8 blocks, then up five flights of stairs).

Check them out.

 

[danemodsandy]

Matt:

That's fine for drinking water, but our water is okay for drinking.

The descaling I speak of is faucets, washer tubs, shower heads, shower walls, shower doors, toilets and teakettles. The only one of those things a filter like that would help with is teakettles.

 

[ovrphil]

danemodsandy: Thanks, Sandy - After a Dip-It purchase, regardless, I'll check out Ace Hardware. That is one of my favorite places left in this world of increasingly, diminishing returns.

NYCWriter - I'm not familiar with the Berkey - since we buy bottled water, this might be an option to buying bottled water,as we've been doing since moving to Fulton country. Thanks for an idea.

 

[NYCWriter]

Phil ...

... you're welcome.

My Berkey paid for itself within three months!

 

[polkanut]

Matt "NYCWriter",

I believe your Hoover perc is actually a rebadged Presto.  Just telling you in case you need to replace the Hoover and can't find another like it.

 

[ovrphil]

Berkey Water Filter question

NYCWriter - I'd be interested in knowing how you clean this and how often? I read someone's experience on cleaning it and wondered your method and frequency. If you like, you can just pm me or post here...(was trying to avoid changing thread content)

 

[NYCWriter]

Tim ...

... you are absolutely right! It's a rebadged Presto!

 

[NYCWriter]

Phil ...

... every month or so I drain both chambers and just wash them with soapy water.

The filters can be cleaned up to 100 times before replacement. Once a year they should be scrubbed with a Scotch-Brite brush under clear running water.

That's it.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Coffee is my Major addiction

I prefer my Bunn, it's fast (3 minutes), temperature controlled, and good quality coffee.
I descale about every three months with white vinegar. Wash the pot and funnel in the dishwasher every night.