New Single Cup coffee machine

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countryguy

countryguy

Well-known member
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May 29, 2007
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Location
Astorville, ON, Canada
A couple of weeks ago I was in a coffee store where they sells all kinds of brewers, coffeemakers, supplies, coffee, etc. Afterwards I started getting ads on Instagram from the store. One of them was to purchase at least $75 in Mars Flavia single serve coffee packs and get a free brewer valued at $179. I had never heard of either. Then this week on Tues. I got the ad again. I already have a Cuisinart single serve machine but I needed more coffee anyway so I decided to buy these new coffee packs and get the free brewer. It arrived today. There are packs available for all types of coffee as well as tea, soup, hot chocolate, latte, espresso and cappucino. Each pack has a nozzle on top where the water enters, the coffee in the pack and a filter. The pack is inserted upright in the chamber, the door is closed and then the beverage is brewed. I haven't tried it yet but will give it a go tomorrow morning.

Does anyone use this system or has heard of it?

Gary

https://ecscoffee.com/collections/s...roducts/mars-flavia-aroma-single-serve-brewer
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They were used at a company I worked at >15 years ago--it seemed like they did the "free hot water; pay for drinks" thing better than Keurig (though I think of single-serve coffee with the same contempt I do for bottled water...only ever use it in hotels). I did have a Senseo which I picked up about 13 years ago for a little while...it had the filter pods with just filterpaper (not all the plastic/foil/…).
 
I'm skeptical about pods being recycled at all.  A huge amount of recycled material ends up in landfill because it's not clean.  Who is going to scoop out the residue in the pod before it goes to the recycling facility, which only handles clean recyclables?  My guess is nobody, but the lip service makes the consumer feel better.
 
Cool Gary,

Keurig cups are also recyclable. I discovered that when removing the grounds and paper filter, some have a strainer in the bottom, and some do not. For example, the Dunkin' donuts ones do, blue box donut shop, and the McCafe' don't, or visa versa.
 
I had 2 cups of coffee this morning, using 2 different brands. They were both very good and the coffee was hot like I prefer instead of lukewarm from many k-cup brewers. The brewer heats up fast, is very quiet compared to a Keurig or my current Cuisinart. One down side is that there is not room for a real large cup size even with the overflow plate removed. The 3 standard cup sizes are very small compared to other brewers however it has the capability to increase the default for each cup size by 10, 20 or 30 %. Each cup is almost twice the cost of a k-cup.

Gary
 
Interesting since the patent has worn off on Keurig last

Question, do you have the Tassimo system in the US?

Always wondered.
 
Yes we have Tassimo

 

<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">I've picked up a few of them over the years at Estate Sales.  We used to be able to get the discs at Bed Bath and Beyond in stock.  Now it looks like you can get them but they have to be shipped to our store here in Little Rock.  I didn't hate them but I did hate the fact that I had to use their own discs.  I've given mine away.  A guy I work with loves them and wanted to have spares in case his died so off they went to him.</span>
 
besides the fact that they generate...

a huge amount of trash - billons of cups/yr - maybe it's me but I've never had a decent cup of coffee out of any single serve machine. We got a Cook's Illustrated recommended Bonavita drip machine and it was a revelation as it brews at the proper temps, 197 to 205, which very few machines actually do. Grinding good quality recently roasted beans fresh each time also helps immensely, imho... yymv.
 
I have a feeling that Tassimo is not going to be around in a year or two. THe shelf space allotted to their discs is getting really small. Sort of like what happened with the Nescafe Dolce Gusto pods I had ,and that Nestle recently discontinued in N.America. It was the top rated single serve in Consumer Reports. They were giving away free machines about a year before the announcement. I still have mine unboxed Shame because the Dolce Gusto machines and coffee's were great.
 
I'll second that ....

I have never had a decent cup of coffee from any single cup machine. Tried different machines and many different flavor selections. A bad cup from any restaurant exceeds the quality of a single cup machine. At least to my palate.
 
I’ll Third That!

I think that Kerig and all the rest of these single cup coffee brewers are only good if you like very weak coffee, or are willing to brew and drink small cups of coffee, no more than 8oz.  They just don’t hold enough coffee to give a good, strong cup a joe.  

 

If you want to brew one cup at a time, use a Melitta 1 cup pour over and you can use enough coffee to make it as strong as you want it to be.  And its a whole lot less expensive.  

 

Granted it doesn’t provide the cache of having yet another appliance on your counter, but the trade off is space on your counter for other things that really do what they are supposed to do.

 

And there is less non biodegradable crap going into the landfill so you won’t be contributing more to climate change. The paper Melitta filters are biodegradable.

 

Eddie
 
I've never owned a single cup brewer that uses pods, but have enjoyed decent coffee from them.  They sure do beat the alternative of a big urn that's been cooking the brew for hours if you happen to be in a waiting room or are having complimentary breakfast at a hotel, etc.

 

I bought a Bonavita automatic drip machine a few years ago at one of the last remaining Sears stores in my area.  They had the best price.  I cruised ebay and found a never-used Chemex 6-cup carafe with glass handle (so it can go in the dishwasher) plus a box of 100 filters and ditched the Bonavita's filter basket and carafe.  It's a lot easier to remove and toss the Chemex filter cone than deal with the filter basket, and the Chemex makes a superior, smoother cup of coffee.  Or, in my case, two mugs full of coffee.  I highly recommend this system for those who buy beans and grind them each morning.  I have a '60s vintage KA grinder next to the Bonavita and use freshly ground beans from a local independent roaster.  This system is far cheaper than a Chemex Otto, and a lot less clunky and complicated than a more expensive Technivorm.
 
We use the Breville Barista Express Espresso Maker and get great coffee, + there are no pods. To be honest, I can’t even remember I was drinking coffee made in brewer somewhere. Therefore, I can’t compare, but I like very strong coffee, I don’t know how this machine can handle this
 
I have a Dolce Gusto too. The coffee from it is certainly not week, at least when you use the real Dolce Gusto pods. Other brands are nothing like the Dolce Gusto ones. I made the mistake of buying a box of Starbucks pods for the Dolce Gusto, awful stuff!

In comparison to the Dolce Gusto, I prefer the Nespresso, the taste is even better. But I don't like the Nespresso system, the cups don't have their own spout, so the Nespresso machines are more difficult to clean than the Dolce Gusto machines.

I use the Dolce Gusto for a fast cup of coffee, my regular cup of coffee is made in a Moccamaster. I haven't seen the Bonavita coffeemakers here, but I saw some good reviews of those.
 
My Keurig single cup machine was "new to me" as someone basically wrapped the thing up nearly new and left it for recycling collection.

Truth to tell since then have noticed plenty of Keurig machines littered about at thrifts, and or out for collection on trash day.

Had a stash of various K-cup coffee and tea otherwise likely wouldn't have bothered. For my tastes coffee produced is rather weak for what it is; but will do when one only wants one cup of coffee quickly.

Get better results from my Italian moka pot, but that of course involves washing up.
 
The Jiffy lube that I always go to change oil has exactly the same machine.

They adapted it to connect to a water line (almost like an ice maker)

Unfortunately it was the worst coffee I've ever had but that's not the machine's fault, it's my taste.

For me, coffee should be exactly like my husband: Black, super hot, super bold and super strong. It's very difficult (actually almost impossible) for me to find good coffee here in the USA. Every time somebody visits me from Brazil, I ask them to bring boxes and more boxes of Melitta "Extra-Forte" coffee. It's toasted to level 10 (the limit before it turns into charcoal)

It is also difficult for me to find a coffee maker that makes the coffee REALLY hot. I have a cheap Mr. Coffee that makes it warm as pee. HORRIBLE! I had luck with the Kitchenaid "personal" drip coffee maker.... it's hotter.... I'd score it a 8 out of 10. It's just like Nescafé... not the best thing in the world but it cheats my tongue OK. It's convenient, but the best thing ever is still boiling water on a stove and using a pour over FABRIC filter.

In Brazil I had a Senseo and a Dolce Gusto.

The senseo.... I loved it because of the "no plastic" pods. but coffee was HORRIBLE

Dolce Gusto.... it was great for other drinks (I love the chococcino and the latte machiato). The coffee (caffé forte and ristretto) tasted ok, but it wasn't hot enough. I mean, it was OK following barista standards in Europe, but not a Brazilian taste....
 
Old fashioned method for me wins out

 

 

I’m all about a really good cup of coffee.

 

I roast my own beans every week or two and grind them just before I make a pot of coffee.  

 

For me the important factors besides a good freshly roasted bean is the pre-infusion and the temperature of the water.  I’ve tried most of the makers that boast these features and none of them do as well as you will when you do a manual pour over.

 

Behmor Connected brewer: the brewer makes an OK cup of coffee, but the thermal carafe does not keep the coffee hot.  I have to transfer it to another container to keep it warm.

 

Chemex Ottomatic: I have the original version that does not do a pre-infusion.  It also brews at about 190 and I like closer to 205.  I am told the newer version does a proper pre-infusion but I don’t know if it brews any hotter.   The coffee is not bad it just never seems hot enough for my taste.

 

Technivorm: I have an older model that doesn’t have the pre-infusion but it does make a nice hot pot of coffee.  It’s faster but the Technivorm filters don’t filter as well as I like.

 

I haven’t tried the Bonavita, but I’ve read about them. They are supposed to make a decent cup.

 

So long story short, I’ve stopped using the automated machines for the most part.  I have a six cup Chemex.  I grind the beans, heat the water and use the pour over method.   I like the old-fashioned method just like many of us on this site for so many of the things we do.

 
no doubt fresh DIY roasting is the best...

but the extra work involved has stopped us from taking that final step... so far.

The Bonavita 1900TS does have a pre-infusion cycle that can be selected, and using it with this machine makes coffee as good as any when we used the French-press or manual method. I'm pretty picky and v happy with it, but no doubt roasting will be the Final Frontier.
 
also...

the latest Bonavita 1900TS model is guaranteed to brew between 198 and 205 for the ideal time of up to, but not more, than 8 min, and is certified to meet those standards by the Specialty Coffee Ass'n of America (SCAA). SCAA standards are met by very few machines.
 
Roasting coffee is not that bad

 

<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">I do it about every two weeks usually and I do two pounds at a time.  I buy the beans online, on sale and usually pay less than $4 (last order all in was $3.88) a pound for the green beans.  I bought a Behmor Drum Roaster that does 1 lb at a time.  Each pound takes about 20 min roast and 10 min cool.  I'm not the psycho bitch from hell like some are with roasting as far as temps and moisture and god knows what else.  I buy the same green beans every time because I'm comfortable with that type.  I roast until just the start of first crack because I like a lighter roast.  When I hear the first few snaps I hit the cool button and that's really it.  I let the beans rest 24 hours.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">Honestly, if I had a coffee roaster close by and I could buy it fresh roasted at a reasonable price I would likely do that instead.  Out here, for whatever reason, we don't have one or if we do I haven't found it so I do it myself.</span>
 
Thomas, have you tried cold brewing?  I have a Toddy cold brew system and you can make it as strong as you like.  A friend of mine will let it sit for three or four days instead of just overnight, and it's pretty strong.  All he ever drinks is his own cold brew.

 

I use the concentrate from a Toddy for iced coffee mainly, but it makes a very smooth cup of hot coffee as well.
 
Cold brewing... Jeez... nah thanks....

Coffee has to be HOT (and never reheated)

Best coffee for me (sequentially)

1) Fabric filter, just like my grandma used to brew....(water boiled in a wood burning stove in a farm....
2) Very similar to fabric filter: Melitta "cone" paper filter, manual....
3) Very far from 2, but still good: Philips (café gourmet) coffee maker. (It really boils all the water BEFORE brewing)
4) Almost similar.... Kitchenaid personal coffee maker... It's small but the heating element has the same power, so water is REALLY hot.
5) Bialetti stovetop coffee maker (You can never go wrong with a bialetti)
6) Very far (i mean really far) from everything above... Nescafé (using the right technique, it can be actually a very good coffee. Of course, not perfect at all, but it can cheat well in case of emergency.

Coffee:

Folgers: Dirty water
Starsucks: Is that coffee? Most of the cups I see is actually a milkshake with a hint of coffee.
Coffee Bean and Tea leaf: Much better (or I should say "less horrible") than Starsucks. They have a double shot espresso that is "tolerable".
Mccafe: I'm going to throw up.
7-Eleven: (Brazilian Roast) Well, it has nothing "Brazilian" in it... I mean, the flavor has absolutely nothing to do with Brazilian coffee. Eventually I can consider it because it's not so horrible. (And My favorite 7-Eleven store knows how I like my coffee and they ALWAYS brew a fresh pot if I ask.)

By the way, my husband never liked coffee... Now he's learning how to drink it. maybe in a few more years he'll learn how to drink chimarrão (yerba-mate)
 

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