Sunbeam Coffee Master

[pdub]

I know a lot of you out there have these pots. I just picked up a Sunbeam Coffee Master C-30A and it is in beautiful shape and appears to work perfectly too as it heats quite fast. My question is how exactly do you use it? I am assuming you need some kind of filter paper to put under the spring loaded clamp. Do you all cut your own (if so, how large) or do they still sell a filter that fits?

It has a HI-LO switch and I assume you start off on high to get the water to boil up into the top, then switch to low while it filters back down. How do you know when to turn it to low? Any tips on coffee to water ratios?

I am anxious to try making coffee in it after all the positive things that have been said about this coffee maker.

thanks in advance, Patrick

 

[dalangdon]

No need to switch! It's au-to-ma-tic!!!

If it's like mine, you set it on high, the water rushes up through the top section funnel (it makes a somewhat frightening noise the first time you hear it - don't worry, it's not going to blow up) and the switch automatically switches to low. while the coffee brews itself.

As I recall (it's been a while) there should be a fine mesh screen that serves as the filter. If not, you can always improvise.

 

[pdub]

filter screen?

Unfortunately mine doesn't have one. I can see where it would go on the spring loaded mechanism but it's not there anymore. Anybody have any ideas on how to replace it and what with?

Here is a picture of the pot.

 

[launderess]

Sadly you need the origianl Sunbeam mesh strainer bit as nothing else works to hold up to the force of when the brew is vacuumed down from the upper chamber. Check eBay and thrift stores for spares, and you may have to purchase another unit to get the parts you need.

Launderess

 

[kenmore1978]

Check

The archives on here, there is a whole string on how to deal with the strainier problem for these and other model coffeemasters

 

[pdub]

Checking the archives...

Thanks for your advice Launderess. I will be on the lookout for more of these pots as I was really wanting a glass one.

This brings up another question. In the past I have tried looking things up in the archives. When you search for a word or phrase you get a big list of threads that seems to take forever to go through but the majority don't have anything to do with what you're looking for. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

TIA, Patrick