Coffee Makers - looking for recommendations

G-VilleTider

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We are getting ready to retire our Bunn and aren't sure yet what we are going to replace it with. My wife loves the instant nature of the Bunn. My daughter wants something where she can make iced coffee. I want something that can give me a single cup of really good coffee. I know it's unlikely I can get a single machine for all 3. Just looking for recommendations on what some of ya'll might like or brands to either look for or avoid. Thanks!
 

92tide

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you may want to look into the single serve kuerigs for the two of you (sp).

also, for iced/cold coffee, you should try cold brewed. get a cheap french press and rough grind some beans, fill with water, cover and refrigerate overnight. then press it in the morning.
 

TIDE-HSV

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you may want to look into the single serve kuerigs for the two of you (sp).

also, for iced/cold coffee, you should try cold brewed. get a cheap french press and rough grind some beans, fill with water, cover and refrigerate overnight. then press it in the morning.
We just use an inexpensive Cuisinart and it's been reliable for years. However, it's not a one cup maker, nor really good for ice coffee either. However, the French press is hard to beat. The Keurigs are pretty bad environmentally. The little plastic K-cups are made of a non-recyclable, non-reusable plastic...
 

rgw

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i got one recently. i replaced my 20 dollar black and decker that broke with a black one but kept the old one's coffee pot so now i have a dedicated water loader.
 

crimsonaudio

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Get a Nespresso machine - they're the dominant brand in Europe (see them everywhere in FR and IT, two places that appreciate great coffee) as the coffee is good and the pods are 100% recyclable (for free).

We've had one for five years (along with a dedicated espresso machine and a Chemex pour-over with Kone Able filtration) and love it. Still use the Nespresso almost daily.

We drink lots of coffee...

 

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uafan4life

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For a great cup, small pot, or even full pot of coffee it's extremely difficult to beat a Chemex.

Now, for mixed coffee drinks and coffee flavored beverages - as opposed to actual coffee - plus the occasional super-quick cup of acceptable coffee to go, you can look at a single use machine. I'd recommend a Nespresso or a Verismo - if you like Starbucks roasts - before a Keurig for taste. Of course, if you'd rather be able to try every flavor under the sun and don't mind lots of grounds in your coffee, Keurig has a lot of flavors available.

Now, for full disclosure, I'm of the firm opinion that there's only one way to drink real coffee - black.
 

DzynKingRTR

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We just use an inexpensive Cuisinart and it's been reliable for years. However, it's not a one cup maker, nor really good for ice coffee either. However, the French press is hard to beat. The Keurigs are pretty bad environmentally. The little plastic K-cups are made of a non-recyclable, non-reusable plastic...
I have reusable K-cups. I grind my coffee and use those. I get a better variety by doing this. I have not bought K-cups coffee in over a year.
 

Toddrn

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Still use a stainless steel percolator. For me the problem with drip makers is they don't get the coffee hot enough to extract the flavor of the coffee.
 

crimsonaudio

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Still use a stainless steel percolator. For me the problem with drip makers is they don't get the coffee hot enough to extract the flavor of the coffee.
Wonder how hot the percolator gets - you don't want to boil the water for coffee, but stay in the 195-205° window. For the pour-over we keep the water right at 200° and it comes out very flavorful without being burnt (like Starbucks often makes it - they consistently use water that's too hot).
 

uafan4life

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Still use a stainless steel percolator. For me the problem with drip makers is they don't get the coffee hot enough to extract the flavor of the coffee.

The best way to burn good coffee is with a percolator. :)


Ironically, the problem with most drip coffee-makers is that they are actually both too hot and too cold at the same time.

Most of them end up forcing some amount of steam through the coffee, usually at around 215 degrees, which burns some of the grounds and then pushes the rest of the water, usually averaging around 175 degrees, too quickly through the system.

The sweet spot, temperature-wise, is 200 degrees. While an extra 15 degrees on one side and less 25 degrees on the other side may not seem like much, it makes a bigger difference than you'd think. However, the biggest difference-maker is the amount of time the water spends in contact with the grounds. For hot brewing, it should take about 10-12 seconds per ounce of brewed coffee. For a 10-cup pot, that's about a 10-minute brew cycle. Most drip coffee-makers take less than half that time.

The keys to a truly good cup of coffee are fresh grounds, soft water, a filter that drains more slowly than your average filter, a filter that catches not only all of the grounds but most of the excess oils, and a brewing process that keeps the water as close to 200 degrees as possible while adding water in a non-continuous method.

The end result is a cup of coffee that has more body, truer flavor, and less acidity than you can possibly get from any drip coffee-maker using the same grounds.
 

uafan4life

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Jon

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Seriously?
yes, seriously

paper filters take out the oils that are responsible for much if not all of the associated stomach issues that go with coffee. I use a Kuerig with a re-usable k-cup with paper filters for this reason. Much better for me, the environment and my wallet

Also just got a Chemex last week and have used it once so far and made way too strong coffee, i think once i get it dialed in it will be awesome
 

TIDE-HSV

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I am a huge fan of the Bialetti coffee makers. Basically small espresso makers.
https://www.bialetti.com/
I had a Swiss kayaking buddy visit once. He had settled here in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, being a textile loom technician. He had left his expresso maker over there. I've never seen such panic in my life. We finally found him one here at the Kaffeklatsch...
 

Bazza

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Get a Nespresso machine - they're the dominant brand in Europe (see them everywhere in FR and IT, two places that appreciate great coffee) as the coffee is good and the pods are 100% recyclable (for free).

We've had one for five years (along with a dedicated espresso machine and a Chemex pour-over with Kone Able filtration) and love it. Still use the Nespresso almost daily.

We drink lots of coffee...


Wow....that's a lot of orange to face first thing in the morning! :eek2:
 

Its On A Slab

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I had a Swiss kayaking buddy visit once. He had settled here in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, being a textile loom technician. He had left his expresso maker over there. I've never seen such panic in my life. We finally found him one here at the Kaffeklatsch...
I was a Keurig guy (for convenience) until the gf bought me a Bialetti. I got rid of my Keurig.

Very simple engineering involved. It will probably last for many decades.
 

dayhiker

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yes, seriously

paper filters take out the oils that are responsible for much if not all of the associated stomach issues that go with coffee. I use a Kuerig with a re-usable k-cup with paper filters for this reason. Much better for me, the environment and my wallet

Also just got a Chemex last week and have used it once so far and made way too strong coffee, i think once i get it dialed in it will be awesome
On the rare occasion that I have coffee at my office, I typically get heartburn. It's a Kuerig with re-usable filter. I don't have the issue at home, so I always associated it with a difference in coffee quality. I had been told that the oils were good, not bad. I'll have look into this some more. Thanks for the tip.
 

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