Attention Coffee Snobs
My coffee maker bit the dust so I’m in the market for a new one and open to ideas. French presses are out, because they are (1) a pain in the butt and (2) French. Percolators are out out because the stuff they produce tastes raspy. Also out are any drip machines that aren’t programmable. Just about anything else is on the table. Right now, this model is the one to beat. Advantages of a thermal carafe are obvious; are there any nonobvious disadvantanges? Also, anyone experiment with roasting your own beans? Is it worth the hassle, and if so, does it matter what coffee maker you use?
Donkey shine, mercy bowcups and grassy ass.
UPDATE: I ended up with this model instead. I can’t figure out the difference between the two, aside from the fact that Wal-Mart carries one and Target carries the other. That, along with the fact that the Wal-Mart version goes for $48.83 locally (slightly more online) and the Target one goes for $59.99. I attempted to buy the Wal-Mart version on Sunday but found none in stock. I asked customer service about it, and they made me wait 10 minutes for someone to come back and say “yep, they’re out of stock all right.” Getting them to reveal any information at all about when they might have it in stock, let alone whether any other Wal-Marts might have it now, was like pulling teeth. A manager then told me they’d be getting new ones in yesterday, and would have them stocked by today. Today they were still out, and could only tell me that the previous manager had been “mistaken” (duh), and that the local warehouse was out, too. She then put me in touch with the Laguna Niguel store, who told me they were out but expected to get a new one in from the warehouse tonight. O-kay. So I ended up going to Target and paying the $11.16 “actually-get-the-goddamned-thing tax.” And least their price isn’t as horrible as the local “Best” Buy, which wanted $69.99 (they don’t have the chutzpah to charge that much online).
UPDATE x2: Today’s (5/12/05) Associated Press headline: “Wal-Mart Results Disappoint, Target Pleases.” Heh.
May 8th, 2005 at 10:24 pm
My in-laws have a thermal carafe model (not sure which) and hate it. they end up transfering the coffee from the internal carafe to another one that actually retains heat. I think the coffee needs a little heat from the hot plate just to taste right and to avoid falling to room temp immediately.
May 9th, 2005 at 3:20 am
We have a Jura (Swiss brand) at home that makes super coffee–really the best I’ve had out of a machine. Unfortunately they are difficult to find in the US, so warranty support would be a nightmare.
I can’t recall if one can get a Nespresso machine in the states, but if so, and you don’t drink tons of coffee/day, consider one of them. They also make excellent coffee and, since the coffee comes in individual pachages, you can choose strength, etc., for each cup. The coffee is pricey, though.
Imports you may want to stay away from include Saeco (cost and quality) and DeLonghi (quality).
Good luck with your search
May 9th, 2005 at 8:53 am
We’ve had to Mr. Coffee carafe coffemakers. The first lasted two years and did a great job. The second lasted about six months. I got frustrated and ended up getting a $15 basic Mr. Coffee non-programmable coffeemaker and now I transfer the brewed coffee into one of the two carafes I have! The carafes will do a better job of retaining heat if you add hot tap water first for a couple of minutes to warm up the inside.
I have stuck with Mr. Coffee brand coffeemakers because Consumer Reports consistently gives them high ratings for good tasting coffee.
May 9th, 2005 at 2:07 pm
Can’t help you with this — [fullsnob] I only drink espresso anymore [/fullsnob] — but if you are looking for a home grinder that acutally works, I suggest the KitchenAid ProLine grinder.
May 9th, 2005 at 2:09 pm
BTW, for espresso, I’m perfectly happy with my Starbuck’s Barista. For drip, you’re damn right about wanting a thermal carafe, and not much else matters.
May 9th, 2005 at 6:52 pm
Despite the common “french press” name, the coffee plunger is a good tool for making strong coffee (on par with an Australian “long black”). One of the leading manufacturers of these plungers is Bodum which was founded in Denmark. An additional benefit is the lack of paper flavoring being added to your coffee. For grinding I like my Melitta burr grinder.
May 9th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
I don’t doubt that plungers are good; my objection is that they’re a pain in the butt. I like the ease of an automatic drip machine. If someone made an automatic version of the “French” press, I’d seriously consider it.
May 10th, 2005 at 9:22 am
If you’re worried about “paper flavor” in your coffee I would argue that life has become too easy and you have too much free menatl real estate.
The other problem with the french press is that the coffee is so strong it can turn your teeth black.
May 10th, 2005 at 2:36 pm
Sorry about hijacking this comment thread with talk of “Freedom” press coffee plungers…
Your chosen Black & Decker seems to be a good choice for your needs with programability and the thermal carafe at half the cost of similar units with names like Krups or Cuisinart.
I count myself as more fortunate than some as I am usually awake enough to make coffee even before having my first cup of coffee.
In response to See-dubya: My plunger coffee is usually stronger than what Starbucks or Caribou sell as espresso.
May 10th, 2005 at 2:42 pm
I’ve got a Senseo, and I really like it. I’m the only one that drinks coffee and I only have one or two cups a morning, so even half a pot was too much. It takes almost no time to brew (about 3 minutes from when I turn it on) and there really isn’t any cleanup to speak of.
May 10th, 2005 at 2:46 pm
Sorry again… that last post should have read “Mr. Coffee” rather than Black and Decker.