Coffee makers

[Helevitia]

Anybody know anything about what makes a good coffee maker? I'm starting to learn as I browse the web and read. But wanted to see if we have coffee connoisseurs here at MURC and what do you do? I'm looking at the Capresso CoffeeTeam Therm which has everything I thought I would want or need in a coffee maker.

Built in conical coffee grinder, which I hear is good because it doesn't burn the beans as it grinds since it is low speed.

Brings the temp to 200 degrees F, again I here this is the temp you want.

Stainless steel carafe with a seal. Apparently this is good because there is no concept of a burner which slowly degrades over time. And it keeps the coffee at 180 degrees for hours.

I also like the fact that it has a metal filter built in and after it grinds the beans it automatically moves the filter over to the carafe and starts brewing. It has full timer functionality and you can tell it how many cups you want so it knows how much grinded beans to put in the filter.

So, this is what I learned today. Anybody got anything to add?

[Jon P. Inghram]

Anybody got anything to add?

Don't waste good coffee beans by soaking them in water... coat them in chocolate and eat 'em whole!

[Helevitia]

One of the local coffee shops near my house sells a drink called a "Breeze". It's just like a Frappuccino but creamier. You can add "beans" to the drink What this means is that they grind up coffee beans with the drink. It's soooooo good. Not quite chocolate covered beans but in the same area

[ND66]

Anybody got anything to add?

Just one more thing………

Are you ready for a blindfold test? Could you tell where the same, freshly brewed coffee did come from, the $69 or the $299 coffee maker?

Anyway, I thought that the pressure was more important then the temperature in the process of extracting the flavor from the coffee. I could be wrong on this one.

Bottom line is, if you like it, get it.

There is no point of having something you "have to" like just because someone out there said it’s the best thing around.

[KRSESQ]

What Jon said.

Way back when, the local Target sold Zoomos. Chocolate covered coffee beans, Just the thing when you're working the 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM shift doing Gateway tech support.

In all seriousness, I've heard the challenge in brewing good coffee is to make what you're drinking taste as good as the fresh-roasted beans of your choice smell. One coffee maniac I talked to said the means to this end don't matter. But then this guy was known to drink day-old tar out of the barrel.

Kevin

[Helevitia]

You know, when and if I buy this coffee maker, I'll do the blindfold test and see what happens. I'll say that I really think I could tell the difference, but time will tell

And I think you are talking about Espresso machines when talking about pressure. I'm talking about a regular coffee maker, a drip coffee maker.

[ND66]

You know, when and if I buy this coffee maker, I'll do the blindfold test and see what happens. I'll say that I really think I could tell the difference, but time will tell

I'm sure you can tell the difference, just the coffee grinder alone will make a huge impact on the taste.

The second best would be the carafe for me, I just hate burned soffee.

The only thing....... if it's made in China (and most likely it is), even at 1/2 the price, it still would make the seller very happy.

.

[Brian Ellis]

The best coffee for taste and kick is what is made in the Levant, whether it be called Turkish, Greek, Cyprus, Egyptian, whatever. It needs no machine. It needs a dollar pot, shaped like a diabolo with a handle, usually in brass, tinned on the inside. You put a good teaspoonful of very finely ground coffee in it. You add sugar to taste, from 0 to 2 small teaspoons and a demitasse of cold water. You bring this rapidly to just under the boil (simmer), remove from the heat, give it a quick stir, bring it back to a simmer and pour the lot rapidly into a preheated cup. It is usually served with a glass of ice cold water and a preserved fruit.

An espresso machine provides coffee rich in flavour and poor in kick. Dripped/percolated coffee is poor in flavour with much kick. Instant coffee is an abomination unto mankind.

My daughter has a Nespresso machine in her school and similar (but a different make) at home. I'm impressed with the flavour of both (and the choice of blends). This is probably because the capsules are sealed immediately after roasting/grinding, before any flavour is lost. There is a distinct difference (with an ordinary espresso machine with grinder) between freshly roasted beans and the same beans, kept in an airtight tin, just one day later. You know that delicious aroma when you open the tin? That should be in your coffee, not the air.

However, there is a scam to beware of: some are now packing instant coffee (including Nescafé) into capsules with an ad hoc machine. Avoid it! Not all capsules are good!

FWIW

[az]

I just use a french press coffee maker from Bodum, and grind my beans in a grinder freshly before making the coffee. Obviously, what beans you get makes a huge difference.

I'm also still willing to learn more about coffee making, as I am not quite satisfied.

Interesting methods to look into: Cold brewed coffee, the AeroPress, Cona coffee makers.

The Philips Senseo makes surprisingly good coffee and is very convenient, but running costs are higher and choice is limited due to the pad system. My favourite fair trade coffee is available for it, though.

[klc314]

I've been using this for 25 or more years, it's all in what you like

http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/

[RedRed]

Neopresso are great for convenience - I have one at work - but I think that the cost per cup is quite high.

The advantage is that you dont have stale coffee - its never siutting in a pot.

I use a Gaggia Baby now myself - its fast enough, looks cool (retro) and gaggia support is fantastic:

http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php...ghlight=gaggia


The baby is linked here:

http://www.gaggia.com/macchine-da-caffe.asp?macchine-per-espresso-manuali_92_New-Baby-Twin

Intregral cup warmer and water heater.

Blast off an espresso into a mug, and add hot water to taste.

I only use lavazza coffee, but some find it a bit harsh.....

THey do fully automatic ones too - (intregral grinder etc, ), but the issue here is if one bit fails, the whole lot does.... and coffee grinders have a relatively short lifespan..... Expect at least 5-7 years lifespan out of a devent basic coffee maker - less if you have hard water in your area...

I know of some people (on forums, adminittedly) who claim to have daily use gaggias back to the late 60's!

http://www.gaggia.com/linee_famiglia...e.asp?CA_ID=24

[cjolley]

The best coffee maker you can buy and it's $3:


Just combine that with a fast electric tea kettle.
This is the one we have.

We buy our coffee ground because we drink it so fast it doesn't stay around long enough to get stale.

We also have one of these:


It makes a cup in 20 sec start to finish.
Still not as good as the little filter though.

Make sure you use a paper filter if you get the one you are looking at.
The metal or plastic mesh ones leave coffee dust in your coffee.

[gt40]

I've just got myself a Saeco Easy. It's about the most affordable fully automatic unit. All you need to do is keep the bean hopper and water tank full and empty the grounds every 15 or so cups.
Honestly, you will find more flavour variance between brands of coffe than brands/types of coffee makers.
I also use the Lavazza beans, as they offer a good strong flavour at a reasonable price. Kimbo is also good.

[Helevitia]

Hey Chuck, I have read that the one cup filter cones are the way to go, but I am too lazy

[Helevitia]

BTW, here is what the conical coffee grinder looks like. I guess it helps keep the oils in the coffee which makes for a better tasting cup. I know some people get an upset stomach from too much coffee oil, but I don't seem to have that problem.