Looking for a new coffee machine...suggestions?

[Melrose]

If you're a coffee snob, avoid Keurig machines like red headed stepchildren with bubonic plague; they tend to make a bitter and thin cup.* No offense if you use one and like it - I understand there are people with all tastes, so no umbrage intended.

I've been using this:

It's a 'Kontessa' model made by Vev Vigano, and if you double the water and halve the grounds you get a superb cup of coffee. Of course, I use the best coffee, absolutely the best coffee in the world (Lavazza Gran Selezione... you can't beat it with a stick).

It functions similar to the Moka pots, but it's not aluminum; I've tried them and they leave a weird aftertaste on the palette. The Kontessa runs about $70 to $90 but it'll last decades. The only thing that wears out is the gasket, and my first one just went after like 12 years of use. Gaskets are $5 a piece which isn't bad considering the mileage you get from them.

*a Keurig removes 2 of the 3 things you need to control to make a good cup of coffee: Water temperature and length of the brew, and that's if you buy the aftermarket attachment that lets you use your own beans. Plus, they're hella wasteful but that's my own bugaboo. And if you use one for convenience, well, you don't manage time very well if you can't spend two minutes in the morning making coffee. I'm a coffee snob can you tell...

 

[Moi Ici]

If you're a coffee snob, avoid Keurig machines like red headed stepchildren with bubonic plague; they tend to make a bitter and thin cup.* No offense if you use one and like it - I understand there are people with all tastes, so no umbrage intended.

I've been using this:

It's a 'Kontessa' model made by Vev Vigano, and if you double the water and halve the grounds you get a superb cup of coffee. Of course, I use the best coffee, absolutely the best coffee in the world (Lavazza Gran Selezione... you can't beat it with a stick).

It functions similar to the Moka pots, but it's not aluminum; I've tried them and they leave a weird aftertaste on the palette. The Kontessa runs about $70 to $90 but it'll last decades. The only thing that wears out is the gasket, and my first one just went after like 12 years of use. Gaskets are $5 a piece which isn't bad considering the mileage you get from them.

*a Keurig removes 2 of the 3 things you need to control to make a good cup of coffee: Water temperature and length of the brew, and that's if you buy the aftermarket attachment that lets you use your own beans. Plus, they're hella wasteful but that's my own bugaboo. And if you use one for convenience, well, you don't manage time very well if you can't spend two minutes in the morning making coffee. I'm a coffee snob can you tell...

You had my support right up to Lavazza!
To each their own though. Don't be mad now.

 

[Melrose]

You had my support right up to Lavazza!
To each their own though. Don't be mad now.

You don't like Lavazza? What do you drink?

....please don't say "Dunkin' Donuts"...

 

[shinji]

You coffee aficionados are insufferable.

 

[Moi Ici]

You don't like Lavazza? What do you drink?

....please don't say "Dunkin' Donuts"...

Ha, no.
When I've travelled to Europe (I'm Irish), I've bought it in hopes of getting a decent cuppa at home. I've never been able to get a decent cup out of it.
I used to roast my own. Ex business.
I like Peet's coffee now. You are allowed, of course, to not like Peet's.

 

[Moi Ici]

You coffee aficionados are insufferable.

As are Apple fans to a lot of people. Which is why we're on this site. So don't be throwing stones....etc.
Your post is a bit dickish all the same.

 

[shinji]

As are Apple fans to a lot of people. Which is why we're on this site. So don't be throwing stones....etc.
Your post is a bit dickish all the same.

As long as you're not denying it. But what's dickish is to post something like:

you don't manage time very well if you can't spend two minutes in the morning making coffee. I'm a coffee snob can you tell...

in a thread where the OP says:

This is my ideal goal. To just put Maxwell or Tim Horton's pre-grounded coffee beans into a machine before work in the morning and have it as my morning coffee. I don't have much time in the morning so need a quick option to my current setup.

Not the first time a thread about Keurigs has been taken off-topic, either.

 

[Moi Ici]

As long as you're not denying it. But what's dickish is to post something like:



in a thread where the OP says:



Not the first time a thread about Keurigs has been taken off-topic, either.

I can see your point. However, on a fan site - whatever the subject - calling others insufferable is a bit mean.
There was a time when I would gladly claim to have been "insufferable", though at the time, I was just passionate about coffee. Wasn't trying to be a pain at that time, I would just light up when the subject of coffee came up. I lived it. When I wasn't roasting or grinding, I was delivering and buying green beans. I was so passionate about people getting the best cuppa for the buck. I've calmed down since. Phew!

 

[0388631]

That's still a "moka" post, just made with stainless steel. I took the Bialetti for a spin today and it was wonderful. It's not a traditional vessel, but I like stainless steel kitchen equipment. Also the fact that I can wash it and not have to dry it immediately or keep it seasoned with old coffee oils like its original counterpart for fear of nasty tasting coffee.

It's fine if people like Keurigs. I personally view them as a waste of money because they IMO produce an inferior cup. Plus, the capsules are bloody expensive. Even if you bought say 10 refillables, it would set you back roughly $15 for a quality refill pod. You're looking at $150! You can buy a lot of cheap but quality beans for that and a cheap press or drip or SS Moka for that money. There's also the issue with replacing those refill pods because they go through wear and tear.

 

[maestrosteve]

I have 3 suggestions for the OP. From cheap to more expensive, I'd go with a French Press, an Aeropress, or a Bunn coffeemaker. I have all 3, so I'll tell you a little about them.

The French Press is great, provided that you get and use coarsely ground coffee, or you'll end up with a lot of mud on the bottom of your cup. I grind my own beans, so if I want to use a French Press, I use the most coarse setting.

Next is the Aeropress, which is like a French Press only better. Same principle, but uses filters so the coarseness of the grind is not as important. Makes fantastic coffee. I use it to make a mug or 2. If you don't know what it is, look on Amazon.com for it.

If you want an easy machine, the Bunn, at least for me, is the best. There's a reason they use Bunn coffeemakers in Diners and Restaurants all over the country, and although those are commercial quality, the home machines work on the same principle. It takes 2 minutes to make a 12 cup pot because it has a tank (like a hot water heater in a house) that is always on, and the water is already hot when you are ready to make the coffee. Just put the coffee filter in the brew funnel, add coffee, measure how much cold water you want for how many cups of coffee, and pour it into the machine. The new cold water replaces the already heated water and the coffee is made quick and is the perfect temperature. The hottest coffee you can get, and to me the best tasting of all the machines I've had over the years. The water doesn't drip into the grinds, it is sprayed thru 5 holes to completely saturate the grinds. When this machine finally dies, I'll definitely get another one.

We had a Keurig because my wife wanted one, and we got rid of it very quickly. After the first day I bought those refillable K-cups because I grind my own Hawaiian Kona beans and wanted to continue using them. Even the larger refillable K-cups didn't do the job. A little research told me to grind the beans finer and I did, got a lot of sediment in the mug. A little more research and I found little filters for those K-cups on Amazon, so I bought those so I could use a fine grind. To make an already long story end quickly, it never all came together.
Don't bother with K-cups.

 

[Melrose]

You coffee aficionados are insufferable.

...I'd take more of an issue with the people who bother opening the thread just to read the posts and be irritated than with the people who create the thread and discuss it among themselves.

Just sayin'..

That's still a "moka" post, just made with stainless steel. I took the Bialetti for a spin today and it was wonderful. It's not a traditional vessel, but I like stainless steel kitchen equipment. Also the fact that I can wash it and not have to dry it immediately or keep it seasoned with old coffee oils like its original counterpart for fear of nasty tasting coffee.

....opinon on keurigs....

Oh I see. I thought the Moka pots were the Bialetti aluminum ones (AND I CALL MYSELF A COFFEE SNOB?!). Then yes, I recommend a stainless moka pot.

Keurig: Not to beat the dead horse, but to me, not being argumentative it's just my viewpoint, Keurigs are wasteful all the way around; Even if they could make a mediocre cup of coffee those KCups are a horrendous waste.

@Moi Ici: I've tried Peets. It's too much like Starbucks and Dunkin' but maybe I got a bad bag. The only other coffees I'll still buy are Sumatra (Starbucks) once in a blue moon because that earthy bite can't be had anywhere else, and Kona Blend (Wegman's), but it's too expensive for what you get, and for a store brand at that. It's not bad, but given I can get Lavazza for $6/bag I can't spend $1/oz for the Wegman's.

 

[AlliFlowers]

Keurig is more than adequate for most people. I pretty much only drink tea, and can use the Keurig to get the right temperature water for the perfect cup there.

I was spoiled years ago by the Dutch, who make the best coffee in the world. But the machine to make Douwe Egberts is a bit pricey for the home. http://douweegbertsliquidcoffee.com/t/douwe-egberts-coffee-machines I'd go so far to say even their instant is better than most brewed coffees you can find locally.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

If you're a coffee snob, avoid Keurig machines like red headed stepchildren with bubonic plague; they tend to make a bitter and thin cup.* No offense if you use one and like it - I understand there are people with all tastes, so no umbrage intended.

I've been using this:

It's a 'Kontessa' model made by Vev Vigano, and if you double the water and halve the grounds you get a superb cup of coffee. Of course, I use the best coffee, absolutely the best coffee in the world (Lavazza Gran Selezione... you can't beat it with a stick).

It functions similar to the Moka pots, but it's not aluminum; I've tried them and they leave a weird aftertaste on the palette. The Kontessa runs about $70 to $90 but it'll last decades. The only thing that wears out is the gasket, and my first one just went after like 12 years of use. Gaskets are $5 a piece which isn't bad considering the mileage you get from them.

*a Keurig removes 2 of the 3 things you need to control to make a good cup of coffee: Water temperature and length of the brew, and that's if you buy the aftermarket attachment that lets you use your own beans. Plus, they're hella wasteful but that's my own bugaboo. And if you use one for convenience, well, you don't manage time very well if you can't spend two minutes in the morning making coffee. I'm a coffee snob can you tell...

Gorgeous machine. Count me impressed; if the coffee it makes reflects its appearance, even better. And agreed, I much prefer stainless steel to aluminium; my moka pot was a gift (from Italy) from my godmother, and, while it makes great coffee, it also has a certain sentimental value.

But your Kontessa by Vev Vigano looks absolutely brilliant. Long may you continue to enjoy the coffee you make with it.

You coffee aficionados are insufferable.

It is called having standards, @shinji, it is called the art of having standards. High standards. The pursuit of seeking excellence in all things, not least coffee. The disdaining of the mediocre, and the dismissal of the merely mundane.

And, anyway, most who would reply to such a thread could be expected to have some sort of passion for coffee…...

 

[Melrose]

I was spoiled years ago by the Dutch, who make the best coffee in the world. But the machine to make Douwe Egberts is a bit pricey for the home. http://douweegbertsliquidcoffee.com/t/douwe-egberts-coffee-machines I'd go so far to say even their instant is better than most brewed coffees you can find locally.

Any coffee from Europe is better than 99% of american coffee....

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Any coffee from Europe is better than 99% of american coffee....

I am inclined to agree with you. Personally, American coffee just doesn't do it for me. And, alas, American chocolate is brutally bad, too.

 

[0388631]

I have 3 suggestions for the OP. From cheap to more expensive, I'd go with a French Press, an Aeropress, or a Bunn coffeemaker. I have all 3, so I'll tell you a little about them.

The French Press is great, provided that you get and use coarsely ground coffee, or you'll end up with a lot of mud on the bottom of your cup. I grind my own beans, so if I want to use a French Press, I use the most coarse setting.

Next is the Aeropress, which is like a French Press only better. Same principle, but uses filters so the coarseness of the grind is not as important. Makes fantastic coffee. I use it to make a mug or 2. If you don't know what it is, look on Amazon.com for it.

If you want an easy machine, the Bunn, at least for me, is the best. There's a reason they use Bunn coffeemakers in Diners and Restaurants all over the country, and although those are commercial quality, the home machines work on the same principle. It takes 2 minutes to make a 12 cup pot because it has a tank (like a hot water heater in a house) that is always on, and the water is already hot when you are ready to make the coffee. Just put the coffee filter in the brew funnel, add coffee, measure how much cold water you want for how many cups of coffee, and pour it into the machine. The new cold water replaces the already heated water and the coffee is made quick and is the perfect temperature. The hottest coffee you can get, and to me the best tasting of all the machines I've had over the years. The water doesn't drip into the grinds, it is sprayed thru 5 holes to completely saturate the grinds. When this machine finally dies, I'll definitely get another one.

We had a Keurig because my wife wanted one, and we got rid of it very quickly. After the first day I bought those refillable K-cups because I grind my own Hawaiian Kona beans and wanted to continue using them. Even the larger refillable K-cups didn't do the job. A little research told me to grind the beans finer and I did, got a lot of sediment in the mug. A little more research and I found little filters for those K-cups on Amazon, so I bought those so I could use a fine grind. To make an already long story end quickly, it never all came together.
Don't bother with K-cups.

They make easy flow filters for presses, and they're wonderful. They take minimal essential oils out and impart no flavor to the liquid.

...I'd take more of an issue with the people who bother opening the thread just to read the posts and be irritated than with the people who create the thread and discuss it among themselves.

Just sayin'..



Oh I see. I thought the Moka pots were the Bialetti aluminum ones (AND I CALL MYSELF A COFFEE SNOB?!). Then yes, I recommend a stainless moka pot.

Keurig: Not to beat the dead horse, but to me, not being argumentative it's just my viewpoint, Keurigs are wasteful all the way around; Even if they could make a mediocre cup of coffee those KCups are a horrendous waste.

@Moi Ici: I've tried Peets. It's too much like Starbucks and Dunkin' but maybe I got a bad bag. The only other coffees I'll still buy are Sumatra (Starbucks) once in a blue moon because that earthy bite can't be had anywhere else, and Kona Blend (Wegman's), but it's too expensive for what you get, and for a store brand at that. It's not bad, but given I can get Lavazza for $6/bag I can't spend $1/oz for the Wegman's.

Well, with SS you'll still need to be careful but it's much more forgiving than the traditional pots. If there is a packaging date on the LavAzza bags and it's very close, they're not all that bad. You just need to use the brick within a few days. The Cafe Bustelo sold near me is almost always roasted and packaged a week prior to hitting the shelves. I don't understand why because there isn't much of a Cuban diaspora in SoCal. One could argue about the general Hispanic community but where I reside and most parts around SoCal have a demographic of people making very high incomes and when you poll in home prices, the general population is very wealthy whites or Asians, though I suppose people like to make Cuban coffee. It's too sweet for my tastes. I may as well consume a coffee flavored sugar drop.

Keurig is more than adequate for most people. I pretty much only drink tea, and can use the Keurig to get the right temperature water for the perfect cup there.

I was spoiled years ago by the Dutch, who make the best coffee in the world. But the machine to make Douwe Egberts is a bit pricey for the home. http://douweegbertsliquidcoffee.com/t/douwe-egberts-coffee-machines I'd go so far to say even their instant is better than most brewed coffees you can find locally.

I've never heard of Dutch coffee and it being the bees knees. Any brand or roasting company I should be aware of? And as an aside, where I can I get loose leaf rooibus for under $9 a lb which is good? I feel like rooibus prices have shot up tenfold in the last 4 years.

I am inclined to agree with you. Personally, American coffee just doesn't do it for me. And, alas, American chocolate is brutally bad, too.

I wouldn't call Hershey's chocolate by any means. Quite sure they're filtered cow patties with sugar added to them.

 

[AlliFlowers]

I've never heard of Dutch coffee and it being the bees knees. Any brand or roasting company I should be aware of? And as an aside, where I can I get loose leaf rooibus for under $9 a lb which is good? I feel like rooibus prices have shot up tenfold in the last 4 years.

I actually don't like rooibus. It has a very strange taste to me.

Douwe Egbert is the Dutch brand I was referring to. It is a liquid coffee that is so smooth you can't believe your taste buds. But you have to have it from their coffee makers with the liquid coffee, or it's just good coffee, and not phenomenal.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

They make easy flow filters for presses, and they're wonderful. They take minimal essential oils out and impart no flavor to the liquid.



Well, with SS you'll still need to be careful but it's much more forgiving than the traditional pots. If there is a packaging date on the LavAzza bags and it's very close, they're not all that bad. You just need to use the brick within a few days. The Cafe Bustelo sold near me is almost always roasted and packaged a week prior to hitting the shelves. I don't understand why because there isn't much of a Cuban diaspora in SoCal. One could argue about the general Hispanic community but where I reside and most parts around SoCal have a demographic of people making very high incomes and when you poll in home prices, the general population is very wealthy whites or Asians, though I suppose people like to make Cuban coffee. It's too sweet for my tastes. I may as well consume a coffee flavored sugar drop.



I've never heard of Dutch coffee and it being the bees knees. Any brand or roasting company I should be aware of? And as an aside, where I can I get loose leaf rooibus for under $9 a lb which is good? I feel like rooibus prices have shot up tenfold in the last 4 years.



I wouldn't call Hershey's chocolate by any means. Quite sure they're filtered cow patties with sugar added to them.

Agreed completely, entirely, wholly, re your description of that excuse for chocolate that is marketed as Hershey's. This is something hideous which should be sued for libel for daring to describe itself as chocolate. I couldn't believe how awful it was when I came across it in a high end deli around a decade and a half ago. Foul didn't begin to describe it. Excellent description. (My sense of their product was a memory of a taste close to…..well, you don't wish to hear, but it originates from, and is violently expelled from the orifice at the other end of the body to the anus…)

Re Cuban coffee, are you referring to Cuban coffees in themselves, (some of which I have quite liked) or the way it is sometimes served?

Some countries - I remember the Baltic states, and , occasionally, in the Balkans, too, - seemed to insist on serving sugar in the coffee……whereas I prefer to be in charge of that particular operation.

Anyway, @AlliFlowers - below, mentions Douwe Egbert; I have had this coffee. It is an excellent Dutch coffee, easily on a par with the good LavAzzas, to my mind - and is a very good product which you should be able to obtain abroad.

I actually don't like rooibus. It has a very strange taste to me.

Douwe Egbert is the Dutch brand I was referring to. It is a liquid coffee that is so smooth you can't believe your taste buds. But you have to have it from their coffee makers with the liquid coffee, or it's just good coffee, and not phenomenal.

 

[0388631]

It's an acquired taste. It took me roughly six years to get around rooibos. It's quite tasty when steeped with saigon cinnamon and served with a bit of quality 80-95% dark chocolate.

Cuban coffee in the way it's served. Usually needing some coffee added to quite a bit of sugar and beaten stiff until it froths up and then mixed with the liquor, then poured into cups or scooped into individual cups and the coffee added.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It's an acquired taste. It took me roughly six years to get around rooibos. It's quite tasty when steeped with saigon cinnamon and served with a bit of quality 80-95% dark chocolate.

Cuban coffee in the way it's served. Usually needing some coffee added to quite a bit of sugar and beaten stiff until it froths up and then mixed with the liquor, then poured into cups or scooped into individual cups and the coffee added.

Interesting.

Actually, I seem to remember that one of the best espressos I have ever had, made by an Italian for me, (in an electric Bialetti moka pot) was started off with a few drops of espresso and sugar beaten together rapidly until they frothed, and then this was used as the 'crema'. It was extraordinarily good.

 

[0388631]

Interesting.

Actually, I seem to remember that one of the best espressos I have ever had, made by an Italian for me, (in an electric Bialetti moka pot) was started off with a few drops of espresso and sugar beaten together rapidly until they frothed, and then this was used as the 'crema'. It was extraordinarily good.

Yes. If done right it should semi-melt and froth up much like a stiffly beaten egg white for meringue. I've seen it done plenty of times but I feel a hand mixer would do the job better unless smacking the sugar with the whisk against the vessel is crucial.

To my understand, you're essentially frothing it up because you're introducing hundreds of tiny air bubbles. Very much like pour honey into a clear glass cup and whipping it with a fork until it turns from its usual tinted clearness to opaque yellow and will remain as such for hours if not days and weeks.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes. If done right it should semi-melt and froth up much like a stiffly beaten egg white for meringue. I've seen it done plenty of times but I feel a hand mixer would do the job better unless smacking the sugar with the whisk against the vessel is crucial.

To my understand, you're essentially frothing it up because you're introducing hundreds of tiny air bubbles. Very much like pour honey into a clear glass cup and whipping it with a fork until it turns from its usual tinted clearness to opaque yellow and will remain as such for hours if not days and weeks.

Well, I do remember that my Italian colleague spent what seemed to me quite an inordinate amount of time briskly - very briskly and vigorously - stirring those few drops of hot espresso and the (brown) sugar together. It took longer than I expected for this beaten froth to get to the stage where it was considered ready, and to meet the (informed) expectations of the assembled Italians.

However, I must admit that the result was simply superb, one of the nicest espressos I have had.

 

[0388631]

Well, I do remember that my Italian colleague spent what seemed to me quite an inordinate amount of time briskly - very briskly and vigorously - stirring those few drops of hot espresso and the (brown) sugar together. It took longer than I expected for this beaten froth to get to the stage where it was considered ready, and to meet the (informed) expectations of the assembled Italians.

However, I must admit that the result was simply superb, one of the nicest espressos I have had.

Brown sugar? I've never heard of people using using brown sugar for anything but simple coffee, and that being turbinado style. Mind you I do enjoy using muscovado in chocolate cakes because 1) why not and 2) it tastes amazing. There's great synergy between chocolate and dark, good quality brown sugar varieties. Keyword being varieties.

Mass produced brown sugar is essentially white sugar with some molasses thrown in with a certain moisture to dryness ration. Light brown being dry/sandy compared to dark. At least in North America. I was in the UK last fall for business and don't recall perusing the baking aisles in Wait Rose.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Brown sugar? I've never heard of people using using brown sugar for anything but simple coffee, and that being turbinado style. Mind you I do enjoy using muscovado in chocolate cakes because 1) why not and 2) it tastes amazing. There's great synergy between chocolate and dark, good quality brown sugar varieties. Keyword being varieties.

Mass produced brown sugar is essentially white sugar with some molasses thrown in with a certain moisture to dryness ration. Light brown being dry/sandy compared to dark. At least in North America. I was in the UK last fall for business and don't recall perusing the baking aisles in Wait Rose.

Ah, yes. Agreed.

Well, I use nothing but (different kinds) brown sugar in my espresso, (and in everything else, such as coffee made by my French Press and so on). For that matter, I never consume white sugar, unless I am in a coffee shop which offers nothing else, and - as it happens - we haven't bought the mass produced stuff for the best part of two decades.

And no, it is not 'white sugar with molasses thrown in', it is proper, unrefined, organic brown sugar courtesy of a British company called Billington's. I get it in health stores, and I buy a number of varieties.

Actually, I usually have three to hand, all organic, and all from Billington's. My mother uses what is called 'golden, granulated, natural, unrefined cane sugar' in her tea, and in her cereal, and that is what guests are offered with tea or coffee when they visit. Then, there is the light muscovado (which I sometimes like myself in an espresso, as it tastes amazing), and we also have the golden, unrefined, caster sugar. Occasionally, I will buy a coarser, granulated brown sugar - also from Billington's.

 

[Melrose]

Brown sugar? I've never heard of people using using brown sugar for anything but simple coffee, and that being turbinado style. Mind you I do enjoy using muscovado in chocolate cakes because 1) why not and 2) it tastes amazing. There's great synergy between chocolate and dark, good quality brown sugar varieties. Keyword being varieties.

Mass produced brown sugar is essentially white sugar with some molasses thrown in with a certain moisture to dryness ration. Light brown being dry/sandy compared to dark. At least in North America. I was in the UK last fall for business and don't recall perusing the baking aisles in Wait Rose.

American brown sugar is just white sugar with just enough molasses to color it, and likely some additive to keep it moist. I've never actually read the ingredients. Now watch: ingredients will read something like this: "Sugar. Brown. Manufactured in a facility that is next door to a factory where a temp once thought about eating a peanut."