Looking for a new coffee machine...suggestions?

[Clix Pix]

I am not all that functional first thing in the morning, and even the idea of putting a kettle of water on to boil for pour-over seems too challenging; my approach is a Krups coffee machine into which I pour x amount of fresh cold water (out of the tap, not refrigerated bottled or filtered water) and dump in the appropriate amount of ground coffee, press a button and voila! And, in the meantime I've also put hot water (again from the tap) into my favorite coffee mug to pre-warm it. In just a few minutes the Krups announces with three beeps that the coffee has brewed. Only a very short time later I have a hot cup of coffee in my hand, ready to begin the process of bringing me fully awake and ready to face the world.....

 

[LizKat]

The place I go has prices ranging from $10-11/lb. for most of the more common beans/blends up to around $60 for stuff like Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona.

I sometimes order online from Gimme Coffee in Ithaca where my family knows the beans buyer. I pay around 12-15 for Central or South American coffees, $20-something for a Kenyan one. But I'm no great connoisseur of fine coffees and so often enough I'll fill in with a couple pounds of pretty ordinary beans, Colombian or whatever, delivered locally via Instacart. Freshly ground they always have seemed fine to me.

Love the smell of coffee brewing, and I like that first cup hot with some hot milk in it. Sometimes lapse into the terrible habits of my working days and snag a second cup off a French press without warming it. Cold black coffee used to be my thing. Not iced. Just room temperature. What can I say. The French press sneers at me, I am sure.

 

[S.B.G]

I have two coffee subscriptions which are on a 2-week ordering schedule.

1. For espresso at home, I buy French Roast from Atomic Coffee Roasters at $17.75
2. For pour-over in the Chemex at work, I buy Dark Sumatra Mandheling from Fresh Roasted Coffee at $14.91.

 

[0128672]

Sometimes lapse into the terrible habits of my working days and snag a second cup off a French press without warming it. Cold black coffee used to be my thing. Not iced. Just room temperature. What can I say. The French press sneers at me, I am sure.

Wait, I do that too sometimes with the leftover. I don't want it icy cold or take the time to heat it up. Room temp seems just right. ☕️☕️

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I have two coffee subscriptions which are on a 2-week ordering schedule.

1. For espresso at home, I buy French Roast from Atomic Coffee Roasters at $17.75
2. For pour-over in the Chemex at work, I buy Dark Sumatra Mandheling from Fresh Roasted Coffee at $14.91.

Covid restrictions (which mean I visit the nearby city centre with its excellent coffee shops far less frequently than I used to, before March) have meant paying a visit to local coffee shops, and checking their stock.

This was how I came across a bag of Dark Sumatra Mandheling beans a few weeks ago for the first time ever, and it compelled me to abandon - even temporarily - my preferred coffees from East Africa. What do you think of them?

 

[S.B.G]

This was how I came across a bag of Dark Sumatra Mandheling beans a few weeks ago for the first time ever, and it compelled me to abandon - even temporarily - my preferred coffees from East Africa. What do you think of them?

I've been getting these beans for about a year now and love them very much. As you'll recall a few years ago, back when our friend @Kurwenal was around, I was experimenting with different coffees from all around the world very frequently. I found some I liked and some I didn't care for, but the two aforementioned coffees are the ones I have settled on for the long term. They are now my go-to staples for coffee.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I've been getting these beans for about a year now and love them very much. As you'll recall a few years ago, back when our friend @Kurwenal was around, I was experimenting with different coffees from all around the world very frequently. I found some I liked and some I didn't care for, but the two aforementioned coffees are the ones I have settled on for the long term. They are now my go-to staples for coffee.

Thanks for the courtesy of a swift reply; I was interested to read your thoughts, as I had never heard of (or come across, or possibly even noticed) this coffee before then.

I have been using them - finely ground - whenever I prepare coffee with with my moka pot (and I also prepare hot milk to serve with this beverage, rather time consuming, but relaxing and enjoyable) and find them excellent for this purpose.

So good, in fact, that I shall see if I can purchase another bag.

 

[mollyc]

I'll also mention that although I'm happy with my current setup, one of my favorite things to do occasionally is check out what's new in coffeemakers. I can't believe the size of some of these rigs! And some of the very fancy siphon sets are too ostentatious. Do people really use them? And the Technivorm Mochamaster is reputed to make an incredible brew, but I will never spend $300+ on a coffeemaker ... or even $100 for that matter. It is fun to look, but I'll stick with my minimalist combo for now.

I was surprised that no one had mentioned the Technivorm maker, but it is high priced. My husband does not drink coffee but researched machines for me when I needed a new one a few years ago, and he bought me the Technivorm. I am not a coffee connoisseur by any means, but I do drink coffee every day and am enough of a snob to not really like Starbucks, Keurigs and other mainstream/mass market coffees. And while the machine is expensive, I rarely ever buy coffee out, unless we are traveling. Now that my daughter is a teen I might occasionally by a Starbucks cold brew when she wants to go there for some fruity tea, but really I go to Starbucks *maybe* once every two months. So my "daily coffee shop allowance" just goes to a nice machine instead.

This will horrify most of you, but I actually pour the water in the machine the night before and also grind my beans the night before and then all I have to do is switch the button in the morning. I have experimented with grinding the night before and the morning of and to me there is no discernible difference, so I just have it all ready to go the night before. I do buy my whole beans at Costco (I really love the Mayorga brand) which is another knock against my methods I suppose. But that said, my coffee experience is the most enjoyable it has ever been in the 30 or so years that I have been drinking coffee. I love the thermal carafe that comes with the Technivorm. Between getting kids and husband off to school/work and now a six month puppy to deal with in the mornings, I am all about balancing taste/quality with speed and keeping the pot drinkable for a couple of hours as I get morning chores done.

 

[0128672]

This will horrify most of you, but I actually pour the water in the machine the night before and also grind my beans the night before and then all I have to do is switch the button in the morning. I have experimented with grinding the night before and the morning of and to me there is no discernible difference, so I just have it all ready to go the night before. I do buy my whole beans at Costco (I really love the Mayorga brand) which is another knock against my methods I suppose. But that said, my coffee experience is the most enjoyable it has ever been in the 30 or so years that I have been drinking coffee. I love the thermal carafe that comes with the Technivorm. Between getting kids and husband off to school/work and now a six month puppy to deal with in the mornings, I am all about balancing taste/quality with speed and keeping the pot drinkable for a couple of hours as I get morning chores done.

Not horrified at all about prepping the night before. I did the same thing for years before I started working from home pre-pandemic. Waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee was the best alarm clock.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm not a morning person, and need my first cup of coffee to make me half way human, so, grinding beans - & other prepping - the night before strikes me as a perfect sensible thing to do.

 

[Huntn]

You have spoken and I have listened, thanks all. I’ve switch to a Secura French Press Coffee Maker, 304 Grade Stainless Steel Insulated Coffee Press with 2 Extra Screens, 34oz (1 Litre), Silver, purchased last night from Amazon, it’s arriving today by 9pm. Love or hate Amazon, they offer amazing service.

​

 

[D.T.]

Yeah, I almost always the night before, at the very least, clean the FP, fill the kettle, that's a couple of steps closer to delicious coffee the next morning

Also, since I use the filtered water from the fridge, it speeds up the heating process, since it's chilled (sitting out overnight it hits room temp).


Since we're talking about methods, techniques, etc., I figured I'd post this here too:

When you start using an "external" heating mechanism for water (vs. a metered integrated system like in a drip coffee maker), you have to be more cognizant of the water temp.

i.e., you do __not__ want to pour boiling water over coffee.

It's too hot, it'll sort of scorch it, give it a burnt taste. As we all know, water boils at 212˚ (F), but the optimum water temp for coffee is 195-205˚, so what I do it let our kettle click off (it auto turns off when the water is boiling). Then I let is sit for about 30 seconds, I did a few tests, 30-40 seconds seem to get it to about that 195-205 range, just a let a little heat dissipate - or do another step, like scoop/measure the ground coffee into the pot, that's a 30-ish or so second step.

Side note: that optimum water temp is one of the reasons Keurigs make so-so coffee, I saw a test where they checked the temp of the water from several models, and it was almost always under heated, usually in the 180-185 range. I think the one that was the best, like very close to 195 was a non-Keurig branded K-cup machine (like a GE or something).

Our current Keurig is a little single cup model we pulled down from storage after our big/multi-cup model crapped out. The really amazing thing is it's over 12 years old. Granted, it wasn't used for a few years but I originally got it when Wife was pregnant, and I wanted to make her a little food / drink station upstairs in the bedroom, so I setup a table with this little (red!) Keurig, a small fridge and a microwave, plus supplies, food, etc.

 

[S.B.G]

I have an electric kettle and I set the temp to 205˚F so I don't have to think about it.

 

[Huntn]

Yeah, I almost always the night before, at the very least, clean the FP, fill the kettle, that's a couple of steps closer to delicious coffee the next morning

Also, since I use the filtered water from the fridge, it speeds up the heating process, since it's chilled (sitting out overnight it hits room temp).


Since we're talking about methods, techniques, etc., I figured I'd post this here too:

When you start using an "external" heating mechanism for water (vs. a metered integrated system like in a drip coffee maker), you have to be more cognizant of the water temp.

i.e., you do __not__ want to pour boiling water over coffee.

It's too hot, it'll sort of scorch it, give it a burnt taste. As we all know, water boils at 212˚ (F), but the optimum water temp for coffee is 195-205˚, so what I do it let our kettle click off (it auto turns off when the water is boiling). Then I let is sit for about 30 seconds, I did a few tests, 30-40 seconds seem to get it to about that 195-205 range, just a let a little heat dissipate - or do another step, like scoop/measure the ground coffee into the pot, that's a 30-ish or so second step.

Side note: that optimum water temp is one of the reasons Keurigs make so-so coffee, I saw a test where they checked the temp of the water from several models, and it was almost always under heated, usually in the 180-185 range. I think the one that was the best, like very close to 195 was a non-Keurig branded K-cup machine (like a GE or something).

Our current Keurig is a little single cup model we pulled down from storage after our big/multi-cup model crapped out. The really amazing thing is it's over 12 years old. Granted, it wasn't used for a few years but I originally got it when Wife was pregnant, and I wanted to make her a little food / drink station upstairs in the bedroom, so I setup a table with this little (red!) Keurig, a small fridge and a microwave, plus supplies, food, etc.

That’s a huge deal, I read that about boiling water, but I don’t think it really registered Until you mentioned it again.

We have friends with Keurigs and I have just never liked it and this is coming from someone who thinks instant coffee tastes better than what I’ve tasted coming from a K cup.

I read somewhere that you need a tablespoon of coffee grounds per 4oz of water? One thing I liked about the first glass French Press was that it had Oz marked on the glass, so you could sight pour versus measure, because I bought a 34oz (1liter?) model and I have 2 choices, prepare 16oz or a full pot and then store half of it overnight in the fridge for consumption the next day where I’d either drink it cold or heat it in the microwave.

 

[0128672]

I have a Cuisinart PerfecTemp kettle with variable settings, so can set it to 200 degrees for coffee, but it's large. I much prefer the smaller gooseneck kettle, although it has no temp settings. So after it boils and shuts off, I let it cool for a couple minutes.

 

[LizKat]

Yeah, I almost always the night before, at the very least, clean the FP, fill the kettle, that's a couple of steps closer to delicious coffee the next morning

Also, since I use the filtered water from the fridge, it speeds up the heating process, since it's chilled (sitting out overnight it hits room temp).


Since we're talking about methods, techniques, etc., I figured I'd post this here too:

When you start using an "external" heating mechanism for water (vs. a metered integrated system like in a drip coffee maker), you have to be more cognizant of the water temp.

i.e., you do __not__ want to pour boiling water over coffee.

It's too hot, it'll sort of scorch it, give it a burnt taste. As we all know, water boils at 212˚ (F), but the optimum water temp for coffee is 195-205˚, so what I do it let our kettle click off (it auto turns off when the water is boiling). Then I let is sit for about 30 seconds, I did a few tests, 30-40 seconds seem to get it to about that 195-205 range, just a let a little heat dissipate - or do another step, like scoop/measure the ground coffee into the pot, that's a 30-ish or so second step.

Side note: that optimum water temp is one of the reasons Keurigs make so-so coffee, I saw a test where they checked the temp of the water from several models, and it was almost always under heated, usually in the 180-185 range. I think the one that was the best, like very close to 195 was a non-Keurig branded K-cup machine (like a GE or something).

Our current Keurig is a little single cup model we pulled down from storage after our big/multi-cup model crapped out. The really amazing thing is it's over 12 years old. Granted, it wasn't used for a few years but I originally got it when Wife was pregnant, and I wanted to make her a little food / drink station upstairs in the bedroom, so I setup a table with this little (red!) Keurig, a small fridge and a microwave, plus supplies, food, etc.

On the temperature, yep I let my jazzy orange Miroco pot sit for just a minute while I unplug the base and store it to keep it out of my way. The altitude here is just about where it starts to take longer to cook stuff because water boils at a lower temperature, but not enough for a huge difference in something like coffee brewing. So my little routine turns out just right to let the coffee brew without that scorched effect, at least during the warmer months of the year.

My kitchen's cold in winter though now that I no longer use the woodstove, so I'm expecting to let the pot sit for only 15 seconds then and worry about putting that pot's base away later. On a really cold morning I hope the darn thing will not cool off too fast, but it has a double wall like most of the decent kettles so s/b ok.

I'm still tempted by that Keurig mini or mini plus as a backup idea, since I am a grump about winter mornings (I get up early so of course it's pitch dark) and this will be the first winter in many years having to assemble what to make a pour-over coffee with. Sure I got the Miroco late last winter but the novelty of using it offset my grump mode.

But on the mini keurig.... tbh I have been put off by the amazon customer reviews referencing some quality issues. Then again some say it's a great machine. Sigh. Never sure how much to trust online reviews. I'm waiting for response from a bro who has one, i want to know which model and when he got it. Not that I might not end up with a lemon if I ordered one for myself. So basically I've landed in a loop. Gonna leave it for awhile and remind myself I do like that pour-over option just because I control more of what happens than when I pick a pod and push a button on a K machine.

 

[D.T.]

I think Keurig machines break down often because people tend not to clean the lines, and with any kind of hard content in water, you're going to get buildup, the pump motor is going to be fighting resistance, burn up. The larger units with the water tank are even worse since they have a good bit more more lines, filters, etc.

This little one you just pour a cup of water into the back, it heats right there, and it's a quick trip to the outlet. It's super basic, no cup size, etc., that's controlled by the amount of water, there's a main on/off switch (we leave on), and when you stick your cup under the outlet, a single blue "brew" button lights up.

It's nice because it has a small footprint (though not as small as the newer single serves), so that with the kettle, french press, a couple containers of coffee and a box of K-cups don't take up a ton of room.

 

[Huntn]

I have two coffee subscriptions which are on a 2-week ordering schedule.

1. For espresso at home, I buy French Roast from Atomic Coffee Roasters at $17.75
2. For pour-over in the Chemex at work, I buy Dark Sumatra Mandheling from Fresh Roasted Coffee at $14.91.

What quantity and how much additional for shipping? What I really need is a side by side taste test comparing fresh vs “stale” coffee.
I found an interesting article for coffees available at Amazon:

12 Best Whole Bean Coffee on Amazon 2022 - Fresh & Tasting

Be a Coffee lover, you know that once coffee beans are ground they begin to go stale. You may want to buy the best coffee on Amazon, but don’t know which one is the best ... Read more

www.agferrari.com

 

[S.B.G]

What quantity and how much additional for shipping? What I really need is a side by side taste test comparing fresh vs “stale” coffee.
I found an interesting article for coffees available at Amazon:

12 Best Whole Bean Coffee on Amazon 2022 - Fresh & Tasting

Be a Coffee lover, you know that once coffee beans are ground they begin to go stale. You may want to buy the best coffee on Amazon, but don’t know which one is the best ... Read more

www.agferrari.com

Both are 12oz bags and the prices I stated are what I pay, out-the-door, which includes shipping.

 

[Macky-Mac]

....
Well last night was offered a cup of french press coffee while visiting friends, hmm, I think there is a french press in my future. ...

you should ask your friends what coffee it was and where they bought it

 

[0128672]

But on the mini keurig.... tbh I have been put off by the amazon customer reviews referencing some quality issues. Then again some say it's a great machine. Sigh. Never sure how much to trust online reviews. I'm waiting for response from a bro who has one, i want to know which model and when he got it. Not that I might not end up with a lemon if I ordered one for myself. So basically I've landed in a loop. Gonna leave it for awhile and remind myself I do like that pour-over option just because I control more of what happens than when I pick a pod and push a button on a K machine.

I've never tried a Keurig, but based on your post just checked out the minis on Amazon. The size and convenience is tempting! Is it difficult to find great quality coffee for the pods? Do people really fill their own pods?

 

[D.T.]

I've never tried a Keurig, but based on your post just checked out the minis on Amazon. The size and convenience is tempting! Is it difficult to find great quality coffee for the pods? Do people really fill their own pods?

There's a few brands that are consistently pretty good like Green Mountain, their Dark Magic is solid. Then we just tend to do more fun type flavors with the K, like the New England Blueberry Cobbler (and with the flavored options, we usually mix in a little FP brew as well)

We've never done a perm filter / refill, we bought one, and honestly, at that point if you're making more than one cup, you might as well switch over to a drip, or Chemex, etc.

 

[960design]

So I'm in the market for a new coffee machine. I currently have a Black & Decker coffee machine that requires filters and grounded coffee beans in order to brew coffee.

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine, Brushed Stainless Steel, BES870XL, Large

The barista express from bean to espresso in under a minute create great tasting espresso in less than a minute. The barista express allows you to grind the beans right before extraction, and its interchangeable filters and a choice of automatic or manual operation ensure authentic café style res...

www.amazon.com

I want a machine that has the ability to brew coffee beans but can also use K-Cups...

You are dead to me.

 

[D.T.]

I was surprised that no one had mentioned the Technivorm maker, but it is high priced.

Yeah, I've seen those, beautiful design, and they're pretty serious about the precision of the various components, nice long warranty, all sorts of European coffee certifications. Heck, it's not all that expensive given the apparent quality.

There's some automated Chemex products too (which is a bit like the Technivorm), basically heats/delivers water over a standard Chemex maker:

 

[Huntn]

you should ask your friends what coffee it was and where they bought it

These were not coffee affictonatos, I presume the grocery, maybe preground.