Recommend your DRIP coffeemaker - UPDATE post 17

[wellyes]

I am DONE with Keurig, I know a lot of people really like it, but it is not for me. Mine is wheezy and gaspy, plus I don't like brewing through plastic, plus I drink a lot of coffee so it is getting expensive.

So I am hoping for a recommendation for a good brewer.

I really, really want the YouBrew (http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BDC600XL-YouBrew-Coffee-Maker/dp/B005I710MW). Grinds and brews exactly as much as you want (as little as 1 cup), and does it really really well compared to the old Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew. The only problem? $260.

I am also tempted by the Bonavita (http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1800TH-Coffee-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B005YQZNO8/ref=zg_bs_289745_3), which is a cheaper version of the famous Technivorm (http://www.amazon.com/Technivorm-Moccamaster-Coffee-Brewer-Thermo/dp/B002S4DI2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1360882604&sr=1-1&keywords=technivorm). But it seems almost like the coffee is .... too hot? I'm also annoyed that you have to put the lid on the carafe after it brews. Basically I think I'm just not sophisticated enough for it.

Any other great brewers I'm missing??

[sophiesmom03]

It is not fancy but I have no complaints about my Capresso with steel insulated carafe. After the auto shut off failed and I nearly started a fire with my previous maker, I will never have a non- insulated carafe again.

[BunnyBee]

We have (and LOVE) the Technivorm Moccamaster. DH wants to take it on vacations with us. :rotflmao: We bought it from W-S when they had a deal. I think it was the $10 back in GCs for every $50.

[AnnieW625]

We have been really happy with the 8 yr. old model of this Black and Decker coffee maker. Pouring from the carafe takes a bit of getting used to, but otherwise it makes a good cup of coffee and it is quick.

We only drink a cup or two of coffee each a day (and I drink decaf) so we just bought the Cuisinart Keurig when the above machine died, but if I decide we need another drip coffee maker I will definitely buy this one again. I did buy some Ekobrew brewers so I hope those work as well to keep the cost down.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-Thermal-Programmable-Coffeemaker/dp/B0051T8QNI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1360883275&sr=8-5&keywords=black+and+decker+stainless+coffee+maker

[egoldber]

I will say that we drink a LOT of coffee. And we often have guests who drink a LOT of coffee. We have had the Technivorm Moccamaster for many years now and it has been totally worth it for us. We went through many cheaper coffee makers before we finally bought it as an anniversary gift to ourselves. :)

[NewMom2007]

We'll be getting the Technivorm soon. Waiting for it to come back in stock at Seattle Coffee Gear.

I swear, as I've been waiting, my morning coffee at home is tasting worse and worse.

[larig]

have you thought about a bunn? they are the gold standard in restaurants. (used to be made in my hometown). My parents have one from when they got married in 1961 that is still going strong.

[jjordan]

If you often do just one or two cups at a time, then you might want to pick up one of these (http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360888598&sr=8-1&keywords=melita+cone). For $5, what do you have to lose? Dh LOVES his. :)

[pastrygirl]

I really love the Bonavita. It's no-frills. When the brewing is finished, I take the whole thing to the sink, take the filter cup off, dump the grinds/filter into the compost bin or trash, rinse the cup and put it in the dish drainer, and screw the lid on. All done. No drips, no mess, no hot plate to worry about. Cook's Illustrated just named it their best buy in the highly recommended category. The Technivorm is still their top choice, though.

I make half a pot for myself, and get two good-sized mugs out of it. If I make a full pot and have only one cup, it's still steaming hot hours later. I like that it's small since I'm the only coffee drinker.

[queenmama]

I don't know that I would recommend our Bunn. Well, the machine itself is fantastic, and I love that it's a phase brew and the water is heated (boiled?) before brewing, which is supposed to make a big difference in flavor.

I hate the carafe, though. DH bought the glass one, which isn't a problem, as it stays heated for two hours before shutting off and we drink it LONG before that.

The issue is that it has a plastic spout rather than the whole thing being one glass piece. The plastic feels flimsy and if you don't pour it *just right* it will spill out.

I like the coffee. We grind it fresh and it always tastes amazing.

If I don't use that I make it in my old Pyrex Flameware which is a stovetop percolator. I love watching it.

Lara

[kwc]

Another happy Technivorm owner here...though we had to wait 2 months for it to clear customs last year.
I would also really really recommend a burr grinder if you don't have one.... we have 2 Capressos.
DH has our old Braun drip brewer in his office as he cannot stomach the coffee at work, but he just brought it (and our extra grinder) home to take on our trip to Tahoe this weekend. Crazypants.

[echoesofspring]

Another happily caffeinated burr grinder/Technivorm house here, and DH has a Melitta for work.

[queenmama]

Another happily caffeinated burr grinder/Technivorm house here, and DH has a Melitta for work.

Which grinder do you have? I hate our KA burr grinder. It grinds just fine but you pretty much have to force the beans down into the grinder. The top is so poorly designed that some of the beans will just sit around the metal rim. It ticks me off every day that we paid $200 for a stupid product!

Lara

[pastrygirl]

I have a Baratza Encore burr grinder. It's the least messy grinder I've ever had (I've had a few others, both blade and burr).

[kcimato]

I wanted the Technivorn but went with the Bonivita with the thermal pot. It makes hot coffee in about 6 min, and turns itself off after 15 min.

[maestramommy]

A drip coffee maker is really nothing special. If all you want to pay for is something that does only that, I'd check out a goodwill first. There is never any shortage of drip coffee makers when I'm there. Our coffee maker is one we got from Gevalia as a freebie when we were getting their coffee subscription. One day the pot broke. I found a replacement at goodwill for 2 bucks.

[wellyes]

UPDATE. I went with the Bonavita with a thermal carafe. And had a really odd experience on the first try of really using it. I made a full pot of hot coffee, then placed the coffee pot on my counter. About an hour after -- while no one else was in the room, no one touched it -- the carafe exploded. Think little tiny pieces of glass, coffee everywhere. It's so strange. I know there are risks with a glass-lined thermal carafe if you make extreme temperature changes, but, this pot really had been just sitting there for an hour.

DH tells me it must have been a manufacturing defect, not a design flaw, and we can try again. But I am irritated and not inclined to give the company another chance, especially since the maker was so expensive. However, I will say, the coffee? Was SUPERB.

Back to the drawing board!!

maestramommy, btw, I do appreciate the different perspective. I have used that Gevalia pot in the past. I do, however, think some features of a drip coffee maker are worth paying more for. I hate hate hate pots with a burner underneath the carafe, for example. But, of course, a coffee maker is only useful if it doesn't send glass and steaming hot coffee all over your kitchen!

[rin]

We finally just settled on this coffeemaker:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FQ254S/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It brews into a thermal carafe, so no burner.

We also tried a Krups that had a built-in grinder (royal pain to clean), a high-altitude Bunn that kept a backup tank of heated water so it brewed a pot in 2 minutes (coffee was strangely weak and had super exacting grind requirements), and a $20 Mr Coffee from Target (had some kind of weird thing where water would get trapped and sit in a plastic tube and would make every 3rd pot of coffee taste horrible and rancid.

We've had the one linked above for two or three weeks now, and so far we're super happy with it.

[minnie-zb]

We have this one (another thermal carafe):

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-EC-BD15BA-Thermal-Carafe-Coffee/dp/B0000X7CMQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362072445&sr=8-2&keywords=bonavita+coffee+maker

We really like it -- it brews good coffee.

That is truly bizarre about your coffee pot -- pretty scary too.

ETA: I was reading reviews on Amazon about your exploding carafe. This seems to be real problem for this company. I'm not sure I would buy another.

[larig]

Look at Seattle coffee gear. They have video reviews and are just wonderful--bought a refurb espresso maker from them this fall.

[nrp]

I just noticed this thread - if you are indeed back to the drawing board, I can chime in about the YouBrew. My dad got one about a year ago and loved his, so when I tired of my Keurig (it was old and not performing well, and I was wanting more than 1-2 cups in the morning), I got the YouBrew for Christmas. It really is idiot proof. I have finally figured out my bean and setting preferences, and it makes great coffee, to my admittedly unrefined palate. I would not go to the trouble of grinding my beans every day if it were not for this machine, but with it there is no additional effort. I just load up the hopper with beans a couple of times a week when its getting low, and then daily, replace the filter (it does come with a reusable filter that works well, too), fill with fresh water, and push a button. Voila!

[Pepper]

I'll vote for Capresso. I got one (with the steel carafe) on sale at Tuesday Morning online a couple of years ago and we LOVE it. It does have a 3-5 cup setting so you can make a small amount (It adjusts the brew time or something). I bought it as a Father's Day gift for DH and it was probably my best gift idea ever :)

Sooo bizarre that your carafe exploded, will the store or manufacturer replace it for you?

[dogmom]

Well, first we got this electric kettle because my DH was sick all last winter and drinking a boatload of tea and our kettle sucked:
http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AWK-115S-X-Press-2-Liter-Cordless/dp/B000KDVTJI/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1362155419&sr=1-3&keywords=electric+kettle
And we loved it.

Then when our carafe for our ancient drip maker broke we decided to try this combination : a thermal carafe with a cone drip:
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-AHGB-10SE-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B0016S4TJS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362155359&sr=8-2&keywords=thermal+carafe
and
http://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Manual-Coffee-Carafes-Thermos/dp/B000BUDDTY/ref=pd_bxgy_k_img_y

WE love it. We use the electric kettle to boil the water and fill up the cone drip twice and that's fills the carafe. The coffee stays warm, and there are less things to plug in.

[wellyes]

Well, first we got this electric kettle because my DH was sick all last winter and drinking a boatload of tea and our kettle sucked:
http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AWK-115S-X-Press-2-Liter-Cordless/dp/B000KDVTJI/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1362155419&sr=1-3&keywords=electric+kettle
And we loved it.

Then when our carafe for our ancient drip maker broke we decided to try this combination : a thermal carafe with a cone drip:
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-AHGB-10SE-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B0016S4TJS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362155359&sr=8-2&keywords=thermal+carafe
and
http://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Manual-Coffee-Carafes-Thermos/dp/B000BUDDTY/ref=pd_bxgy_k_img_y

WE love it. We use the electric kettle to boil the water and fill up the cone drip twice and that's fills the carafe. The coffee stays warm, and there are less things to plug in.
Just want to thank you for this idea! When I returned the Bonavita, I accidentally left the cone filter on my counter. It was an innocent mistake, honest, the way the Bonavita works makes it so that you have to completely remove the cone and I just forgot about it when cleaning up the shattered carafe. Anyway, this morning I used the cone and a thermal carafe I have to make AWESOME coffee. It tastes as good as french press coffee, but, easier cleanup and doesn't have that problem where the coffee gets bitter and separated in the french press within 15 minutes.

Anyway, love this method. I'll still look for a great deal on a high quality coffee maker but this will tide me over.

[pastrygirl]

I'm scared that the shattering carafe will happen to me, but so far, so good! I wouldn't buy another one if it ever does happen. I'd probably try the Zojirushi one, because I was debating between that one and the Bonavita.

I also still LOVE my Aeropress. It makes the absolute hands-down best cup of coffee I've ever had.

[dogmom]

Just want to thank you for this idea! When I returned the Bonavita, I accidentally left the cone filter on my counter. It was an innocent mistake, honest, the way the Bonavita works makes it so that you have to completely remove the cone and I just forgot about it when cleaning up the shattered carafe. Anyway, this morning I used the cone and a thermal carafe I have to make AWESOME coffee. It tastes as good as french press coffee, but, easier cleanup and doesn't have that problem where the coffee gets bitter and separated in the french press within 15 minutes.

Anyway, love this method. I'll still look for a great deal on a high quality coffee maker but this will tide me over.

Yes, that's exactly why I use it! I love French press coffee when someone else makes it and cleans up the press. And it gets cold quick.

When our espresso maker died we also went to a stove top one, and it makes great espresso. Well, it do until my DH forgot about it on the stove for hours and melted off the handle and fused the O ring! I just got a new one, different maker, with a silicone handle in hopes of avoiding those disasters. So when we feel like we have extra time I use the stove top espresso maker and froth milk in my french press for cappuccino. The french press works fine for frothing.

If you do find a good buy a a great coffee maker let us know.

[connor_mommy]

I also still LOVE my Aeropress. It makes the absolute hands-down best cup of coffee I've ever had.

I just got one based on the posts from here. I was looking at a Keurig, but I'm the only one who drinks coffee. Plus, I really don't have much counter space. I'm relative;y new at using the Aeropress. Any tips or pointers in getting a consistently good cup of coffee?

[elliput]

Well, first we got this electric kettle because my DH was sick all last winter and drinking a boatload of tea and our kettle sucked:
http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AWK-115S-X-Press-2-Liter-Cordless/dp/B000KDVTJI/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1362155419&sr=1-3&keywords=electric+kettle
And we loved it.

Then when our carafe for our ancient drip maker broke we decided to try this combination : a thermal carafe with a cone drip:
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-AHGB-10SE-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B0016S4TJS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362155359&sr=8-2&keywords=thermal+carafe
and
http://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Manual-Coffee-Carafes-Thermos/dp/B000BUDDTY/ref=pd_bxgy_k_img_y

WE love it. We use the electric kettle to boil the water and fill up the cone drip twice and that's fills the carafe. The coffee stays warm, and there are less things to plug in.
This is my standard coffee set up for camping, though I do boil the water on a campstove. :)

[bostonsmama]

We love our Aerobie Aeropress. There are youtube videos with hints and tips on great coffee from it. Consumer Reports also did a test on drip coffee makers, and we went w/ the Cuisinart Brew Central 12-cup. I thought at the time it came w/ a thermal carafe, but I couldn't find it online--perhaps on the grind & brew (which we avoided for price and clean-up constraints, as some said it wet the grinds in the shoot leading to clogs). Anyways, it makes a phenomenal cup of coffee, although not as low in acid as the aeropress. I always thought the best coffee came from really good beans/grinds and using the right proportion, not the maker. We use 1 tbsp coarsely ground coffee per 6oz cool, filtered water. From time to time, DH uses 2 tbsp coffee per 6oz water! Zing.

[pastrygirl]

I just got one based on the posts from here. I was looking at a Keurig, but I'm the only one who drinks coffee. Plus, I really don't have much counter space. I'm relative;y new at using the Aeropress. Any tips or pointers in getting a consistently good cup of coffee?

My tips:
1) find the best beans. This is trial and error, but I found some at a local roaster (Armeno's if you want to order online. I love the fair trade organic blend they carry).
2) always grind fresh. I prefer a burr grinder. I measure the beans into the Aeropress scoop, not the grounds.
3) find the best grind. This was trial and error, but I prefer a fine grind, and I marked it on my grinder. I use a much bigger grind for my Bonavita.
4) I like the water temp at 200 degrees.
5) I always grind two scoops, and fill the water to line 2.
6) let it sit for a second, then stir for about 10 seconds.
7) pushing should not be very easy. I aim for 30 seconds. If it's easier than that, I adjust the grind next time.

I haven't tried any of the inverted methods. I'm happy with the regular method.


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