# Ok Coffee Heads - A Coffee Connoisseurs Coffee Maker?



## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

My DeLonghi DCF212T (below)...

Amazon.com: DeLonghi DCF212T Drip Coffeemaker with Convenient Front Access: Kitchen & Dining

....pooped the bed this weekend (heating element must be broke). It's brand new, got it as a christmas gift this year and only use it on the weekends. 

NRatched is going to see if she can give a call to the customer service and hash it out, but I don't have the patience for that (a.k.a. I'm a man syndrome)

Looked to just buy something that's going to last...also, let's just say I've been "getting into" coffee as of late - I'll leave it at that - I've been researching coffee makers all morning and I'm looking at..

Moccamaster Coffeemakers (she winked at me) the KBT 741 looks nice...good brewing temp, thermal carafe....

also looking at the Capresso MT500

Amazon.com: Capresso 440.05 MT-500 10-Cup Electronic Coffeemaker with Thermal Carafe: Kitchen & Dining

the price point is nice, and it has a thermal carafe.

so I ask this, oh Coffee Connoisseurs, what coffee machine would YOU buy if you could buy one that will last a lifetime, and wont break the bank (a.k.a. the best home use, not the best COMMERCIAL use)

p.s. I don't need (and dont WANT) a built in grinder, fancy electronics, timers, alarms, tv's, etc. just a solid brewer.


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## foodnfoto (Jan 1, 2001)

Hi RP
I'm an absolute coffee nut ("snob" as my hubby might add.)
I have tried every imaginable coffee maker from french press types, to espresso machines to various drip types. 
My very first coffee maker was this one:
Amazon.com: Melitta #640616 10C Manual Coffeemaker: Home & Garden
After all the purchases, some good and some bad, I keep going back to my tried and true manual Melitta. You boil a kettle of water, and pour it over the coffee grounds in a paper filter in the top section. The coffee you end up with is fresh, delicious and wonderful every time. To keep it hot, I put the whole pot in a saucepan with an inch or so of simmering water (left from the kettle) over low heat. 
The trick with just about any coffee maker is getting the grind right (for the Melitta, ask for # 6 grind). The french press can be good, but the difficulty is getting the grind just right-too fine and the strainer clogs, too coarse and the coffee is weak when hot and cold when properly extracted. 
The beauty of the manual Melitta is it's simplicity-it doesn't take up a lot of counter space, it's easy to figure out and the coffee is delightful. 
If you break the carafe you can easily buy another without breaking the bank.


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

For a drip type I like my Chemex. A French press is also nice to have for a little different view on the same bean.

dan

*edit add:* SweetMaria's Drip Coffee Brewers page


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

Amazon.com: BUNN BTX-B ThermoFresh 10-Cup Thermal-Carafe Home Coffee Brewer, Black: Home & Garden

No heating element, it's a thermo pot. Keeps coffee hot for up to 2 - 3 hours. No funky burning.

I've had this puppy for about 6 months. Makes coffee lickity split.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Best electric pour-over is the Dutch made Technivorm, for either vacuum carafe or heat element type, depending on your needs. Second best is probably a Bunn. 

IIRC, you have a Bodum French press, which is the best of its type. 

If you're interested in an espresso machine there are a lot of good choices at every price point; quality varies dramatically with price; and much depends on how much milk you're going to be steaming. I've had the same espresso machine for 19 years and have brewed at least two double espressos and one latte every morning -- so the price has been fully amortized. Something to think about if you're espresso lovers.

However you choose to brew your coffee, your choice of beans and grinder are more important than the brand of brewer.

BDL


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

For everyday convenience, I have this one: Zojirushi

I chose it because of 2 things: I like my coffee piping hot and I need something small for my counter. The fact that it makes awesome coffee was a bonus I didn't expect. Was about CDN$90. Very durable. Has a water filter built in.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

I vote for a french press. Up until about two weeks ago, I had a nice glass Bodum one, it had served me well for years. But this spring we got two new cats after old Twister passed away. Young cats can do things old cats cannot, such as jump up on countertops and startle one's wife, causing a chain reaction that ended up with the loss of the Bodum. I bought a cheap replacement, it has been okay, but not as good as I would have liked.

It is true that with a french press the coarseness of the grind makes a difference. I've developed a little grinder shaking ritual that works well for me and provides fairly consistent results. Way better than my favorite breakfast place up the street - they make a great Athenian omelet, lots of feta and onion, but their coffee is mediocre at best.

mjb.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

I'm not big on french presses, especially for everyday convenience. The Bunn, suggested above, looks like it will fit into my "list to choose from" though. A french press is always a "nice to have" but a electric drip and a thermal carafe, is a necessity. especially since this coffee maker will be used daily, (as they changed coffee brands at work to Dunkin' Donuts and I'm going to be needing to brew my own at home to take in, they are pushing me out, slowely I tell ya). I like "trusting" the coffee maker than the temp is going to be perfect. 

I need bigger than a 5 cup too...10 would be perfect, 12, maybe a little too big, but if the footprint isn't huge, I don't mind a 12. 

No espresso machine.....yet...don't need one....yet.

Agree, on the grinder and beans BDL. And, even in a nice college town (Rutgers - New Brunswick, NJ) It's hard to find a good coffee house....

thanks guys. I'll be honest, before I posted, i was/am sold on the technivorm, but I hate the feeling of only having 1 option and impulse buying. The old RPM would have went to the store and bought the best most expensive, i'm trying to be the New RPM, and research a little more, while saving some money.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

RPM,

As much as you enjoy sorting out equipment choices, you might want to look in at the Coffee Geek and even the Home Barista forums.

Linda has one of those Cuisinarts with the built-in propellor grinder, so we can enjoy pour over coffee once in a while. Setting aside the issues swirling around the grinder, it's a decent machine which otherwise makes coffee about two clicks weaker than it would in any other machine. We compensate by mixing "Cafe Latina" style coffees (we actually use La Llave which is like Bustelo) with more "normal" American types. It makes a very economical and really delicious cup. Mixing the pre-ground with something like Chock Full O'Nuts is a really good way of feeding a personal size Mr. Coffee -- which makes working in an office bearable.

Those Bunns are a pretty good second best, I think. We were choosing between a Technovorm and a Bunn until Linda saw the Cuisinart in red and ON SALE. Oddly, she ended up buying a white one and paying [I can't say the word].

BDL


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

Yep, have been lurking around there quite a bit the past couple of months.

the problem I have with the built in grinders, is a few fold. For one, it's like those TV/VCR/DVD combo's....one or the other always breaks first. Second, and more important, is cleaning of the grinder, and if you like to grind different beans, say heavily flavored one day, then the next day...not so heavily flavored....I can taste the difference if the grinder either was not cleaned well. Ideally 2 grinders are almost "necessary" for me. (albeit, I admit, at the time, I had my coffee ground for me wherever I purchase,usually at whole foods, but even then, I can "taste" the difference)


The fancy colors always get em' huh? Don't walk by those fancy designer LG Front loading washers the next time your washer is on the fritz.....trust me.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

i broke down and bought a bodum french press. 32oz. 

still messing with it trying to get it to taste how i like it...doesn't seem strong enough for me. I'm probably just used to burnt bitter Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks coffee...


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Use a very dark roast, or a mix with at least half very dark -- French, Viennese, etc., and nothing less than a City roast. Grind coarse. Let the coffee steep for a minute or two before you press. 32 oz is a big pot -- make sure you have enough fines in there.

BDL


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

i'll normally only be steeping about 16oz at a time. what do you mean by 'fines'


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Sorry. The ground coffee before it gets wet.

BDL


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## boatchef (Aug 14, 2006)

I recommend buying most appliances from Williams Sonoma because they offer a lifetime warranty on most of their products.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

My French press is also a 32 oz. unit. I put about a half cup of beans, usually french or italian roast, sometimes espresso into the grinder, not sure of the volume after grinding. Feel free to suggest a Captain Obvious costume for Halloween, but usually in the morning when I am making coffee it is in the morning before I've had my coffee. Measurements under such conditions could be a bit suspect. 

I could give you a weight measurement, but my little scale is down at the shop where I've been working on getting some connecting rods balanced. I just need to get another scale so I can have one at each place.

mjb.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Another thing, how long are you letting it steep? I usually go 3 - 4 minutes, sometimes depending on circumstances maybe 10. I find that when I get sidetracked and don't come back to press until 15 minutes or so that there is some unwanted bitterness and off flavors to be had.

Mind you I usually drink it anyway, I only dump out and start over maybe 2, 3 times a year.

mjb.


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