Coffee Makers - which one do you use & like?

[Brink]

I splurged this year and bought the Ninja Coffee Bar primarily because I saw it on sale at Target for $30 off. So far it has been nice. I do like the single cup brewing feature that actually gives you a full cup instead of a damn half cup like my Keurig machine. The water chamber is easy to detach and fill and I really like the fact that the coffee pot has a two layer stainless carafe which lets the machine turn off as soon as it's done brewing. There is no hot plate that sits and cooks the coffee for hours like most do.

So what does everyone else do for the requisite hot cup of inspiration?

 

[cornflake]

I just got a Nespresso and can't recommend them highly enough. The coffee is amazing. There are several models, some which do exclusively espresso/lungo (which you can turn into an Americano with hot water or cappucino or latte) and some that do the espresso and regular coffee.

They make milk foamers which they bundle with some machines. The customer service is stellar; you can buy the pods (fully recyclable, they even give you bags to put them in - and the machines hold a bunch in a little compartment they drop into so you only have to deal with them every so often) at stores like Sur la Table that have Nespresso areas where you can taste whatever you like before you buy. You can buy online too, same price.

Very small machine footprint, 19 bars for the espresso, amazing.

 

[AW Admin]

I absolutely adore the Aeropress.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0047BIWSK/?tag=absowrit-20

It's amazing. Really, truly.

I also like the Melitta drip cone and carafe

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MIT2OK/?tag=absowrit-20



Going to try making cold brewed coffee this spring:

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/...d-brew-coffee-iced-coffee-technique-tips.html

 

[DragonHeart]

I got a Cuisinart coffee plus for Christmas; I know I like it cause my mom has one. It has a hot water dispenser in addition to the standard coffee brewer, which is nice for tea and hot chocolate. And oatmeal.

When I want to be an uber fancy snob I also have a French press and an Aeropress.

 

[c.e.lawson]

Mmmm, coffee.

I usually prefer espresso. But every so often our espresso machine breaks down and in the meantime, I use the Bialetti Moka Express - a simple, quick, and easy way to make rich and delicious coffee on the stovetop. Yum! http://www.bialetti.com/coffee/stovetop/moka-express-c-1_7_22.html

 

[Fruitbat]

A few years ago, I got tired of my drip coffeemaker. I don't remember why but I seem to be unable to make less than a full pot of coffee so then we'd end up heating cold coffee for the rest of the day and it was kind of icky.

So I got a Keurig- style coffeemaker and was very pleased with the restaurantishness of the individual cuppie things for a while. Then I got tired of paying 75 cents a cup for coffee when, really, it didn't taste all that great and the machine had somehow got stuck on the small size setting anyway, so you'd have to fill it with half hot tap water.

I remembered years ago when I had a percolator rather than a drip coffeemaker. I found another one. But it was not as I recalled. I must have just been poor then so I thought anything was good.

I dug up an individual cup coffeemaker that I had used at work when I had a job, the kind with a metal basket that you use regular coffee grounds in, that comes with a coffee cup to use instead of a pot. It was too slow when we have two coffee drinkers and often drink coffee throughout the day, so it didn't last long.

Now we're back to a drip coffeemaker, but this is one like you find in hotel rooms. It makes 2.5 cups at a time so that makes up for my mental deficiency.

I also switched to pure Arabica coffee rather than mixed with Robusta.

Oh, I had a little electric coffee bean grinder once but it annoyed me to have the extra step in the morning when I'm crabby and I can't taste the difference anyway.

So that is my coffee history.

ETA: Does anyone remember Taster's Choice instant coffee? I used that as a teenager because the rest of the family were tea drinkers.

 

[rugcat]

For a basic drip coffeemaker, I got a Zojirushi a few months ago. It's a little pricey compared to similar ones, but it's simple, elegantly designed, and makes great coffee. By far the best coffee maker I've had and well worth the money.

 

[amergina]

I use a 34 oz Bodum coffee press at home on the weekends. Work has a Flavia system.

 

[MaryMumsy]

I have a cheap Mr Coffee, non programmable, drip machine. We grind our beans, and I set it up at night before bed. Whoever gets up first just flips the switch. When it dies I'll look for another one just like it.

MM

 

[WriterDude]

I got a jug with a plunger. I add about three spoons of ground coffee and leave to brew for about five minutes. Makes for two mugs.

Add milk to taste.

 

[randi.lee]

I have a Kuerig, which I love. I recently found a "reusable K-cup" that you can put your own grounds into to reduce waste, too!

 

[I_love_coffee]

We have 2 Mr. Coffee's sitting side by side on the counter. One for me, and one for my husband. I fill them the night before. We leave at different times in the morning, but we both want fresh coffee, and neither one of us is a morning person and feels like taking any extra steps in the morning, so.... this is our solution.

I refuse to get sucked into the whole pod thing. I think it's a scam. I mean really, A half cup of over priced, not so great tasting coffee? I only have one cup of coffee a day and I need a VERY LARGE cup of coffee

I could, however, be talked into a better drip coffee maker, if it truly makes a better cup of coffee. The zojurushi that rugcat posted above is peaking my interest.

I came up with my AW name during a time when I had given up coffee for a year to see if it would help with a crohns flare-up ( it did not). Life without coffee sucks.



****do not mean to offend anybody who uses pods. My opinionated, directness may come off badly on the internet, so feel free to ignore! Wait, did that come off badly too? To each their own, whatever works for you, really!****

 

[I_love_coffee]

ETA: Does anyone remember Taster's Choice instant coffee? I used that as a teenager because the rest of the family were tea drinkers.

Yes! and how about Sanka? Is that still around?

 

[cornflake]

I chose a pod system because I'm not so into coffee that I'd want to be choosing beans, grinding, hoping they hadn't gone stale before I used them, all of that. I don't drink that much coffee (though I'm now kinda obsessed with the lattes from my Nespresso) that I'd use beans up, etc.

Also, the Nespresso pods, unlike the k-cup ones, are fully aluminum and vacu-sealed so the coffee stays fresh. It's $.70 a cup, which is more than if I were working a Melitta and my own beans, but less than the price of a latte outside when I want one. I can also try a good variety for cheap (or nothing if I just go to the store), as I don't know that much about the types and what I like, instead of buying a bunch of beans and trying and wasting that.

I'm not slagging drip machines or anything else, just saying the pod choice isn't always as dopey as it seems.

 

[I_love_coffee]

cornflake, I added a disclaimer to my post, did not mean to offend anyone. Yes, everybody is different and has different needs and tastes, etc. I do not judge anyone for their choices. As a matter of fact, I really like to read about people who are different than me in any way, to hear what they like and why they like it. I understand the convenience of the pod things but whenever I use them they never dispense enough coffee!!!

 

[Brink]

I think everyone loves their coffee makers when they are shiny and new and they make that first cup of coffee that is so hot and good.

The real test is a few years later (if they last that long) when they are scaled up and sound like a Saturn booster rocket while perking a lukewarm cup.


We have an old Hamilton Beach coffee maker that refuses to die in spite of probably several hundreds of gallons of water running through it. That thing is a tank I tell you! I have actually cleaned it with pool acid because it is such a hoss. It now resides proudly in the kitchen of our guest house here on the ranch and so it is in semi-retirement. There was no way that I was going to slowly drop it into the trash can only to close the lid while it silently screams, "Nooo!".

Another good standby we have is the old stainless electric percolator. It was my Mom's pot and it still cooks the best cup of all that I have ever had. We have it in our other guest house (yes I know..), and the only reason that I am not using now it is because it has no timer and I need a cup exactly 3 minutes after I open my eyes each morning or I turn into a real bitch.

 

[cornflake]

cornflake, I added a disclaimer to my post, did not mean to offend anyone. Yes, everybody is different and has different needs and tastes, etc. I do not judge anyone for their choices. As a matter of fact, I really like to read about people who are different than me in any way, to hear what they like and why they like it. I understand the convenience of the pod things but whenever I use them they never dispense enough coffee!!!

No offense, was just explaining.

You've used the k-thing system. If you're in a store with a boutique, try the Nespresso. It doesn't do the half-a-cup-of-meh thing, heh.

 

[regdog]

We're on our second simple Mr Coffee. Works just fine.

 

[amergina]

I actually own a lot of ways to make coffee. As I said, I tend to use my French press the most because it's easiest in both use and cleaning (dishwasher safe!) but I also own a Cuisinart drip machine, an espresso maker (I forget the brand) and I have two brass cezve for Turkish coffee. I've considered a pod-style machine...but really how many coffee making devices does one woman need?

ETA: I'm also less than a mile from my local independent coffee shop. So a nice walk and I can have some really good hand-crafted coffee.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I love my Keurig. Have had it for about 2 years now. Brews a perfect cup of joe every time and so quickly. Don't know how I ever survived without it and ironically, until I got one, I thought it was a stupid concept.

 

[JLCarver]

I have a Kuerig, which I love. I recently found a "reusable K-cup" that you can put your own grounds into to reduce waste, too!

This is what I have too, and I love it. The reusable k-cup filter makes so much better than the k-cups. I usually use the Keurig only in the afternoon. My first cup of coffee in the morning, though, is done with a French Press.