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Considering a coffee pot upgrade ...

Andy_H

Andy_H

Behind the Wall of Sleep
Coffee connoisseurs, I'm contemplating a change in my primary brewing apparatus. Truth be told, I'm hardly a connoisseur, but not only do I require that morning pot of coffee to function, I also really do enjoy the taste of a decent cup. I have a couple French presses that I bring out occasionally, but most days I just don't have the time when I'm on my way to work in the morning. I've come to rely heavily on the programmable timer feature of my Black & Decker. Said Black & Decker is just a cheapo ~$20 model I picked up at Target several years ago. It makes an acceptably good cup of coffee, but I know that I could do a lot better. The other thing is it doesn't really keep the coffee quite hot enough for very long.

So I've been considering upgrading to a better coffee maker. It doesn't have to be huge (I'm usually just making coffee for myself), it needs to have an automatic timer function for workdays, and it needs to be affordable for a man of my means. An insulated carafe would be a real plus too. I can afford to spend about $100 right now. Do y'all have any recommendations for me?
 
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Probably more than $100 but a Nespresso machine will make you a beautiful cup of coffee.
You could probably pick up a model around $200
 
Andy_H said:
...
So I've been considering upgrading to a better coffee maker. It doesn't have to be huge (I'm usually just making coffee for myself), it needs to have an automatic timer function for workdays, and it needs to be affordable for a man of my means. An insulated carafe would be a real plus too. I can afford to spend about $100 right now. Do y'all have any recommendations for me?
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The most reasonably priced drip machine with SCAA approval is the new Bonavita. I'm considering buying one, myself, and getting rid of my Technivorm.
bonavita_thermal_coffee_maker.jpg


You can plug it into a timer. I don't know of a single good machine with its own timer.
 
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hbrocks said:
good video of the bonavita....its cheaper too.

be sure to read all the comments after the video as well....always interesting to hear first hand accounts from those that have gone before us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=devNaE9VH7o
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"I can't afford to be a sentimentalist when discussing something as important as brewing your morning coffee". This guy rules.

Good question, I'm following along as I wouldn't mind a quick option that does the work in the morning.
 
Kind of along the French press concept, there's the Aero Press on www.aerobie.com. Unlike the French press, there is no real steep time. I bought one a couple of weeks ago. The coffee is much better than out of my French press, which I replaced because it broke. Thankfully, this thing is made of plastic and has an open bottom--much less hassle than a press.
 
hbrocks, that looks a LOT like my french press, with the stainless thermal carafe, but yours "might" be a little bigger. Mine was made by Planetry Designs, out of Missoula, Montana. A French press that keeps your coffee warm, what more could you want? :D
 
poprhetor said:
Kind of along the French press concept, there's the Aero Press on www.aerobie.com. Unlike the French press, there is no real steep time. I bought one a couple of weeks ago. The coffee is much better than out of my French press, which I replaced because it broke. Thankfully, this thing is made of plastic and has an open bottom--much less hassle than a press.
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I've been using an Aeropress for a year and a half. Last week I got a Clever Coffee Dripper from Sweet Marias. The Clever dripper makes better coffee, hands down.
 
hbrocks said:
Our Technivorm came with the metal carafe.....however...
after about a year of use...we upgraded to a Nissan Carafe that pours better and keeps the coffee hotter.

reports that some Technivorms in Europe are over 25 years old and still going strong..

http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Nissa...IX8I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337127563&sr=8-1


31CUoZpc1OL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


Technivorm Video.....see below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKoIs_oEM0Q&feature=related
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I've had a Technivorm for 8 years. I think the construction is cheap and it does a lousy job of wetting the grounds without a lot of operator interaction. It does stay in the right temperature range, though. They're horribly overpriced for what you get.
 
Skip the new coffee pot and invest in a quality burr grinder, and the best locally roasted beans you can afford. Develop your french press technique, and before you know it, you'll be wondering how you ever put up with automatic drip.

Having had a few years' experience with both automatic drip machines and french presses, I can confidently say that there's less time and effort to making a pot of french press coffee.
 
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poprhetor said:
Kind of along the French press concept, there's the Aero Press on www.aerobie.com. Unlike the French press, there is no real steep time. I bought one a couple of weeks ago. The coffee is much better than out of my French press, which I replaced because it broke. Thankfully, this thing is made of plastic and has an open bottom--much less hassle than a press.
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The only similarity between a French Press and an Aeropress is that both of them are pressed. Results are totally different, as is the required grind and the brewing time. There's no mud or grit in a cup of Aeropress coffee. Just make sure to do some internet homework and completely ignore everything the manufacturer claims about what it can do and how you should do it.
 
Jon. said:
Skip the new coffee pot and invest in a quality burr grinder, and the best locally roasted beans you can afford. Develop your french press technique, and before you know it, you'll be wondering how you ever put up with automatic drip.
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Even with a $300 grinder and the best of technique, FP is still too gritty and muddy for my taste. It also tends to cool too much while brewing and once you filter out the mud, a refractometer will show you that it's usually underextracted (probably because of the cooling in combination with the coarse grind.)
 
Some interesting products here, although none of them fit the bill for me right now. To put it in audio terms, I'm not on the market for the Krell of coffee makers, more like a NAD. ;) If anybody has any suggestions for a drip brew machine with a timer, in the ~$100 or less range, I'd like to read them.
 
Jon. said:
Skip the new coffee pot and invest in a quality burr grinder, and the best locally roasted beans you can afford. Develop your french press technique, and before you know it, you'll be wondering how you ever put up with automatic drip.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're getting at, and I already know I can make a much better cup via French press than drip brew, but what I'm looking for here is not the best coffee I can make. That's a luxury I simply cannot afford five days a week. I am not a morning person, and when I crawl out of my cocoon, bleary-eyed and groaning after riding the snooze button for a good half-hour, I need there to be a pot of hot caffeine ready and waiting, and the only step necessary is for me to pour it into a cup.
 
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