OT: Fancy Schmancy Coffee Maker

This model might have some appeal:

Or, just get a stovetop "moka" and do the messy steps by hand.

I happy with instant. Want it stronger, add more spoon fulls. Want it fresh, heat some water, put instant in cup, pour in water, viola!

I've got a little hand grinder, old Black & Decker Cup-At-A-Time... but I got tired of all the messing around years ago. Any kind of coffee is better than no coffee ;-)

I got the bare bones Kuerig for Christmas last year. They also gave me a variety pack of coffee flavors to try. I ended up buying a re-usable strainer cup at WallyWorld and putting Folgers in. The strainer cup allows very fine grounds through to your drinking cup. You don't feel them when you swallow, but if you pour a half cup (of cold) out in the sink you'll see them.

The grocery store had a strainer cup assembly from Manelli(sp) that I tried. It had little paper filters that would fit in the strainer cup. The first time I tried it the Kuerig made a noise like I'd blown a seal in it somewhere. I figured the unit had a positive displacement pump that couldn't force water through the paper filter restriction. I went back to the WallyWorld cup. The Kuerig works ok, but now it takes longer to fill the drinking cup.

I like the Kuerig now that I'm retired. I can drink a cup when I want and don't have to put up with that gear oil that's been cooking away in the coffee pot for 2 hours. I had a stainless Thermos that did a good job of keeping warm, but that last cup tasted old. Now I just make another fresh one.

Steve

It's a balance between money and effort. If one-button convenience is mandatory, you're kinda stuck with a super-automatic. That's more or less guaranteed to be trouble, but possibly less trouble than a divorce 8-) What's wrong with the Jura?

Nothing wrong with drip coffee, the key items are good quality coffee and a good burr grinder. It really helps to grind the coffee immediately before brewing, don't let it sit overnight venting flavor and aroma. A Bialetti Moka Express makes a different style of coffee, but the keys are the same: Good coffee, good grinder, brew right after grinding.

I'm not up current on coffee equipment, mine dates from '88 or '89. It's an Olympia Coffex, (modern version is Maximatic), and an Olympia grinder. I keep a Moka Express as a backup when the Coffex goes down hard. So far the grinder hasn't given any trouble. The Coffex has been through three pumps, one heater and a few group gaskets. I'll keep fixing it as long as I can buy or make parts. The machine heats on a timer, grinding and pulling a shot takes maybe 3 minutes.

hth,

bob prohaska

Since moving to a French Press coffeemaker years ago, I won't use anything else by choice. Yes, they're a hassle to clean each time, but the coffee they produce is very, very good. 100% manual, meaning that I can have -exactly- the cuppa I'm looking for each time.

I do something similar, except I use a filter cone and a pot of water. Water gets heated, grounds go in the water for awhile, then gets poured through the filter.

Integrated into my morning routine, it turns out a perfect cup every time.

Jon

I know I am a bit late with this suggestion but look into the aeropress See:

A whole lot cheaper than a dedicated machine and not prone to failure.

If you insist on pushing water through the grounds get a "Mokka Pots" - add water, add coffee, put on stove. Five minutes - done. I've a dedicated Espresso machine, it sits on the counter and does one thing: heat water and force it under pressure through coffee grounds. No problems in the eight plus years I've had it. (Okay, once I totally spaced and it pumped all the water through grounds, into the cup, over the cup, into the overflow tray, filled that and then onto the counter. And then shut off when there was no more water. Good example of 'idiot proofing'.)

tschus pyotr