Best Coffee Maker - Need to retire our Keurig (1 Viewer)

[Chaos34]

Is the issue with a Mr. Coffee that it doesn't get the water hot enough or is there something else? The process to me looks like a basic automation of a pour over.

Yes to the "hot enough" issue. It can be overcome somewhat with a finer grind, but Mr. Coffee people aren't typically grinding whole beans. Afaik, the spout isn't re-creating a pour over anything like a Moccamaster or the many many brewers now using that showerhead approach. It's just a simple drip that likely leaves much of the coffee "poorly" extracted.

 

[Chaos34]

I might have been the original pretentious coffee nerd around here. And I disagree with Chaos34, but only somewhat. I do think, as a matter of first principles, that the brewing process is more important than the beans. If you're brewing his Geisha beans at 190 degrees, I don't think you're going to get a very good cup. But I agree with what he said earlier in that there are now a lot of options that can give you an acceptable brewing process. When we were doing these types of threads 15 or 10 years ago (I know, shudder), Technivorm's were one of only a few models of home brewers that assured you had water hot enough to make an acceptable extraction. And the other options were also in that $250 to $300 range. Now we have more options at lower price points. And even just hand pour-over methods are common enough that you're not going to have any trouble finding a Kalita, some filters, and a good electric kettle.

I think we also have more grinder options than in the past. So, I think it's relatively easy, and not necessarily prohibitively expensive to find your bulletproof process with decent beans from a good provider (even at the grocery store, Stumptown will have a roast date on their beans). And then you can start experimenting with the beans you like. For all my snobbery, I've never been a guy who scoured online for the very best beans. I tend to find a local roaster who I trust and work with what the source.

Do you remember where I live?

Ridgecrest if you forgot. Bakersfield is heaven by comparison. I don't have a local roaster or I would use them 90% of the time. I encouraged others to support their local roasters. So in my case, scouring online has become fun.

Where you disagree with me, I agree to disagree. No matter your process, you can't get really good coffee from yucky beans. I pretty much think all Global Giant Coffee Industry beans are yucky. I wish Stumptown was on the shelves here. There's nothing fresh roasted here. When traveling to LA, I try to remember to buy from a roaster there. Of course you're right. Fresh roasted geishas or whatever can make bad coffee if you're not getting whatever process right. We probably agree on most things. This disagreement is what? i'm encouraging fresh roasted nerd beans before process, and you suggest process first? It's both? Get them both right and up your coffee game. I'd agree 100% there.

15 years ago you couldn't get geishas and pacamaras the way you can now. Not at these prices or choices anyway. It is a great time to be nerdy about coffee. I started up again after my bday in Feb this year (because of a gift). Surprised and impressed by the state of things. Fwiw, my daily method is a Kalita 185. 16:1 ratio for simplicity. An ounce of beans using a scoop and no scale. 20 ounces of water. Stop the pour at the 16 oz line on the vessel. Electric gooseneck kettle (Bodum again). No thermostat, so just off the boil. Adjust the grind to dial it in, maybe. Might sound complicated to some, but for me this is the simplest and most convenient way to do it. Zero mess. Fussing with a machine or my other manual devices seems like work.

Glad you chimed in. Hope all is well in beautiful Bakersfield. haha

 

[Chaos34]

Another thought. I'm sure I make these pour overs worthy of a 3rd wave cafe. I copied my method from a Japanese barista who simplified things and also won a big competition. But I don't think the manual pour over nerds/baristas are making anything superior to something like that $100 Kitchen Aid I linked to that bested the Moccamaster. They just cloned the shower head, but made it a bit wider with a more gentle spray. Smart. It probably makes better coffee than me. Another good sign of the times.

 

[massraider]

Since this is the coffee porn thread:

best gifts for coffee lovers

 

[GreenNGold]

Is the issue with a Mr. Coffee that it doesn't get the water hot enough or is there something else? The process to me looks like a basic automation of a pour over.

While I agree with the "coffee snobs" that there are better ways to make coffee, for the purposes of OP, who is currently using keurig, I think switching to a Mr. Coffee and grinding his own beans would still offer a considerable upgrade over what he is currently doing.

I think the most significant upgrade anyone can do improve their coffee quality is just grinding your own beans before brewing. Anything additional after that might be better but any further improvements get incrementally smaller and smaller. Everyone has to decide for themselves how far down that road they want to go.

 

[Ron Swanson]

I am amazed by this thread. The depth of knowledge, the disagreement over ingredients, the spirited discussion of equipment, methodology deviations, etc. My take away is that coffee is just another version of BBQ.

And I mean that in the most thoughtful, respectful, and reverent way. But y'all still nerds of the highest order.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

@Keerock @gianmarco

we primarily use Lavazza, with some illy and blue bottle now and then.

We also use amazon and rotate the beans: gran riserva, perfetto, super crema, top class, etc.

I am offended to not be included kind sir….

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I might have been the original pretentious coffee nerd around here. And I disagree with Chaos34, but only somewhat. I do think, as a matter of first principles, that the brewing process is more important than the beans. If you're brewing his Geisha beans at 190 degrees, I don't think you're going to get a very good cup. But I agree with what he said earlier in that there are now a lot of options that can give you an acceptable brewing process. When we were doing these types of threads 15 or 10 years ago (I know, shudder), Technivorm's were one of only a few models of home brewers that assured you had water hot enough to make an acceptable extraction. And the other options were also in that $250 to $300 range. Now we have more options at lower price points. And even just hand pour-over methods are common enough that you're not going to have any trouble finding a Kalita, some filters, and a good electric kettle.

I think we also have more grinder options than in the past. So, I think it's relatively easy, and not necessarily prohibitively expensive to find your bulletproof process with decent beans from a good provider (even at the grocery store, Stumptown will have a roast date on their beans). And then you can start experimenting with the beans you like. For all my snobbery, I've never been a guy who scoured online for the very best beans. I tend to find a local roaster who I trust and work with what the source.

Do you remember where I live?

Ridgecrest if you forgot. Bakersfield is heaven by comparison. I don't have a local roaster or I would use them 90% of the time. I encouraged others to support their local roasters. So in my case, scouring online has become fun.

Where you disagree with me, I agree to disagree. No matter your process, you can't get really good coffee from yucky beans. I pretty much think all Global Giant Coffee Industry beans are yucky. I wish Stumptown was on the shelves here. There's nothing fresh roasted here. When traveling to LA, I try to remember to buy from a roaster there. Of course you're right. Fresh roasted geishas or whatever can make bad coffee if you're not getting whatever process right. We probably agree on most things. This disagreement is what? i'm encouraging fresh roasted nerd beans before process, and you suggest process first? It's both? Get them both right and up your coffee game. I'd agree 100% there.

15 years ago you couldn't get geishas and pacamaras the way you can now. Not at these prices or choices anyway. It is a great time to be nerdy about coffee. I started up again after my bday in Feb this year (because of a gift). Surprised and impressed by the state of things. Fwiw, my daily method is a Kalita 185. 16:1 ratio for simplicity. An ounce of beans using a scoop and no scale. 20 ounces of water. Stop the pour at the 16 oz line on the vessel. Electric gooseneck kettle (Bodum again). No thermostat, so just off the boil. Adjust the grind to dial it in, maybe. Might sound complicated to some, but for me this is the simplest and most convenient way to do it. Zero mess. Fussing with a machine or my other manual devices seems like work.

Glad you chimed in. Hope all is well in beautiful Bakersfield. haha

I drive by you on my many trips to mammoth. Next time I go solo, we should have a cup a Joe

 

[gianmarco]

I might have been the original pretentious coffee nerd around here. And I disagree with Chaos34, but only somewhat. I do think, as a matter of first principles, that the brewing process is more important than the beans. If you're brewing his Geisha beans at 190 degrees, I don't think you're going to get a very good cup. But I agree with what he said earlier in that there are now a lot of options that can give you an acceptable brewing process. When we were doing these types of threads 15 or 10 years ago (I know, shudder), Technivorm's were one of only a few models of home brewers that assured you had water hot enough to make an acceptable extraction. And the other options were also in that $250 to $300 range. Now we have more options at lower price points. And even just hand pour-over methods are common enough that you're not going to have any trouble finding a Kalita, some filters, and a good electric kettle.

I think we also have more grinder options than in the past. So, I think it's relatively easy, and not necessarily prohibitively expensive to find your bulletproof process with decent beans from a good provider (even at the grocery store, Stumptown will have a roast date on their beans). And then you can start experimenting with the beans you like. For all my snobbery, I've never been a guy who scoured online for the very best beans. I tend to find a local roaster who I trust and work with what the source.

Do you remember where I live?

Ridgecrest if you forgot. Bakersfield is heaven by comparison. I don't have a local roaster or I would use them 90% of the time. I encouraged others to support their local roasters. So in my case, scouring online has become fun.

Where you disagree with me, I agree to disagree. No matter your process, you can't get really good coffee from yucky beans. I pretty much think all Global Giant Coffee Industry beans are yucky. I wish Stumptown was on the shelves here. There's nothing fresh roasted here. When traveling to LA, I try to remember to buy from a roaster there. Of course you're right. Fresh roasted geishas or whatever can make bad coffee if you're not getting whatever process right. We probably agree on most things. This disagreement is what? i'm encouraging fresh roasted nerd beans before process, and you suggest process first? It's both? Get them both right and up your coffee game. I'd agree 100% there.

15 years ago you couldn't get geishas and pacamaras the way you can now. Not at these prices or choices anyway. It is a great time to be nerdy about coffee. I started up again after my bday in Feb this year (because of a gift). Surprised and impressed by the state of things. Fwiw, my daily method is a Kalita 185. 16:1 ratio for simplicity. An ounce of beans using a scoop and no scale. 20 ounces of water. Stop the pour at the 16 oz line on the vessel. Electric gooseneck kettle (Bodum again). No thermostat, so just off the boil. Adjust the grind to dial it in, maybe. Might sound complicated to some, but for me this is the simplest and most convenient way to do it. Zero mess. Fussing with a machine or my other manual devices seems like work.

Glad you chimed in. Hope all is well in beautiful Bakersfield. haha

I drive by you on my many trips to mammoth. Next time I go solo, we should have a cup a Joe

Make sure you video record that experience for us.

 

[urbanhack]

I had a Cuisinart grind and brew for more than 15 years. When that went belly up a few years ago, I spent a lot of time researching and end up buying this.

Drip Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe

Experience your favorite coffee at its best. Shop our drip coffee maker that includes a thermal carafe. Get free shipping on orders over $49!

www.breville.com

I just use a separate grinder.

 

[massraider]

I am amazed by this thread. The depth of knowledge, the disagreement over ingredients, the spirited discussion of equipment, methodology deviations, etc. My take away is that coffee is just another version of BBQ.

And I mean that in the most thoughtful, respectful, and reverent way. But y'all still nerds of the highest order.

Funny you mention BBQ.

To me they are both similar passions/hobbies where the cost to get to a nice spot is relatively affordable. You can pour all kinds of money into either one, but you can also really step up your game with a few well-chosen toys, and some research.

If someone is cool with Starbucks or Dunky's, or fine eating at Dallas BBQ, great, cool, no problem. My interest in stepping up my coffee game isn't to convince my mom that her coffee flavored ice cream frappe from Dunky's is a bad idea. It's for me to enjoy. My day, every one of my days, starts with coffee. That's not gonna change. So, I have interest in making a better cup.

An underrated part of the Internet is that you can make more informed decisions, if you wanna seek out information. Something as simple as the right meat thermometer for BBQ. Or a new pair of boots, or a ski jacket. It's easy to find the true diehards, and benefit from their collective wisdom. You don't need to jump in the deep end up to your neck. You can wade in, take a look around, skim some knowledge, and back out before you start buying $1100 burr grinders.

Most likely my coffee nerd-ness settles in between my mom and @Chaos34.

In general, I do a little looking around and spend a little more on quite a few things because I am SICK to DEATH of buying crap. Purchasing things that will last, and are worth the money has become a hobby of it's own. In a world where info in everywhere, people are still buying garbage. I get why, but it doesn't have to be that way.

 

[Chaos34]

Since this is the coffee porn thread:

best gifts for coffee lovers

Good list. I almost got the aeropress attachment until reading it's just a way to avoid the inversion method. i like the inversion method just fine.

A few more coffee gift ideas

Hario pour over kit. The V60 provided in the kit is the most popular pour over device. Alone it usually sells for more than this kit. good deal here.

A Clever Dripper. A French press user on your list? This produces the same result as an FP but no sediment in the cup. Love mine.

Big dumb double wall mugs. I can't believe the inner well holds 16oz. I want them. They must be huge.

or just some handsome heavy duty mugs. I have these. They're quite thick and beastly.

sad confession. this is a good reason to ignore me. i am ocd about clear glass mugs. i cannot drink a cup if i cannot see the coffee. haha. sure, if in a restaurant given a cup in a standard white mug, i'll drink it, but i won't be okay with it. i drink from a 16 oz mason jar all the time (even right now). makes a 16oz brew easy peasy. why dirty a nice mug today?

 

[Chaos34]

While I agree with the "coffee snobs" that there are better ways to make coffee, for the purposes of OP, who is currently using keurig, I think switching to a Mr. Coffee and grinding his own beans would still offer a considerable upgrade over what he is currently doing.

Yeah, you obviously scrolled thru the thread. I thought Keerock was more budget conscious too, but he went from the Keurig to 1500 dollar super-auto espresso maker.

I think the most significant upgrade anyone can do improve their coffee quality is just grinding your own beans before brewing. Anything additional after that might be better but any further improvements get incrementally smaller and smaller. Everyone has to decide for themselves how far down that road they want to go.

Again, I disagree. I think finding beans close to their roast date is a better upgrade. For me grinding whole beans is the the 2nd best thing you can do.

 

[Chaos34]

I drive by you on my many trips to mammoth. Next time I go solo, we should have a cup a Joe

I'll be driving to Tahoe several times in the coming months. Always weather permitting. So, better than taking the dangerous exit off the 14 to my home in hell; lemme know when you're traveling and if it works, we can do Mt Whitney Coffee in Bishop. That's where my kid's bar gets fresh beans wholesale. Or!! We could meet at the bar. It's 15 miles closer to the highway. Save you some driving and more fun.

I've known Joe, one of the owners at Mt Whitney, about ten years. Here he demonstrates a pour over. That's as unpretentious as it gets, and he uses the Hario kit I recommended above for a cheap gift. Remove the scale, timer, temp gauge and sometimes the carafe, and you have my simplified method.

 

[Chaos34]

Make sure you video record that experience for us.

This violates my witsec agreement

 

[Chaos34]

I had a Cuisinart grind and brew for more than 15 years. When that went belly up a few years ago, I spent a lot of time researching and end up buying this.

Drip Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe

Experience your favorite coffee at its best. Shop our drip coffee maker that includes a thermal carafe. Get free shipping on orders over $49!

www.breville.com

I just use a separate grinder.

I really like this one. Thought about it, but i just don't need it. I'm a single guy limiting it to 16 oz a day.

 

[urbanhack]

I had a Cuisinart grind and brew for more than 15 years. When that went belly up a few years ago, I spent a lot of time researching and end up buying this.

Drip Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe

Experience your favorite coffee at its best. Shop our drip coffee maker that includes a thermal carafe. Get free shipping on orders over $49!

www.breville.com

I just use a separate grinder.

I really like this one. Thought about it, but i just don't need it. I'm a single guy limiting it to 16 oz a day.

Same. Single and I drink about 20oz in the morning which equates to about 6.5 cups on their water meter. But I said **** it.

 

[Chaos34]

Here he demonstrates a pour over.

This is just in case, and if like Brony on the previous page, you take me up on fresh roasted beans from the little guys and don't like the coffee. Early in the demo above Joe talks about gassy beans tasting poorly. Your order can arrive "too fresh". The "legendary" pacamara from Stumptown did. On day five after roasting, it tasted a little like weak coffee and sour tea. I dumped it in a pie dish and let it breathe (finish gassing off) for a couple days, and it's really good now. The other order I made from JBC took longer to get here. I just brewed the $17 geisha and it's... trying not to gush... sweet like it has a lump of sugar in it. Definitely one of the best coffees I've had. So good I'm about to break my 16 oz a day rule and make more.

I think my work is done here. I'm interested to hear if any of you give a small roaster a try, but no biggie if not. I'll probably be back tho. I'm looking at black friday deals for espresso makers. Scratching an itch, I guess.

 

[massraider]

I'm looking at black friday deals for espresso makers

Share any finds, please and thank you

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I'm looking at black friday deals for espresso makers

Share any finds, please and thank you

Especially for the beans

 

[Chaos34]

I'm looking at black friday deals for espresso makers

Share any finds, please and thank you

Decisions decisions. I can't decide on budget, manual, auto, super auto, or brand. It won't be a $1500 Breville. Seems likely to be under $400, possibly under $100.

Top five premium entry-level machines

@$450 this Gaggia is the cheapest he reviews. It's not a BF deal, but has my attention. So does a super-auto Gaggia for $30 less. Premium entry level sounds like me.

On the budget end this DeLonghi Stelosa is an under $100 deal. There's a long review claiming with some effort and about $50 of accessories he's dialed it in for great espressos. I'm skeptical, but that might scratch the itch.

Between those two there's a couple by Phillips I've heard good things about, a bunch of offbranders I don't trust, etc.

Losing my enthusiasm a little.

 

[Chaos34]

After many hours of reading and watching, I've purchased four espresso machines. I need an intervention.

Three are gifts. For my 24 yr old bartending wannabe barista daughter, the Gaggia Pro Evo linked above. I got it for $399 from Whole Latte Love. She sat through a few youtubes with me and said it was the one I should get (for me). It comes with a massive community of nerd support, some cheap mods, and is built with commercial quality parts and design (allowing for those mods).

I also bought the Delonghi linked above, but found it "used-acceptable" in Amazon Warehouse for $54. I've had great luck buying things this way. I'll either gift it, keep it, or send it back.

I chuckled a bit as the Mr. Coffee kept coming up as a winner for the price. Then a bunch showed up in Amz Wrhs, so... keep, gift or return. $100. These were over $200 when I first saw them. There was also 11 at that price yesterday. Down to 2.

For the rich sis in Lake Tahoe this Gaggia for $229. They make horrendous coffee every morning with a french press. A weak weak dose of ancient beans bought from Costco in bulk hit with a blade grinder then boiling water and poured with gobs of sediment in their cups. Sad really. A french press can make great great coffee, but I don't know how to help them without being that guy. They love their mud. I pack my aeropress when I visit. The sis loves a cappuccino whenever we go out, so that will be my reason. If she enjoys it, she'll do more research and drop a couple grand on a super-auto, then ask me if I want this one back.