What's your favorite coffee maker?


 
After spending some time in coffee-crazy Melbourne, AUS, I came back to USA & just bought a Rancillio Silvia espresso machine.

The art of espresso making has a lot in-common with BBQ. Tons of reading, tons of trial & error, tons of finding the perfect beans/grinder/temps(BBQ=meat/rub/temps), etc... Much like I when I first bought a smoker, there's a whole world of coffee I had no idea about.
 
An update,
I bought the AeroPress and have been drinking the best coffee I've ever made!

Thanks Kevin K for your rec on this great product!
And it's made in the USA, just like Weber grills/smokers!!
 
We have been using the Clever Coffee Dripper from Sweet Marias. It makes a good cup of coffee and cleanup is a breeze compared to a French press. My wife does not drink coffee so it is perfect for me.
 
For everyday ease of use or when we have company, there is no substitute for our Bunn.

On the weekends when we want a special treat, the French Press it is.

For extra power in the morning during the work week, I use a macchinetta. It makes about 14oz of extra strong coffee.
 
How about this?
Cheap and easy to keep clean.

Tom
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I got a bunn once for a wedding gift and did not like it. It always is heating water so you pay for it more.
 
Bought an $80 Cuisinart machine from Goodwill last year for $2.50. Cleaned it up good and ran a couple of pots of 5 to 1 ratio of water to white vinegar through it to get it really clean, followed up by 4 pots of just plain water through a white filter so I could see if any residual gunk was present. Bought a filter basket holder for it from Cuisinart's website($16), and it now brews like a champ. If it dies tomorrow, I have gotten my money's worth!
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I am one of those coffee geeks roasting, grinding and brewing my own beans. Got the cuisinart grind and brew (the chopper type) as a christmas gift 6 years ago, i make at least one pot a day never had a problem, it does require a fair amount of cleaning due to the grinder before each brew, noise really isn't a problem, it has never woke me up but i love waking to the smell of fresher than you could ever imagine buying coffee floating through the house. If anyone is interested in home roasting i use coffee bean corral these guys are great, they have all the information you need to get started, as well as a great selection of beans and equipment, you really don't need anything special to get started.
 
For all you french pressers out there, how are you grinding your beans? I just got a french press to make iced coffee for the summer and have been using my Braun blade grinder with limited success. I always up with the fines making a sludge in the bottom of the cup. Looks like I need to get a Burr mill but want to know if anyone uses anything different before dropping the $.

Thanks
 
I use a blade in Okla and when I travel, a burr in Fla.

Don't overfill. While pressing the On button, shake the mill briefly twice or thrice during grinding. For my mill I grind maybe 10 seconds.
 
@ Alan, I use the Cuisinart Supreme Grind burr grinder. It's not a conical grinder but for $35-$50 it works well enough for me and I always get a little bit of sludge in the bottom of my cup.
 
Originally posted by Alan Dively:
For all you french pressers out there, how are you grinding your beans? I just got a french press to make iced coffee for the summer and have been using my Braun blade grinder with limited success. I always up with the fines making a sludge in the bottom of the cup. Looks like I need to get a Burr mill but want to know if anyone uses anything different before dropping the $.

Thanks
Click to expand...

We use a burr grinder set to a medium grind for general, everyday use. I've found that no matter where I set it, there is always some sludge in the bottom of the cup, so in my experience, it's just how it is.
 
I enjoy one or two cups of very strong coffee in the morning. I really want to taste the coffee. I've done drip and still hake a Keurig that I use for hot water for Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Italian Roast Extra Bold Coffee. It's a little pricey, but I recommend giving it a try.
 
At Work - we recently got a big Keurig:

The clean-up is a snap, so you really do not need to worry about the slobs who do not know how to clean-up after themselves.

If you're the only coffee drinker in the house, one of these may fit the bill.

You cannot directly adjust the strength of the brew. However, I have noticed very CONSISTENT results. It seems that there are a few tricks to getting a cup that suits your taste - here are my thoughts:

-Try a big variety of coffees. Some you will like / some, not so much.
-Once you find the ones you like, play with the brewed size. If it's too strong in an 8-oz selection, try the same in 10-oz and vise-versa.
-None of them really seem to make a nice, big, travel-mug size in a single shot. So, if that's what you're after, probably not such a great idea
 
Can't beat a good Bunn, I've had this coffee maker for 15 years, about every 3 or 4 years I take it in and have it de-limed, if figure it will last forever and makes a pot in 3 min
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You gotta have a burr grinder with a press. Baratza sells refurb Barista's for under $100 (they made them for Starbucks)
Originally posted by Alan Dively:
For all you french pressers out there, how are you grinding your beans? I just got a french press to make iced coffee for the summer and have been using my Braun blade grinder with limited success. I always up with the fines making a sludge in the bottom of the cup. Looks like I need to get a Burr mill but want to know if anyone uses anything different before dropping the $.

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
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