Tell me about your coffee maker
May 11, 2017 6:35 AM Subscribe
I need a new coffee maker, preferably one that I can set up the night before. It'd be great if it had an integrated grinder. Really looking for convenience over gourmet quality.
The kitchen is almost done! I had a cheapo Black & Decker under-the-cabinet coffee maker, purchased only because it saved valuable counter space. Now I have plenty of counter space, so can get whatever I want. Typically, I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, so 12-cup capacity would be plenty. Willing to spend $300. No Keurig or anything similar, please.
The kitchen is almost done! I had a cheapo Black & Decker under-the-cabinet coffee maker, purchased only because it saved valuable counter space. Now I have plenty of counter space, so can get whatever I want. Typically, I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, so 12-cup capacity would be plenty. Willing to spend $300. No Keurig or anything similar, please.
Best answer: Yes to the Cuisinart Grind and Brew. I love mine, it makes great coffee and it is easy to use.
posted by chocolatetiara at 6:48 AM on May 11, 2017
posted by chocolatetiara at 6:48 AM on May 11, 2017
Best answer: I'm not sure if you've had an automatic grinder in the past, but after a year of having the grinder wake me up 20 minutes early with it's god-awful noise, I went back to grinding the night before and a peaceful morning.. just food for thought...
posted by HuronBob at 7:24 AM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by HuronBob at 7:24 AM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: We have the DGB-650. It's fine, but here is a note about the thermal carafe. If you leave it full after brewing, it will stay piping hot for hours, but if you have a cup or so, it cools much more quickly.
posted by SemiSalt at 7:30 AM on May 11, 2017
posted by SemiSalt at 7:30 AM on May 11, 2017
Best answer: After going through several Mr. Coffee-level machines in several years, I figured it might be worth spending more money on something built out of better materials. I ended up with the OXO Barista Brain (I know, it's a terrible name). But it will brew 4 to 12 cups of coffee, it will heat water for tea, or it can brew some coffee and some hot water for tea. You can choose the temperature to brew, you can adjust the boiling point if you live at altitude, you can set it up on a timer the night before. It makes good coffee, and the thermal carafe keeps it reasonably hot for a reasonable amount of time.
It won't grind, but my feeling is that's best kept to a separate machine. I think it's functional and attractive. I'm embarrassed to have spent so much on a coffee maker, but I was sick of buying a new $30 machine every 2 years. Maybe the math will work out.
posted by rikschell at 8:30 AM on May 11, 2017
It won't grind, but my feeling is that's best kept to a separate machine. I think it's functional and attractive. I'm embarrassed to have spent so much on a coffee maker, but I was sick of buying a new $30 machine every 2 years. Maybe the math will work out.
posted by rikschell at 8:30 AM on May 11, 2017
Best answer: Cuisinart FTW. We had a Grind-n-Brew for years. The electronic brain of one died just before the warranty ran out, and Cuisinart sent us a new one. That lasted many more years, until the plastic seals stopped holding steam reliably. It still made a good cuppa', but it tended to steam up the underside of the cabinets. So we bought another Cuisinart, and if it ever dies, we'll certainly buy another one.
We drink a LOT of coffee, but never really got into the "Grind-n" part. It's noisy, messy and never seemed to do as good a job as a burr grinder. This is what we have now.
Cuisinart's coffee makers are the only home appliance I've ever written a letter to the manufacturer about. They're that good.
posted by spacewrench at 8:34 AM on May 11, 2017
We drink a LOT of coffee, but never really got into the "Grind-n" part. It's noisy, messy and never seemed to do as good a job as a burr grinder. This is what we have now.
Cuisinart's coffee makers are the only home appliance I've ever written a letter to the manufacturer about. They're that good.
posted by spacewrench at 8:34 AM on May 11, 2017
Best answer: Another vote for Cuisinart. Not that I am a coffee aficionado, but coming from a practical place, the lesser machines that I bought in the past just did not hold up, and had to be replaced a few times. The Cuisinart has held up for, oh, a decade I think, so I feel I've gotten my money's worth.
posted by vignettist at 10:29 AM on May 11, 2017
posted by vignettist at 10:29 AM on May 11, 2017
Best answer: We have the Breville with integrated grinding. Great piece of machinery. We've had it for 5 years and never a problem. We had a Breville blender stop working (after warranty expired) and the company sent us a brand new one.
posted by dripdripdrop at 12:25 PM on May 11, 2017
posted by dripdripdrop at 12:25 PM on May 11, 2017
Response by poster: Wow, pretty strong recommendations for the Cuisinart! Though the Breville units look nice, and make espresso and stuff, too. Pretty big price difference, for sure.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:59 PM on May 11, 2017
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:59 PM on May 11, 2017
We have a Bunn Velocity. Like this https://www.cnet.com/products/bunn-velocity-brew-bt/review/ It doesn't do anything but make coffee fast. It is always on with the hot water ready to go. You add your pot of water & the heated water becomes your coffee while the water you just added heats up to become the next pot. 8-10 cups in 3 minutes, so morning set-up is quick, esp since we use pre-ground coffee (the horror! but I hate the sound & mess of grinders.) It does require special Bunn filter, which are deeper than standard. We learned this after having a Bunn for 5 years.
posted by Nosey Mrs. Rat at 7:53 PM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Nosey Mrs. Rat at 7:53 PM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm going to be a contrarian.
This only works if you're making 1-2 cups of coffee at a time.
The most convenient setup is a Clever Coffee dripper. Cleanup is less than with a coffee maker because the coffee goes straight into your cup, no futzing with a carafe.
You're left with more counter space, less cleanup, no fuss.
posted by zippy at 10:25 PM on May 11, 2017
This only works if you're making 1-2 cups of coffee at a time.
The most convenient setup is a Clever Coffee dripper. Cleanup is less than with a coffee maker because the coffee goes straight into your cup, no futzing with a carafe.
You're left with more counter space, less cleanup, no fuss.
posted by zippy at 10:25 PM on May 11, 2017
We, too, gave up the morning grind because of the noise. We grind the beans when we're prepping the pot the night before. So, having said that, we dearly love our Zojirushi EC-BD15. (I think it's been replaced by another model but it looks like there's a direct equivalent.) Inexpensive ($60 !), well-made, excellent water temperature control, reliable, easy to clean, and a really good double-wall carafe. We've had a lot of coffee makers over the years here and at work and this Zojirushi is the only one that's so good that we bought a second one.
posted by introp at 7:52 AM on May 12, 2017
posted by introp at 7:52 AM on May 12, 2017
> The most convenient setup is a Clever Coffee dripper
Even more contrarian: I like instant. It started for convenience while camping, and then I realized Via is fine for daily drinking. I stock up at Costco when it's on sale.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:18 PM on May 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
Even more contrarian: I like instant. It started for convenience while camping, and then I realized Via is fine for daily drinking. I stock up at Costco when it's on sale.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:18 PM on May 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Got the Cuisinart, love it! Mine has a glass carafe and a heating element, and we cannot hear the grinder from the bedroom (though we can smell the lovely, lovely aroma of fresh-brewed coffee first thing in the morning). Thanks, Metafilter!
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:49 AM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:49 AM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
It has a hopper for beans, which some people don't like because they think the beans won't stay fresh, but honestly if you use it often enough the beans are gonna be just fine.
Thermal carafe so you don't have to worry about shutting it off. Once the coffee is made, it's off.
I'm not a super coffee snob but I do appreciate a good cup and, with some decent beans, this thing makes a really nice cup of coffee.
posted by bondcliff at 6:45 AM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]