Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with coffee and coffeemaker

Suddenly, bad coffee

adamrice — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:01:20 -0800

I have a Cuisinart coffee maker that went from making good coffee to making undrinkably bad coffee overnight. Why is this, and can we fix it? Things we have tried:
1. Open a new bag of beans. That's not it.
2. Clean out the coffee grinder as well as we can. That's not it.
3. Make coffee on our Aeropress. That tasted fine, so we're pretty sure it's not the beans or grinder.
4. Clean out the coffee maker with vinegar and water. No help.

The coffee the machine produces just tastes awful. My wife describes it as bitter and metallic, and she says that it has a slightly sandy consistency to it.

Our guess is that there's a dead bug in there, although we don't have any evidence of that. The machine (a Cuisinart model) is snap-together plastic mostly, and doesn't lend itself to disassembly, as far as we can tell. But if the only alternative is replacement, there's not much to lose.

How do I made delicious coffee?

InsanePenguin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:58:32 -0800

Coffeenewbfilter: Good, cheap coffeemaker? Instead of drinking Coke in the morning (irritates my acid reflux,) I've taken to drinking coffee (which I sort of had to force myself to like, but now I do.) Instead of spending money at Dunkin Donuts every morning, or god forbid, Starbucks, I've decided to buy a coffeemaker.

Problem is, I don't know anything about coffee or coffee makers. I like black coffee from Dunkin Donuts. That's pretty much the only coffee I've ever had, but I really enjoy it. How can I get this experience at home for less than $50? I don't need fancy, but I'd like a programmable one so I don't have to wake up earlier than I already have to for work.

Good coffee, in taste and price.

CrazyLemonade — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:54:02 -0800

What’s the best single serve coffee machine for around $100? I want to give one to my husband as a birthday gift, even though he’s a very occasional coffee drinker. I’d like for the machine to be able to brew different types and flavors of drinks. This is what I was going for (we tried it at our hotel room during our honeymoon last year), before my sister told me she tried this at a friend’s house and really liked it (I hate the design, and the price isn't great either, but it does seem to have more variety in the drinks options.....?).

I looked at this question, but it’s too old to matter; this question’s best answers go to pretty expensive machines or things that only make espresso.

I thought I’d ask you all what you thought before making any decisions.

RIP Coffee Maker, you will be missed

burntflowers — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:29:12 -0800

Help keep my household grumpy-free: recommend a coffee maker that won't give up the ghost after a handful of months. In the two 1/2 years that my husband and I have shared a home, we've gone through 4 coffee makers. The latest one just died this morning.

Each one seems to die the same death: the pump just stops working, usually part way through brewing the first pot of the day.

Do you have a coffee maker that's lasted for years and years? Who made it?

Alternatively, is there something we might be doing or not doing that's killing our poor coffee makers?

No more plastic in my coffee, please.

exacta_perfecta — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:42:13 -0800

I am looking for an electric coffee maker that is not made of plastic. I have found several that are "stainless steel" in the sense that they are plastic wrapped in steel, or the carafe is steel, but what I want is a machine that does not heat the water in plastic. The only thing I have found is a vacuum coffee maker made entirely of glass, but that's not really what I want. I'm also not interested in a French press or a Chemex. Please help!

Coffee, anyone?

mothershock — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:42:20 -0800

What is a good, cheap coffee-maker for someone who will only make coffee a few times a year? I prefer to get my caffeine delivered via Diet Coke, and I rarely drink coffee. My husband also does not drink coffee. So even though we are grown-up married people, with kids and a mortgage and everything, we do not own a coffee-maker. Consequently, when people come over for dinner or whatever and want coffee, they are out of luck, unless they are brave enough to attempt the execrable instant decaf Taster's Choice that my mother-in-law stashes in our freezer every time she comes to visit. My own parents are coming for a visit next week, and both of them are big-time coffee drinkers. I'm thinking rather than doom them to seven days of hiking to the corner deli for their morning coffee, I should probably just suck it up and purchase some kind of coffee machine to have at home.

So: suggestions? Something that isn't too big, too complicated (since I of course am clueless in the ways of coffee), or too pricey -- and that will make coffee good enough for those with a refined coffee palate?

Will my coffee maker burn my house down?

ecks — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:28:10 -0800

Will my coffee maker burn my house down? I left my coffee maker (Mr. Coffee, switch model) on with about a quarter pot's worth of coffee still in it. I won't be back home to turn it off for 3 days. It sits atop my microwave. How worried should I be of it starting a fire?

I need a new automatic coffeemaker

mosk — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:10:54 -0800

Yes, it's another coffee-related question: Our old Krups 10 cup drip brewer is finally showing its age (it pre-dates our 14 year marriage), and I would like to replace it with something at least as good, if not better. Should be simple, but... Replacement would be easy if I didn't care, but for better or worse I definitely care about our coffee maker. My wife and I like our coffee and like it strong, and no doubt would be coffee nerds if our schedules permitted it. Alas, with two small kids and two demanding jobs we're often very, very pressed for time in the morning. Our old Krups has given us fantastic value and still brews a decent cup of java, but it shows all the scars of 14+ years of near constant use, and I'd like to replace it with something better.

At first, I was convinced that one of the better grind-and brew machines would be a good choice, especially the Capresso 454 or 455, as it would allow us to automate the whole process, thus ensuring peace and happiness when our kids wake us up at the crack of dawn and we have to hit the ground running. However, after reading a slew of user reviews by some very picky people, I am less enthusiastic about this option: it seems these machines have a number of niggling problems and are hard to clean as well, and they don't work as well with dark roast beans. Furthermore, they require an autoclave to keep clean, and I don't want to spend several hundred dollars on a prima donna appliance.

Having accepted that I won't be buying a grind and brew machine, I did some reflection, went on a vision quest, consulted the augers, and now have a good idea of what I DO want in a new coffee machine:

1. It has to make a damn good cup of coffee.

2. It's gotta be well made.

3. It must be easy to clean.

4. It should be easy to use.

5. I don't need a ton of special features or bells and whistles. I won't be using it for espresso, and I don't need it to grind its own beans. I would like it to have a timer, but I suppose even that point is negotiable if the other points are covered; more on this below.

6. Glass carafe + warmer is fine; we don't leave the pot on all day, and we "only" brew about 7 cups in the morning, which we transfer to vacuum commuter mugs.

7. I know there are a lot of MeFi French press users, and if our morning environment were less hectic I'd be more inclined to consider one, but for purposes of this discussion a French press is not an option. I know, I know...I've read the other threads. But it's still not an option.

OK, so those are my "requirements," and the machines I keep coming back to are those made by Technivorm. Their machines seem otherwise perfect: well made, simple, and widely regarded as brewing an excellent cup or pot of coffee. My only hesitation is that none of their machines comes with a built-in timer, so I would need to add an external appliance timer if I want to live my simple dream of waking up to a freshly brewed pot of coffee. I would also need to grind my beans the night before and leave them in the basket, but I suppose I can accept this as well.

So...do any MeFites own a Technivorm? Given my list of wants, am I overlooking a better solution? There are an awful lot of coffee makers out there, but I want to buy a good one. From reading responses to other coffee-related threads I know that my love of coffee is positively pedestrian compared to some of you, so advise me: please recommend a coffeemaker that will meet my needs.

What's the best coffee-maker?

thinkpiece — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 05:42:06 -0800

CoffeeFilter: The best automatic maker, straight up -- no double-teaming, grinding or frothing -- please?

Has anyone tried cup at a time coffeemakers?

jeremias — Tue, 24 Feb 2004 06:55:45 -0800

Has anyone had any experience with these new coffeemakers that only brew one cup at a time? It seems like a good idea but I was wondering if the concept outstripped the reality.