# Coffee Maker Recommendations



## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Here's one for the coffee drinkers among us....

I am growing increasingly frustrated over the quality of coffee makers the past few years. We currently have a stainless Krups model with the insulated carafe (no heating element). The problem is, the coffee has never been hot enough for our liking. I suspect the problem is not in the carafe, but in the way it heats the water.

Can anyone recommend a carafe-style coffee maker that makes nice, HOT coffee...not kind-of-hot-but-you-better-drink-it-fast-before-it-cools coffee?

Thanks in advance for the advice.


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## Pleasant McIvor (Apr 14, 2008)

I recommend Bunn wholeheartedly: https://www.bunnomatic.com/retail/products/nhb.html

I don't know the science of it, but a retired brewmaster recommended Bunn to me, because it brews at exactly the correct temperature. I do know that it makes the best drip coffee I've ever tasted. I even converted my father away from his beloved French Press.


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## OneEyeMan (Aug 23, 2009)

A friend of mine, who is a coffe nut, (he even roasts his own beans) says that the top rated coffee maker (and the one he uses) is Technivorm.

Lenny


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## KennethB (Jul 29, 2009)

A press-pot, or French press, is the way to make coffee:
https://www.google.com/products?hl=...a=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=9

Probably won't be as hot as you like.


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## Dr. François (Sep 14, 2008)

I have given up on coffee-making appliances and switched to a Melitta filter and an electric kettle. 
https://shop.melitta.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=64+007&Cat=
Coffee appliances, in my opinion, do little more than heat and transport water to the coffee grounds. Gravity does the rest.
Great machines regulate water temperature very carefully. Horrible machines over-heat (rare) or under-heat (common) water, causing off-flavor extraction. 
I like Bunn makers, but my water kettle ($26) and Melitta filter ($3) do an excellent job for just under 30 bucks.


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## jblaze (Oct 6, 2009)

*French Press...*

Initially, I used a Mr. Coffee type maker, which I found did not heat the water enough to properly brew the coffee. After that, I switched to an electric kettle and Melita filter. That was great, but I wanted to see if a french press would taste better, so I just purchased a Bodum Chambord 
https://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Chambord-8-Cup-Coffee-Press/dp/B00005LM0S

It definately makes a great cup of coffee. I like the taste better, as the coffee seeps in the water for ~4 to 5 minutes, instead of >1 minute in the Melita. I still use my electric kettle to heat the water and once you are done with the press, you can pour the coffee into a thermos or insulated carafe.

The one thing to keep in mind with French Press coffee is that it does have more coffee silt than paper filtered coffee.


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## Pr B (Jan 8, 2009)

*Consumer Reports*

Consumer Reports recommends:

Score of 93: Hamilton Beach Brew Station 47454 ($80)
91: Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 ($100)
83: Michael Graves 40304 ($40)
80: Oster Counterforms 4281 ($80)
79: Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 ($90)
76: Mr. Coffee JWX27 ($40)
74: DeLonghi Multi DCF-212T ($50)

We have the Cuisinart. Are happy with it. It replaced a Braun we used for many a year, but which lacked an automatic turn-off.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

...and here's a second endorsement for Bunn coffee makers. For commercial use or for the home, there are none better!


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

We recently bought a Cuisinart model on a recent trip to Costco. It has a glass carafe, but it has a timer (which I never use...I like to brew right after I grind beans) and you can control the heating element temperature. It makes a pretty good cup of Joe. Hey...at $40...if it angers me at some point (which all coffee makers seem to do), I won't feel guilty if I kick it to the curb!


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## Hanzo (Sep 9, 2009)

I got tired of them all, including the French press so just decided to make it retarded simple.

Grind your beans, put them in a container, pour in hot water, wait, pour the water through some sort of straining device (I use a mesh strainer over a gold filter) into some sort of container, usually a thermos.

Your regulate how long the grinds stay in the water as well as how course or fine of a grind you want and don't get the silt that you do from a French press and its significantly cheaper.


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## sko (Jul 1, 2009)

I have a french press, which I normally use for company or when I'm just in the mood, and an electric percolator, both of which makes a great cup of coffee, IMHO. And both result in coffee that's plenty hot for me. Coffee from the french press just can't be left to sit too long because it's not insulated (though I thing you can get double walled presses), otherwise it will get cold and bitter. The percolator is insulated and is really just a modified electric kettle, so I guess the water gets as hot as what you'd get off the stove.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I need a coffee maker. A French press is nice, but can be quite strong and bitter. So, going with my philosophy of KISS, I'm going to get a Bunn based on the recommendations here. Thanks!


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

I have had a Sunbeam expresso machine, it was their basic model marked down at the time to $200 Oz which we bought in 2003 it made a great coffee. Recently ungraded to a Breville Fresca Expresso machine with built in grinder, and it makes a hell of difference with fresh ground coffee. 

Prior to the Sunbeam we used Bialetti stove top pots for over twenty years. As for percolators, I find they stewe the coffee, and drips well they never provided the appropriate kick start first thing in the morning. 

A friend of mine has a small French press which he takes away on business with him which he finds delivers an acceptable cup, personally I think with the profusion of coffee bars in the major urban centers its just as easy to find one and stick with it when traveling. Mind you I have been buying ground coffee from the same firm in Kings Cross for the past thirty years.


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

Bunn is a fine coffeemaker, but it's basically a commercial machine built for places that make a 50 pots of indifferent coffee a day. If you like the coffee at your local deli, it's probably made by a Bunn. If money is no object, by all means, go for it. But don't assume just because they're expensive, they must be better. The Bunn machines I'm familiar with don't provide any more ability to adjust brewing or flavor than any home machine does. They're basically just a standard self-boiling drip filter coffee maker, albeit a very well-made one designed for making thousands of cups of coffee between replacements.


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

Capresso makes a nice machine.


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## Pleasant McIvor (Apr 14, 2008)

JerseyJohn said:


> The Bunn machines I'm familiar with don't provide any more ability to adjust brewing or flavor than any home machine does.


I've never heard of this tactic before. My Bunn makes delicious coffee, and I can tweak the flavor by adjusting the ratio of beans to water. How does a machine do this differently?

By the way, the Bunns spoken of here are home machines, not office ones: https://www.bunnomatic.com/RETAIL/products/nhb.html


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

I've been trying to find a simple coffee maker for my mother. I wanted to get her a Braun like I have, with no bells or whistles or timers, but the only place with them in stock wants $100. I paid $30 for mine.


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

My parents bought their first Bunn in 1977. They are now on their third Bunn coffee maker. They have had just three coffee makers in 32 years, Bunns last a long time.


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## PKJR (Nov 7, 2009)

Capresso MT-500 10-Cup Electronic Coffeemaker with Thermal Carafe - highly recommended


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## Longhorn212 (Apr 28, 2005)

OneEyeMan said:


> A friend of mine, who is a coffe nut, (he even roasts his own beans) says that the top rated coffee maker (and the one he uses) is Technivorm.
> 
> Lenny


Second that. Owned one now for about a month. Key is it gets the water just right temp, apparently built to last. Only complaint is small capacity - 10 euro cups - or about 6 US ones!


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## Pink and Green (Jul 22, 2009)

I am incredibly lazy, so I opt for a Keurig.

I also like over-doctored up flavored coffees at a mild temperature, so take from that what you will.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Nothing wrong with a café mocha here and there.


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## AscotWithShortSleeves (Apr 12, 2009)

I love using a French press, which has to be the simplest mechanism there is. To prevent bitterness, you have to make sure the water is not quite boiling, and you can't let it brew (sit) for more than a minute or two.

I also filter out even more sediment by adding an unbleached paper coffee filter (the huge kind they make for the Bunn-type commercial machines) below the circular metal filters. This also keeps the metal filters very clean and removes the oils that have been associated with higher LDL (bad) cholesterol with very heavy consumption of French press or boiled coffee.


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## Baywulf (Nov 5, 2008)

Pink and Green said:


> I am incredibly lazy, so I opt for a Keurig.
> 
> I also like over-doctored up flavored coffees at a mild temperature, so take from that what you will.


I also opt for the Keurig as it makes one cup at a time. I don't do the flavored coffees, but some of their regular coffees are quite good.


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## david432598 (Jan 12, 2010)

French press.

they are the best.


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