Coffee Maker

[dowjr1]

Been wanting to up my coffee game of late. I have a decent coffee maker now but would like to hear from the real coffee hounds about what coffee make they have, want, or love.

[polarbear]

I've owned a number of coffee machines over the years
The full auto ones never seem to make a brew the way I like it and the more manual ones are too much dicking around for my early morning brain
I ditched my espresso machine a few years back and bought a decent French Press and haven't looked back
While the quality of the brews I get out of it isn't as good as my last few machines, the quality vs effort ratio is much higher
I also have a Nespresso Machine that doenst get much use unless I have a few people over for breakfast and it works well enough

[forgop]

I researched for awhile and bought this about a year and a half ago.

OXO On Barista Brain 9 Cup Coffee Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YEYKK8U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yzlozbHBMW6GT

Seems to be the the best value for the high end makers and works great. The list price was the $200, but I'm thrifty and bought it with a 20% off coupon and found a discounted gift card where I knocked off another $30-40.

My all-time favorite coffee is cold brewed though.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[mcease022]

Chemex pour over coffee. Nothing better for drip. 

[dicko]

I've got the entry level Sunbeam espresso maker at home. It makes a decent espresso and has been durable ( I replace every 2-3 years daily use more for a refresh). Only thing is it doesn't have the pressure of higher end machines so I can't grind the beans as fine. But for $170 its a bargain.

For my taste you can't beat an espresso style coffee (im talking with or without milk).

I also have a Breville smart grinder that I've dialed in. around $200.

Also at home I have a vietnamese style drip coffee maker and vietnames or thai coffee for a change of pace.

For the office we have an American style drip coffee 12 cup. Makes an OK coffee. cheap and easy.

[Philc2001]

17 minutes ago, forgop said:

I researched for awhile and bought this about a year and a half ago.

OXO On Barista Brain 9 Cup Coffee Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YEYKK8U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yzlozbHBMW6GT

Seems to be the the best value for the high end makers and works great. The list price was the $200, but I'm thrifty and bought it with a 20% off coupon and found a discounted gift card where I knocked off another $30-40.

My all-time favorite coffee is cold brewed though.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

Bought my OXO Barista Brain late last year. There are some great things I like about it: 

1- Makes a good tasting pot of coffee. It heats the water to the exact brewing temperature for best coffee flavor

2- It has a thermal carafe that keeps the coffee hot for hours, without burning it (there is no heater element under the pot)

3- Looks pretty modern 

[El Presidente]

I have used some cracking commercial machines and nothing really comes close to a proper well made commercial coffee. 

At home I have had $2500 machines heavy duty and light commercial machines.......but do you really want to make 12 coffees at a dinner party...plus tha maintenance and the clean up 

$100 quality 10 cup stove top.  A $60 smaller version when just for Di and I. 

[scap99]

26 minutes ago, mcease022 said:

Chemex pour over coffee. Nothing better for drip. 

I'll second that.  It is all I use.

 

[archosaur]

I went to manual pour over coffee about a year ago. I use a cheap Hario ceramic dripper, takes a bit more time and effort than a machine but well worth it imo. You can really fine tune your cup. With this setup it also helps being the only coffee drinker in the house.

Not sure where your overall game is at, but my recommended first step would be to always source freshly roasted beans, invest in a quality grinder and only grind right before brewing.

The Technivorm machines seem popular in 'third wave' coffee circles, but I have no experience with them.

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[NSXCIGAR]

If you make one or two cups at a time a Keurig machine is a great option. It's cheap, reliable and super cost-effective. 

I never wanted one of those pod or cup coffeemakers as I like to buy beans and grind myself, but once I realized they have the little baskets for your own ground coffee I decided to try a Keurig 7 years ago and it worked really well, but the coffee was a bit weak and the max cup size was 10 oz.

Then I got the Keurig K525C last year for $100 at Costco and what an improvement over the old Keurig. Works great, coffee is strong and brews larger cups. I hate the pre-made pods or cups, but a few teaspoons of my own fresh ground coffee into the basket filter pod and 60 seconds later a cup is ready. Temp control, strength control, cup size control. A pound of coffee lasts me for weeks at 2-3 cups per day minimum. Paid for itself in coffee savings already.

[planetary]

36 minutes ago, archosaur said:

The Technivorm machines seem popular in 'third wave' coffee circles, but I have no experience with them.

Yep. That's a great coffee maker.  I do Chemex pour-over when it's just my wife and I.

[Wertman]

I just got a nespresso off of craigslist.  It was 50 dollars and makes an awesome coffee and Expresso with a ton of crema.  Totally worth it highly recommend

[PartagasIV]

Technivorm, plus fresh beans and burr grind before brewing.

I do Nespresso when I don't have time, but it's comparatively disgusting. Efficient, but meh.

[dicko]

2 hours ago, archosaur said:

Not sure where your overall game is at, but my recommended first step would be to always source freshly roasted beans, invest in a quality grinder and only grind right before brewing.

 

This is great advice no matter which way you go contraption wise.

[Gargano]

This looks interesting. https://www.orendacoffee.com

I am waiting for it to release & see some reviews.

[fentp]

Delonghi magnifica works well for me. Grinds the beans on the fly and makes a great coffee once you set it for your taste. 

[kalibratecuba]

Technivorm, as mentioned above, is a great mocha coffee make. The Jura home barista machines are awesome at dialing in single cup preferences. I like the pour over method when have the time but usually go with the Breville. It grinds the beans as well.

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[HavanaSunday]

I second all of the responses for pourover and chemex, and add the aeropress to the list.  All methods are useless without quality fresh ground coffee. 

If you're not interested in the above methods, Bonavita 8 Cup Brewer is a solid and inexpensive option.  No bells or whistles, just perfectly tempered water showering (mimicking pourover) into a stainless non-heated carafe.  Still, not the same results as a pourover cup.

[mdinius]

Switched to a french press around christmas last year and I haven't looked back. Like the other posts, a quality burr grinder and freshly roasted beans make all the difference.

With it already feeling like summer, I've been tuning my cold brew. Anyone here have a great process for cold brew? I've used my french press and tried filtering through a sieve so far, but I might switch to a toddy system or just use mason jars and a pour over to filter (pour over could be used for hot too obviously).

[nullenvoid]

10 minutes ago, HavanaSunday said:

I second all of the responses for pourover and chemex, and add the aeropress to the list.  All methods are useless without quality fresh ground coffee. 

If you're not interested in the above methods, Bonavita 8 Cup Brewer is a solid and inexpensive option.  No bells or whistles, just perfectly tempered water showering (mimicking pourover) into a stainless non-heated carafe.  Still, not the same results as a pourover cup.

I second the aeropress.

[tsolomon]

I switched to pour over earlier this year and couldn't be happier with my current cup of coffee.  https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/clever-coffee-dripper-large

After years of looking for the best roasted coffee and continually upgrading my setup, I have settled on the following:.

Behmor 1600 Plus for roasting coffee beans

Rocky Rancillo for grinding the beans 

Coffee Gator Pour Over Kettle to heat the water

Clever Coffee Dripper 

 

[Blazer]

10 hours ago, polarbear said:

I've owned a number of coffee machines over the years
The full auto ones never seem to make a brew the way I like it and the more manual ones are too much dicking around for my early morning brain
I ditched my espresso machine a few years back and bought a decent French Press and haven't looked back
While the quality of the brews I get out of it isn't as good as my last few machines, the quality vs effort ratio is much higher
I also have a Nespresso Machine that doenst get much use unless I have a few people over for breakfast and it works well enough

Ditto. I had a gorgeous manual Pasquini espresso machine and a Rancillo Rocky grinder and just got tired of the hassle & mess to make espresso drinks. Next, we went with the fully automatic Jura 9, which made garbage quality espresso, especially for the price of that unit. Bought a french press and have never been happier. During the winter I make hot coffee and during the summer I use it to make cold brew coffees and lattes. This morning I had a cold brewed white chocolate latte, yum. 

[BrightonCorgi]

I have owned a Rancilio espresso machine grinder setup for 20+ years.  Both pieces are still working great, but as Blazer mentioned, it's messy and I just don't make it that often

A french press and a good burr grinder is all you need.  Alessi make nice french presses, and Rancilio or Mazzer make heirloom quality grinders.

[JamesKPolkEsq]

Aeropress is a fun contraption that makes great coffee VERY quickly. It seems like a gimmick, until you use one. Worth the $20 it costs online to buy one to try.

The best coffee depends on your taste:

Sweet - Espresso

Oily - French Press

Smooth - Pour-Over Ceramic or Chemex

Heavy - Cold Brew (New Orleans Style)

For my money, the best tasting coffee always comes from a affordable pour over drip setup (one cup at a time). Use much more ground coffee than you think you need and use less water when brewing! More grounds = better brew. Make it strong as the devil and if you want more volume of coffee, add hot water to the brew at the end (ala Cafe Americano).

The reason for this approach: The most desirable flavors (to most) are extracted / washed off the coffee first. The best caffeine / oils / sugars all come off the coffee within the first 40 seconds of exposure to 195F-200F water, which is why espresso is so excellent tasting. When you pour over, though, you can't force the water through as quickly, and have to increase water exposure time and volume.

After this initial ideal extraction period, you start to extract the less water soluble compounds - mostly bitter polysaccerides / phytocompouds - that make the brew start to taste acrid and bitter. If that's to your taste (say you love French Press), great, but IMHO it fouls the cup. 

Source: Protein Chemist with 10 years chromatography experience and former barista

 

[Phillys]

For espresso, I have a Rancilio Silva, great machine, the quality of the coffee is still really dependent on the quality of the burr grinder (mine is great). I am think9ing about installing a PID on it to better control temps. The only downside to the Silvia is that it is not a double boiler, so making more than one cappuccino takes a while if you keep switching from brew to steam, but I rarely make lattes/cappuccinos.

I have a Bialetti stovetop, works well, makes good coffee.

French press that I have had for 20 years can't see the brand, my dad bought it in Europe, works like a charm!

I think that no matter how much you spend on the coffee maker, the quality of the grinder is more important as uneven grinds will ultimately lead to a suboptimal brew. especially in French press and espresso. I own two grinders, one for espresso and one for larger grinds. My espresso grinder has infinite settings for the burrs and it takes a good 15 minutes to go from super fine to coarse. When I would switch to coarse, it would take forever to find the perfect setting for the Rancilio, so I bought a second one for coarser grinds.