Kerig Coffee Makers suck

[126coupe]

In the market for something that does both american coffee and expresso/cappuccino

Good quality, no chinese

[gamin]

Cheap Mr. Coffee works fine and they last forever. Never heard of a Kerig coffee maker. Keurig maybe? And they work fine as well.

[pete3799]

Can't keep a coffee maker going around here. Didn't get quite a year out of the last one (Mr. Coffee). Got a Hamilton Beach and we're on the first week with it.....hasn't crapped out yet.
Don't do the expresso/ cappuccino thing so can't help there.
Hoping for a good barn find one but no luck so far.

[mreid]

Get a french press. How much petroleum resin and other harmful chemicals do you consume with those plastic single serving inserts? Can't be good.

[techweenie]

I'm at about 24 years on my Krups. The little 'bladder' on/off switch is starting to go.

So I'm shopping for one, too.

There seem to be few industrial designers employed in this sector.

[Rick V]

Our old faithful coffee pot broke this morning, really really bad timing......

[schamp]

I have a Krupps. It has a grinder and makes good coffee. The only knock on it is it only makes 10 cups. My last coffee maker with a grinder didn't make it a year. Made by Phillips.

[onlycafe]

krups... used to be made in switzerland, now in china.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by mreid

Get a french press. How much petroleum resin and other harmful chemicals do you consume with those plastic single serving inserts? Can't be good.

Exactly. They're convenient but horribly wasteful from the single-serve cup insert things (which are quite expensive per cup as you might expect) to the "vampire power" consumption of having the heating element more or less warmed up all the time.

They are convenient and clean which explains their appeal for offices and hotel lobbies but yes they're very wasteful (and costly). A good burr grinder and a French press will do you quite well.

If you MUST use a Keurig, they do make an insert thingy that's reusable and you can put your own ground beans into which is nice and cuts down in the wastefulness, but it's not a 100% perfect fit and you do have to clean it and dispose of the grounds. I got a Keurig for my birthday last year and although I really don't like it all that much, the insert that allows me to use home grinds of whatever beans I want without the wastefulness makes it tolerable. I also turn it off - all the way off (not just in sleep/standby mode) which helps and makes it more or less comparable to any other coffee maker.

[VINMAN]

I use the refillable insert with my kuerig. works out pretty good

[James Brown]

i like the bunn coffee maker with a carafe, takes 3 minutes to make 10 cups of coffee. about $100

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by mreid

Get a french press. How much petroleum resin and other harmful chemicals do you consume with those plastic single serving inserts? Can't be good.

Amen. Bodum french press, never looked back.

[porsche4life]

Yup.... I got a bodum Columbia for Xmas.... All stainless so über durable, and double walled so it keeps it warm for most of the morning.

[wdfifteen]

I like my Saeco.

[Jferr006]

I was a faithful Keurig user for years but the damn. Things break all the time and the cups are wasteful.
I've been using this for a year and I love it. It's cheap so I don't expect it to last forever we but, ill happily buy another.
Hamilton Beach Single Serve Scoop Coffee Maker:Amazon:Kitchen & Dining

[Shuie]

Here's my coffee brewing rig. I coarse grind the whole bean coffee at the store. More manual work than an auto drip, but it's easy to use, easy to clean, doesn't take up a lot of space, cheap, and has made thousands of cups of really good coffee without issue. I doubt that any of this was made in America. My coffee beans are also not made in America.

[rusnak]

I spend about 4 months or more of the year working outdoors. One of the things that I have found to help motivate the crew, especially in the dead cold of winter, is to provide free coffee. Good coffee.

I buy Starbucks french roast and brew it in a gallon sized percolator. My backup is the Keurig with a case of K-cups from Costco. I have the Keurig that is like a commercial coffee maker. It's heavy, large, and says "engineered for continuous use". I estimate that it's made probably 8 or 9 cases of coffee by now. The reason I have the Keurig is that when the large coffee maker is empty, you don't always have the time or reason to brew a whole pot of coffee. And even more importanly, it's worth the extra pennies per cup to not have to wait around for coffee to brew when you have work to do and you don't want yourself or your employees to wait around not being productive.

When at home, and I have time to waste making coffee, I use a burr grinder from Bodum, grind my whole bean coffee, and use a cone filter coffee maker that you pour hot water into. Coffee stays in contact with water longer, more flavor is extracted, and it's much easier to clean up than a french press.

[mreid]

Originally Posted by rusnak

When at home, and I have time to waste making coffee, I use a burr grinder from Bodum, grind my whole bean coffee, and use a cone filter coffee maker that you pour hot water into. Coffee stays in contact with water longer, more flavor is extracted, and it's much easier to clean up than a french press.

I guess we'll just have to disagree on your last two points. No maker keeps the water in contact longer than a French press. Let it steep as long as you want before you depress the plunger. Also, a simple rinse in the sink and it's clean.

I will completely agree on the Starbucks French roast! Every morning, extra rich!

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by mreid

I guess we'll just have to disagree on your last two points. No maker keeps the water in contact longer than a French press. Let it steep as long as you want before you depress the plunger. Also, a simple rinse in the sink and it's clean.

I will completely agree on the Starbucks French roast! Every morning, extra rich!

No no. I agree that the french press keeps grinds in contact the longest. I was meaning that the cone filter keeps it in contact longer than a automatic drip. I pour about 10 oz of water in and stir. There is a thing as too much contact with water, making coffee bitter. The best coffee that I've had used a vacuum from heating the water. It was a strange complicated beast that makes great coffee.

[mreid]

I've seen the vacuum maker. Very cool, but pricey! The challenge with a French press is a combination of grind (not too fine), water temperature (pour the water just before a complete boil), and steep time (pour the water, stir to raise the crema, press, and pour). I think I finally figured out the combination for me. Your mileage may vary. Happy coffee drinking. One of the finer things in life.