Grace--Recommendations for coffeemaker?

[Pat]

Grace, which coffeemaker do you use? Is it any of the ones on sale (hopefully) at the 75% off sale at ourhouse.com?

[Grace]

Hi Pat!!

Gosh, now I'm really on the spot!! :o

Um, I use a Krups ProAroma. The main reason I got it is because it has a timer that you can set ahead of time and wake up to fresh coffee, but also because it got high marks from Cooks Illustrated. The kind of coffeemaker I want doesn't exist. The one that would probably make the best cup of coffee (and I'm talking machine here, not other methods), is the Bunn machine, believe it or not (it's ugly, looks like an institutional sort of machaine). The key is because it brews quickly (3 to 4 mins). Every other machine takes at least 10, and usually more like 13 or more minutes to brew a pot. The longer the brew, the more the beans are extracted, and the more bitter and strong the coffee. The Bunn is the only one with the preferable short cycle. But it also brews into a glass carafe that sits on a hot plate, so that kind of negates the good coffee - after 20 minutes the heat will break down the oils and ruin any coffee. I still considered buying it though, and I could transfer the coffee to a thermal carafe myself, but the Bunn didn't have the timer feature and that was important for me. (I make my husband breakfast at 6 a.m. every morning, and I HATE making coffee when I'm half asleep. I prefer to have it already waiting for me to start sipping when I walk into the kitchen! But that might not be an important feature to someone else.)

The other thing I wanted was one that brews into a thermal carafe (instead of the glass pot). But the thermal pots only have capacities of 8 cups. That's too small for me. My 12 cup is even too small sometimes when I have guests. (It's not really 12 cups you know - they're figuring like 6 ounce cups or something, and I don't know anyone who drinks out of a 6 ounce cup).

If Bunn (or anyone else, for that matter) made a machine that brewed in 3 to 4 minutes, into a 12 cup thermal carafe, and also had a timer feature that you could set ahead of time, THAT would be the machine I would buy!

Last night was supper club at my house, and because I wanted the coffee to taste extra good, I brewed it Melitta style - I have a large plastic cone that holds #6 size filters, I mill (in a mill, not a grinder) my beans medium fine (6 tblsp) and put the grounds into the filter, boil water on the stove, set the cone over the opening of the Nissan thermal server, and pour boiling water over. When you pour the boiling water over the grounds, you pour in a circular motion to make the grounds "swirl". When the water comes up to the top, you stop, wait about 10 seconds, and pour the rest of the water straight down the center. This is the "Melitta" style of brewing, "invented" by a guy named Melitta in Germany (they sell a brand of coffee and filters under this name too). This is the way I brew coffee when I take it out for taste samplings when I'm trying to make sales, too. It does make the nicest cup of coffee, in my opinion.

But for every day use, just for my husband and I, I am quite pleased with the Krups machine and would buy it again. (Assuming my dream machine described above still doesn't exist!) To offset the longer brew cycle on the Krups machine (or any machine besides the Bunn), I suggest grinding your beans (or having them ground at the store) slightly COARSER than you normally would think to. This will help prevent the overextraction that can take place with the longer brew cycle, and will give you a smoother, less bitter cup. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Sorry to be so long winded - I hope that answers your question!!

[ReneeV]

Hi Grace,
I had a Bunn for years and really enjoyed the coffee that it brewed. I too, wish that they would make a version that brewed in to a stainless steel carafe, instead of glass and a hot plate.

I don't believe they could make a version that operated on a timer, however. A Bunn has a heated water chamber. This is what allows the coffee to brew so quickly. The water that you pour into the pot replace already heated water in a holding chamber. When you pour the fresh, cold water into the holding chamber, it forces the previously heated water to drip through the coffee grounds.

This whole process only takes a couple of minutes, literaly, so the timer wasn't a big deal for me. (I wake up at 5:45 am, so I can relate to wanting your coffee pronto!) I would set the pot up the night before, placing the grinds in the basket. In the morning I would just pour the water in and I would have coffee in about 2-3 minutes.

I now have a pot with a timer which brews into a carafe. If Bunn ever made a carafe version, I'd drop my present coffee pot like a hot potato and buy a new Bunn.

Renée

[Grace]

Pat, the Krups ProAroma is available at ourhouse.com - here is the link:

http://www.ourhouse.com/cgi-bin/prod_detail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1167389653.099860 1800@@@@&BV_EngineID=dgalljlfdddebedcjfcfcim.0&fromCatOID=-95768&oid=339021

In case the link doesn't work, it's the third one (the one on the top right) on the page that shows all the coffee makers on sale. It's on sale for $29.99, which is a REAL BARGAIN! I paid full price ($99.95), and I had looked for it in several places before I bought mine, and found it on sale NOWHERE. I'm almost tempted to get another one just to have for the future.....but I probably won't. But it really is a good deal.

[jazzcat]

Grace, I noted on another thread that you sell coffee. Can you buy it on line? Seattle is a long way from CT!!!!!!!!!!

Pat, I also have the Krups and love it .

[Grace]

jazzcat, yes you can get our coffee from the website -

www.seattlesbestcoffee.com

It's really good stuff. And I'm not just biased!!!

[jazzcat]

Thanks Grace, Any recommendations or favorites?

[Grace]

Jazzcat,

It's all good - it would really depend on your tastes. If you like something a little lighter/sweeter, get the Colombian (it's REALLY good). For something medium, my suggestion would be either Seattle's Best Blend or Henry's. And if you like something darker, I would suggest Grand Central or 6th Ave. Bistro (the darkest - the one most similar to Starbucks).

Our organic line is out of this world, too, so you might want to try something there. You pretty much can't go wrong with any of the choices, so read the descriptions you'll find on the website, and choose the one that strikes your fancy. You won't be disappointed.

[jazzcat]

Grace, Thank you so very much for your ideas. Now, I'm so very curious, I'll have to try some. I'll let you know. Thanks again:)

[Pat]

Thanks for looking, Grace. That is a great deal and I am going to have to get one of those before my old coffeemaker dies and I have to go out and pay full price. EEEEEK!

My husband used to be in retail and we were trained to never pay retail!

[Curleytop]

I buy my Seattle coffee in Costco. They have a roaster right in the store, and roast if fresh every day. I usually buy Costa Rican
and the price is $5.99 for 2 whole pounds! ;)

[Grace]

Curleytop, the kind you are talking about is completely different from the actual brand name, Seattle's Best Coffee. I have seen what you buy at my Costco, and just so no one's confused, it isn't the same thing as Seattle's Best Coffee at all. Seattle's Best isn't sold in Costco or Sam's, or any discount store. It can be bought in our retail cafes or in some grocery stores and in lots and lots of wholesale accounts (i.e., bagel shops, coffee shops, restaurants, etc.). And of course, from the website! It is also served on Royal Carribbean Cruise Line, Alaska Airlines, all the McDonalds in the Northwest (Oregon, Washington, etc.), and too many more places to mention.