drip coffee makers

**AFG** · 01-14-2010, 08:49 AM

I know drip coffee makers are not very popular here but with the cream and sweetner I add, I'm not sure I would see the advantage to anything but a good drip coffee maker. Anyone disagree? We're in need of a new one and I am thinking that maybe a better coffee maker would suit our needs.

**Tanksfurnutin** · 01-14-2010, 12:28 PM

I'm a big vac-pot fan so I have very little use for a drip maker except when we have company. Just before the holidays my wife broke the upper part of our vac-pot and at the same time our POS Mr. Coffee decided to die. Since people were coming for the holidays I needed to scramble and get something. So I went over to the Coffeegeek forum and searched around for awhile. Of course the top pick was Techinivorm but I couldn't get it in time. So after a lot of research I settled on a Bunn BTX drip.

The pluses are that it heats the water to the correct temperature for coffee and it is much cheaper than a Technivorm. The one problem is that it brews fast, too fast. The quick fix is to stick a couple of toothpicks into two of the five spray holes. The not so quick fix is to contact Bunn and they will send you a three hole spray nozzle. This will get the brew time to the desired four minute range.

The weird thing about this brewer is that it doesn't have a normal pour the water in and heat that water for your coffee. It actually has a holding tank that is constantly heating about 18 cups of water. So the water you measure out for your coffee and pour into the top of the brewer is just displacing the hot water from the holding tank. Kinda cool but weird.

If you are worried about wasting electricity there is a "vacation" switch that turns off this constant heating. However, it will take about 20 minutes to reheat the water in the holding tank.

I hope this helps.

**Commander Quan** · 01-14-2010, 01:10 PM

Unless your going to spend $200 or more on a drip machine, most mid level machines will brew about the same. Get one with the features you want like and insulated carafe and a timer. You will get the most improvement by getting a decent grinder and grinding fresh beans for each pot. I'd skip the machines that have the built in grinder though.

**Jasonian** · 01-14-2010, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Commander Quan

Unless your going to spend $200 or more on a drip machine, most mid level machines will brew about the same. Get one with the features you want like and insulated carafe and a timer. You will get the most improvement by getting a decent grinder and grinding fresh beans for each pot. I'd skip the machines that have the built in grinder though.

The Bunn domestic machine costs about half that and brews at the right temperature. No, it's not perfect. But it's better than Mr. Coffee.

**Moe** · 01-14-2010, 01:38 PM

No electricity or paper filters needed! Boil water in another pot and pour it in.

If you don't use electricity for your razor, why use it for your coffeemaker?

**KenS** · 01-14-2010, 02:21 PM

Here's what the "Drip Snobs :-) recommend;
http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.technivorm.php
They do work well, but may be just a tad expensive...
Ken
Who is quite happy with a French Press.

**StillShaving** · 01-14-2010, 10:05 PM

Besides the Technivorms, some of the Capresso drip makers are highly rated as well. The model I have has been discontinued, but I have been happy wiht it. If you are looking for a relative bargain, I would consider one of these refurbished models.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000063XHI/

**jherm77** · 01-15-2010, 02:29 AM

Nothing works as well as a Technivorm. They make wonderful coffee - yes, it's very noticable.. It's a very simple, yet well built machine. Expect it to last 20+ years with regular use - doesn't seem to expensive now!

**SiBurning** · 01-15-2010, 04:02 AM

Some home electric coffee makers are better than others, but they don't hold a candle to the simple Melitta manual pour over, which is under $20us. You do have to boil the water separately, and then you need to pretty much stay there because you need to pour water into the filter at least twice. I don't like the plastic filter holder, but any electric drip machine has plastic. For smaller pots, a ceramic filter holder that fits your cup is all you need. An all glass alternative is the Chemex, which uses lab grade filter paper (around 7 cents each) and filters out a lot more than any other filter.

I'd point out that there's some benefit to boiling most tap water before using it in coffee, such as getting rid of the chlorine, so don't just heat the water to temperature, but let it get to a full boil and leave it there a bit. A downside is I've fallen asleep with the kettle on.

**jherm77** · 01-15-2010, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by SiBurning

Some home electric coffee makers are better than others, but they don't hold a candle to the simple Melitta manual pour over, which is under $20us. You do have to boil the water separately, and then you need to pretty much stay there because you need to pour water into the filter at least twice. I don't like the plastic filter holder, but any electric drip machine has plastic. For smaller pots, a ceramic filter holder that fits your cup is all you need. An all glass alternative is the Chemex, which uses lab grade filter paper (around 7 cents each) and filters out a lot more than any other filter.

I'd point out that there's some benefit to boiling most tap water before using it in coffee, such as getting rid of the chlorine, so don't just heat the water to temperature, but let it get to a full boil and leave it there a bit. A downside is I've fallen asleep with the kettle on.

That's not true. Especially if you don't know what you are doing or why you are doing it. There are few subjects I am extremely knowledgeable on but coffee is one of them. I have about every "toy" in the hobby including the melita. It's a cheap and reliable brewer but not if you don't have the other variables taken care of. The Technivorm is one of the few (2 or 3 I think) home brewers certified by the SCAA to brew at the correct temperature. Every other brewers' water temp is just too low. This is important for proper extraction. Tasting is believing. Now the melitta is fine, but did you get the right brew temp? Did you grind right? What filter are you using? Is your coffee fresh? See all the variables? There's more...

In short, you can get just as good or even better brew from a Technivorm as a Melitta. Plus with the Technivorm you can get more than one cup. Suffice to say I am looking to give it away since I never use it. I press my single cups.

**brianw** · 01-15-2010, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by SiBurning

An all glass alternative is the Chemex, which uses lab grade filter paper (around 7 cents each) and filters out a lot more than any other filter.

Couldn't agree more... have used this for at least 30 years

**draysniro** · 01-15-2010, 07:04 PM

I use either a Keurig or French Press now, but when I use a drip I use the freebie from Gevalia. I personally think that it's a nice machine. You get something like a pound or two of coffee and a free coffee maker for around $15. Great deal if you ask me. Their coffee is pretty good too.

**SiBurning** · 01-15-2010, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by jherm77

That's not true. Especially if you don't know what you are doing or why you are doing it. There are few subjects I am extremely knowledgeable on but coffee is one of them. I have about every "toy" in the hobby including the melita. It's a cheap and reliable brewer but not if you don't have the other variables taken care of. The Technivorm is one of the few (2 or 3 I think) home brewers certified by the SCAA to brew at the correct temperature. Every other brewers' water temp is just too low. This is important for proper extraction. Tasting is believing. Now the melitta is fine, but did you get the right brew temp? Did you grind right? What filter are you using? Is your coffee fresh? See all the variables? There's more...

In short, you can get just as good or even better brew from a Technivorm as a Melitta. Plus with the Technivorm you can get more than one cup. Suffice to say I am looking to give it away since I never use it. I press my single cups.

Maybe you could clarify if I'm misunderstanding. I think the post is a little hastily put together. I haven't used a Technivorm because it doesn't seem right for me given its tradeoffs, which I describe below. I do agree you've pointed out things I missed. Maybe you could point out anything else. Here's how I understand it.

Technivorm gets temperature right. It's also more convenient than the Melitta. On Melitta's side is cost. Everything else is either a toss up (people do a lot of tweaking with brewing time on the Technivorm, but you need to do this on the Melitta, too), or you have the same issue with either.

The part about brewing one cup must be comparing to some of the smaller ceramic filter holders, since the Melitta holds 50 oz of coffee. Size is definitely an issue with ceramic filter holders because it's hard to find anything beyond a size 4.

**jherm77** · 01-15-2010, 08:46 PM

Hey Steve,

Didn't mean to discount your opinion, just wanted to clarify to those out there that might not know much about coffee. The Technivorm is actually a very simple, straight forward machine. Fill it up with the best water you can (I used bottled), grind your coffee to a medium grind (subjective, and I have a Mazzer Mini...a great grinder), use a good filter (I use a Swissgold reusable/gold filter), set the filter to medium or fast drip, place the thermal carafe under, and flip it on. In practice, very simple. It doesn't have a built in clock or radio, no musical chimes, just a hand made masterpiece that does one thing well...make coffee.

With that said, there are lots of ways to get a good cup including the melitta. I have a Cona vacuum pot that is a beautiful and romantic way of making coffee. Makes a very clean cup, but takes up to 30 minutes to do. Needless to say it's for company only. When brewing just for me, my french press provides an awesome start to my day. Don't even get me started on espresso!

**SiBurning** · 01-15-2010, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by jherm77

Hey Steve,

Didn't mean to discount your opinion, just wanted to clarify to those out there that might not know much about coffee. The Technivorm is actually a very simple, straight forward machine. Fill it up with the best water you can (I used bottled), grind your coffee to a medium grind (subjective, and I have a Mazzer Mini...a great grinder), use a good filter (I use a Swissgold reusable/gold filter), set the filter to medium or fast drip, place the thermal carafe under, and flip it on. In practice, very simple. It doesn't have a built in clock or radio, no musical chimes, just a hand made masterpiece that does one thing well...make coffee.

With that said, there are lots of ways to get a good cup including the melitta. I have a Cona vacuum pot that is a beautiful and romantic way of making coffee. Makes a very clean cup, but takes up to 30 minutes to do. Needless to say it's for company only. When brewing just for me, my french press provides an awesome start to my day. Don't even get me started on espresso!

Cool. Thanks.

Reminds me that the people I read about fussing over the brew time on the Technivorm are trying to match the coffee you get from being meticulous with other methods. And they say it does get there.

**jswhitley** · 01-15-2010, 10:27 PM

Not a drip, or french press, but i never hear anyone talk about a good Farberware Perculator, have mine and love it!

VR6ofpain · 01-15-2010, 11:30 PM

I really enjoy my BUNN. It is built to a much higher standard than all the POS Cuisinarts it replaced. Unlike the Chinese made Cuisinart, this BUNN is made in Canada. The carafe is actually made in Germany. The only downside is it uses a constant 40watts to keep the water in the insulated chamber 200F. The plus side is it brews up a pot of coffee in 1-3 minutes from start to finish, since the hot water is already ready. 1 minute for about 4 cups, while it takes a good 3 minutes for a full 10 cups. I have no regrets and don't actually see a difference in my power bill (40 watts isn't that much in reality).

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...5/product.html

**SUOrangeGuy** · 01-23-2010, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain

I really enjoy my BUNN. It is built to a much higher standard than all the POS Cuisinarts it replaced. Unlike the Chinese made Cuisinart, this BUNN is made in Canada. The carafe is actually made in Germany. The only downside is it uses a constant 40watts to keep the water in the insulated chamber 200F. The plus side is it brews up a pot of coffee in 1-3 minutes from start to finish, since the hot water is already ready. 1 minute for about 4 cups, while it takes a good 3 minutes for a full 10 cups. I have no regrets and don't actually see a difference in my power bill (40 watts isn't that much in reality).

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...5/product.html

MY grandma used one of those for years. She never had any complaints.

**tsmba** · 01-26-2010, 11:09 AM

I just got an order from Sweet Maria's and had them throw in one of the Clever Coffee cones. It really works well! Its very much like a Melitta or any other cone, except the Clever has a control that allows you to steep the grounds for whatever amount of time you choose before allowing it to drip out. It sits on the counter unilt you're ready to dispense, then when you place it atop a mug or carafe, it opens. Lifting the cone stops the flow.

I saw America's Test Kitchen Saturday and they should a similar gizmo for brewing tea.

**Jim** · 01-26-2010, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by tsmba

I just got an order from Sweet Maria's and had them throw in one of the Clever Coffee cones. It really works well! Its very much like a Melitta or any other cone, except the Clever has a control that allows you to steep the grounds for whatever amount of time you choose before allowing it to drip out. It sits on the counter unilt you're ready to dispense, then when you place it atop a mug or carafe, it opens. Lifting the cone stops the flow.

I saw America's Test Kitchen Saturday and they should a similar gizmo for brewing tea.

That sounds great Tom, I have foil plugging the holes in the Malitta cone to slow down the drip. I will get one on the next order from SM.
Thanks for the review.