Recommendations for an inexpensive coffeemaker?

My 45 year old GE electric perk isn't what it used to be (everyone must be aghast at that first line!), and I've got to find something that will make me a decent cup of joe. I stopped using the drip style coffee makers about 10 years ago because it's impossible to thoroughly clean the internal hoses and plastic parts, so the remnants of foreign organic things that crawl in there, remain there.

I'm not sure whether to get a cheap French press, go the "pour the coffee directly over the grinds" route, buy a drip coffeemaker, or one of those Krups one cup machines. Years ago, I read in the alt.coffee binary newsgroup that whatever you buy, try to get something that's metal because it can warm the coffee several degrees hotter than anything that's plastic, and that would be a more ideal brewing temperature.

https://www.amazon.com/Clever-Coffee-Dripper-Large-Ounces/dp/B00EOM5RN0

Someone else makes a ceramic version, but the "inexpensive" goes away

Bill

Cuisinart makes excellent drip coffee makers, including an all in one model that grinds beans and brews, and can be set to a timer.

French press is the way to go, unless you want to splurge $30 and get an aeropress: https://www.amazon.com/Aeropress-Coffee-and-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK

My wife is a great coffee maker, but sure has not been cheap!

Definitely get yourself a French press. The only downside of this is that you will get some bitterness & a couple of grounds toward the bottom of the cup. But, it's a much simpler route to go and your coffee will be richer & tastier and over time you will perfect your brew relative to amount of coffee & brewing time. Similar to DE shaving, the lower-tech approach is really the best approach. Relatedly, if you don't have a hot-water kettle, you'll wonder what you ever did without it, as it will come in handy for a lot of different things.

Unless you are set on another drip maker, I'd go with a pour-over or a French press.

I prefer coffee from a French press, but they likely will be more expensive. That's especially true because I will recommend a steel one. Glass ones seem to find a way to break on a lot of people, and that's no good at all. I've actually seen some well reviewed, steel French presses that cost about the same as a glass one (or a good pour-over device).

With regard to the stuff in the bottom of the mug, well, I actually enjoy it. Make my coffee chunky

If you are truely worried about "krud" then any auto is out (auto drip, k-cup, espresso, anything with internal "plumbing"

Inexpensive and great taste means

Chemex (fairly expensive). Filters at specialty shops

Miletta plastic (uber cheep like $10 tops if you want a glass pot too)

Miletta ceramic ($25-30) AND filters are at the grocery store

Hario V60 cone (can use the same filters as Chemex) OEM filters mail order or chemex filters at specialty shops

Kelita wave ($30 +/- and filters only mail order)

My suggestion is go to the grocery store or wally world and get a plastic Melitta with filters/ You can brew into your old glass carafe or if you find you enjoy coffee made in a modified cone filter, get a thermal carafe to brew into (go to good will or the sally, you will find old thermal units from blown coffee makers for $5 or so to start with)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Melitta-2-to-6-Cup-Manual-Coffee-Maker-640446/8467270

If you get Melitta, you want a #4 which is 6 cup (6 cup is really 4 US sized cups)

TexLaw said:

With regard to the stuff in the bottom of the mug, well, I actually enjoy it. Make my coffee chunky

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Lol, you know it's funny... I got a Chemex a couple of years ago thinking I'd get the best of both worlds... the awesomeness of a proper low-tech brew, without the crud at the bottom. But, I switched back to my French press after just a couple of weeks. I felt something was missing and I found I missed that grittiness.

To the OP, whatever you do please don't get one of those single shot Keurig's or Nespresso or whatnot. It's the exact equivalent of a cartridge shaver... way too expensive for what you get, and wasteful with all of the plastic. When I got married I inherited my wife's Keurig but I soon banished it (with no small amount of negotiation ) because after an initial bout of gee-whiz with the gadgetry it was clear that it was just taking up space on the counter-space, producing mediocre coffee and polluting up the world with all of those used plastic one-shot containers.

Press pot is the one of the easiest ways to make a cup of joe..Pick up a burr mill grinder for better cup over pre-grind coffee and set of scales..

TexLaw said:

...I'd go with a pour-over or a French press....

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I would get one of each. They are cheap and the taste difference between filtered and unfiltered coffee is enough to justify having both around.

The Mellita "Ready Set Joe" pourover costs about $3. Is that cheap enough? Coffee can be pretty good, especially if you have a good grinder. A Hario hand mill works great for a grinder but avoid the electro whirly blade type grinder cause they totally suck. French Press is good but the cleaning is a little more convenient with a pourover.

Have you considered a cheap espresso machine? Krupp, Mr. Coffee, etc all have very low budget machines that coffee snobs will diss, but if you get the pump type rather than the steam powered ones, you can get a passable espresso or American, and cappuccino is not out of the question.

Cloth strainer ($2) is the cheapest way to go.

i miss percolators

Slash McCoy said:

Coffee can be pretty good, especially if you have a good grinder. A Hario hand mill works great for a grinder but avoid the electro whirly blade type grinder cause they totally suck.

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I'll go along with that. I love my Hario Slim.

If you go with a french press get a insulated metal one so you don't have to worry about replacing the glass carafes.
A chemex is pretty full proof, and can make a great cup as long as you don't mind standing there pouring water before you've had your first cup.
And just because no one has mentioned it yet a Vac or Syphon pot will make a great cup, and the show isn't bad either.

turtle said:

If you are truely worried about "krud" then any auto is out (auto drip, k-cup, espresso, anything with internal "plumbing" Inexpensive and great taste means Chemex (fairly expensive). Filters at specialty shops

Miletta plastic (uber cheep like $10 tops if you want a glass pot too)
Miletta ceramic ($25-30) AND filters are at the grocery store
Hario V60 cone (can use the same filters as Chemex) OEM filters mail order or chemex filters at specialty shops
Kelita wave ($30 +/- and filters only mail order)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Melitta-2-to-6-Cup-Manual-Coffee-Maker-640446/8467270

If you get Melitta, you want a #4 which is 6 cup (6 cup is really 4 US sized cups)

Click to expand...

The Melitta manual is the way I'm leaning. Years ago, an office I worked in had an expensive Bunn coffeemaker (the one with the hot plates for 4 pots). One day, we noticed some little roach babies floating in our coffee. The office manager spent a week disinfecting those inner tubes with a Clorox solution. I haven't used a drip coffeemaker for over a decade when I noticed something crawling in the well of my drip coffeemaker at home. Since there's really no way to check those inner plastic tubes, I started using an electric perk exclusively. I found it too difficult to get a good cup using a stove top perk.

What do you think of the Melitta 1 cup which is a cone placed directly over the cup:
https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6

CliffDweller said:

To the OP, whatever you do please don't get one of those single shot Keurig's or Nespresso or whatnot. It's the exact equivalent of a cartridge shaver... way too expensive for what you get, and wasteful with all of the plastic. When I got married I inherited my wife's Keurig but I soon banished it (with no small amount of negotiation ) because after an initial bout of gee-whiz with the gadgetry it was clear that it was just taking up space on the counter-space, producing mediocre coffee and polluting up the world with all of those used plastic one-shot containers.

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For reasons explained above, I'm reluctant to get a Keurig because of the internal parts that can't be cleaned. In addition, as I mentioned in the first post, it was recommended that if one goes the machine route, get something that has metal brewing parts rather than plastic as the water can reach hotter temperatures with metal. If I ever went the Keurig route, I would never buy disposable cups where you have to pay about 50¢ per cup. I would buy a reusable plastic cup.

I wonder if those $500 imported coffee machines that Costco sells are metal rather than plastic as far as the internal brewing goes.

CurtisB81 said:

Press pot is the one of the easiest ways to make a cup of joe..Pick up a burr mill grinder for better cup over pre-grind coffee and set of scales..

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I'm assuming you would never get a machine grinder and recommend only hand grinders?

StillShaving said:

I would get one of each. They are cheap and the taste difference between filtered and unfiltered coffee is enough to justify having both around.

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I'm probably going to buy a pour over and a French press unit and judge the difference.

Slash McCoy said:

The Mellita "Ready Set Joe" pourover costs about $3. Is that cheap enough? Coffee can be pretty good, especially if you have a good grinder. A Hario hand mill works great for a grinder but avoid the electro whirly blade type grinder cause they totally suck. French Press is good but the cleaning is a little more convenient with a pourover. Have you considered a cheap espresso machine? Krupp, Mr. Coffee, etc all have very low budget machines that coffee snobs will diss, but if you get the pump type rather than the steam powered ones, you can get a passable espresso or American, and cappuccino is not out of the question.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation of the hand grinder. I want to stay away from machines for the reasons explained in my first response above.

emwolf said:

i miss percolators

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The coffee filter basket on my GE electric perk is starting to wear away, and since GE's not in the game anymore, it's hard to find a replacement basket for an 8 cup percolator. I also think the temp gauge is going as after it finishes, I have to do a manual 4 cup pour over to achieve the desired strength.

Commander Quan said:

If you go with a french press get a insulated metal one so you don't have to worry about replacing the glass carafes. A chemex is pretty full proof, and can make a great cup as long as you don't mind standing there pouring water before you've had your first cup. And just because no one has mentioned it yet a Vac or Syphon pot will make a great cup, and the show isn't bad either.

Click to expand...

I'll have to look into Vac and Syphon.

What do you all think of the Melitta Porcelain pour over brewer here?
https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Coffee-Maker-Porcelain-Brewer/dp/B000QY9YDY


I would buy it with his permanent coffee filter. If I do, can I do without the Melitta filters?
https://www.amazon.com/Medelco-Cone-Permanent-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000TCZRKW


There's also this standalone porcelain brewer:
https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-64101-Porcelain-Cone-Brewer/dp/B00BYF99CA


Thanks once again for all your suggestions. I've often wondered about these cheap, pour over brewers and based on your responses, it seems you get a pretty good cup from them. I've also got to buy a grinder as the Costco Kirkland Columbian
doesn't seem as strong as it used to. You can't beat those 3 lb. cans for future storage, though.

Shaveathon said:

The Melitta manual is the way I'm leaning. Years ago, an office I worked in had an expensive Bunn coffeemaker (the one with the hot plates for 4 pots). One day, we noticed some little roach babies floating in our coffee. The office manager spent a week disinfecting those inner tubes with a Clorox solution. I haven't used a drip coffeemaker for over a decade when I noticed something crawling in the well of my drip coffeemaker at home. Since there's really no way to check those inner plastic tubes, I started using an electric perk exclusively. I found it too difficult to get a good cup using a stove top perk.

https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6

Click to expand...

When I ravel I take a Beehouse dripper (Japanese) which is a heavy ceramic Melitta #4 dripper with 2 holes in the bottom (Melitta has a single hole, otherwise it is the same). Beehouse is NICE because it is open and you can see the coffee rise in the carafe. Nice when using a thermal that you can't look into without these openings

I take it because every grocery store, 7-11, walmart, you name it... Carries Melitta #4 filters.

The #2 and #6 filters are a crap shoot. Some stores have them others don't

I suggested a #4 Melitta because you can get filters EVERYWHERE. That, and they are very simple to use. They are very forgiving. AND they make a very good brew of coffee.

By BeeHouse set up

I had both..But I use an hand halo grinder the most, there's a garmen hand grander that use evey now and then...They don't waste the beans like machine grinders do..

Just like with razors, there are more choices than you ever imagined.

here are a couple short lived Bodum double wall glass pour overs.