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I Need a New Coffee Maker

jebfour

Turbo Monkey
Jun 19, 2003
2,059
1,400
CLT, NC
There’s lots of coffee lovin’ people here, so I’m asking for advice.

I’ve recently really gotten into grinding freshly roasted beans. The French Press works well but is a bit of a hassle when making my morning coffee. While the Keurig (yeah, I know) is fast and easy, I don’t like the idea of throwing plastic in the trash and the “use your own beans” cup thing sucks and is a complete joke.

The wife doesn’t drink coffee, so whatever route I go, the machine only needs to make a cup (or two). For the Ridemonkey coffee experts – does this machine exist?

  • Limited cleanup
  • Makes only a cup or so at a time
  • Looks decent on the counter
  • Doesn’t break the bank
  • Not a hassle to use
 

jebfour

Turbo Monkey
Jun 19, 2003
2,059
1,400
CLT, NC
Just looked that thing up. Looks pretty cool - cheap too. For $25 I may give one of those a try regardless.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
Cheapo small Black and Decker model works great for me. A full pot is two cups of coffee, it has no carafe heater that burns the coffee making it taste like shit, a quick warm up in the microwave is usually necessary for the second cup. Your not going to impress shallow friends with it, but it ain't ugly.


 

jebfour

Turbo Monkey
Jun 19, 2003
2,059
1,400
CLT, NC
Cheapo small Black and Decker model works great for me. A full pot is two cups of coffee, it has no carafe heater that burns the coffee making it taste like shit, a quick warm up in the microwave is usually necessary for the second cup. Your not going to impress shallow friends with it, but it ain't ugly.


That thing's not ugly at all. Looks like you can just throw a cup under it and brew right into it, which is definitely a plus.
 

vinny4130

Monkey
Jun 11, 2007
450
207
albuquerque
Type of coffee and maker define grind. For me a 4 cup vacuum insulated French press and burr grinder with good coffee is my jam. Not having another corded electric thing on the counter is another plus.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
There are roughly a million ways to go, each with pros and cons. For a single cup of regular joe a re-useable pour-over filter is about as simple as it gets for fresh gound beans, especially if you have/get an electric kettle. (Check out some of the ones made for camping/backbacking.) (There's a reason a lot of the fancy coffee shops consider pour over to be the best way.)

If you like the idea of a kuerig, note that you can also get re-useable pods, which makes it slightly less convenient but (a) you can use your own fresh ground beans and (b) much better environmentally. Still, I think those things are a waste of money.

I use a simple drip maker most days, and a pour over setup when traveling/camping.

In any case, get a decent burr grinder. To me that's a better investment than something like a kuerig.

For real espresso, a few of my friends have (and love) the Rancilio.
 

maxyedor

<b>TOOL PRO</b>
Oct 20, 2005
5,496
3,140
In the bathroom, fighting a battle
How is an Aeropress a good alternative to a French press if the French press is too much work? It's the same level of complexity.

I'd get a pour-over set-up over either due to ease of clean-up, but really a cheap drip maker with a timer is the way to go. Prep it while you do the dinner dishes and have a fresh pot brewing right when you wake up.
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,504
In hell. Welcome!
How is an Aeropress a good alternative to a French press if the French press is too much work? It's the same level of complexity.

I'd get a pour-over set-up over either due to ease of clean-up, but really a cheap drip maker with a timer is the way to go. Prep it while you do the dinner dishes and have a fresh pot brewing right when you wake up.
I find the cleanup of coffee grounds way faster with the aeropress. The coffee tastes 10x better, too.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
10X, really now? The Aeropress is kind of neat and extracts flavor by pressure, sort of like a good espresso machine, but I wouldn't go that far.

JK, I'm talking about the Rancilio Silvia.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
My Brother bought me a Kuerig. He bought it for himself to have here. He supplies the cups. I cannot complain...
 

englertracing

you owe me a sandwich
Mar 5, 2012
1,573
1,069
La Verne
you might be using the french press wrong.
hopefully you already have an electric kettle.

make your french press, pour into a cup, and the rest into your thermos, leave an inch of liquid in there, pull the plunger out swirl hard as fuck, slam into trash can, dump the rest of your kettle into the press swirl out and pour across the pulnger, leave plunger laying across top, see you tomorrow.

i only actually disassemble and clean it like once a month......
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Aeropress is self-cleaning, even moreso if you use the paper filters instead of an aftermarket filter. It's essentially a syringe, squegeeing the interior clean and dry as you press.

Afterwards, end basket twists off and you pop compressed grinds-puck (with filter) into the garbage or compost by pushing piston a little further.

Rinse and wipe end of piston, put to dry. Once every week or so, clean with the rest of the dishes it's looking gross around the end basket lugs. (Can put in dishwasher, too, I think...? Not worth the ten seconds of hot-water rinse/brush needed IMHO)

Infinitely easier than rinsing the grinds out of the bottom of a French press.
 

jebfour

Turbo Monkey
Jun 19, 2003
2,059
1,400
CLT, NC
So I was going to pick up the stainless B&D drip maker that Westy suggested and then everything got shut down (and I'm staying at home). The only place I could find that exact model/color was a Target, but their shipping was nuts unless I bought a larger amount of stuff.

Sooo, I ordered an Aeropress. It arrived and looked great until I noticed some parts were missing :(. Looking forward to trying the replacement but in the meantime, enjoying the french press. Since the whole family is at home every day right now, the dishwasher runs every day, so for the time being, cleanup is a breeze.

When you get used to good coffee, it's hard to go back :greedy:
 

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
23,184
13,438
directly above the center of the earth
Ever since i found the box with my espresso machine hidden away in the garage my french press and melitta drip have sat unused. 20 seconds to grind the coffee, minute to fill and tamp down and a minute to make a mugs worth of espresso. Dumping the used puck of coffee takes seconds
IMG_20210205_073815081.jpg
 
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