CyberSaint Senior Member Joined: 2 Sep 2002 Posts: 27 Location: Charleston, WV Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Bunn Home Grinder Drip: Bunn w/ Thermal Carafe
Posted Sat Dec 18, 2004, 7:08am Subject: Best "Cheap" Drip Coffeemaker?
I'm curious as to what others think here about the best affordable drip coffeemaker. When I say "affordable", I am talking under $50. I have a Bunn that I have used for years, but the grounds keep overflowing the filter and going into the coffee. I've tried adjusting the grind, but to no avail.
For a time I was hooked on the speed of a Bunn, but now I am having second thoughts based on the overflow of grounds and the excess electricity needed to keep the water warm at all times.
Posted Sat Dec 18, 2004, 8:05am Subject: Re: Best "Cheap" Drip Coffeemaker?
Other than the Melitta Clarity you will be hard pressed to find what geeks call a "good cheap drip brewer." Most cheap machines just do not hit the proper temps. Good luck. You'll need it!
You might like the very robust cup, you might not.
You might like the different cleanup, you might not. Even with one piece filter.
You might like timing the extraction, you might not.
You might like all the manual control (and work that goes with it), you might not.
You might like pre-heating water in a seperate kettle, you might not.
Before all you FP people jump all over me, I am really not being sarcastic, and I definitely think people should try different things. Can you tell I didn't care for French Press? But I know many do, so I just share my experience, while encouraging experimentation.
Also, if you are concerned about your health, you might consider this common excerpt (goes for espresso too):
"Coffee brewed in certain ways may raise blood cholesterol levels. Boiled, espresso and plunger coffee (French press) contains compounds called cafestol and kahweol. A 1995 study suggested that these compounds possibly help raise levels of the type of cholesterol that can block your arteries. Instant and drip-filtered coffee don't contain significant levels of these compounds.
Here is another interesting thread quote:
Negative effects are restricted to the effects of cafestol and kahweol in increasing blood cholesterol - This 1999 report says that French Press contains 3 to 4 times more per cup than espresso (see page 9) -
"The content of cafestol and kahweol in a coffee drink is significantly influenced by the brew method (Gross et al., 1997). Brewing releases oil droplets containing the two compounds from the ground coffee beans (Ratnayake et al., 1993; cited by Urgert et al., 1995b). The highest concentration of these constituents occurs in Scandinavian-style (cafestol: 7.2 mg/cup [cup = 150 mL]; kahweol: 7.2 mg/cup) and Turkish-style (cafestol: 5.3 mg/cup; kahweol: 5.4 mg/cup) boiled coffee, while instant, drip-filtered, and percolated coffee brews contain negligible amounts. French press coffee has an average cafestol content of 3.5 mg/cup and kahweol content of 4.4 mg/cup, while espresso coffee has 1 mg/cup of each diterpene (Gross et al., 1997; Urgert et al., 1995b)."
Lastly, a drip machine with a Swissgold filter produces coffee that tastes very similar to French Press IMO. That could be a good compromise between taste and convenience.
SnTholiday Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 50 Location: Sacramento Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Mr. Coffee burr Vac Pot: Yama Drip: Technivorm KB741 Roaster: Popper II and Pumper
Posted Fri Dec 24, 2004, 2:06pm Subject: Re: Best "Cheap" Drip Coffeemaker?
The problem I have with french press is not so much the manual labor, but sediment that can cause overextraction of the coffee as it sits at the bottom of the cup. Even if the brew is transferred to a thermos type container right after brewing there is some sediment to contend with.
Posted Fri Dec 24, 2004, 5:53pm Subject: Re: Best "Cheap" Drip Coffeemaker?
SnTholiday Said:
The problem I have with french press is not so much the manual labor, but sediment that can cause overextraction of the coffee as it sits at the bottom of the cup. Even if the brew is transferred to a thermos type container right after brewing there is some sediment to contend with.
RickDick80 Senior Member Joined: 5 Dec 2004 Posts: 10 Location: NW Chicago suburbs, Ill-Annoy Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Krups Gusto Grinder: Solis Maestro Vac Pot: Haven't tried, YET! Drip: Gevalia glass carafe... Roaster: I have two, TWO WB...
Posted Mon Dec 27, 2004, 6:37am Subject: Re: Best "Cheap" Drip Coffeemaker?
Just my $0.02:
A couple years ago I signed up for Gevalia, and the deal was that you could get a digital programmable 12-cup auto drip cofeemaker, 1lb of coffee, and a stainless (cheap) mug for $20. I think shipping was included; again, this was over 2 years ago.
At any rate, I thought it would be just a cheap coffeemaker, but I've taken the temps with my digital probe thermometer and seen as high as 208 Farenheit during brewing. No, it's not an insulated carafe, and yes, it does heat the carafe as soon as you hit the button to start a brew. But for nearly free it's a darn good coffeemaker, at least enough to get you by while you shop for a really nice one. My only complaint about the Gevalia glass carafe coffeemaker that I have is that the water only comes out of one hole, so it's not very well dispersed over all the grounds.
Here is the link to the coffeemaker I have; I couldn't find the exact promotion on their website, but it would be worth a call to them to see if they'd include this coffeemaker.
Krups Gusto (hope to someday have Gaggia Baby or Classic) Solis Maestro Gevalia freebie digital auto drip Bodum French press West Bend Poppery I & II
Posted Mon Dec 27, 2004, 6:51am Subject: Re: Best "Cheap" Drip Coffeemaker?
ChrisatCafeGreenBean Said:
Before all you FP people jump all over me, I am really not being sarcastic, and I definitely think people should try different things. Can you tell I didn't care for French Press? But I know many do, so I just share my experience, while encouraging experimentation.
I agree. Posts that state the FP is the answer to everything start to get on my nerves. To me, it is similar to someone saying "Why would you drink coffee when you SHOULD be drinking espresso?"
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