Good Coffee & Good Inexpensive Machines?

[bobomatic]

I'll just say this IMHO, being I live in the epicenter of the coffee world... ditch the machines. Custom hand brewed, will generally taste better than any machine. It's kind of akin to making pizza... you like a machine made, grocery store pizza or a hand made pizza? Having said that, the perfect cup of coffee is the one YOU enjoy.

 

[PipeIT]

@didimauw I’ve not used it much, but it’s pretty indestructible, just cleaning it and it keeps going.

@woodsroad Not sure I’m Geek enough for a timer and weighing yet. LOL

I just thought I might go for the Baratza Encore, choose the setting, and just stop when it sounds like it’s done grinding, like the sound smoothens out, no more chunky/chopping grinding sounds, just a smooth whir.

Now, I need to figure out a nice Drip Machine, at the same caliber as the Baratza Encore, and hopefully not more expensive either... hmm

Thanks!

P.S. @bobomatic I mentioned before the Mrs. wants a Drip Machine. Me, I will certainly do the various hand methods, but I will get a Chemex pot, and try and hook her on this instead.

 

[tracerbullet]

I like Pilao coffee from Brazil and it goes through a Bunn drip machine

 

[troutface]

I really don’t want to spend a fortune on a machine, and they can certainly be costly.

What's your budget ? I got tired of doing pour overs and broke down and bought a Breville Precision Brewer. I think it was $300, which isn't trivial to me, but so far the results have been worth it. The Technivorm has a nice metal base, but the rest was a jumble of rickety plastic parts. I have a French press, but don't like the style of coffee it produces. I also recently read that if you're a heavy coffee drinker you shouldn't use a French press because of a certain chemical it extracts that isn't healthy. Maybe other folks here could shed more light on that subject.

 

[onestrangeone]

There’s some really good advice here. I use a French Press and a Chemex pour over only so can’t really recommend a machine for you.
As for the coffee if it’s been more that a week since it was roasted it’s past it’s prime. A good grinder and the right water temp will get you what you want, from what I’ve seen and read most inexpensive machines don’t get hot enough to get a good flavor.
A good buddy introduced me to what coffee can be a few years ago when he bought a $3800 Bosch machine to the job site and I’ve been working on improving my home brew ever since.
i started roasting my own a while back and am pretty happy with where I’m at.

 

[woodsroad]

A couple of pix:

The Melitta Collection


An Amazon double wall French Press and two Stella stovetops that I bought new in 1985


The Kettle


The Baratza Encore with M.H. Rhodes timer​

 

[PipeIT]

The problem is not so much budget, but the Mrs. is not a connoisseur, or for that matter, someone with an acute palate, who appreciates higher quality. Star Bucks is unfortunately quality to her LOL

I have some training to do on the Mrs. to bring her up, but, some people just can’t appreciate or tell the differences either, so it’s also, I believe, better to start at the bottom and work up.

Hell, I’m going to go for a Bratza Encore, that is already an extreme step up around here! LOL

I think for a Star Buck Consumer a $300 Dripper might be overkill at this point. LOL

@onestrangeone I’m thinking to go the Encore and Chemex route for now and show her this way instead.

@woodsroad thanks for all the pics!

 

[edger]

I finally got tired of all the high end approaches to coffee. Now it’s Peet’s ground coffee brewed in a $50 Black and Decker with a stainless insulated carafe so the brewed coffee doesn’t cook on a heating element. Works for us proles.

 

[woodsroad]

The problem is not so much budget, but the Mrs. is not a connoisseur, or for that matter, someone with an acute palate, who appreciates higher quality. Star Bucks is unfortunately quality to her LOL

I have some training to do on the Mrs. to bring her up, but, some people just can’t appreciate or tell the differences either, so it’s also, I believe, better to start at the bottom and work up.

Hell, I’m going to go for a Bratza Encore, that is already an extreme step up around here! LOL

I think for a Star Buck Consumer a $300 Dripper might be overkill at this point. LOL

@onestrangeone I’m thinking to go the Encore and Chemex route for now and show her this way instead.

@woodsroad thanks for all the pics!

My wife is also quite satisfied with Starbucks. Hers is Cafe Verona. She buys it ground, does the whole drip routine but never measures the coffee.

I guess I should mention that the only reason I do what they now call "pour over", is my dad. Dad ran a hospital laboratory, taught pharmacology and was always building stuff. The parents had a Corning Vacuum coffeemaker, the coolest coffeemaker ever sold to the general public. When I moved out, and started doing more hiking and canoeing, I always remembered what fantastic coffee that system made, and carried the most portable version of it with me: a plastic Melitta funnel clipped to my backpack.

in 1985, I introduced my parents to the first boutique retail coffee roaster in Philadelphia, Old City Coffee. By that time, dad had broken enough of the Corning funnels and had moved on the pour over funnel of his own design, using Watts filter paper of a now unknown porosity. Mom and Dad would take the train into town once a month, just to buy coffee, and maybe go to the museums. A good cup of coffee always set the day straight for them and brought them deep satisfaction.

We now have a Gevalia coffeemaker for when we have more that two guests, but to my taste, keeping it simple with a pour-over is the way to go.

​

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I’ve been an electric percolator coffee drinker for years. I currently have a 1958 GE 33P30 percolator and a Braun grinder.



Yes @Ahi Ka I am fully clothed in the reflection in my coffee pot.

 

[bullet08]

Since my wife got me an espresso machine, that's all I drink at home. But I do miss a cheap Mr. Coffee machine. So when I'm out and about, I usually drink Bojangles' coffee. But honestly, Mr. Coffee did great job. Get a whole beans you can live with, a cheap blade grinder and you have pretty decent cup o' joe. Of course, with all those Coffee Mate creamers, it's just heavenly.

 

[PipeIT]

I just ordered a Baratza Encore through Baratza.

These Chemex Pour Over look nice, was thinking to go with either the 6 or 10 cup.

Six Cup Classic Series Coffeemaker

www.chemexcoffeemaker.com

Ten Cup Classic Series Coffeemaker

www.chemexcoffeemaker.com

Now for some good cones/filters... Melitta or Filtropa has been mentioned. Or, are Chemex filters good enough, I should just go with these for now, with the Chemex pot?

P.S. @edger we actually have some Peet been drinking.

 

[woodsroad]

Don't overthink it. Enjoyment is the important part.

 

[Briar Lee]

Yes, I have drank a lot of coffee in my life, but I’ve never really been into it.

Now, I’d like to start exploring some of the finest out there.

The only problem is, I’m hoping when it comes to a machine I’m not going to need to spend a lot, to achieve this.

@growfood I already have a French Press, but the Mrs. seems to like to go the route of a Drip Machine. So I’m looking at buying her a new Drip Blender.

Ten million truck stops and greasy spoon cafes can’t all be wrong!

Buy a Bunn!

 

[sardonicus87]

Another great budget option instead of using a drip machine, is to go with a percolator. Downside is, you will definitely need to grind beans yourself or get ground coffee that's specifically meant for say a French press or percolator if that grind size is available (needs to be coarser than drip, but less coarse than French press).

I have a camping percolator, but our oven is a ceramic glass top type. If I use my percolator, I have a camping stove I use for it. I've never used an electric percolator, but a standard perc is inexpensive and you can very easily play around with brew speed and time (look at having 1 to 3 seconds per pop). Then it's just a matter of timing (brew time starting from when it starts to perc) and ratio.

Another tip is to let your coffee cool down a little bit, don't try drinking it when it's scorching hot and you have to sip to keep from getting burned. Also, I never let coffee sit on a burner. Once it is done, I shut off the machine, don't let the machine keep it warm. If I want more later, then I brew more later, I try to only brew what I want to have at the time. Those keep warm plates on the machines just end up scorching the coffee.

 

[kcghost]

Unfortunately, I am not a coffee expert. I drink one cup in the morning with cream and sugar. I am sure most of the coffee-o-philes would say that I am really not much of a coffee aficionado.

 

[PipeIT]

Don't overthink it. Enjoyment is the important part.

I’ve always had a good knack for figuring out what I don’t know.

Since making this post it took me a little over 3 hours to make up my mind, and with all the great information, I think I have some good stuff now.

Bought all these...

Dark Matter Santaclause

Santanaclaus (December 2023 Limited Blend)

Shop Santanclaus, the December limited Monthly coffee blend. Notes: fudge, cinnamon sticks, pistachio.

www.darkmattercoffee.com

Baratza Encore

Baratza | Encore™

The Baratza Encore™ is the top barista-recommended grinder to elevate your filter brew journey. From simple "set it and forget it" brews to precision-dialed pour overs, the Encore™ is your first step to a perfect sip.

www.baratza.com

Chemex Pour Over 10 Cup

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Chemex Bonded Filter Circle

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

This is for my wife’s birthday 12/31...

THANKS guys, for all the info/input, you’re awesome!

I hope you all have a great Holiday and New Year!

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

If you want the best coffee, buy a decent grinder and a French Press. Doesn't take that much more time and the results will be worth it.

 

[WhiteCrown]

The last time I was in Italy (for about six months) I learned what I real macchiato was, not that sugary bucket of Starbucks crap. I bought a Bialetti moka pot and an Bialetti stovetop hand-pump milk frother. Brew some Kimbo canned espresso grounds, heat and froth some milk, and dump the froth lump in the coffee. No sugar, and exceptionally delicious. Be advised though, there is some temperature management on both parts to perfect it.

Some self-proclaimed coffee experts argue that moka pots are not true espresso because there is not enough pressure (modern coffee snob psi laws I guess), but they ignore the history and birth of espresso in italy when steam trains were high-tech and espresso coffee bars were born with the same tech present in moka pots today.

Otherwise, I prefer cowboy coffee, which can be de-grounded with a French press (it's the same process but with a screen).

 

[PipeIT]

If you want the best coffee, buy a decent grinder and a French Press. Doesn't take that much more time and the results will be worth it.

Look up at my last reply...

P.S. I have a French Press...