Coffee maker recomendations

Doc

Doc

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I'm frustrated with our Mr. Coffee coffee maker. It is taking over 45 minutes to brew a pot of coffee. :angry:
We have run vinigar through it multiple times but no matter the brew time keeps getting longer. So, I'm looking to replace it. We tried some other brand of cofee maker years ago and didn't care for it, so whenever we've needed a coffee maker we bought a Mr. Coffee. The current one is not that old, but takes forever to brew a pot of coffee. So, I'm considering buying another coffee maker, something other than Mr. Coffee.
We do use the auto brew time on work days so the replacement would have to have a clock and be able to auto start at a preset time.
Or, if anyone has an idea how to fix a slow brewing coffee maker, PLEASE, share your info here.
Thanks!!!!!
 
chowhound

chowhound

New member
This is the one I have (in black). I'm happy with it. And it has a permanent filter, a feature I like.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DCC-1200-Central-Coffeemaker-Stainless/dp/B00005IBX9/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1253972100&sr=8-2[/ame]
 
joec

joec

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We have probably had a dozen of them over the last 10 years. At the moment we have 12 cup version of the Mr. Coffee machine but find if they last a year with us they worked well. I drink a pot and a half of it daily by myself.
 
TexasGirl

TexasGirl

The Invisible
Super Site Supporter
We had [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-Thermal-Programmable-Coffeemaker/dp/B000X4Y9SC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1253979209&sr=8-1-catcorr"]this[/ame] one at our cabin and we loved it. Going to get one for ourselves.
 
smoke king

smoke king

Banned
Sass Muffin said:
You can't go wrong with a Bunn!
Click to expand...


Concur-we bought one of those Bunn's like you see in an office about 10 years ago (at Sams club) and have never had a lick of trouble with it, and that is 3-4 pots a day, every day. Best appliance purchase we have ever made.

If it were to quit (I doubt it will) I would go out and buy the exact same model no question.
 
RobsanX

RobsanX

Potato peeler
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I'm uber critical of coffee makers, since most of the ones I've owned were pieces of crap! We've been using a Black & Decker for a few years now, and I love it!

The best thing about the B&D is their "Perfect Pour® Carafe" which really makes a difference when filling and pouring. It won't dribble, even if you try to make it dribble! That's huge for me!

Make sure the filler hole is BIG! We tried a Gevalia pot once that had a small filler hole. There's nothing worse than getting up in the morning and trying to pour 12 cups of water into a 1"x2" hole while the water is dribbling down the side of the carafe!

Everything else about the B&D works fine. The sneak a cup, the brewing, the programming all work like you would expect. That would be my recommendation.
 
Doc

Doc

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What is brewing time on these coffee makers?
The sneak a cup feature sounds cool. :thumb:
 
Fisher's Mom

Fisher's Mom

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I agree - you can't go wrong with a Bunn when you're looking for speed, reliability and good coffee. I had the home version for many, many years and then finally bought the commercial version. It's like this, only it's entirely stainless steel. [ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000260KFW/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p79_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0FG73X0N9757V3ET4KQE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846[/ame]
I bought the home version for my mom a few years ago, too. They are expensive - the home version starts at around $100, but you won't replace it for many, many years.
 
FryBoy

FryBoy

New member
We had a Bunn like this one in my old office for many (10?) years:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Original-10-Cup-Coffee-Brewer-White/dp/B000FFRZ2Q/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1253987662&sr=1-17[/ame]


It did a great job, made 1 to 10 pots a day, and turned out a fresh pot in 3 minutes. Insides are all metal, so it's extremely durable.

However, you need to understand that the Bunn makers (or at least the ones like this, which is similar to Bunn's commercial models) work fundamentally differently from other home coffee makers. These Bunn coffee makers have a reservoir of water that is kept hot as long as the unit is plugged in; when you make a new pot, you pour in a pot of cold water, which pushes the already hot water out of the reservoir and into the grinds and carafe. This is why it makes a fast pot, and it's ideal for an office where you need several pots a day.

BUT, this means it uses a lot more electricity to keep the water hot and ready-to-go 24/7. The ONLY way to overcome that is to unplug the unit, as we did on weekends (there is a danger of the water evaporating, which would damage the unit and could be a fire hazard, although I think that would take several days). When the water in the reservoir is cold, it takes about 20 to 25 minutes to heat up enough to make the first pot. It will then make a pot in about 3 minutes from the time you pour in the cold water, but you have to wait about 5 to 10 minutes between pots.

Great for an office, but not idea for home use, IMHO.
 
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buckytom

buckytom

Grill Master
i bought my wife a capresso (mt500, i think?) machine a few years ago, based on the ratings from consumer reports. the key factor was reliable brewing temperature.

now, i abhor coffee, except for an occasional (properly made) espresso with a little dolce after a big meal, so i can't give you a personal opinion. but after using it a while, dw went back to an older machine. i think a krups.

btw, she's a fan of dunkin donuts coffee beans.
 
Mama

Mama

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I have the same one that Chow has only in Stainless. Makes 2 to 3 pots of coffee a day. We've had it about 5 years now. No complaints.
 
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Fisher's Mom

Fisher's Mom

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SilverSage said:
America's Test Kitchen did some testing on coffee makers. If you're interested in their findings, here's a link.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/testing/results.asp?testingid=5
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I hadn't seen this before, but their comments about the Bunns making weak coffee make sense to me. I discovered that years ago and have always used a finer grind coffee with mine to get a good brew. (Which entails grinding my own beans.)

It's also true about the way it works - ie: it keeps a load of water at brewing temp all the time so it's always using electricity. Since I make multiple pots per day, I never have a problem with the water evaporating off, but I do have to remember to unplug it when I leave for a few days.

But mine only takes about 10 minutes to heat the water from the unplugged state. Perhaps it's because I have a commercial unit now. I also have another commercial unit that works exactly the same way by Silex here at the coast and it even has a ready light so you know exactly when the water is hot. It takes about 15 minutes from the unplugged state.
 
Fisher's Mom

Fisher's Mom

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Cuisinart Grind & Brew 10-Cup Coffee Maker with Gold Tone Filter

$54.99


  • + $5 shipping
Condition:RefurbishedProducts: 1 Cuisinart DGB-600 Chrome/Black Grind & Brew 10-Cup Coffee Maker w/ Thermal Carafe 1 Cuisinart Gold Tone Filter Woot.com just put this one up at midnight and it will be over at midnight tonight. I have never had this one, but I remember several folks here talking about having this one and liking it. It grinds and brews.
 
RobsanX

RobsanX

Potato peeler
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Doc said:
What is brewing time on these coffee makers?
The sneak a cup feature sounds cool. :thumb:
Click to expand...

I've never timed it before, and during the week we always set it up the night before. Once you set the time it stays set until you change it. Then you just fill it with coffee and water and hit the program button instead of the brew button.

I timed it this morning, and there was definitely enough to sneak-a-cup after 5 minutes, and it was finished brewing in 12-15 minutes.
 
High Cheese

High Cheese

Saucier
This is a sore subject for me. lol

I had an old ass Mr. Coffee with ONE SWITCH..on and off...that's IT! Simple and made excellent coffee. One tablespon to 2 cups, how much easier could it be? I loved that machine until....my brother got us a new one for Christmas. :twak:

Everyone made fun of the fact I liked my old ass coffee machine, like it was embarrasing or something. lol

Anyway, here's the one I have now. Makes good coffee, but I don't need all that timer crap. Oh, and it has some sort of water filter that I REALLY need to replace.

cuisiart-dc-1200-12-cup-brew-central-coffee-maker.jpg
 
FryBoy

FryBoy

New member
Fisher's Mom said:
I hadn't seen this before, but their comments about the Bunns making weak coffee make sense to me. I discovered that years ago and have always used a finer grind coffee with mine to get a good brew. (Which entails grinding my own beans.)

It's also true about the way it works - ie: it keeps a load of water at brewing temp all the time so it's always using electricity. Since I make multiple pots per day, I never have a problem with the water evaporating off, but I do have to remember to unplug it when I leave for a few days.

But mine only takes about 10 minutes to heat the water from the unplugged state. Perhaps it's because I have a commercial unit now. I also have another commercial unit that works exactly the same way by Silex here at the coast and it even has a ready light so you know exactly when the water is hot. It takes about 15 minutes from the unplugged state.
Click to expand...
I don't understand the weak coffee comment, either. The coffee in my office was never weak, and in fact some whips complained that we made it too strong. The Bunn machines do run the water through the grounds much more quickly than other home units (3 minutes vs. about 10 in my experience), so I suspect the users who made such comments about the Bunn coffee makers just didn't use enough grounds. Again, I think it's an excellent unit if you make several pots of coffee every day.

But there is one other negative -- it lacks the ability to remove the pot and pour a cup while the coffee is brewing. Of course, since it takes only 3 minutes to make a pot, that's not a huge deal -- except when some idiot pulls the pot out and lets the coffee pour all over the counter. You'd be surprised at how many jerks will do that and then walk away without bothering to clean up their mess.
 
FryBoy

FryBoy

New member
High Cheese said:
This is a sore subject for me. lol

I had an old ass Mr. Coffee with ONE SWITCH..on and off...that's IT! Simple and made excellent coffee. One tablespon to 2 cups, how much easier could it be? I loved that machine until....my brother got us a new one for Christmas. :twak:

Everyone made fun of the fact I liked my old ass coffee machine, like it was embarrasing or something. lol

Anyway, here's the one I have now. Makes good coffee, but I don't need all that timer crap. Oh, and it has some sort of water filter that I REALLY need to replace.

cuisiart-dc-1200-12-cup-brew-central-coffee-maker.jpg
Click to expand...
The time crap is a godsend when you have to get up at 5:00 a.m. to catch a plane or drive to a meeting 100 miles away.
 
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