Keurig Coffee Makers

We just got back from my mother in law's house where she presented my delighted wife with a top o' the line Keurig coffee maker for Chrstmas. My wife has been dropping hints about these things for a long time but I have flatly refused to bring one into the house.

For anyone who is still unfamiliar with this scam, it's the coffee maker that relies on those tiny, single cup prepackaged plastic coffee shots. I haven't done the math, but I've heard that it comes to something like $60 a pound for their crappy flavored coffee. As a bonus, the coffee maker is huge, fairly noisy and it generates tons of non-recyclable plastic waste.

I haven't even taken it out of the box yet, but I can't wait for this little fad to be over so I can drag this piece of E36 M3 to the dump.

I find them right up with the "swiffer" method of putting as much junk into the dumps as possible. Definatly a "fix" for something that was not even broken.

Can you find a way to use regular coffee in one?

mad_machine wrote: Can you find a way to use regular coffee in one?

I'm too busy trying to find a way to hook a 220V line to it.

My perkolator is a piece of junk though it's brand new, using the same method, same measurements it never comes out the same twice. Sometimes oily black, others it's like weak tea.

I listened to my brother talk about his like a vinyl siding salesman, I just can't give up my limited counter space for one. His has the option of using the $14 stainless basket to brew regular coffee instead of the little pre fab buckets. I like it, but I'm not an appliance freak or have the counter space.

Don't know about Swifters, but you'll have to pry my Shark from my cold dead fingers....

Dan

They actually do sell little adapters that let you put in your own coffee. Once you do that, they're pretty sweet. I don't have one, but a friend does. Makes a nice quick cup of joe.

sharks do not apply.. I am talking about things that you use once.. and then throw away. the Kurig and the swiffer I singled out because they really do not fix a problem. They are just a way to make you buy something, use their one use only disposable parts, and then add the stuff to your trash. Especially when a regular sponge/mop and a regular coffee maker with a filter works just as well.. if not better.

We have a Keruig thing at work. The women love it. I borrowed a little "coffee" thing to try it once and I throught what came out of it tasted like warm dishwater. I'm not even sure they actually put coffee in those little cups. More like sawdust and toenail clippings if you ask me.

But then again I use a french press every morning. Simple, cheap, and brews coffee strong enough to put hair on parts of you that aren't supposed to have any.

proper.

I've used the K cup things and they make a good coffee or tea, but I don't see the point in the machine.

bequietanddrive wrote: They actually do sell little adapters that let you put in your own coffee. Once you do that, they're pretty sweet. I don't have one, but a friend does. Makes a nice quick cup of joe.

I bought the little DIY adapter thingy for my wife...she likes the idea of single cups of coffee, but not so much the K-cups. The thing sits on the counter unused mostly, and she uses our real coffee pot to make her coffee.

Newco OCS-8. Yes, it heats the water to 200 degrees. Yes it has an on switch. Yes it makes the best coffee you can find in a house. $80.

Any questions?

I saw that coffee maker and figure I would burn through $12 a week. A single $6 can lasts me a month.

My brother has that single cup unit and it is weak coffee.

Do you guys mean the swiffer mop or the swiffer duster? The mop maybe sucks, but the duster is great, and lasts through mutiple dustings of our house.

Joey

ignorant wrote: proper. I've used the K cup things and they make a good coffee or tea, but I don't see the point in the machine.

See and raise:

I love these things, makes a great cup of coffee quicker, cleaner, and better tasting than my old french press. I think I'll make a cup right now.

I gave up on coffee for the most part, aside from a random cappuccino. Otherwise I suck down 40+oz of earl gray a day.

But the Keurigs look like such rip offs. Is there any real difference between the different models, aside from size, price and little sad-sack features like timers?

ignorant wrote: proper. I've used the K cup things and they make a good coffee or tea, but I don't see the point in the machine.

This is the press I use:

Simply because it is well-insulated and is less fragile. I have used mine daily over a year with only one hitch: The handle broke off (but because it's insulated, the outside only gets slightly warm). It's about 30 bucks. If you enjoy your coffee black, there's really no other way to brew it. I just use a glass measuring cup in the microwave to heat up my water.

Coffee aficionados may cringe, but a simple $20 blade grinder and fresh whole beans will yield 95% of the excellence that coffee offers. A burr grinder is the ideal setup, because it does not heat up the beans and gives a much more even grind, but "real" burr grinders cost hundreds.

The k-cup system does seem really wasteful; its product:packaging ratio is really low. For comparison's sake, I drink a pint of coffee daily, at 4 rounded tablespoons coffee per 16 oz. At this rate, a pound of coffee lasts me about a month. I pay $10/lb for good quality beans, which is a bit more than most varieties in the grocery store. However, one will pay the same amount for 6 small cups of Starbucks at the counter, so it's easy to justify.

Josh wrote: See and raise: I love these things, makes a great cup of coffee quicker, cleaner, and better tasting than my old french press. I think I'll make a cup right now.

I have heard good things about the Aeropress, but I will stick to my French press, simply because it has fewer fiddly bits. The one I have only has two components to it, and it only takes a few seconds to clean.

MitchellC wrote: I just use a glass measuring cup in the microwave to heat up my water.

What temperature do you heat the water to? I use a standard French press, grind my own beans, and use water just off the boil, from a kettle.

Man, I know the Aeropress looks like some kind of overgrown middle school science lab kit in the pictures, but it is so much easier to clean than a french press. Pop off the filter grid, eject the plug of spent grounds/filter into the trash, then retract the plunger back a little and rinse it off in the sink. Take it apart and run it through the dishwasher maybe once a week for good measure, but really I spend about 5 seconds (literally) cleaning it every time I use it. In real life use, it's less "fiddly" to me than my french press was. My least favorite thing about the french press was the way grounds would get stuck between the layers of the plunger, maybe some are different, but the two I went through before the aeropress were both a pain to clean thoroughly. And frankly, the AP just makes a better cup of coffee. No unintentional grit/crunchy bits, less bitterness due to the quicker steep, and more control over the brew strength. I'd also never throw a glass french press in my backpack for a weekend like I to with the AP all the time.

But back to the original topic, yeah, those keurig things sure make a weak, scalding, ridiculously expensive proprietary cup of coffee (seriously, we need proprietary formats in a freaking coffee maker? What's next, DRM?)

I bring it to a soft boil, and let it rest a few seconds just so that the water isn't bubbling any more. I brew for about 2 minute 45 seconds. It's not really precise, but it works well enough. I use bottled distilled water; one of these days I'll get a tap water filter.

Josh wrote: My least favorite thing about the french press was the way grounds would get stuck between the layers of the plunger, maybe some are different, but the two I went through before the aeropress were both a pain to clean thoroughly. And frankly, the AP just makes a better cup of coffee. No unintentional grit/crunchy bits, less bitterness due to the quicker steep, and more control over the brew strength. I'd also never throw a glass french press in my backpack for a weekend like I to with the AP all the time.

The plunger is a single mesh screen affixed to a collapsible plastic sleeve with a wire to keep it taught against the inside of the press. Larger grounds simply don't get through, and to combat the silt, I just don't drink the last 1/4 inch or so. Setting my grinder on coarse helps out a bit.

To wash it, I swirl the grounds with some water to suspend them and then dump them in the trash. I then hand wash it like anything else. It's dishwasher safe, too, but I don't use my dishwasher very frequently.

That one looks more user friendly than my old sandwiched metal screen plunger Bodum, but after several hundred uses of the Aeropress, I have no plans to switch back.

Filters?!

I just boil the coffee in the water and drink it, grit in all.

OK, I don't drink coffee

Me? I just get a shovel and scoop the ground beans into my mouth. Bah, liquids.

I have no use for single cup coffee makers, just not enough volume for me... though they are good for tea i suppose. And the krurig set up is just another variation of the genevalia coffee of the month deal, but i suspect have a much higher profit margin, and the coffee isnt nearly as good imo.

Ive been using a Bunn coffee maker for years, it spits out a full pot in less than three minutes, and keeps a reserve of perfect for brewing 195 degree water in its internal thermos. they are also engineered for "optimal" saturation, not too weak or too strong, every time.

They are an investment, in fact , i nursed the old one (probably 15 years old) i had along by relining the water tray when it started leaking for half a year or so, until i found killer deal on a display model to replace it with.

I use this guy for camping and for times when I'm away from a coffee pot. It is heavy, so not for backpacking, but is sturdy and holds an extra dose of coffee in the bottom of the mug. It is a great buy. http://www.rei.com/product/743758

I moved away from using press everyday since work has acceptable, read free, coffee in the office condo.

Drug addicts, all of you.