MORE ON COFFEEMAKERS: My earlier coffeemaker post generated so much email that it’s taken me this long to digest it.
The bottom line is that there’s a huge market opportunity here for someone, as lots of people are unhappy with their coffeemakers. The major problems are the ones I described: Flimsy construction even in the expensive ones, carafes that dribble — what’s with that, anyway? — poor temperature control, and various annoying “features” that get in the way of the basic task.
Various people even suggested that I go with a classic percolator (they do seem to be making a comeback) or a French Press, or an old fashioned Melitta pour-through. But I really like the convenience of setting up the machine the night before and waking to fresh coffee.
Several readers liked this Capresso, though it’s a bit pricey. Reader Ed Hack writes: “Yep, it’s expensive. However, my wife and mom say it makes great coffee. The latte attachment is a bonus and the carafe keeps it hot for quite a while. (I don’t drink coffee, but usually do the setup each night.)” You’re a good husband, Ed.
Reader G.L. Carlson recommends the DeLonghi Nabucco: “Try a DeLonghi Nabucco – it has controls for brew strength and time. When set up correctly (strong, double brew time), it makes a most puissant potion. The pot does dribble if you get the pour cap on off center, or if you pour too fast. Dribble pots are ubiquitous these days.”
Why is that? Isn’t getting the spout design right a matter of high-school physics?
A reader who works at Starbucks, meanwhile, recommends this machine, which they sell. It’s certainly handsome!
Going far downmarket in terms of price, a lot of people liked this cheap Black & Decker. The best coffeemaker I ever had was a Black & Decker. I liked it so much that I replaced it with one of their undercabinet models — which promptly leaked so much steam that the cabinet it was bolted under swelled up and looked terrible, requiring me to do unpleasant things with clamps and Elmer’s Glue to make it look OK again That kind of soured me on the brand, but maybe unfairly.
Ted Gideon, another Black & Decker fan, has this on going cheap and why he likes his low-end model:
All it does is make coffee, keep it hot, and stand up to the neglect I visit on it (in terms of preventive maintenance) year after year.
My experience with the German brands (Krupps, Braun, etc.) is that, without exception, small appliances from der vaterland are overpriced and underwhelming. . . . On the other hand, if you buy cheap and the product doesn’t meet your needs, you are not out that much and can try another budget special or two and still pay less than for the trendy yupster machine.
That’s true, though for some reason I hate to have to replace a coffeemaker, when I’d spend a similar amount to replace some other appliance without a second thought. I’m not sure why.
Several readers are big Mr. Coffee loyalists, and a few point out that they’re not ugly anymore (this one is certainly attractive). Attractiveness isn’t everything, of course, but you’d rather something that sits on your kitchen counter look nice, or at least not bad.
And reader David Ward says I should give the Cuisinart I mentioned earlier another chance: “I’m a coffee machine buying nut and the Cuisinart, which I bought 6 months ago, is excellent. It beeps about 4 times when its done which doesnt seem to me to be as big a drawback as it is to you. I’ve gone through 3 or 4 coffeemakers that didnt beep but did make crummy coffee so my advice is to deal with the couple of beeps. Its not like a freakin car alarm is going off in your kitchen. Plus if you program it, the coffee making and beeping will be done just as you finish putting on your shoes and heading downstairs.”
Hmm. I’m going to research this further and report on my results. Stay tuned.
(Hey, it’s no worse than ketchup-blogging!)
UPDATE: And the mail just keeps coming. James Lileks emails:
Perhaps you want the Cuisinart DCC-2000:
It solves the dribble-glass carafe problem – by eliminating the carafe. Voila!
I’ve had one for almost a year, after going through three machines in 12 months (including that stylish Mr. Coffee, which lost its will to live after six months.) The DCC-2k makes two fine pots per day, and I am satisfied. I also expect it to break within the year, but that has less to do with the Cuisinart brand than the general end of the era of immortal appliances.
Yes, appliances did used to be pretty much immortal, but not now.