so the fiance would like a nice coffee maker for xmas this year. Being only an occaisonal coffee drinker, I'm somewhat in the dark. Will a nice $30 model from Target do a good job or is there a benefit to spending more and if so, does anyone have any recommendations?

People may laugh, but I have always had good luck with Mr Coffee. The trick is to keep it clean run vinegar through it often and use filtred water.

Merry Xmas

We didn't go wild with ours as some do, but got a nice Capresso with a carafe. The advantage of a maker with a carafe is that your brew doesn't sit on the burner... burning. Of course, you can use the Mr. Coffee and just transfer to the carafe as well.

We've found that spending your money on good beans, grinding them yourself, and using good water are all more important than a mega-brewing-colossus.

that's for the input guys, a friend who is a former starbucks employee actually recommended a mr. coffee one as well and also mentioned the water quality and the cleaning of the maker. I was just looking for a 2nd opinion.

Don't listen to someone just because they worked at Charbucks. Charbucks has been the major contributor to the dumbing down of America, in respect to coffee.

Get a press. Anything less is an abomination.

quote:

Originally posted by sobek:
Don't listen to someone just because they worked at Charbucks. Charbucks has been the major contributor to the dumbing down of America, in respect to coffee.

Get a press. Anything less is an abomination.

not looking for a press, thanks though

Then you can scale up and buy a good espresso machine. If you have no use for espresso, then you can water down the shots for Americano.

Seriously, ALL coffee machines are garbage, no matter what brand and what price. They will never extract nearly as well as a press or an espresso machine.

quote:

Originally posted by sobek:
Then you can scale up and buy a good espresso machine. If you have no use for espresso, then you can water down the shots for Americano.

Seriously, ALL coffee machines are garbage, no matter what brand and what price. They will never extract nearly as well as a press or an espresso machine.

I've only had pressed coffee in London. I did not find it better than brewed, but perhaps it was the coffee rather than the method. Or maybe they were just having on the Yank.
I agree with minalpharetta. Grind your beans just before brewing and use a carafe. I bought a Krups Aroma Control at Costco. Not expensive (under $50 I think). Just keep it clean. If it gets too dirty, try Oxyclean - yes!. Be sure to run vinegar after, and I like to run some additional water too.

I used to be a French press guy but was always getting caught up in something and not pressing down the plunger in time. Then I started using a Capresso brand machine and it works well. Getting that nice Viennese or Parisian quality cup is still elusive, but I'm about as satisfied with the Capresso's output as I think I'm gonna get outside of the EU.

get a senseo just dont use senseo brand pods

I have to agree with minalpharetta, grind your beans fresh and a carafe will keep it fresh. I have a Krups espresso machine and enjoy a cappucino in the evening (with a smike of course) I am not familiar with the "press" could someone enlighten me?

As to Starbucks I do not care for it, always tastes burned. When I am at work I prefer good old Dunkin Donuts. wen it is fresh it can't be beat.

We have always had Mr. Coffee's and have had great luck with them. I'd recommend it.

Like Scottological-- love the pun, by the way-- I've got a press, but just use the Capresso drip machine for convenience. The key with any drip machine is to keep it clean, and if your machine does not have a carafe (and therefore no burner), get your pot off of the burner after brewing and pour it into a carafe to keep it warm.

Agreed. There's no reason to let coffee scorch when carafe machines are so cheap and plentiful. Running a cap full of vinegar through the machine every week and running a couple of pots of plain filtered water (no coffee) will keep everything tasting fine.

Saxon, a French press is a carafe with a plunger at the top. You add coursely ground coffee directly to hot water, then lower the plunger after a few minutes, which filters out the coffee grounds. When done right, the results are spectacular. But it's easy to mess up the timing and you end up with brackish swill if you're off by even a minute.