Coffee maker connoisseurs~ I need your help!

[RitaZ.]

Ok, DH is always complaining that our coffee maker doesn't make the coffee hot enough. We have tried several different brands over the years, and it's always the same problem.

So, I want to get him one for Christmas, but I don't know what to look for. The brands that we have had in the past are the regular ones that you find at Target and Walmart. I'm looking for one that's good quality that will make the coffee "hot enough" and also not a huge one, as DH is the only one that drinks coffee on a regular basis.

TIA

 

[Blondie]

I've given up on coffee makers being able to heat coffee to the degree I like, which is extra hot!

I simply microwave it for about 35 seconds! Then it's hot!

 

[RitaZ.]

Really? I thought that we just have a cheap coffee maker and that there had to be better ones. Bummer!

 

[SpecialK]

I'm guessing a percolator (sp?) would make the coffee hotter than a drip coffee maker.
The water has to boil longer to keep the percolating action going. What about using a French press?

 

[Blondie]

My MIL has one of those old fashioned brew on the stove-top (percolator) type and that is some of the hottest coffee I've ever had!

I've found one here if you want to check it out.

I'm the only coffee drinker in the family, so I just put up with a 4 cup Mr. Coffee and then reheat it in the microwave (as previously mentioned.) I can't see shelling out $$$ when I'm the only one drinking it. I will pay extra for good quality coffee though!

 

[RitaZ.]

Thanks! I'll check them out. I saw a French Press at BB&B, but didn't buy it. I don't really know which one would be best. I guess I have some research to do.

 

[robinb]

You might want to look into Bunn coffee makers.

 

[bicker]

I have two options for you. We use both, alternatively, and both do precisely what your DH wants. The key is that both work from water that actually has reached the boiling point.

This is a Melitta manual coffee maker. Boil water. Pour boiling water over grounds. The coffee ends up almost boiling.

This is a Bodum Santos coffee maker. It defies description. Basically, the water starts in the bottom, the grounds in the top, on top of the filter. The water in the bottom boils and is forced, under pressure up into the top, then when brewing is done, sucked down back to the bottom. So you get great coffee AND a show.

Bodum also has manual models, that work on top of the stove instead of being electric:

 

[AnnaS]

I use one of those that you brew on the stove - a percolator. I also have a huge (when I need more than 12 cups for company) Farberware (electrical) percolator. I think these are the best ones for having hot coffee and remains hot for more than 5 seconds.

The Mr. Coffee type pots seem quicker and more convenient - many people have these - but the coffee is cool as soon as you pour it in your cup.

 

[RitaZ.]

Wow! I asked and you guys delivered. Bicker, the third one is an interesting contraption. I like the second one. Where can I find them?

 

[robinb]

I have two options for you. We use both, alternatively, and both do precisely what your DH wants.

I have coffee makers that are almost the same .

We have a Chemex coffee maker like this:

We heat our water to boiling and pour it in. We also have a themos to put the coffee into after brewing because it gets cold quickly.

We also have a vacuum pot made by Cona (the same ones that are at Victoria and Alberts). Although it makes great coffee, it takes a really lobg time to brew!

We also have a pressed pot for making a quickie batch and my Cuisinart 12-cup for everyday use.

All options mentioned (except for the Cuisinart) require you to pay attention to your coffee maker and not just let it do it's thing. My beloved Cuisinart has a timer .

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

My vote is for Krups.

To make a great coffee, a coffee pot should get the water heated to 200-205 degrees fehrenheit. Anything hotter than that will scorch the coffee and make it bitter.

A second vote would be for Capresso.

Our coffee out of our Krups coffee maker is too hot to drink for about 15-20 minutes after brewing.

Another thing you might want to consider doing is putting the coffee into an insulated mug with a lid immediately after brewing it.

 

[bicker]

Wow! I asked and you guys delivered. Bicker, the third one is an interesting contraption. I like the second one. Where can I find them?

The second one and the third one are available online:

http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=52&LID=412&CHK=&SLT=

It is also available at some Whole Foods Markets, as well as some specialty stores.

I have coffee makers that are almost the same . We have a Chemex coffee maker like this: ... We also have a vacuum pot made by Cona ...

Yes, they do look like the Mellita manual coffee maker and the Bodum stovetop models, respectively. My concern about the Bodum stovetop models and both of the coffee makers you showed is that they seem pretty darned breakable.

To make a great coffee, a coffee pot should get the water heated to 200-205 degrees fehrenheit. Anything hotter than that will scorch the coffee and make it bitter.

I've found the opposite to be true, and Alton Brown actually indicated that the opposite would be true, in his episode True Brew. I think the problem with scortching only happens if you're boiling the water and the grounds together, instead of boiling the water and then pouring it over the grounds, or forcing it under pressure through the grounds.

 

[Dan Murphy]

My vote is for Krups.

To make a great coffee, a coffee pot should get the water heated to 200-205 degrees fehrenheit. Anything hotter than that will scorch the coffee and make it bitter.

A second vote would be for Capresso.

Our coffee out of our Krups coffee maker is too hot to drink for about 15-20 minutes after brewing.

Another thing you might want to consider doing is putting the coffee into an insulated mug with a lid immediately after brewing it.

Agreed. We have one like this, an earlier version, works great, and I LOVE coffee, am pretty darn picky about it. http://www.krupsusa.com/krups/All+P...Coffee+makers/Products/ProAroma_FME2/FME2.htm

 

[robinb]

Yes, they do look like the Mellita manual coffee maker and the Bodum stovetop models, respectively. My concern about the Bodum stovetop models and both of the coffee makers you showed is that they seem pretty darned breakable.

We are now on our third Chemex. But ... my DH loves the way it makes coffee. I let him "baby sit" it over the weekend. I use my Cuisinart with Thermal pot the rest of the week so I can have hot coffee as soon as I come downstairs at 6:45 AM.

 

[Alice's Mom]

If you do decide to get an automatic coffee maker, I would get one with a cup warming area on top. Nothing cools coffee down faster than a cold mug.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I am not sure if I said this here or one other time on another thread..

I perk my coffee in either a Faberware coffeepot or a Melitta one.. I can never go back to a drip coffeemaker, the coffee tastes watered down and it is never hot. I also have an old fashioned coffeepot on the stove if I wanted to perk it there..

 

[Nicolepa]

We have the Starbucks coffee maker. Not sure about how "hot" it makes the coffee, but the carafe keeps the coffee warm literally all day. You can pour a cup of coffee at 3pm and it's still warm. It also makes a great cup of coffee. Before this we got a new coffee maker at least once a year. We've had this one 3 years.

 

[Imzadi]

Temperture DOES make an incredible difference. A coffee maker not hot enough will not extract the right flavor from beans. I even use cheap coffee now, & still get good flavor.

How about getting DH a maker from one of those Gevalia "free coffee maker" deals. You can get your DH two yummy packs of coffee with the free coffee maker. Remember, they go out of their way to find good coffee makers to brew their coffee. Then you can cancel immediately afterwards & they stop shipping any more coffee to you. Or you can alter the amount & times they send you coffee.

Both my ex-BF & I each got the same Melita coffee maker from Gevalia years ago - before we even met each other, LOL. Our coffee, from both makers tasted great. I want to switch to one of those single cup brew makers now, but I'm afraid I will end up with a maker that brews at the wrong temp. Gevalia doesn't have one of those!

Here's a link for the various deals:
Official Gevalia Coffee Thread