OT- Coffee Makers

johnnyp said:

Thanks for the advice, guys.  We're leaning toward the Ninja.  

As for ditching the Keurig, it's been a long time coming.  It breaking was the final straw.  We just really liked to convenience.  I get up pretty early in the morning for work and the on-demand coffee and hot water was worth the quality sacrifice. 

Now to try to blend the convenience and something resembling quality. 

I have a Keurig in the basement...lol

My wife uses a Ninja as well, loves it. I myself don’t drink coffee - which made me somewhat of an outcast in the Chief’s Quarters on the boats. I don’t even like the tast of coffee ice cream. 

YukonRon said:

Insta boil and French press. Our favorite, by far. 50-50 blend with French Roast and DD regular.

For my Dead Head friends....

Got out of K cups a while ago.  Check out Chemex.  Simplicity at its best.

Without question, when I started roasting my own beans and using them within the 1 day to 2 week freshness window, it was a game changer. I use a manual burr grinder to get a consistent grind size. That gives consistent extraction per particle and reduces off flavors and bitterness. I grind no longer than 15 minutes before brewing to minimize flavor loss. Heat water between 195 and 205 and a minute or 2 extraction time. 

I use an aeropress using the inverted method. I have been using a metal filter instead of the paper to retain the coffee oils and get a cup with more body to it.

It is a really simple and quick process, low tech, and just works well. I do use a french press occasionally for larger batches. But 99% of time I use the aeropress. I have done pourover also. That is really good also. Just takes a little more effort.

The freshness of the roasted bean is the biggest factor to change first.

Electric Kettle & French Press...best coffee & simple.

BikerBob said:

Simple no non-sense is the Bunn. Coffee in the top pour in water close top and a few minutes later drinking coffee. Have tried a Moka Pot, but have not refined the results yet.

I have a big SS Frieling press, Chef's Choice kettle, a nice burr grinder, and the SS Bunn gets the call, every time.  My Dad gave it to me new in box.

The rest collect dust. 

I did call Bunn, and they sent, free of charge, two of the slower green spray heads vs the standard black.  A major improvement IMO.

Love the chemex, but recently saw a Toddy on clearance for $10 at Barnes and Noble and haven't looked back.  Makes a concentrated cold brew.  The syrup it makes is concentrated so when you want a cup of coffee, you take 1 part syrup mixed with 1-2 parts hot water.   I make a big batch that lasts me about a week.  When I forget to prepare a batch, I just use my Chemex for a quick cup.

Just dumped the Keurig after a few years. Kicking around options while drinking overpriced espresso from the local coffee shops. Leaning toward a grinder and a french press.

Zaltydog said:

Without question, when I started roasting my own beans and using them within the 1 day to 2 week freshness window, it was a game changer. I use a manual burr grinder to get a consistent grind size. That gives consistent extraction per particle and reduces off flavors and bitterness. I grind no longer than 15 minutes before brewing to minimize flavor loss. Heat water between 195 and 205 and a minute or 2 extraction time. 

I use an aeropress using the inverted method. I have been using a metal filter instead of the paper to retain the coffee oils and get a cup with more body to it.

It is a really simple and quick process, low tech, and just works well. I do use a french press occasionally for larger batches. But 99% of time I use the aeropress. I have done pourover also. That is really good also. Just takes a little more effort.

The freshness of the roasted bean is the biggest factor to change first.

I used a Hario manual burr grinder with Aeropress for years, but it is a ball ache if you want more than 1 cup. A Eureka electric burr grinder does the job now. Roasting your own sounds interesting, but for now I get small deliveries weekly from a specialist roaster, 7 days max from roast to door. Go to the supermarket and look at the pack dates on so called specialist / high end coffee beans - often 6 months to a year old.

After ready this I have no clue which way to go. I like the aeropress and the French press but I’m also intrigued by the Chemex. It just my wife and I that drink it in the morning before work. Either way I’m going to have to purchase a grinder. 

I have been happy with the Lido manual burr grinder I use. Only my wife and I are making coffee each morning, so the manual works well. It is quiet and I like the the process and feel of self-grinding each morning. I am about to grind some Peruvian that I roasted 2 days ago.

I did have to lay down the law to my wife using the Lido for her flavored bean grinding. Back to the blade grinder for that crap.

I have a keurig at home, as I’m the only one who drinks coffee. But this weekend we’re staying at the in laws and they have a ninja coffee maker. It tastes much better than my keurig 

Trying to resist the urge to start down this rabbit hole...