Automatic coffee makers - Anyone have one?

[Saab2000]

I don't drink much coffee. But I should start. I've basically been addicted to Coca Cola products since college and should probably change where I get my caffeine. Coffee is shown to have some non-negative characteristics. Coca-Cola and Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi (my poison of choice) have benefits only for my portfolio, as I own a few shares here and there of these mega companies.

When I lived overseas we owned very nice Jura coffee machine but we didn't use it all that often. Nevertheless, it did make great coffee.

When I drink coffee, which is essentially only overseas and then I'll have a Cappucco (Ticinese slang for Cappuccino from what I recall) or something of that sort and the very occasional Espresso.

I refuse to get a Mr. Coffee or something American of that nature that turns clear water brown.

Does anyone have one of the nice automatic machines? Suggestions?

[Brandon White]

I have a Jura Capresso and it's good. But for simplicity and strong coffee, go with a french press or Bialetti stove top. Its the same amount of work (between turning on the machine, the heat-up, the rinse, then choosing the size/strength, making sure there are beans, and making sure there is water) versus filling up the bialetti, adding grounds, turning on stove. Time difference is only a few minutes.

If I was to start over - I'd get a more manual setup.

[TomW]

If I was to start over - I'd get a more manual setup.

I'm going to equate coffee making with one of the other evident non-cycling obsessions on this board: DE razor shaving. I think exactly the same approach, and benefits, that one can find from DE razors over cartridge can be found in a good use of an aeropress or filter brewer. You have the ritual, you have the learning and, eventually, the better result.

You also, importantly for a bunch of product obsessed men, have product. As an entry level start you can get an aeropress ($50) with an Able Brewing filter ($15). Able Brewing will give you that good warm feeling inside as you are supporting a small American company.

Then you start adding in beautiful hand grinders such as the Japanese Porlex and you are really mixing it up.


Porlex Mini hand grinder by skinnydiver, on Flickr

And, of course, you have the whole range of beans from small, start-up, passionate companies.

Then there are all the upgrades and tweaks you can make. I will eventually probably try to buy some hand tweaked espresso maker and pair it with a gonzlab tamper.

Curtis Odom Espresso Tamper | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Mark Kelly]

Any workplace I'm in has to have a decent coffee machine, can't get through vintage without the requisite number of double shot espressos.

If you drink a reasonable amount of coffee and want an auto load machine, consider a Saeco Royal. In my experience these will stand up to a reasonable amount of abuse and if fed decent coffee and adjusted properly they make an acceptable brew*.

If you want something better you need something more manual so you can fiddle with adjustments. The standard recommendation is a Rancilio Sylvia with an aftermarket PID temperature controller fitted.

If you don't drink much coffee, consider one of the "pod" machines. The coffee is only just OK quality and it's very expensive per kilo but for occasional use that's not a big problem and the fact that it stays sealed until used can make it cheaper than throwing out the stale unused portion of the fresh beans you bought last week.

* Download the manual and read it properly. Good results depend on adjusting the grinder gap to get good crema. The machine's biggest flaw is that the spent bean disposal is less than perfect which can gum up the works. The machine we've got here requires cleaning about every week - I take the central unit out and blow it clean with compressed air.

[robin3mj]

Get a good kettle, decent grinder, 2 sizes of French Press, and a small Moka pot, and you're golden.
Add a cone/pourover maker, and you have yet another bit of variety.
All for the same price (maybe less?) than a countertop machine.

[Lionel]

Nespresso. Hard to beat the convenience of it. It would not be the very finest espresso but it's good.

[Ben]

If you're not drinking a lot of coffee, or aren't sure you'll be drinking a lot of coffee, I can't see buying anything other than an Aeropress.
If you travel a lot, and need something that travels better than a countertop unit, Aeropress.
If you're cheap, Aeropress.

If you're lazy to the point of needing someone else to trim your toenails, maybe the Aeropress is too much work.

Get a good grinder and the coffee's as good as 90%+ of coffee places out there. Use a shitty grinder and the coffee's still pretty great. Use pre-ground Maxwell House and it's still an order of magnitude better than what you'd buy at a gas station and/or airport.

[moran]

We have a built in Bosch that seems to do a good job. Makes good coffee....though the beans you choose are such a big part of that. We didn't plumb it directly to the water supply, so it's a PIA to keep refilling the water.

I thought there was a gentleman in California that hand builds some really good machines too. Salvatore maybe?

[Matthew Strongin]

I was given a Nespresso machine last year as a gift. Before that I mainly used a french press. I didn't want to love the Nespresso, but it's good and so easy. I can roll out of bed and have a solid double espresso before I'm even remotely awake. I can make cappucino or espresso with it pretty easily too. And when I want something more like regular coffee I use the lungo mode for a little more water. Pretty versatile machine, actually.

[PGSmith]

Saeco Vienna Plus and Madcap beans. It takes some fiddling initially to get the dose/serving ratio correct, but the coffee is damn decent.

[Rhys]

French press.
Plus a grinder.

Easier to do than a Bialetti.
Cheaper initial investment.
More caffeine in the final drink than espresso.
Can be taken when travelling (for that PRO feeling).

[nebraskacycling]

I agree with the French press ideas. If you want something more automatic I would suggest a Keurig type brewer as they are easy to brew what you want with really no clean-up. I personally prefer my aero-press (plastic press for espresso), but find myself using the Keurig almost every weekday when I don't want to spend 5 minutes with grinding and clean-up. It depends on personal preference and what you want to make that will really suit your needs. There are multiple choices for making cappuccino on the market, but I haven't purchased any yet so I can't recommend any!

[maunahaole]

Moccamaster.

[rydesteel]

Agreed this and a burr grinder will make excellent coffee.

Moccamaster.