Our home houses three Keurig machines (one in the kitchen, one in the home office, and one in the bedroom sitting area). I use them often because they are quick. We also have a Ninja coffee bar in the kitchen. It is not so fast. And it doesn’t let you know when it is running low on water (your cup of coffee could turn out to be half an expresso).
My favorite is the Ninja because it seems to really bring out the taste. It uses fresh ground coffee. The k-pods are quick, but not strong enough for my taste. They seem to have a different flavor.
What are your preferences? What types of coffee makers do you like?
I like the convenience of automatic drip coffee makers.
For batch brews (more than a single serving) Cuisinart. I have a Cuisinart 1200.
For single serving, Black & Decker Brew 'n Go. Once I dialed in the proper amount of coffee to use I cannot believe how good the coffee tastes from this $20 machine!
Over the years I've learned several traits of great drip coffee makers. If the coffee maker has these design features I'll give it a go. Doesn't matter what brand name.
Number one is a cone shaped filter/basket coffee grounds holder. These expose more surface area of the coffee grounds to the water as it passes through, resulting in better tasting coffee and the use of less grounds. Also, water stays in contact with the grounds longer. Cone shaped baskets makes coffee that tastes better and are more economical with the grounds. Most drip coffee makers have a wide, circular, flat bottomed grounds holder (like Mr. Coffee). Stay away.
Number two is a shower head water dispenser. This is exactly what you think it means--there is a circular head with multiple holes (liked a shower head) that the water drips out of into the coffee grounds area. Better distribution of water, more efficient interaction with the grounds vs. the single orifice design.
Number three is a permanent fine mesh screen style of filter basket, usually gold plated to deter corrosion. No paper filter elements needed or wanted.
Number four is the water temperature achieved. There is an ideal water temperature that needs to be reached to release peak flavor from the coffee beans. I think it is 190 to 200 degrees F. (Reading Amazon reviews will bring out which coffee makers qualify.)
Comes with a stainless steel insulated travel mug. No coffee pot or heating pad to keep the coffee warm. Just brews hot coffee into the mug (or whatever container you want) and shuts off.
Concerning coffee makers, I don't know which is best. But the following is the best one we've found among coffee makers to are easy to find and buy locally.
We have a couple re-usable pods that can be loaded with coffee of your choice; you can make it as strong as you like. It's some mess to deal with for just one cup though.
Mostly we use a Kirkland brand K-pods from Costco (breakfast blend) with an insulated qt pot. We use 2 pods per qt; each pod gets run through twice - 8 oz regular then 8 oz strong. The resulting 'blend' suits us good (probably wouldn't be strong enough for you). And being the tight wad I am I'm getting twice the bang for my buck. :D
Enjoy hazelnut, but like it stronger than the prefilled pods, plus the savings is remarkable.
i don’t like super hot coffee,
so I use an ice cube to temper the brew.
Back when there was only the large office drip available ten cup decanters, the acid taste from stale brew was just part of the job.
So, the Keurig is the best fit for me.
Large enough holding tank for water, allows me to select from three sizes the amount of coffee I want, and is not prone to my lack of keeping things clean after every use.
I use a Keurig normally, but I told my wife to bring her late father's old aluminum drip pot and kettle home with her. I like the way those things can make strong coffee.
There is an elderly widow in the church who loves to make me coffee when I drop in to see her. She uses the old kettle and drip pot. She doesn't even measure. She gets her bag out of the fridge, fills the top up, pours the water in, and we have coffee. I asked her for a toothpick once, when I finished a cup :)
You can get them almost anywhere, from Wal-Mart to Amazon. I just bought a Keurig brand refillable from E-Bay.
You can reuse the K-Cups by washing them out, refilling them and putting aluminum foil over the top. A K-Cup can be reused several times; it's good until the paper filter inside gives out, which is not nearly as soon as you'd think. You can also buy K-Caps to take the place of the foil; both disposable and reusable are available online. I haven't tried them, but I don't see why they wouldn't work.