Best Coffee Maker

Dr. Huk-N-Duck

Dr. Huk-N-Duck

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Just curious, what do y’all consider the best coffee maker? We’ve been through a couple of Keurigs, a Ninja, and just some old fashioned Walmart specials. I still feel like I haven’t quite found the right one. I don’t drink, smoke, or waste money on much else (besides my boat), so I don’t mind spending some money, although I’m sure I can’t afford Bill Gate’s coffee maker.
 
Huk said:
Just curious, what do y’all consider the best coffee maker? We’ve been through a couple of Keurigs, a Ninja, and just some old fashioned Walmart specials. I still feel like I haven’t quite found the right one. I don’t drink, smoke, or waste money on much else (besides my boat), so I don’t mind spending some money, although I’m sure I can’t afford Bill Gate’s coffee maker.
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the best coffee/espresso machine where price is not an issue... is mastrena.... it;s the one starbucks currently uses...... but you will be spending big money for it... and they are very hard to find... even harder to find parts or people who know how to repair one... or who will be willing to work on it if they do know how.... starbucks has an exclusive contract with the company for the mastrena.... but you can still find used machines out there... but you will need a lot of counter space for it.... ..

the second best is the thermoplan black and white.... that;s the machine starbucks used prior to 2004.... and the one i learned on when i first started working for starbucks.... they are not as expensive... a lot easier to find and also easier to find parts for....still a little pricey and kinda big too.... and not as easy to clean...

but unless you had a lot of people to make coffee for it would be pointless to have either one......

some of my friends who also worked for starbucks have a capresso.... and they love it.... the company makes all levels of makes and models from the very basic coffee only types... to ones that make espresso and can froth milk to make cappucinos.... ...if we didn;t have the super high end machine we have in our apartment... or if it broke down and we didn;t already have another one in storage... plus a thermoplan black and white in storage too.... and couldn;t find or afford a another thermoplan b&w.... then i would want a capresso.....

but seriously...... good coffee is all in the grind and the quality of the bean.... also whichever kind of roast you prefer whether lighter or extremely dark..... and if you get all those combinations right then a simple french press will produce some of the best coffee you have ever tasted...... .it;s some extra work..... but it;s worth it...
 
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aleshanee said:
the best coffee/espresso machine where price is not an issue... is mastrena.... it;s the one starbucks currently uses.
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Yeah, $15K definitely is out of my price range for a coffee maker, although if I ever hit the numbers, I won’t hesitate.
aleshanee said:
the second best is the thermoplan black and white.... that;s the machine starbucks used prior to 2004
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Yep…$5K is still out of my budget for a coffee maker.
aleshanee said:
some of my friends who also worked for starbucks have a capresso.... and they love it
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Now that one is definitely in my budget. I’ll have to do some research on that one. I don’t mind spending a little, but ideally I’d prefer to stay under $300 or so. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Nothing beats your basic French press.

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Alternatively, if you prefer your coffee a bit stronger, the iconic Bialetti Moka Express:

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if i am making coffee just for myself and nobody else wants it... i use a french press.... but that;s not that often since technically 12 people are in this household.... ..2 of them have their own place in another building... (my dad and his wife).... but they are here more often than not... they still have one of those old gevalia machines that the gevalia company used to send out for free if you ordered their coffee....... ...i remember making coffee on that when i first came back from california and moved in with them.... it wasn;t that bad..... very simple and basic..... and if it broke they would send you another one for free.... just buy more coffee...
 
aleshanee said:
some of my friends who also worked for starbucks have a capresso.... and they love it....
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Back in the early 2000s, Starbucks used to sell a home machine branded as "Barista," which was made by Saeco. From all I've heard about them, they were good quality, and now I'm sorry I missed the chance to buy one. The Capresso looks to be about the same price point.

I generally prefer to make coffee by hand, either with the French press or a pour-over (although I do share the house's Keurig). I'd make an exception for a good pump espresso machine. Unfortunately, stores around here tend to sell higher-end appliances, especially Breville and Smeg, which are a bit out of my price range. Doesn't seem to be anything available mid-range, like a DeLonghi or comparable.

I have a friend with a Nespresso. It tastes pretty good and an idiot can run it, but like the Keurig, the tradeoff is a high cost per cup.
 
Ransom said:
Back in the early 2000s, Starbucks used to sell a home machine branded as "Barista," which was made by Saeco. From all I've heard about them, they were good quality, and now I'm sorry I missed the chance to buy one. The Capresso looks to be about the same price point.

I generally prefer to make coffee by hand, either with the French press or a pour-over (although I do share the house's Keurig). I'd make an exception for a good pump espresso machine. Unfortunately, stores around here tend to sell higher-end appliances, especially Breville and Smeg, which are a bit out of my price range. Doesn't seem to be anything available mid-range, like a DeLonghi or comparable.

I have a friend with a Nespresso. It tastes pretty good and an idiot can run it, but like the Keurig, the tradeoff is a high cost per cup.
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i;ve seen both the breville, smeg and several of the different models of the de-longhi at the williams sonoma here.... . but i have never used one before...the high end de-longhi was the most expensive coffee/espresso machine i have seen so far available in a store...

i wish we had bought a barista machine too back when they had them available...... ..i remember when the starbucks i worked at still had them displayed for sale... . . but unfortunately i don;t rmember anybody buying one.... then suddenly one day they were gone...

i made it a point to buy some of the starbucks stainless steel tumblers mugs when they came out because they never kept the same designs for very long... some of the ones i have in my closet still in the original boxes are worth quite a bit.... others we have in the cabinets would be except they were used pretty heavily and no longer in great condition......

years ago i use to hang out at the firestations my dad worked at.... and some of them had keurig machines.... but every time they saw me there they would pull out their old drip machines and ask me if i would make the coffee for them... ..so i did... at some stations i just automatically made coffee as soon as i arrived.... even if they were out on calls.... coz i knew they would want coffee when they got back.. ...... they all said the keurigs were ok.... and they were convenient... but they said even 7-11 coffee was better than the keurig....

someone was keeping them well supplied with keurig coffee though coz i remember several big boxes in their cabinets of different flavors.... i actually tried a cup of coffee from one of their keurig machines once... and for me once was enough.... but i have no idea how long those coffee containers had been in there or if they were expired or not.... it could have been an cup past it;s date.......those guys still had jars of folgers instant coffee in their cabinets ... most of them gathering dust.... ...what worried me was finding one open in the cabinet one day with a spoon still in the jar.... i wondered who was drinking that?.... ...but then i thought maybe they were saving that for when the battalion chef came by and they wanted to get rid of him fast....

but i agree with you... coffee made by hand in a french press is always the best.... but it would be impossible to do that for everyone here in the mornings...
 
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I love my shots of espresso and don't do much regular "coffee". My dream machine (single group head) 110 https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/la-marzocco-gs3-espresso-machine?sku=ESE846A0040
but that's the top end of the prosumer models. single head semi automatic. They are 8K. and you still need a grinder. I have a lesser expensive make and model about 3K. LOVE IT.
From a store model I would buy the Breville. In my opinion they are best of the non pro machines. I used to have a Gaggia. It was a great machine. The double boiler models are generally the better machines.
 
The two problems I run into are a lack of time in the mornings and that I prefer a more medium roast coffee (especially with fruit and/or nut scents) while my wife prefers a very bold/dark roast with no scents. The one thing we agree on is a cafe con leche, which is a Cuban style coffee with a very bold coffee offset by steamed milk (50/50 mix). To truly do this type of coffee correctly, it requires an upscale machine, so we usually just wait for a Latino restaurant to order.

As far as keeping it hot, YETI is the only way to go. They’ll initially cost you about $40 (maybe $25 on sale), but it’s the only brand I’ve ever found that truly will keep your drinks hot or cold all day long. We probably own at least eight of them. 1669807664193.jpeg
 
My wife and I used to get into all those "fancy" machines and fancy coffees years back. But, we, after going through several Black & Decker drip machines, and several other off-brands ended up going back to the Mr. Coffee mid-priced machine. In 20 years we've burned up two, and we're on our third. They're good, dependable machines, and you can make about any type of coffee in them. The one I like after that are the regular percolator, followed by the French press.
 
If it were completely up to me, I’d probably just go back to a $20 Walmart special coffee maker and reserve a more specialized cup for when I’m out on the town. I’ve noticed these $200 makers like to break down within a couple of years, but the Walmart specials last 10 or 20 years. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
I NEVER buy the Walmart brand. We did for a long time, but, with the inconsistency in their performance, we stopped.
 
AverageJoe said:
The one I like after that are the regular percolator, followed by the French press.
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If I need coffee for more than one, I have a 10-cup Melitta stovetop pour-over. Only downside is, #6 filters are hard to find. So I buy the cheap #4 filters at Walmart. Too small for the stovetop pot, and too big for the #2 one-cup pour-over. Perfect.

(I've never even seen a #4-sized cone. What are those things even for?)
 
The Real Holy Mole said:
I love my shots of espresso and don't do much regular "coffee". My dream machine (single group head) 110 https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/la-marzocco-gs3-espresso-machine?sku=ESE846A0040
but that's the top end of the prosumer models. single head semi automatic. They are 8K. and you still need a grinder. I have a lesser expensive make and model about 3K. LOVE IT.
From a store model I would buy the Breville. In my opinion they are best of the non pro machines. I used to have a Gaggia. It was a great machine. The double boiler models are generally the better machines.
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that marzocco looks like a nice little machine.... much smaller than the monster mastrena sitting on our counter... ...there is a chance my sisters company might want to take both the mastrenas we have and use them in main offices.... she asked me if i wanted her to find another thermoplan black and white because the one we have in storage is basically out of commission... it might not be bad to use for parts if we had a newer one and needed to fix something. ..... but i don;t know.... i might look around at some of these other machines and see what she thinks about them... ..thing is they have to be able to handle a large number of people like when company clients and other employees come here for meetings and etc - (and all the family and household at the same time)... ..or if they ever have to rely on this place again as a back up for what it use to be..... but we will see.... ..she said they are still just thinking about it... ..and their plans change all the time.... ..
 
aleshanee said:
that marzocco looks like a nice little machine.... much smaller than the monster mastrena sitting on our counter... ...there is a chance my sisters company might want to take both the mastrenas we have and use them in main offices.... she asked me if i wanted her to find another thermoplan black and white because the one we have in storage is basically out of commission... it might not be bad to use for parts if we had a newer one and needed to fix something. ..... but i don;t know.... i might look around at some of these other machines and see what she thinks about them... ..thing is they have to be able to handle a large number of people like when company clients and other employees come here for meetings and etc - (and all the family and household at the same time)... ..or if they ever have to rely on this place again as a back up for what it use to be..... but we will see.... ..she said they are still just thinking about it... ..and their plans change all the time.... ..
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A friend of mine uses this exact model for catering wedding and events. So it can easily handle the volume you speak of. I've used mine for a few events where I pull about 150 shots over an 8-10 hour event...no problem..
 
Just as important as the maker is the coffee you use. My favorite is Peet's Major Dickason's Blend. I get the K-cups online. I've been using my trusty K-cup machine for over a decade.

I also have Major Dickason's Blend in whole bean. I grind it as fine as my El cheapo grinder will grind it and grind two batches for a full pot. I like it when I can stand a spoon in it... then the spoon dissolves.
 
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I’m going to keep using the Keurig during weekdays until it dies, but all this “French press” talk has me leaning towards buying one for just the weekends when I have a little more time on my hands (other than when I’m getting up at around 4:30 to go duck hunting).
 
this is the one we have been using lately.... death wish .... it;s super strong...
probably not for everybody..... ..we get it in the big 5 pound bags like the
kind starbucks uses... .we use the starbucks super dark espresso roast too
which is not quite as strong as this one is... plus there is another one called
black rifle coffee we have tried but it;s not as strong as these are.. .. .

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..but my dad told me their were 2 kinds o f coffee he grew up that are
even stronger than these are..... cowboy coffee and truck stop coffee
...cowboy coffee is made in a bucket and brewed over an open fire...
and according to him it;s strong enough to float a horseshoe.... but
truck stop coffee is what truck stops won;t serve to anyone other
than long haul truckers.... they will fill up a whole thermos of it
for them.... but it was so strong that if they left the lid off that
thermos the coffee would climb out of it and walk away......

it was drive all night with the landscape glowing in the dark coffee....
 
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