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[Tim McCulloch]

We have one of these:
https://www.groundworkcoffee.com/products/bonavita-8-cup-carafe-coffee-brewer?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl_SHBhCQARIsAFIFRVUeIptRvtMVXdW7KfEJTHJO24xSduEw1g6PNH-jlnHwj5lFpzGH6pQaArv8EALw_wcB

And I can't say enough good about it. It heats the water to the proper temp, and keeps that heat throughtout the brewing. The carafe is insulated and has no heater under the carafe so the coffee doesn't burn just sitting there. Best of all there's no whiz-bangery. Just an on-off switch and thats it.

Also we've used this coffee maker 2-3 pots a day for I don't know maybe 4 or 5 years now? It's been the longest lasting of any pots we've had.

If I were ordering a replacement Cuisinart, I'd get the model with the thermal carafe.  I brew in small batches (about 15 fl oz) and turn off the warmer. I'd rather give a cup 30 seconds in the microwave to bring it up than leave it on the hot plate.

[John Roberts {JR}]

I started this thread after doing some minor research on how coffee is brewed in roasteries (the ones that have a retail front).  100% of all the roasters I visited use drip coffee makers.  Though, they all said they use professional equipment.  I did not ask if they could control the water temp and extraction time.  The brewed coffee at the roasters was exceptionally better than anything I have ever brewed on my own.  I have had some good coffee, but it has never been consistent.  Therefore, I'm leaning toward drip.

I expect the biggest difference is freshness, they probably grind just before brewing, and roast almost daily.

I was hoping Bunn had something "commercial" that would work for residential use (affordable... of course).  I'm beginning to see this may not be a possibility. 

the consumer bunn machines are respectable when working properly

Ah... I see you are a coffee "person"! 

guilty...

Great info!  I'm using an electric percolator as well.  It works fine, but I think it's getting the water too hot.  I measured the temp while it was percolating (through the pour spout); it was over 200 degrees for most of the "cooking" time. 

Just to be clear about terminology a percolator is a very old school coffee maker that boils water and forces it up a tube and over the grounds.. Good technology for a century ago, but now we have better solutions.

The cheap drip coffee makers can be surprisingly good if well designed. They boil water forcing small amounts up a tube to drip onto the brew basket. With good engineering design they could scrub off the few degrees of too much heat, but most probably don't. The biggest sin of cheap drip machines is burning the coffee afterwards sitting on a heater, and starting house fires.   

Many times, the coffee tastes over-extracted.

not sure what that tastes like (strong?).

I've cleaned the percolator many times.

Do you mean (electric) kettle or an actual percolator?

I use Baratza burr grinder.

me too... My first one self destructed when the grinding gears chewed themselves up. I replaced the burr set, and the replacements also self destructed. I bought a factory refurbished baratza grinder and it has worked flawlessly for decades.

Recently, I added a coffee filter to the basket.

my pour over rig is not conventional. I have an old Bunn brew basket on the bottom, a Melitta pour over cone on top, and a DIY plastic spacer to support the Melitta cone centered inside the larger brew basket. The metal coffee filter sits inside the Melitta, with a paper filter under it, then the second paper filter in the bottom of the old Bunn brew basket.

If you have experience with french press you should understand the relations ship between extraction and time exposed to the heated water. My rube goldberg combination of filters and brew baskets works for me. If I just used a paper filter the grounds would clog it up and brewed coffee would take too long to drain from the brew basket. The metal filter traps enough coffee grounds to prevent clogging the paper filter so the coffee drains in a good time frame.

It cleaned up all the sediment that was usually in the bottom of my coffee cup.  It helped with the controlling the bitterness, but looks like the filter may be introducing another variable in trying to get a good cup of coffee made. 

I dislike chewing my coffee (I remember picking leaves out of the coffee in the army).

The metal coffee filter alone lets too much sediment pass, paper alone clogs up takes too long. Metal before paper in series, like goldilock's third bowl of porridge is just right. 

The coffee I get comes from local roasters; it's decent product.

With coffee origin matters. I rotate between different origins every five days. Today I roasted 5 days worth of Brazilian, I also have Columbian and Costa Rican green beans in queue.

There are too many variables to list.... Not just where the coffee is grown, but weather during that growing season, and how it was processed (dried). Roasting introduces another long list of variables. I am surely repeating myself but I suspect a huge difference you notice from coffee brewed by your roaster is "freshness" and good quality beans (they'd be crazy to serve lousy coffee).

"Life is too short to drink inferior beverages." - completely agree.


I'm on well-water (non-filtered)... it's actually very good water.  I recently started adding paper filters to control the sediment that was ending up in the coffee cup.  I hated to add the filters, but the sediment was too much with causing bitterness.  I grind my coffee with a coarse setting, but no matter how coarse it is, sediment always ended up in the cup.  So, I now add a filter, and can grind less coarse coffee, which results in using less coffee. 

I use RO filtered water so too clean if anything,

Just like "subtractive EQ", removing the bitterness (via a filter) has yield a much better cup of coffee!

+1

I think the main problem with the perc is water temp.  It's all electric, so I'm under it's control for how hot it gets and how long it will perc for.  The perc basket is ok, but sediment (more than what I would call "some") was continuously getting into the cup.  Been adding paper filters to catch the sediment. 

the main problem with a percolator is that its a PERCOLATOR, the brewed coffee mingles with the brew water and gets overheated (burnt).  Put the percolator in a bin and invest in a cheap pour-over rig. There are a number of OK brands to chose from (Melitta, Bodum, Chemex, Le Creuset, etc). 

Cleaning the perc is ok, but soap and water does not remove the residue.  I used to use something called "Dip-It", but appears that is no longer available.  I got something else to use (the name of the company/product slips my mind), but it could not be used on aluminum.  My perc is all stainless steel, except for the nut -aluminum- at the bottom of the perc (where the perc tube sits).  So, I was not able to use this other product.  What I am doing is using baking-soda to scrub the whole thing; this is not a fun task, especially when trying to clean the walls inside the perc.

Getting consistent results with the perc has been an ongoing problem;  maybe it's because I switch between light, med, dark roast coffees every month or so (which does require a change in grind size, water temps, extraction times).

bin it...

You're right - "..."good coffee" and "simplify" don't really go together."  I'm trying to find the middle of this!

While it isn't rocket science, there is some science involved, but not too much to manage.

JR

[drew gandy]

"Life is too short..."

I don't know guys. What's wrong with turning on the water tap, filling a cup, consuming, and then moving on with the day?

I admit to enjoying a good cup of tea from time to time (some times more than others) but at some point doesn't this kind of obsession suggest an attempt to distract yourself from something else in life? 

[Caleb Dueck]

"Life is too short..."

I don't know guys. What's wrong with turning on the water tap, filling a cup, consuming, and then moving on with the day?

I admit to enjoying a good cup of tea from time to time (some times more than others) but at some point doesn't this kind of obsession suggest an attempt to distract yourself from something else in life? 

I'll go against the consensus here and admit I drink instant coffee - and like it for this specific application.  Granted it's just a small part of the overall flavor, as most is milk and protein powder.  It sure doesn't taste like 'real' coffee, but the cost and time saved makes it worth it for me.  Plus my 'morning coffee' is also breakfast, further saving time - and it doesn't lead to extra spare tire weight to diet off.

[Bob Faulkner]

We have one of these:
https://www.groundworkcoffee.com/products/bonavita-8-cup-carafe-coffee-brewer?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl_SHBhCQARIsAFIFRVUeIptRvtMVXdW7KfEJTHJO24xSduEw1g6PNH-jlnHwj5lFpzGH6pQaArv8EALw_wcB

And I can't say enough good about it. It heats the water to the proper temp, and keeps that heat throughtout the brewing. The carafe is insulated and has no heater under the carafe so the coffee doesn't burn just sitting there. Best of all there's no whiz-bangery. Just an on-off switch and thats it.

Also we've used this coffee maker 2-3 pots a day for I don't know maybe 4 or 5 years now? It's been the longest lasting of any pots we've had.

Thanks.  I have learned the simpler they are, the easier they are!

I expect the biggest difference is freshness, they probably grind just before brewing, and roast almost daily. the consumer bunn machines are respectable when working properlyguilty...Just to be clear about terminology a percolator is a very old school coffee maker that boils water and forces it up a tube and over the grounds.. Good technology for a century ago, but now we have better solutions.

The cheap drip coffee makers can be surprisingly good if well designed. They boil water forcing small amounts up a tube to drip onto the brew basket. With good engineering design they could scrub off the few degrees of too much heat, but most probably don't. The biggest sin of cheap drip machines is burning the coffee afterwards sitting on a heater, and starting house fires.   not sure what that tastes like (strong?).Do you mean (electric) kettle or an actual percolator? me too... My first one self destructed when the grinding gears chewed themselves up. I replaced the burr set, and the replacements also self destructed. I bought a factory refurbished baratza grinder and it has worked flawlessly for decades. my pour over rig is not conventional. I have an old Bunn brew basket on the bottom, a Melitta pour over cone on top, and a DIY plastic spacer to support the Melitta cone centered inside the larger brew basket. The metal coffee filter sits inside the Melitta, with a paper filter under it, then the second paper filter in the bottom of the old Bunn brew basket.

If you have experience with french press you should understand the relations ship between extraction and time exposed to the heated water. My rube goldberg combination of filters and brew baskets works for me. If I just used a paper filter the grounds would clog it up and brewed coffee would take too long to drain from the brew basket. The metal filter traps enough coffee grounds to prevent clogging the paper filter so the coffee drains in a good time frame.I dislike chewing my coffee (I remember picking leaves out of the coffee in the army).

The metal coffee filter alone lets too much sediment pass, paper alone clogs up takes too long. Metal before paper in series, like goldilock's third bowl of porridge is just right.  8)With coffee origin matters. I rotate between different origins every five days. Today I roasted 5 days worth of Brazilian, I also have Columbian and Costa Rican green beans in queue.

There are too many variables to list.... Not just where the coffee is grown, but weather during that growing season, and how it was processed (dried). Roasting introduces another long list of variables. I am surely repeating myself but I suspect a huge difference you notice from coffee brewed by your roaster is "freshness" and good quality beans (they'd be crazy to serve lousy coffee). I use RO filtered water so too clean if anything, +1the main problem with a percolator is that its a PERCOLATOR, the brewed coffee mingles with the brew water and gets overheated (burnt).  Put the percolator in a bin and invest in a cheap pour-over rig. There are a number of OK brands to chose from (Melitta, Bodum, Chemex, Le Creuset, etc).  bin it...
While it isn't rocket science, there is some science involved, but not too much to manage.

JR

Great info JR.  Thanks!  And I agree, there are too many variables to list!

"Life is too short..."

I don't know guys. What's wrong with turning on the water tap, filling a cup, consuming, and then moving on with the day?

I admit to enjoying a good cup of tea from time to time (some times more than others) but at some point doesn't this kind of obsession suggest an attempt to distract yourself from something else in life? 

I used to be your way... turn on the tap, fill the cup, consume and move on.  I've drank coffee for most of my life... in the manner you described.  But about 10 years ago, I tried some coffee at a local brewery (not Starbucks)... it was so much better than anything I had been drinking.  So, I started learning more about coffee and trying different ones.  If you are truly a coffee drinker, you'll understand!

I'll go against the consensus here and admit I drink instant coffee - and like it for this specific application.  Granted it's just a small part of the overall flavor, as most is milk and protein powder.  It sure doesn't taste like 'real' coffee, but the cost and time saved makes it worth it for me.  Plus my 'morning coffee' is also breakfast, further saving time - and it doesn't lead to extra spare tire weight to diet off.

I tried instant coffee... once... years ago.   

[John Roberts {JR}]

"Life is too short..."

I don't know guys. What's wrong with turning on the water tap, filling a cup, consuming, and then moving on with the day?

I admit to enjoying a good cup of tea from time to time (some times more than others) but at some point doesn't this kind of obsession suggest an attempt to distract yourself from something else in life? 

Hmm how sad us coffee drinkers must be?

JR 

PS: I have a two different kinds of tea sitting around but I mostly drink it in the winter. Some good quality sencha, and gunpowder green tea. I learned to appreciate me some oolong while working briefly in Hong Kong. 

PPS: don't get me started on beer...
 

[Tim McCulloch]

Hmm how sad us coffee drinkers must be?

JR 

PS: I have a two different kinds of tea sitting around but I mostly drink it in the winter. Some good quality sencha, and gunpowder green tea. I learned to appreciate me some oolong while working briefly in Hong Kong. 

PPS: don't get me started on beer...
 

So what's the Johnny Brew this week?

[John Roberts {JR}]

So what's the Johnny Brew this week?

I have a pretty stable recipe that I've been brewing for years... somewhere between a dark porter and a light stout... Dark LME (liquid malt extract), crushed roast barley and chocolate malt, UK Fuggle, and Kent Golding hops. I actually applied some of the wisdom acquired from coffee brewing to beer making. During the cooking part of the beer brewing ground up roasted barley and chocolate malt is soaked in hot water to extract the flavor (just like brewing coffee). I add the ground roasted barley and malt to the wort after I take it off the heat so I don't over cook the adjuncts (like overheating brewed coffee).   

I get a full blood panel test workup once a year and I will keep enjoying quality beverages of all kinds, until the numbers (my body) tell me to stop. 

Cheers

JR

[Keith Broughton]

The problem with percolators is...well...they are percolators! Boiling water then repeatedly passing it through the same coffee is problematic.
The machine Tim mentioned is a good bet and they can even grind the coffee for you.
As someone who buys green beans and roasts at home, I have about 5 ways to make coffee and one of the best is the Aeropress. Certainly not "simple" but effective.
My daily go to is a 6 cup French press. There is always a bit of sediment that gets in the cup but the coffee doesn't stay there long enough to be a problem.
As for coffee on the go, I have found the taste changes after about 20-30 minutes so if I want a thermos of a hot caffeinated beverage on the gig, I use tea instead.
Oh, and good water is critical to good coffee, as you have found.
No matter what method is used, if it tastes good to you, then it's good

[John L Nobile]

Not a fan of drip coffee. I grind my beans and use a stovetop espresso maker. Simple, cheap and strong. I'll add honey and sometimes a bit of brandy for a treat.

Now if this is for an office, I'm seeing more K-Cup machines. Our company supplies the Keurig and Nespresso machines and we bring our own coffee. Saves them a lot of money that way.

[ProSoundWeb Community]