Best el cheapo Drip Machine

[AD720]

Hey coffee guys and gals.

I am in the market for a cheap drip machine. I'm not too fancy with my coffee. I grind right before brewing but that's about as deep as I get. Anyway I have a little old french press that I use on occasion but I am just as happy with drip. I drink it all day at work.

Anyway during our move a few months ago my stainless steel drip machine lost a couple parts and it got chucked. I've been dealing with a POS 4 cup drip machine but it is BAD.

If I was going to go out and get a drip machine is there a consensus?

[replicant_argent]

el cheapo and great?
Pour over filter and an electric kettle, plus thermos.
about 30 bucks total and absolutely great drip.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

el cheapo and great?
Pour over filter and an electric kettle, plus thermos.
about 30 bucks total and absolutely great drip.

Consensus achieved.

[AD720]

So it seems like this is system that is bought piece by piece?

One boils the water, pours the water over a filter system that contains the grounds and the drip goes into a carafe or thermos?

I'm guessing the largest gain with this system is temperature control?

I was sort of more interested in a self contained drip machine. In this case I would appreciate convenience and be willing to sacrifice quality to an extent - like I said, when I want to get fancy I'll pull out the press.

[LastClick]

I bought a 4cup mr.coffee for $9.00 at walmart and it works fine for me.
I've had it about a year now and it still works great.
I'm sure people are gasping in horror... Mr. Coffee

[borndead1]

I absolutely LOVE my Mr. Coffee 12 cup drip machine. Think I paid 20 bucks for it.

[Emjaysmash]

I'm in the same spot. Being in college, I need a good, cheap, coffee maker.
I'll be watching for the rest of the responses!

[trogdor]

Originally Posted by AD720

So it seems like this is system that is bought piece by piece?

One boils the water, pours the water over a filter system that contains the grounds and the drip goes into a carafe or thermos?

I'm guessing the largest gain with this system is temperature control?

I was sort of more interested in a self contained drip machine. In this case I would appreciate convenience and be willing to sacrifice quality to an extent - like I said, when I want to get fancy I'll pull out the press.

You are correct. Many drip machines do not get the water hot enough to extract properly. Some do. People have had good luck with the freebie Gevalia machine. Unfortunately, brewing temp doesn't seem to be a spec that machine makers care about.

I also recommend the manual pour-over method, and I use it at work every day. If you must have a machine (and cost doesn't matter), Technivorm guarantees optimal brew conditions, but you're going to pay dearly for it.

[Mister Moo]

A search for drip machines will reveal many favored possibilities. Drip machines are a mystery - a crapshoot, really; a Gevalia $10 promotional cheapie or $29.95 Mr. Coffee can deliver perfect water temp (thus excellent coffee) for years, or not. A $200 Techniworm can deliver perfect water temp for years, or not. Not sure why a simple thermostat should so often be unreliable. With any dripper, if the water temp is right (195-205* approx) the coffee will be about as good as any machine can deliver at any price.

We had a thermal carafe Bunn at work; it made great coffee for a year (and kept coffee hot for hours) then it got stupid. Personally I've had long-term luck with two Gevalia promo machines over the years but have settled on the speed and absolute reliability of french presses, manual drip or stovetop vacpots.

[AD720]

That's three recommendations for the freebie Gevalia - I think it's worth rolling the dice on the thermostat.

Have any of you enterprising coffee drinkers gotten on a huge caffeine rush and tried moding the thermostat in a drip machine?

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by AD720

...Have any of you enterprising coffee drinkers gotten on a huge caffeine rush and tried moding the thermostat in a drip machine?

Be the first. Here are the details of a $200 option, approx..





General advice - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller

Practical advice from Randy Glass - http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/Coffee63.html

Equally effective for $2.99 - http://fantes.com/images/5729r-coffe...manualdrip.jpg

[germantown rob]

Well, if quality is not the most important and ease of use is I would just go to Amazon and search drip coffee makers and read the reviews. The less options the cheaper they get. Drip coffee makers have been around for awhile and they are not a complicated machine however only a couple of them take into account that some of us take coffee very seriously. For quality drip I don't feel anything beats pour over, kettle (on stove or electric) achieve boil, let kettle sit for 10 sec then pour over grounds, perfect cup of coffee. There are pour overs that go right on top of you mug or ones for thermal carafes or ones for pots. pour overs

[panicjunkie]

Gevalia!! I have had a hand full of coffee makers,but hands down,pound for pound this power hungry coffee makes makes the BEST cup.

[muziq]

Originally Posted by panicjunkie

Gevalia!! I have had a hand full of coffee makers,but hands down,pound for pound this power hungry coffee makes makes the BEST cup.

Have had my freebie Gevalia for a little over a year, and all I'll add is that the cup mine produces is barely worth the price. Works fine for the GF, who is not quite the coffee snob I am...but it just doesn't do it for me. Most of the time, I stick to my Bialetti or Bodum Columbia french press. Am thinking about trying a Chemex for fun...

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by panicjunkie

Gevalia!! I have had a hand full of coffee makers,but hands down,pound for pound this power hungry coffee makes makes the BEST cup.

It is weird to me that a cheap-cheap promo coffeemaker would be very good but, as mentioned anecdotally, I've had good luck with the machine and thought the high-priced coffee sucked. I should also note that others have claimed bad results with the machine and, I'm sure, tens of thousands get poetic over the beans.

I guess it is/was a Cuisinart rebadge. The once $10 deal is now $14.95 and it's still a deal if you cancel the coffee subscription after you get the dripper.

The dripper, by the way, drips. The filller lid it invariably has water condensed on the underside; as soon as you lift it to refill the reservoir, water runs down the backside of the machine and upon the counter. It isn't a deal breaker (for $14.95) but it's irritating. It is also a little difficult to fill unless you have a good pouring pitcher; the filler opening is quite narrow and wants an accurate pour or you have yet more water on the counter.

Raisin, Novasurf and others have spoken very well of the OCS-8 and/or OCS-12 as mid-high priced drippers go.