Need help buying single cup coffee maker

[MacLawn]

Well boys, I'm not advertising for that Sherpa blend I posted a link to above, but that place helps Nepal, of all things! So, you get excellent coffee, and some of your cost goes to buy coffee grown in Nepal! A win-win for sure.

About coffee makers, I just read about this one today: Bonavita 1900ts. A special coffee site I read highly recommend it.

 

[bindian]

Sdogs,
I don't know, as I am too young to drink coffee.:laughing::laughing:
hugs, Brandi

 

[sixdogs]

Sixdogs,
I don't know, as I am too young to drink coffee.:laughing::laughing:
hugs, Brandi

Actually, the sad part is that I don't really drink coffee. The wife and mid 90's MIL do. I'm just trying to be a nice guy to a couple of coff-a-holics. Besides, if I do happen to want a cup of decaf, it winds up thick enough to hold a spoon and built to her coffee specs. This single cup brewer will solve many of my non-tractor issues and maintain marital bliss.

Here's what I bought Amazon.com: Keurig K145 OfficePRO Brewing System with Bonus K-Cup Portion Trial Pack: Kitchen & Dining


If it was up to me, and the wife was more compliant, I'd go with the French press maker. But we have the dogs, the MIL, a big spread and lots of agricultural stuff going on most of the year. Plus I'm supposedly retired. So this will be easier for her. Next up I'm going to get her one of those wringer washing machines so they don't have to keep beating the wash against rocks down at the stream.


Thanks everyone. I went from a low-information coffee guy to well informed and able to make an informed decision.

 

[jeff9366]

Next up I'm going to get her one of those wringer washing machines so they don't have to keep beating the wash against rocks down at the stream.

Easy, Dogs, easy. You have demonstrated attention, love, concern and affection not only for wifey but MIL. The coffee maker should carry them for AT LEAST a year. By then you will be able to buy a solar washing machine or a PTO powered washing machine.

Pet The Dogs for me.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Thank you. I had been looking for something to get my wife for mothers day, so I got her the Aero press and a grinder from amazon. Have been wanting to help her with her coffee too, we have really hard water and drips don't work long. She is happy with the idea of the areo press so I am too. Thanks again Ed

 

[sixdogs]

So I ordered the K145 from a dealer at Amazon. When it arrived, it had been opened and resealed. The dealer tried to get me to keep it for $15 off but I sent it back. So now I'm $17 in the hole from UPS charges and will have to reorder. That's where I'm at.

 

[jeff9366]

Get a Melitta (brand) style ceramic coffee filter cone and some #2 paper coffee filters at your grocery store and make all the excellent drip coffee you want, one cup at a time. You need to buy DRIP GRIND coffee (I grind my own.) and use hot water just UNDER boiling temperature.

If you buy a cup of coffee at Barney's Coffee, which is more expensive than Starbuck's, cone & filter is the preparation Barney's uses.

AMAZON LINK: Amazon.com: Coffee ceramic cone

My first choice in coffee is Trader Joe's whole bean Columbian.

I purchased an AeroPress through Amazon to test it against my 'standard' Melitta-style cone and paper filter drip coffee.

I will report again after transitioning to the Columbian and having more experience with grinding specifically for the AeroPress.

So far: A good cup. Messier, slower brewing process and 25% more ground coffee required per cup than with cone and filter drip. Messier, time consuming cleanup. May or may not displace cone and filter drip with me, longer term.

After more experimentation I fractionally prefer flavor of my Melitta style cone and filter drip to the AeroPress brew.

I greatly prefer the simple toss and rinse of the cone and fllter compared to the rather complicated disassembly and washing of the Aeropress.

I have begun to monitor my water temperature closely and find I prefer my cone and filter brew when the water encounters the grind at 185 degrees rather than 195 degrees.

 

[sixdogs]

To wrap this up, here's what we bought. It's a Cuisinart model SS-700 and it came from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Here it is...ignore the "access denied". Link works fine.

Access Denied

It's been a peach and the wife is cranking out coffee like a sailor on night watch. It's perfect and she loves it plus I get brownie points for good behavior. It will use Keurig K-cups as well as generic ones. There can be a big price difference so why not go generic? My medicine sure has. I highly recommend this coffee maker and give it two thumbs up.

I didn't end up with this but started with a mail order Keurig for $135. When it showed up the box had been opened and resealed so I sent it back. I had searched endlessly so this was a big disappointment. Someone recommended Cuisinart so I searched thatand found it was carried by B.B. and Beyond.

We went with them because my wife had a 35% (30%?) off coupon (all women seem to get them) she got in the mail and the company policy is that if you are ever unhappy, you can bring it back. Since these single cup makers are fraught with problems and complaints, this was the best choice. And it's been great.

In fact, I even have a little decaf at times. Wife loves to make it and I can hear that thing whirring out there nearly 24/7. Thanks for all the help on this thread.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

If it will use Kcups, do yourself a favor and pick up an EZ-Cup. This is a reusable plastic holder that uses paper filters. The cup and the filters are available at BBB. The paper filters are FAR FAR FAR FAR superior to those junky wire mesh gizmos.

You'll save a lot of money on coffee by using your own brands and you won't get floating debris when using paper filters.

 

[sixdogs]

If it will use Kcups, do yourself a favor and pick up an EZ-Cup. This is a reusable plastic holder that uses paper filters. The cup and the filters are available at BBB. The paper filters are FAR FAR FAR FAR superior to those junky wire mesh gizmos.

You'll save a lot of money on coffee by using your own brands and you won't get floating debris when using paper filters.

What is an EZcup? All this is very confusing.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

The links are just so you can see what they are. Both are available at BBB.

If you ever open a keurig Kcup, you will see it uses a paper filter. This setup lets you do the same thing - CHEAPER.


Perfect Pod EZ-Cup Reusable Filter Cup - FlavoredCoffee.com

Perfect Pod EZ-Cup Pod Filters (50 Filters)

 

[MikePA]

What is an EZcup? All this is very confusing.

Click Here.

There's nothing to be confused about. An EZ-Cup is not required to use your new coffee maker.

 

[sixdogs]

The links are just so you can see what they are. Both are available at BBB.

If you ever open a keurig Kcup, you will see it uses a paper filter. This setup lets you do the same thing - CHEAPER.


Perfect Pod EZ-Cup Reusable Filter Cup - FlavoredCoffee.com

Perfect Pod EZ-Cup Pod Filters (50 Filters)

Click Here.

There's nothing to be confused about. An EZ-Cup is not required to use your new coffee maker.

Thank you. Great stuff. Wife is thrilled.

 

[MikePA]

The decision comes down to convenience versus cost. While K cups cost more than solutions like EZ-Cup, K cups are more convenient. Granted, convenience is subjective, i.e., putting a K cup in the maker, pressing a button, then tossing the K cup into the trash is easier than 'messing' with ground coffee, putting it into a little plastic cup and/or using a tiny filter is not worth the time/trouble.

Cost is objective - How much coffee does your household drink in a day?

If cost were a major factor to me, we'd still be making a pot of coffee in the morning with a Mr. Coffee and reheating it all day...and sometimes the next day, too.

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you plan to use any thing other than original K cup pods like the EZ Pod filter, then don't get one of the Keurig 2.0 because the EZ pod and any other make your own pod wont work in the Keurig 2.0 brand machine.

Cuisinart makes a wonderful machine that will use both Keurig cups and the make your own cups.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

The decision comes down to convenience versus cost. While K cups cost more than solutions like EZ-Cup, K cups are more convenient. Granted, convenience is subjective, i.e., putting a K cup in the maker, pressing a button, then tossing the K cup into the trash is easier than 'messing' with ground coffee, putting it into a little plastic cup and/or using a tiny filter is not worth the time/trouble.

Using the EZ-Cup is far more cost effective than buying branded Kcups. More importantly, making your own, you can enjoy decent coffee. I would guess it takes me about 30 seconds to prepare an EZ-Cup for brewing.

If you plan to use any thing other than original K cup pods like the EZ Pod filter, then don't get one of the Keurig 2.0 because the EZ pod and any other make your own pod wont work in the Keurig 2.0 brand machine.

I don't own a 2.0 but .. the label sensor can easily be overcome. Seems I read that Keurig caught so much flack on this that they will not repeat the mistake.

 

[sixdogs]

If you plan to use any thing other than original K cup pods like the EZ Pod filter, then don't get one of the Keurig 2.0 because the EZ pod and any other make your own pod wont work in the Keurig 2.0 brand machine.

Cuisinart makes a wonderful machine that will use both Keurig cups and the make your own cups.

Yeah, I figured that out early with the advice in this thread. I forget the Keurig numbers that can use both but the Cuisinart--also made by Keurig--takes both. This is very tricky because it's confusing to figure out what models work with what cups. The Cuisinart model I bought is more rugged than the others, seems to avoid the "plastic taste" a few others have complained about and you can mix and match accessory cups.

It seems to me that a good chuck of the coffee future belongs to the single serving maker because of convenience and a quality taste.

 

[milkman]

Wife has a Keurig and it is convenient for her, but I seldom use it. I have not researched, but does anyone know of a single serve brewer that makes a 20 oz. cup. I have used the Keurig a few times and the only way to get a 20oz. mug from it is run it once and then turn the K cup 180 degrees and run again. That negates a lot of the convenience though.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

Wife has a Keurig and it is convenient for her, but I seldom use it. I have not researched, but does anyone know of a single serve brewer that makes a 20 oz. cup. I have used the Keurig a few times and the only way to get a 20oz. mug from it is run it once and then turn the K cup 180 degrees and run again. That negates a lot of the convenience though.

The keurig 2.0 K-Carafe pod will brew from 22 to 30 ounces. Not owning one, I don't know if there is an aftermarket solution to make your own carafe pods.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Wife has a Keurig and it is convenient for her, but I seldom use it. I have not researched, but does anyone know of a single serve brewer that makes a 20 oz. cup. I have used the Keurig a few times and the only way to get a 20oz. mug from it is run it once and then turn the K cup 180 degrees and run again. That negates a lot of the convenience though.

It seems to me that 20 Oz. of water ran thru one K cup would be awfully weak coffee. I would say that if you want coffee that weak, just keep a kettle on the stove or microwave another cup of water when you turn on the Keurig. It takes about a minute for the coffee to brew and about a minute in the microwave to heat a cup of water. Mix them together when the K cup is finished. All done is about a minute for a 20 oz. cup.