Need a new coffeemaker. Which is the very best?

I have known many coffee freaks who all swear by different types of coffee makers (french press, fancy drip, the pour over filter kind, etc). The one thing they all have in common is to buy fresh beans. Either find a local roaster or roast your own. Make sure you grind the beans just prior to brewing. Coffee beans have a very short shelf life, and the freshness really makes a difference.

Summary: Good luck, but make sure you focus enough on the beans.

tom, thanks. we grind the beans just before brewing.

It’s the carafes that kill me. I’m always on the lookout for a better design than what I’ve got… because it seems most are configured to cause spillage if you pour faster than a slow trickle.

As far as a drip coffee maker itself goes, I shy away from those where the filter is placed in a cup that swings out. With previous models I’ve owned like that, if you don’t get that cup pushed all the way back in then there’s a good chance of leakage all over the countertop.

I also don’t like the all-in-one models that grind the beans for you. The ones I’ve seen look impossible to clean out the old grind residue that builds up quickly.

I’ve owned the Cuisinart Extreme Brew for a couple of years and it’s fantastic. I highly, highly recommend this coffeemaker.

I absolutely LOVE this one: http://www.blogiversity.org/blogs/alexgreene/coffee-keurig-maker.jpg
You buy the type of coffee you want in k-cups, which look like this: http://www.kcupcoffees.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/K-Cup-Silo.gif

All you do is make sure the side is filled with water, wait for the water to get hot after you turn it on, put in the k-cup you want, and select which size cup you want. Its amazing.

For a basic coffee maker my Mr Coffee 12-cup has been great. I had it for 7 years.

< < hates the coffee from k-cups.

@robmandu – I think you missed the quotes around “coffee”.

This is the one I use.

my family loves the Nestle Nespresso machine, as well as Keurig’s K-cup coffeemaker.
http://www.nespresso.com/#/ch/en
http://www.keurig.com/

I’ve always been satisfied with the cheap Mr Coffee ones I’ve had. I prefer the ones with timers, I like to wake up to the smell of fresh brewed java in the morning. In all my years of brewing coffee, I’ve found that it’s not the brand of machine that’s important, it’s the cleanliness of said machine and the quality of the beans. In the end, if you have a drip coffee maker, any brand will do, it’s just water through grounds after all. The difference is in the preparation.

I use a Bunn – better, not bitter (really). I think the biggest improvement came when I got a Capresso conical burr grinder. I adjust the grind to suit the coffee bean.

I use a Bodum French Press and I love it.

I used to use a Melitta drip cone but you have so much more control with the FP because you can steep the coffee for the length of time that suits you best.

With all drip coffee makers the water doesn’t stay in contact with the grounds long enough to get maximum flavor.

And percolators are overkill because in order to work the coffee has to be boiling for a period of time. That’s too much and destroys delicate flavor compounds.

With a FP you can decide how long to let it steep. This is especially good for people who like strong coffee.

The other advantage is that I need to use less coffee than before because I can steep it longer. With the price of coffee nowadays, that’s real savings over time.

And I almost forgot the most obvious one. You’ll likely never have to buy another coffee maker again nor buy any more filters. (The fine mesh screen on the plunger eliminates the need for filters)

The glass is excellent quality and surprisingly thick. (Not at all like the flimsy thin glass carafes for typical drip makers)

There’s no electricity needed so it won’t quit working. It will last a lifetime and super easy to clean.

(I suppose there’s a slight chance the mesh screen/plunger thing might need replacing but you can purchase them separately. No need to buy another complete coffee maker.)

These are very popular with coffee flavor fanatics and in a lot of Europe. And now that I bought one I know why.

They’re also easy to bring along when traveling or camping.

You can get these lots of places, but I gotmine from Zappos as they had the lowest prices plus free shipping BOTH WAYS. That means if you don’t like it, they’ll pay for the return and you have a full year to return it. No hassles.