I make my morning coffee with an inexpensive Mr. Coffee coffeemaker. I typically buy ground Starbucks or one of the other ‘premium’ ground coffees at the grocery store. I use cold tap water and an unbleached filter.
Would I get significantly better results with one of the more expensive coffeemakers?
The chief benefit you’re likely to see with a more expensive coffee maker is hotter water. Most cheap percolators just don’t heat the water up to a high enough temperature. I think the ideal temperature is ~180 degrees F. Brewing at this temperature does (IMHO) result in better-tasting coffee.
This is what I came in to say except that the ideal water temperature for brewing coffee is actually 195-205° F or “just under the boil”.
Anecdotal evidence only, but I noticed an improvement in my coffee when I switched to a Cuisinart brew station, and ditched my old MrCoffee. The new machine has a water filter, which may account for some of the improvement… and I’m also using a gold-tone permanent filter instead of the paper ones.
Basically if you drink black coffee YES, there is a difference.
If you put milk and sugar (or Equal or whatever) in the coffee, you probably aren’t gonna notice it.
I worked at a hotel and some guy was trying to sell the hotel a fancy coffee machine that cost thousands of dollars. Well I am a cream and Equal kind of guy and I could actually drink this coffee he made us black. It was THAT good.
That machine made a HUGE difference. You could easily tell.
But once you loaded the coffee full of sugar and/or milk, it’s barely noticable.
I’ve tried different types of coffeemakers, ranging from a mundane Mr. Coffee, to a relatively high-end Keurig, and I’ve worked in a place with a sophisticated do-everything coffeemaker, and even one with an industrial espresso machine, you know what I found makes the best coffee?
a simple $20 Bodum French Press
Sure it’s not as convenient as a Mr. Coffee or other drip machine, but the coffee is light-years better, only needing a small amount of sugar to make it palatable, with drip machines, I need sugar and creamer to take the harsh bitterness down to tolerable levels, with a FP, my coffee is essentially a lightly sweetened black coffee
I use an old Farberware electric percolator which was my mother’s “good” (for company) coffee pot. The thing has got to be about 40 years old. Metal basket. Best. Coffee. Ever.
I use an insulated french press which I warm up with boiling tap before brewing with filtered. My only complaint with the press is that it requires a much coarser grind than a filtered coffee maker, resulting in a much different flavor. Also, unfiltered coffee allows more cancer-causing free radicals into your cuppa joe, but I like to live dangerously.
The most important aspect to brewing good coffee is grinding your own beans. Filtered water is also a big plus, but a decent coffee grinder is only $20 and does not add any time to your morning routine.
We were using the Mr. Coffee that came with our motor home, but wanted to update to something else for the house. we bought a Capresso drip maker which does an excellent job. The major reason for buying it is that nearly every other coffee maker in an affordable price range had reviewer comments about manufacturer-provided problems like reservoir leakage, electrical failures, inadequate heating, long brew times, etc. This is what happens when everything is outsourced to China and the engineering is crap.
I don’t know if Mr. Coffee coffeemakers are still using flat-bottom filters, but one other small design difference is conical coffee filters. With a conical coffee filter, the water is filtered through a taller “stack” of grounds, for a more flavorful brew using less coffee grounds than with a flat-bottom filter. Even if you don’t notice the taste difference, you save money by using less coffee.
My folks just got one of those Keurig pod-machines. I’m still suspicious that they’re sneaking heroin or artificial flavorings in there, but they’re damn good. It may be that that particular pod or morning, but we decided not to get one or our coffee intake would skyrocket. Besides a good cup, those things are absurdly easy and neat.
But 'round these parts we have a Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew. Excellent coffee from freshly ground beans every morning. It’s only a small step savings, but not using a grinder and a coffeemaker means a lot at six AM.
I have gone back to a regular old fashioned percolator, like luv2draw uses and agree… best. coffee. ever.
I haven’t had French press in many years, so I might try it again, but I prefer perc. over drip any time.
I can’t help but suspect that the primary difference between a hardware store drip machine and a gourmet machine is that the gourmet machine will last longer. Since it don’t have super hot water on tap the French Press just takes too much time. I want my coffee right now (immediately after the just-out-of-bed-bladder-voiding) and I don’t want to wait around until a pot perks or for water to almost boil for the Press. My mid-price Bunn machine does just fine, thank you very much.
Consider that I’m one of those guys who wants a caffeine shot more than good taste. I’ll drink yesterday’s coffee warmed in the micro wave if I have to.
Then there’s this, which I’ve yet to try . . . .