# What delayed the development of the Automatic drip coffee pot until the early 70's?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-delayed-the-development-of-the-automatic-drip-coffee-pot-until-the-early-70s/662271>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 30, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-delayed-the-development-of-the-automatic-drip-coffee-pot-until-the-early-70s/662271 "2013-06-30T16:21:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-delayed-the-development-of-the-automatic-drip-coffee-pot-until-the-early-70s/662271/21 "2014-12-09T00:08:34Z")

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> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> The K-cup model was patented from the beginning but those on the pod design recently ran out, which is why there is a plethora of other brands and generic fills. Keurig’s v2.0 model uses a different cup style with a code system to prevent aftermarket pod use.

Also prevents their use as after-market laser printer cartridge refills.

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**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-delayed-the-development-of-the-automatic-drip-coffee-pot-until-the-early-70s/662271/22 "2014-12-09T05:06:09Z")

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Small appliances were very expensive in the 1950s. Simple things like toasters, waffle irons and mixers cost today’s dollar equivalent of $50-100. There were percolating machines then, but they were costly. The coffee makers then consisted of an upper and lower level drip configuration, and it was much cheaper to make them non-electrified, and just pour stove-heated boiling water into the top. The Mr. Coffee was economically feasible only after it was possible to make electrical appliances much cheaper, largely by importing them from low-wage countries or using robotics for assembly.

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-delayed-the-development-of-the-automatic-drip-coffee-pot-until-the-early-70s/662271/23 "2014-12-09T13:46:56Z")

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Big Instant suppressed the technology as long as it could.

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-delayed-the-development-of-the-automatic-drip-coffee-pot-until-the-early-70s/662271/24 "2014-12-09T14:36:02Z")

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> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> Big Instant suppressed the technology as long as it could.

Thou jesteth - methinks - but there might be a grain of truth in there. This was a big era for Tasters Choice, et al. slugging it out.

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