Single cup coffee makers????

blackgrass · Post by **blackgrass** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:31 am

Anyone have one of these single cup coffe makers? I like the idea as I usually only have one cup a day in the morning but not sure if they work all that well or not. Opinions?
Can you recommend a certain brand that is better than others?

robofunk · Post by **robofunk** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:48 am

i once owned a javapod by melitta. it was pretty cool, but the coffee pods that you have to buy for it are sub-par. i bought a bodum santos for $35 and it rocks my socks.

blackgrass · Post by **blackgrass** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:08 am

robofunk wrote:i once owned a javapod by melitta. it was pretty cool, but the coffee pods that you have to buy for it are sub-par. i bought a bodum santos for $35 and it rocks my socks.

I have read mixed review on them. Are they hard to clean? Do you grind your own coffee or can you used canned coffee?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:13 am

I also have a Bodum Original that I have not used yet. I keep forgetting about it.

clownjuggles · Post by **clownjuggles** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:22 am

I have a Senseo that works wonderfully well!

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:39 am

Maybe this one is too boring, but you can get a Melitta cone for a few bucks and boil your water in a kettle. Makes good coffee.

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:14 am

Since I only drink caffinated and the wife only drinks decaf, we got a two cup coffee maker, it can separate one cup from the other. Another great feature it has is that you can brew in just ONE cup in stead of two. And it comes with coffee tumblers that you can just take out of the machine and drink it in the car on your way to work or what ever.

We got it free from Gevalia, just paid for one of their overpriced, overrated and non-flavorful package of coffee.

Last I checked, it was still on their online catalog.

Edited:: This is it.. http://www.gevalia.com/Gevalia/catalog/ ... ct_id=1983

robofunk · Post by **robofunk** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:05 pm

blackgrass wrote:I have read mixed review on them. Are they hard to clean? Do you grind your own coffee or can you used canned coffee?

cleaning: just run vinegar or some diluted CLR through the unit, and then flush with 3 fills of water, or until the nasty smell is gone. the rest of the unit can be wiped down.

as for the coffee, you're stuck with pods, or single pack coffee discs. they're small, circular pad-like containers of coffee that i'm not too impressed with. if you don't mind cleaning them, i highly recommend a french press.

Gramps · Post by **Gramps** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:10 pm

I have a Proctor-Silex that works really well, for those days I want "brewed" instead of instant (the usual fair in our house)
Sometimes I go all out and make TWO cups, one right after the other.LOL

- Gramps

gage0921 · Post by **gage0921** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:11 pm

I have a Black&Decker "Home Cafe" and love it.......it makes 7, 9, and 14oz cups at the push of a button. Very simple to use and clean, you use folgers pouches(not sure if any one else makes them) and for a diff. taste I just use a variety of creamers. I am very pleased with this one

Bastida · Post by **Bastida** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:57 pm

I've got this one by Demoka. Wonderful.

Regards,
Bastida.

SurfFisherman · Post by **SurfFisherman** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:28 pm

Hey Fellas-

I'm was so glad to see this thread. I need some coffee help/advice!

First, let me say, that I like a full-bodied cup of coffee. Not necessarily the over-roasted (in my opinion) stuff from Starbuck's, but a very rich and deeply flavorful brew.

I just returned a Cuisinart Brew Central automatic drip coffee maker because it couldn't make a decent pot of coffee. (Trust me, I tried everything: a dozen different coffees, varrying grinds, bottled water, etc.) I have come to the conclusion that auto drip machines are not right for me.

After doing a little research, I have decided to try a French Press. Can anyone (Robo?) offer some insight to the pros/cons of a press? Also, I would appreciate if anyone could recommend some specific models.

Thanks!

robofunk · Post by **robofunk** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:54 pm

SurfFisherman wrote: Can anyone (Robo?) offer some insight to the pros/cons of a press?

PROS:
with some boiling water and grounds you can make a very delicious full bodied cup of coffee.

neat looking, using old-school technology

inexpensive

CONS:
you have to wait for boiling water, steeping.

pain in the butt to clean every day.

RECOMMEND:
anything bodum

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 4:21 pm

Blackgrass, Chris,

My suggestion is to consider a plastic Mellita holder with a gold filter. You can get a size to fit the number of cups you want to make. The problem with the French Press, from my point of view, is that it lets too much gunk into the coffee. This muddies the brew and, more importantly, makes it more difficult to appreciate the subtle differences between diferent coffees. A filtered coffee avoids this and allows the flavor of the individualized coffee to come through. You can also use a paper filter, but they can impart a taste of their own to the coffee, the natural paper more so than the bleached. If you use a paper filter, rinse it with hot water before using. The gold filter does let through a bit of sediment, but not very much. The major problem with the filter method is that you have to be careful not to float the grounds. Drip enough water to cover the grounds and stir gently with a spoon. When the water has seeped through, cover again with water. The third time you should be able to pour out the remainder of the water, always pouring down the sides slowly so that any remaining coffee grounds are pushed down. Sounds complicated but it's really much easier than learning how to use a DE.

Of course a lot of people like the taste of French Press and if you do, I'd suggest trying both. You can get inexpensive plastic and glass French press coffee brewers.

Ken

Gramps · Post by **Gramps** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 4:56 pm

SurfFisherman: "First, let me say, that I like a full-bodied cup of coffee. Not necessarily the over-roasted (in my opinion) stuff from Starbuck's, but a very rich and deeply flavorful brew. "

Chris,
consider the old-fashioned stove-top percolatur! the same kind we could take camping and use over the fire or take home and use on the stove burner. Once you get the weight of grounds you like you can get as full, or light a cup of coffee you want to.

Still use mine once in a while (wife doesn't like "camp coffee" LOL

- Gramps

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 8:27 pm

Ken wrote:... you have to be careful not to float the grounds....

Thanks Ken - I didn't know this. I guess my next cup of coffee will be even better. I don't drink coffee all that often, but the gold filter in a plastic holder is what I've ended up with - my grounds have been floating every time though.

SurfFisherman · Post by **SurfFisherman** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 12:18 am

Robo- Thanks! I was at BB&B earlier today and saw a couple of Bodum presses that looked pretty good. I'd like to find an insulated unit so that I can make multiple cups of coffee that stay reasonably hot inbetween pours.

Ken- Thanks also for your comments! Yes, you're right, with the cost of a press being pretty low and the Melita system being downright cheap, I can experiment with both. I have heard the complaint of sediment in pressed coffe, but I'm not sure how much that would bother me.

Gramps- Thank you as well! Interestingly, I have had percolated coffee twice recently and enjoyed both cups. (Significant notation: Both times it was at the end of a night which saw me consume MANY cocktails.) And, for the record, I too like camp coffee, but I only drink it when I'm camping!

I read several commentaries in which coffee "experts" swore against percolators, saying that the water should not never come in contact with the grounds for an extended period of time and that it should be slightly cooler than boiling when it does. (Just like shaving, though, it all comes down to a matter of individual personal taste!)

I'll keep y'all posted!

mark the shoeshine boy · Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:14 am

check out Bastida coffe pot...sure is a fancy thing....maybe we should have Shave-con at his house...he does have a beautiful shave den and a great looking coffee pot, too. Just need some biscuits and gravy and I'm in....

B-why don't you show us the rest of your home, I bet it is as tastefully decorated as the rest....you're a class act young man...

mark theshoeshineboy

robofunk · Post by **robofunk** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:39 am

Ken wrote:The problem with the French Press, from my point of view, is that it lets too much gunk into the coffee. This muddies the brew and, more importantly, makes it more difficult to appreciate the subtle differences between diferent coffees.

this is also true, but better results can be met by using a burr grinder.

BillNJ · Post by **BillNJ** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:15 am

While nothing can beat French press or vacuum brewing, the Senseo can make a good, easy cup of coffee if you avoid the Senseo (and most other supermarket) pods. The best pods I have found are Java One. I found them in Wegman's here in NJ and have ordered them online several times since.

Bill