Help with coffee

[taxlady]

Yeah, I always liked Folgers in the past.
I suppose I ought to run some vinegar water through it a few times and open another canister. That will be the telltale.

And I need something more automated than those Melitas and Chemex's. I can't see me boiling water and then pouring it into the brewing device. Not during the wee hours.

I wasn't suggesting that you make manual coffee in the wee hours. I suggested it as way of testing your current coffee. If it tastes off when you make it without the coffee maker, you will know that it is the coffee to blame. If it tastes fine made manually, it's the coffee maker to blame.

 

[GLC]

Well, I think the cleaning was likely the last straw before your maker gave up and essentially died, since if it can't make good coffee, it's no longer really a coffee maker. While low water temperature at the head is the most common failing among drip makers, yours is way low. There is a thermostat that keeps the water from being heated to steam. But the habit of manufacturers using cheap metals (almuninum versus copper) contributes to poor performance. The cure is replace, if cleaning doesn't fix it.

You don't say what you cleaned it with. Some houshold cleaners (Lime-a-Way) will damage coffee makers.

But no matter what, you have to get the temperature up to the 190 range and the time down below five minutes or so. Low temperature simply doesn't make coffee. It makes something else out of coffee grounds, because you don't get all the components. And it's compounded by long times, because you get too much of other, bitter compounds.

 

[taxlady]

I had a coffee maker that burnt the coffee because the water was too hot. Stirling found the thermostat underneath and moved it along the water tube, closer to the heating element. That fixed the problem.

 

[pacanis]

I wasn't suggesting that you make manual coffee in the wee hours. I suggested it as way of testing your current coffee. If it tastes off when you make it without the coffee maker, you will know that it is the coffee to blame. If it tastes fine made manually, it's the coffee maker to blame.

I know. That's why I put a space before I typed that. It was in response to the link with the other coffee makers in it.

 

[Addie]

My daughter gave me a Mr. Coffe two/three years ago. The basic with the clock, timer, etc. It still gives me steaming coffee too hot to take that first sip. Even with cream added. I use a 1/3 cup of Folger's Classic Roast for a 12 cup pot. After the grounds have absorbed some of the water, I get 11.5 cups back. I keep the measuring cup right in the canister. I have no idea what the temp is, and have never questioned it.

Now watch. I just put a curse of it.

 

[GotGarlic]

I've never liked Folger's or Maxwell House (not that there's anything wrong with either ). In case you're thinking of changing brands, we get organic coffee (can't think of the name) at Wal-Mart that has a circular logo on the package, imitating Starbucks. We like it a lot. I like to get it a pound or so at a time; we use that much in a week, so it doesn't have time to develop off flavors.

 

[Andy M.]

I have this machine. At the time I bought it, Consumer Reports claimed it was the only machine they had tested that got the water to the right temperature. It also has a feature to pre-heat the water for smaller quantities of coffee to ensure the water gets hot enough.

Cuisinart DCC-1200 Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black/Brushed Metal: Amazon.com: Kitchen & Dining

Also, whether you grind your own or buy ground coffee, make sure you get the grind for your type of brewer. The size of the grind determines how fast the water runs through the coffee. Slowly enough to extract the flavors but not so slow as to make bitter coffee.

 

[taxlady]

I know. That's why I put a space before I typed that. It was in response to the link with the other coffee makers in it.

I shoulda known you would understand.

Now, me, obviously that's another story.

 

[pacanis]

Hey Andy, that's the same machine I have, in black.

I don't drink coffee at night, so tomorrow morning will tell...

 

[vitauta]

all this coffee talk has me brewing a fresh mug of "starbuck's french roast" with my trusty and beloved keurig coffeemaker. in no time at all, i'll be merrily buzzing around here like a fuzzy fat bumblebee. i love my keurig coffee machine unconditionally. each day i look forward to poring over my coffee flavor choices, and make a pitch perfect cup every single time. i love my indulgent high tech keurig, from its soft grumbling sounds to its glowing blue lights, to the satisfying hissing pffftt at the end. just sayin'....

 

[Andy M.]

Hey Andy, that's the same machine I have, in black.

I don't drink coffee at night, so tomorrow morning will tell...

Just had a thought. Where did you measure the water temperature? (I don't mean 'in the kitchen')

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Yes, I just brewed up a cup of Green Mountain Dark Magic with my Keurig. Looks like Shrek is getting a cup of Tully's House Blend. Since we only drink one or two cups of coffee a day, the Keurig is worth it. Our last days of drip coffee, we were tossing half a pot of coffee a day or reheating it the next day...we like coffee too much to put up with so-so brew.

 

[pacanis]

Andy, I measured the water right before it drips into the pot. That's the only place I thought to do it. I wasn't sure if I could lift the lid and measure it or not.

I am ready for my third cup, which means at last my coffee is drinkable once more.
That said, it just isn't "doing it" for me. I fear that months of drinking less than par coffee may have killed my coffee tastebuds, lol.

Hey you Keurig users... How long do you have to wait before brewing another cup? Is there a cooling off period? Just curious.

 

[Soma]

I enjoyed this post, pacanis. Thanks for bringing it in.

I grind my own coffee, and bought a grinder which has little grinding wheels in it, rather than blades. A coffee expert told me this tip. He said that if you over-grind the coffee beans, the coffee will be acid-tasting.
Black and Decker makes a good, medium-priced coffee grinder with grinding wheels.
I also prefer organic coffee beans. I can taste the chemicals sprayed on the non-organic beans. (very strong taste and smell buds, have I). My favourite brand these days is Zavida, sold at Costco.

Good luck with yours!

 

[Andy M.]

Andy, I measured the water right before it drips into the pot. That's the only place I thought to do it. I wasn't sure if I could lift the lid and measure it or not.

I am ready for my third cup, which means at last my coffee is drinkable once more.
That said, it just isn't "doing it" for me. I fear that months of drinking less than par coffee may have killed my coffee tastebuds, lol.

Hey you Keurig users... How long do you have to wait before brewing another cup? Is there a cooling off period? Just curious.

I would try to measure the water as it is delivered to the coffee basket. I suspect it cools as it runs through the grounds. If you try to do that, wait until the last of the water is delivered to the basket then lift the lid and measure in the water on top of the grounds.

However, if the water gets hot enough and your coffee still sucks, it's probably the pot since the coffee is the same.

 

[pacanis]

Andy, I ran the water through without grounds when I measured it. So knowing that (now) my machine may be running a tad cooler that optimum. The water probably didn't cool 20 degrees.

Soma, I looked into those for a while. It seemed at the time (a few years ago) they were all dubbed hard to clean from the grounds that escaped. It has crossed my mind to look back into them, though. I like the idea of the whole beans keeping freshness in until right before brewing.

 

[Andy M.]

Andy, I ran the water through without grounds when I measured it. So knowing that (now) my machine may be running a tad cooler that optimum. The water probably didn't cool 20 degrees...

In that case, I give up.

I'm fascinated by the one cup brewers but it doesn't make a lot of sense for us. I saw a Cuisinart one-cup that has a small coffee holder that you fill with your own coffee and brew one cup so you don't have to buy the expensive single serving containers. Not sure if it also takes the containers.

 

[chopper]

I wish I could smell all of this coffee brewing. I just love the smell. Too bad I don't like drinking it, but no matter, it smells wonderful! Oh wait, I think I can smell it now.......


No, it's Hubby in the kitchen making coffee. LOL.

 

[pacanis]

The only reason the Keurig crossed my mind is because I saw they offer an 18oz cup now. It is for their travel mug. Since I make 8 cups in the morning (at what, 4oz/cup?), sometimes drinking it all, but usually having a cup leftover for midday or the following morning, that seemed to add some practicality to that type of brewer. An 18oz cup would probably suit me fine in the morning and it I want another midday I can use a single serving size.
But the cost... ouch. I haven't read yet if they make a larger 18oz refillable K cup to use your own grounds.

 

[vitauta]

not a coffee connoisseur by anyone's definition, i have developed a taste and appreciation for a rich, bold, full-bodied cup of coffee. don't know beans about (coffee) beans, but love the tantalizing aroma (and sound) of coffee beans as they are grinding and pouring....

i like to satisfy my newly discovered "coffee moods" with one of a variety of coffee blends, from sumatra, to hazelnut, french roast to newman's best and others....my initial idea of following up my first "top shelf" coffee mug of the day with cheaper generics was quickly abandoned. still, the approximate 60 cents per mug cost is one i can live with--coffee lover that i have become....for those who can't or won't, making one's own coffee k-cups with favorite coffee blends can provide a simple alternative solution. few people i know drink 5-8 cups of coffee as i do every day....

pac, as to the question of whether you need to wait between coffee brewings with the keurig, i would say no. though i haven't had the occasion to make more than three mugs back-to-back myself, the keurig is a popular coffee machine choice for the workplace that needs to accommodate numerous coffee drinkers on a daily basis....