You Refine the Design: Let's perfect the coffeemaker

Direct intravenous feed. It would require a special grind for the "IV Drip"

That's funny, Kate! Seriously, I truly enjoy the experience of drinking it. I would like my grinder and pot to be combined. Sometimes we use a french press (it's the best) but still have that beans-to-pot problem. I never seem to get the perfect grind and / or amount!

We have a restaurant-sized Bunn coffeemaker... you know the kind with the double carafe holders/warmers? There was a time when just between my mother-in-law and I, we went thru at least 4 POTS of coffee in one sitting... so my husband bought me the supersized coffeemaker. Soon after she died, my doctor put me on Decaf... I still drink a couple of pots on my own even if it's only Decaf these days... I like Trader Joe's Whole beans and Blue Mountain Coffee Beans when I can get it.

I also own an Espresso machine... that's now sitting on a shelf in the garage, My doctor says it's a no-no... :-(

To improve it, I want a coffemaker that makes Decaf coffee taste like the real thing!

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I have tried several coffee makers and to date have not found one that meets all my "would like to have" requirements.

The one I have now is a Gevalia which I got for free by joining a program to receive monthly shipments of coffee.....Not that I think their coffee is the best either, but once in a while, I enjoy a cup of 'favoured" coffee such as almond or hazelnut.....yes, I know....I could add those flavors myself to my regular coffee....but...

The only thing I like about this coffee maker is that the pot is a SS carafe and it keeps the coffee hot enough for my son. I get up early and drink mine right after it is brewed and fresh. He gets up later and can enjoy the coffee still hot w/o re-heating.

The bad points - the water tank is too narrow and very hard to clean up when there is buildup. There is no space for a brush or my hand and too many little ridges inside. The design causes the humidity inside to turn to mold quickly, so I have to run distilled vinegar through it every week. Also, there is an opening in the back of the tank. If you fill the tank to come up to the 8 cup level water mark, the tank overflows!!!!

I still haven't found one that pours right. I've had or used various brands and they all still give a little dribble on the counter.

Black coffee, dark roast, no sugar, no milk, no flavors, nothing foo-foo. Just freshly brewed black coffee. I thank the Incans or Myans or whoever it was down in Central America years ago that discovered that you get a jump start by chewing on those beans. The commerical used to say that soup is good food, well coffee is good food.

Well Kate, that would be a delivery system only unless there was a brewer attached...something tells me you wouldn't want a percolator on the other end of that. Good to see your name here, btw.

Aren't there some combos like that Diana? I reckon they'd be spendy... If there were a way to enjoy French Roast coffee without the clean up I'd be so there. Maybe a butler is the answer.

Pearl! That is a SERIOUS coffeemaker. You don't mess around! I'm not sure the maker could present decaf as regular...

I'm with you Sonia, which makes this whole discussion work. I'd love a small coffeemaker (I have a little "4-cup", which is really coffee for two) that could crank the heat and run water through, as well as be big enough to easily clean.

Gary thanks, for a moment I thought I the only person who struggles with carafes that spill. Some of them are just... ridiculous. More coffee on the counter than in my cup. V. bad.

Coffee is good...

Gary, you are spot on about the dribbling, and I like mine just as you've described!

I"m still waiting for mine to sprout legs and carry my coffee up to me in bed in the morning.

Diana, you should look at www.capresso.com for a machine with a built in burr (the best type) grinder. We have one and it is excellent and greatly reduces the kitchen coffee ground mess we all know well. They are expensive at around $200 but will last. I had one for years that I destroyed by dropping it and they replaced it free of charge.

My perfect coffee maker is a clean glass cup, instant coffee, water and the microwave for 60 seconds, then a stir or two and another 60 seconds in that microwave.

Wonderful coffee.

And I can make it almost anytime I want to.

Does every brand of coffee maker dribble when you pour? I've had cheap ones, and spendy ones. I now pour over the sink.

I've never had a coffee maker that I was happy with although I doubt that I could design one either. My big question regarding the carafe, though, is why does the water dribble everywhere when I pour it into the machine, yet when I pour the coffee into my cup--there is no dribble?

You said it! We can send a man to the moon but can't design a coffee pot, whose sole purpose in life is to hold and pour liquid, to do the pouring without splashing all over the counter.

Jordan, thanks for the tip! I'm going to ask for this one for my birthday this spring.

We dont drink coffee

I use an electronic kettle, and a filter. I preheat the cup and soak the grounds to keep the grounds at the bottom of the filter. I have given up on a dedicated device. They do not offer me any real convenience and require too much compromise on the result.

Several things would make me happy: a combo coffeemaker/burr grinder with a clock and automatic set feature that brews into a thermos/carafe, and makes HOT coffee! I bought a Capresso when I read it made the best hot coffee, but I had to buy the floor model since it was the only one in the store. It doesn't have the grinder feature, but it has all the other stuff. Only problem is, the coffee it makes is not really hot. :( Oh, and it has a gold filter for the grounds and also allows for a separate water filter. I don't use the water filter; our municipal water is excellent, and I think that fluoridation is a good thing.

I wouldn't mind having one of those $600 jobs that will also do lattes and cappucinos, too, when I'm in the mood for foo foo instead of my regular black French roast.

We have a Black and Decker Smart Brew Plus coffee maker that does way better than the Mr. Coffees in not spilling all over the counter. It still will dribble a little if I get impatient and try to pour to fast. I recently got a Cuisinart thermal coffee maker that pours very well, and also makes (and keeps hot!) a very good cup of coffee. You have to be very careful about how you set it up, though, because if the carafe isn't closed just so and the filter basket isn't perfectly seated, you'll find coffee all over your counter and dripping into the cabinets below. I nearly returned the darn thing after struggling with it the first week. Now I have the technique down pat, and am happy with it. It took about 5 days of experience, and I still don't dare program it it start in the morning without me!

I've got a Mr Coffee Elite from a few years ago. It makes a OK pot of coffee. I grind my beans daily with a burr mill, so the grounds are always fresh. it has an adjustable temp setting for the hot plate.

I for one would not like one of the all in one units with a grinder built in. However, my next coffee maker is going to ahve a thermal carafe. I get tired of the coffee getting burned and stale even with the heat down low.

I have one of those Gevalia freebies. Every so often I order another one and donate the old one. Have I mentioned I have this "thing" for travel mugs?

I don't care for coffeemakers with too many bells and whistles.....mainly because if the grinder or whatever other gadget goes.....then you have this clunky thing that only works halfway....or if you send it off to be worked on, you're out your coffee machine..........