The Great Coffee Maker Conspiracy
Mark Anderson
broke. I had a Braun Aromaster that cost $20 at the time. I really
liked the simplicity of this coffee maker in that there were only two
parts, everything was easy to clean, and since it was so simple there
wasn't much that could go wrong with it -- which is probably why it
lasted so long.
So Saturday I'm shopping online for a new one only to find out that
Braun doesn't make the Aromaster any more. They have an entire new line
of coffee makers that cost between $70 and $100. Who wants to pay that
much for something that just heats water dripping it through coffee
grounds? A coffee maker isn't much more complicated than a toaster.
Why did Braun get rid of their simple machine other than perhaps they
didn't want it competing with their more expensive ones?
So I looked at other brands hoping to pick one up at Target. All the
$20 machines had so many bad reviews it's almost as if Mr. Coffee, Black
and Decker, and others purposely produced a shitty low priced product to
get us to spend $50+ for the higher end coffee machines. Finally I gave
up and luckily one of my neighbors had a house sale and she had a clean,
not too old one for $10. Normally I wouldn't buy a kitchen appliance
used but since I know her and know that she's a clean person I bought
it.
So, in summary, I think there's collusion in the coffee maker industry
to get us to spend more money on coffee makers. Frankly, I don't give a
damned if a coffee maker has a clock or is "programmable" (whatever that
means). I just want it to make god damned coffee -- period. Can't
someone come up with a decent low cost coffee maker like the Braun
Aromaster once was?
Bert Hyman
<m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote:
> Can't someone come up with a decent low cost coffee maker like the
> Braun Aromaster once was?
Well, there's the Braun Aromaster :-)
http://www.braun.com/na/products/fooddrink/breakfast/coffeemakers/aromaster/models.html
I guess the problem is finding someone who sells it.
--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN be...@iphouse.com
Don K
news:MPG.2186fb791...@chi.news.speakeasy.net...
> So I looked at other brands hoping to pick one up at Target. All the
> $20 machines had so many bad reviews it's almost as if Mr. Coffee, Black
> and Decker, and others purposely produced a shitty low priced product to
> get us to spend $50+ for the higher end coffee machines. Finally I gave
> up and luckily one of my neighbors had a house sale and she had a clean,
> not too old one for $10. Normally I wouldn't buy a kitchen appliance
> used but since I know her and know that she's a clean person I bought
> it.
>
> So, in summary, I think there's collusion in the coffee maker industry
> to get us to spend more money on coffee makers. Frankly, I don't give a
> damned if a coffee maker has a clock or is "programmable" (whatever that
> means). I just want it to make god damned coffee -- period. Can't
> someone come up with a decent low cost coffee maker like the Braun
> Aromaster once was?
You say you just want to make coffee. I just checked the Walmart site,
and they have two 12 cup coffee makers that sell for $25.
Like you said, it's just a matter of dripping hot water over a filter filled
with ground coffee. Why should you care what a "review" says?
The last 2 new coffee makers I bought cost $12 and $20. You can consider
this to be a good review for the low-priced $25 machines.
Don
jerryl
"Mark Anderson" <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.2186fb791...@chi.news.speakeasy.net...
Have you ever heard of Google?
http://www.wholesaleconnection.com/productDetails.aspx?product=1537&refer=1
Chloe
Evelyn C. Leeper
How about a plastic cone drip coffee maker?
--
Evelyn C. Leeper
He who knows only his own side of the case
knows little of that. -John Stuart Mill
onionhead
> On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:25:38 -0500, Mark Anderson
> <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote:
>
>>Just the other day, the heating coil in my coffee maker of over 12 years
>>broke. I had a Braun Aromaster that cost $20 at the time. I really
>>liked the simplicity of this coffee maker in that there were only two
>>parts, everything was easy to clean, and since it was so simple there
>>wasn't much that could go wrong with it -- which is probably why it
>>lasted so long.
>>
>>So Saturday I'm shopping online for a new one only to find out that Braun
>>doesn't make the Aromaster any more. They have an entire new line of
>>coffee makers that cost between $70 and $100. Who wants to pay that much
>>for something that just heats water dripping it through coffee grounds?
>
> I still remember my grandmother's vacuum brewer coffee maker. It was a
> stainless steel kettle, sorta like a teakettle but with a wide mouth. Into
> the mouth fits another stainless steel piece that holds the coffee. You
> put the entire contraprion on the stove and boil the water; the water
> percolates up through a small tube into the upper chamber, then drips back
> down into the pot. When it's done brewing, you take it off the stove,
> remove the upper piece, and it's ready to serve.
>
> That thing is practically indestructible, and when she died it was still
> running strong after more than 50 years of use.
You can still find percolators designed to sit on a stove, and electric
percolators. Some people swear by them, some think they're an abomination.
Me, I don't care how it's made so long as it has caffeine. When I'm
backpacking, some instant coffee in a cold cup of water suits me just fine.
Peter Bruells
Wouldn't it make sense to eat chocolate-coated beans instead?
Evelyn C. Leeper
Or take a caffeine pill.
But one needs liquids, and when backpacking, one probably wants to boil
the water, so adding flavoring to it is not unreasonable, and instant
coffee is pretty lightweight.
Jeff
> Just the other day, the heating coil in my coffee maker of over 12 years
> broke.
Do you mean what boils the water, as I don't think that is a coil, or
the heater under the pot?
I had a Braun Aromaster that cost $20 at the time. I really
> liked the simplicity of this coffee maker in that there were only two
> parts, everything was easy to clean, and since it was so simple there
> wasn't much that could go wrong with it -- which is probably why it
> lasted so long.
>
> So Saturday I'm shopping online for a new one only to find out that
> Braun doesn't make the Aromaster any more. They have an entire new line
> of coffee makers that cost between $70 and $100. Who wants to pay that
> much for something that just heats water dripping it through coffee
> grounds? A coffee maker isn't much more complicated than a toaster.
> Why did Braun get rid of their simple machine other than perhaps they
> didn't want it competing with their more expensive ones?
>
> So I looked at other brands hoping to pick one up at Target. All the
> $20 machines had so many bad reviews it's almost as if Mr. Coffee, Black
> and Decker, and others purposely produced a shitty low priced product to
> get us to spend $50+ for the higher end coffee machines. Finally I gave
> up and luckily one of my neighbors had a house sale and she had a clean,
> not too old one for $10.
You would be surprised at how much crap a coffee maker accumulates. The
Mr Coffee ones where you poured water through the top grate were
horrible. I think a little vinegar run through it might bring back
whatever it's lost in boiling power.
I had a Makita that I liked until one day it caught fire. Once plastic
starts to burn it's like an oil fire.
Normally I wouldn't buy a kitchen appliance
> used but since I know her and know that she's a clean person I bought
> it.
>
Maybe it's where her cat slept?
Jeff
James
I've sworn off of "electric" coffee makers all together. I dug an old
Bodum out of the closet and started to use it after my last maker
died, and I prefer the coffee - in a French press like the bodum, you
pour water from your kettle into a glass container with ground coffee
in it, let it sit, then put in the press to push the grounds to the
bottom. You can use less coffee this way as the water and the grounds
mix well. The only draw back is that it doesn't stay hot, but you can
transfer to a vacuum carafe for that. You can get non-Bodum brand
french presses for about $20.
James
Evelyn C. Leeper
>
> I've sworn off of "electric" coffee makers all together. I dug an old
> Bodum out of the closet and started to use it after my last maker
> died, and I prefer the coffee - in a French press like the bodum, you
> pour water from your kettle into a glass container with ground coffee
> in it, let it sit, then put in the press to push the grounds to the
> bottom. You can use less coffee this way as the water and the grounds
> mix well. The only draw back is that it doesn't stay hot, but you can
> transfer to a vacuum carafe for that. You can get non-Bodum brand
> french presses for about $20.
They use these in Vietnam all the time, and you can buy cheap aluminum
ones there for under a dollar, or better-quality ones for a couple of
dollars. (Well, the French *were* there for a long time.) Which makes
me wonder if looking in an Asian grocery store for one might not be a
good idea....
Seerialmom
Considering the majority of the coffee makers I've had over the years
were $5 (and included 3 bags of coffee) from Gevalia (after which I
cancelled the future deliveries) I can't dispute your views. But I
can say these coffee makers (as I recall most were Melitta electric)
did the job with no bells/whistles.
As for "used" appliances, some of the older ones are better made and
sturdier, definitely worth the $1-$5 being asked for. Plus if you
don't use them often why buy new?
One thing I would have tried with your coffee maker would be to find
the broken part and fix it since you said it was simply made?
Dennis
wrote:
>Considering the majority of the coffee makers I've had over the years
>were $5 (and included 3 bags of coffee) from Gevalia (after which I
>cancelled the future deliveries) I can't dispute your views. But I
>can say these coffee makers (as I recall most were Melitta electric)
>did the job with no bells/whistles.
I use a coffee maker that I got from Gevalia on a similar promotional
offer. I didn't care so much for their coffee, but the pot works fine
for me. Mine even has a clock and can be set to start brewing at a
programmed time, but I never bother to use that feature.
Dennis (evil)
--
I'm behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave,
dodging the bullet and pushing the envelope. -George Carlin
Lou
"Mark Anderson" <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.2186fb791...@chi.news.speakeasy.net...
A coffee maker is a good deal less complicated than a toaster. I never
really understood why someone would buy yet another electric gizmo when s/he
has a perfectly serviceable kitchen stove, or a microwave, than can heat a
few cups of water. The Vermont Country Store (no, I have no connection)
sells something called a drip-o-lator that makes drip coffee. Doubtless,
other establishments offer this or something similar, as plain or as fancy
as you want to get. I have a small one of these (2-cupper) that is at least
60 years old, and it works just fine - my parents bought it early in their
marriage, and gave it to me when I got my first apartment.
When that second hand coffee maker gives up the ghost, consider something
like this
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/jump.jsp?itemID=7965&itemType=PRODUCT&searchid=inceptor
Jon v Leipzig
Surprisingly, they do work... The downside is, (according to coffee
addicts) they drip too quickly. The brewing cycle for drip coffee
should be five minutes. The chemicals are released at different stages,
almost like "time released". You lose some flavor if it passes thru
faster, like 2-3 minutes. If the cycle is much longer than 5 minutes,
you'll release more of the bitter oils.
ps: for better drip coffee get a gold filter, the paper ones absorb some
of the flavor.
even better, get a small travel-size grinder, grind whole beans for
10 seconds.
val189
> I still remember my grandmother's vacuum brewer coffee maker. It was a
> stainless steel kettle, sorta like a teakettle but with a wide mouth.
> Into the mouth fits another stainless steel piece that
> still running strong after more than 50 years of use.
AND... they made great coffee. Hard to find, but I believe restaurant
supply stores might have them, and I saw one from Bodum, but it was
glass and needed careful handling.
I Like the simple French press method. Grind my own beans, heat the
water in microwave, let it brew 5 minutes....not a bad cup of coffee.
val189
I preheat a stainless, insulated travel mug with nearly boiling water,
and wrap the Bodum with a thick towel while it's brewing. Coffee
stays hot for a couple of hours. I heat the milk in the mic too -
Just remember to dump that hot water from the mug before you pour in
the coffee - done THAT a few times.
Lee K
"Scott in SoCal" <scotte...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8n0sh352kbas7dm3d...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:25:38 -0500, Mark Anderson
>
> I still remember my grandmother's vacuum brewer coffee maker. It was a
> stainless steel kettle, sorta like a teakettle but with a wide mouth.
> coffee. You put the entire contraprion on the stove and boil the
> water; the water percolates up through a small tube into the upper
> chamber, then drips back down into the pot. When it's done brewing,
> you take it off the stove, remove the upper piece, and it's ready to
> serve.
>
> still running strong after more than 50 years of use.
Ah, yes, the cordless coffee pot.