What is the Best Coffee Maker with a Thermal Carafe?

[Mikado463]

but I shall derail this thread no more

as an old retired railroader I appreciate that .........

 

[j_garcia]

The trouble with Chemex paper filters is that their flow rate is very – very – slow. I tried one a very long time ago. After about a week, I chucked it. The paper Melita type filters work much better.

I think that is partly intentional so it gives the coffee time to "brew" in there basically. With the Clever, it has a lid so it doesn't cool off and isn't exposed to air directly. I don't know if I want a paper filter unit. I have a gold filter pour over and it has a similar issue depending on the grind. It either comes out too weak or you get silt. I think you have to grind a little more coarse to get pour overs to be useful. Blue Bottle, Philz, Roy's and Devout all use paper pour over.

This is basically the same as what the Clever is. I might just buy one of them if my current one breaks:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KIW0T9C/?coliid=IZGU9ZDPT3SJ&colid=ADAKXQICKYU&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[pewternhrata]

Zojirushi dispenser less known? There's probably one in every home in Japan At the very least there is a hot water dispenser in every one lol, my mother in law has one. I currently use a boil to use electric kettle and am thinking I probably should have just gotten a dispenser. I like less things on the counter though.

Used a French press for years, got tired of the silt. I use a permanent filter pour over now, the Clever Coffee maker, that I got at Sweet Marias. The filters are delicate though and I broke two after a few years with no replacements available. I am on my last filter now and it has been going for about 2 years now. Maybe I will look at a Chemex or similar next. The nice thing about the Clever though is that it allows you to let the coffee sit for 2 minutes before going directly into the cup and it has a dual stage filter, so no silt.

I had a French press for awhile, enjoyed it. One thing I did hear was a blade grinder isn't necessarily ideal. Not just consistency but it can burn the coffee, whereas a burr (ceramic) is less likely to burn. I had a little silt here and there, even when using a burr, steeping the coffee for a few mins in cold water definitely seemed to help keep that at minimum.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I had a French press for awhile, enjoyed it. One thing I did hear was a blade grinder isn't necessarily ideal. Not just consistency but it can burn the coffee, whereas a burr (ceramic) is less likely to burn. I had a little silt here and there, even when using a burr, steeping the coffee for a few mins in cold water definitely seemed to help keep that at minimum.

Yes, Flat (ideally) or conical burrs are the way to go. The problem as most of you already know ground coffee stays fresh only for a very short time (up to a few hours) but is ideally used in 15mins or less.
Blade grinders are as pewternhrata correctly said, both suffer from a lack of ground beans consistency and can unnecessarily overheat the ground coffee.

 

[Verdinut]

I like the Breville Smart Burr Grinder which I bought several years ago. It's a well built product.

If you use a coffee maker with a basket filter, I would strongly recommend it, but unfortunately it's not as convenient for conical filters users.

This is a newer model than mine:

https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BCG820BSSXL-Grinder-Brushed-Stainless/dp/B00OXGXW8O

 

[pewternhrata]

Yes, Flat (ideally) or conical burrs are the way to go. The problem as most of you already know ground coffee stays fresh only for a very short time (up to a few hours) but is ideally used in 15mins or less.
Blade grinders are as pewternhrata correctly said, both suffer from a lack of ground beans consistency and can unnecessarily overheat the ground coffee.

What's your input on grinding at the grocery store? I've done it a few times, I hate saying I taste residual from other grinds but I'm sure it builds up (I lie to myself and say it builds character haha) I'm no expert on coffee or brewing, but a good cup straight up is what I enjoy (nothing added) I've bought some coarse grinds before (marketed for French press) but they always taste very lite or dull, I'd rather put cafe bustelo through it (hey don't knock it till ya try it ugh lol)

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

What's your input on grinding at the grocery store? I've done it a few times, I hate saying I taste residual from other grinds but I'm sure it builds up (I lie to myself and say it builds character haha) I'm no expert on coffee or brewing, but a good cup straight up is what I enjoy (nothing added) I've bought some coarse grinds before (marketed for French press) but they always taste very lite or dull, I'd rather put cafe bustelo through it (hey don't knock it till ya try it ugh lol)

Retail stores have good commercial quality grinders, but they are also optimized for speed. Plus, you get to taste some of the leftover beans from the last customer. More importantly, as I said earlier. Ground coffee stays fresh for a very short time, but whole bean coffee isn't without an expiration date, and it's no more than 3-4 months, ideally 2-3 weeks.

Bottom line: You want good-tasting coffee - grind it at home, even if a cheap blade grinder is all you have. They are ways to make the grind a bit more consistent. Search youtube for various tips. It's still better than buying pre-ground. Second, buy freshly roasted (and dated on a roast day) coffee or roast it yourself (all you need a cheap popcorn popper). You could get a quality fresh coffee for much more affordable.
Where I am relatively cheap on my home system (blasphemy, I know), I hardly spared any expense on my coffee prep equipment, and I must say that having an excellent daily cappuccino with minimal effort was worth it.

 

[j_garcia]

I've always used a burr grinder at home. I am still eying that bodum grinder. I almost always buy beans at my favorite coffee shops because they're fresh and dated. Coffee is just so much better at home

 

[Mikado463]

I like the Breville Smart Burr Grinder which I bought several years ago. It's a well built product.

If you use a coffee maker with a basket filter, I would strongly recommend it, but unfortunately it's not as convenient for conical filters users.

This is a newer model than mine:

https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BCG820BSSXL-Grinder-Brushed-Stainless/dp/B00OXGXW8O

that's a nice looking unit, any issues with static build up ?

 

[dolsey01]

I like the Breville Smart Burr Grinder which I bought several years ago. It's a well built product.

If you use a coffee maker with a basket filter, I would strongly recommend it, but unfortunately it's not as convenient for conical filters users.

This is a newer model than mine:

https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BCG820BSSXL-Grinder-Brushed-Stainless/dp/B00OXGXW8O

Mine if going on 10 years old. Just had to replace the impleller with a 3D printed part, but that was supposedly fixed in production at some point. I would buy another if it dies again.

 

[SithZedi]

Focusing on the other end of this process for a second.
Have been on the road a bit lately and was taking coffee out in a standard Yeti. Always hated that slight metal taste so am trying a ceramic lined mug. Huge difference.

Amazon.com : ceramic mug

 

[Mikado463]

Focusing on the other end of this process for a second.
Have been on the road a bit lately and was taking coffee out in a standard Yeti. Always hated that slight metal taste so am trying a ceramic lined mug. Huge difference.

Amazon.com : ceramic mug

interesting and a valid thought to boot !

 

[Swerd]

Have been on the road a bit lately and was taking coffee out in a standard Yeti. Always hated that slight metal taste so am trying a ceramic lined mug. Huge difference.

Amazon.com : ceramic mug

I didn't know ceramic lined travel mugs were available. Is a "standard Yeti" a stainless steel travel mug? I never liked those kind of mugs for coffee. That slight metal taste bothered me too.

Stainless steel (there are many kinds) isn't totally rust-free and it reacts with strong mineral acids (concentrated nitric acid) or weaker organic acids if the temperature is high enough. SS is especially sensitive to chlorides such as hydrochloric acid. The low levels of chlorine gas put into our tap water kills micro-organisms, but also generates low levels of hydrochloric acid. With time or temperature, it can react with stainless steel.

You can remove all the chlorine in tap water by briefly boiling it, or by passing it through one of those activated charcoal filters, such as a Britta filter. Then, you can easily try this simple experiment. Make two pots or cups of coffee. Use cold tap water for one, and filtered or boiled tap water for the other. Keep everything else the same. (Use a ceramic mug, not a stainless steel travel mug.) Can you tell a difference when you taste it?

 

[SithZedi]

I didn't know ceramic lined travel mugs were available. Is a "standard Yeti" a stainless steel travel mug? I never liked those kind of mugs for coffee. That slight metal taste bothered me too.

Stainless steel (there are many kinds) isn't totally rust-free and it reacts with strong mineral acids (concentrated nitric acid) or weaker organic acids if the temperature is high enough. SS is especially sensitive to chlorides such as hydrochloric acid. The low levels of chlorine gas put into our tap water kills micro-organisms, but also generates low levels of hydrochloric acid. With time or temperature, it can react with stainless steel.

You can remove all the chlorine in tap water by briefly boiling it, or by passing it through one of those activated charcoal filters, such as a Britta filter. Then, you can easily try this simple experiment. Make two pots or cups of coffee. Use cold tap water for one, and filtered or boiled tap water for the other. Keep everything else the same. (Use a ceramic mug, not a stainless steel travel mug.) Can you tell a difference when you taste it?

Yes, unfortunately most travel mugs are SS. It's also why I won't buy coffee from a Starbucks or similar. I taste the paper cups too...

Thanks, I will try the boiling technique.

Just an FYI. One of the best investments to make for your home. I have two charcoal water filters installed in my home system. One at entry to the house to protect home appliances that use water (washing machine, dish washer, coffee maker, believe me it makes a difference to appliance lifespan) as well as limiting mineral buildup in pipes. Another filter right before kitchen sink. This takes chlorine and metallic taste out of the whole system.

Am lucky to be able to do some amateur plumbing so I did it myself but an "honest" plumber will not charge you much for this job.... Change the filter yourself every 6 months...

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-WFPF13003B-Universal-000-Gallon-Filtration/dp/B007VZ2O0Q/ref=sr_1_42?crid=3H9XDF1OEVKHT&keywords=charcoal+water+filter+whole+house&qid=1646758661&sprefix=charcoal+water+fil%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-42

 

[j_garcia]

I never use water straight from the tap for coffee. We have hard water here so I run it through a brita. I use a Contigo SST for my coffee every morning, but I've been using the same one for years and it doesn't taste metallic now lol. With others, I do notice that metallic taste. I use it without the lid though, because I can taste the plastic of the lid when using it.

At my old place, where I was on well water, the water tasted so good it wasn't even funny. Coffee tasted so much better there. I don't have that place anymore though.

 

[SithZedi]

Another filter from Culligan, better you can see the filter itself.....

https://www.amazon.com/Culligan-HF-360A-Standard-Housing-Filtration/dp/B000BQUPZ8/ref=sr_1_5?crid=25PUCGKRH9MHA&keywords=water+filter+whole+house&qid=1646759679&sprefix=water+filter+whole+house%2Caps%2C55&sr=8-5

 

[Swerd]

Yes, unfortunately most travel mugs are SS. It's also why I won't buy coffee from a Starbucks or similar. I taste the paper cups too...

I won't buy Starbucks coffee because I can taste the coffee they put in the cup .

Just an FYI. One of the best investments to make for your home. I have two charcoal water filters installed in my home system. One at entry to the house to protect home appliances that use water (washing machine, dish washer, coffee maker, believe me it makes a difference to appliance lifespan) as well as limiting mineral buildup in pipes. Another filter right before kitchen sink. This takes chlorine and metallic taste out of the whole system.

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-WFPF13003B-Universal-000-Gallon-Filtration/dp/B007VZ2O0Q/ref=sr_1_42?crid=3H9XDF1OEVKHT&keywords=charcoal+water+filter+whole+house&qid=1646758661&sprefix=charcoal+water+fil%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-42

Just so you know … that whole house filter doesn't seem like a charcoal filter. It seems like a sediment & particle filter.

It's the chlorine in the water that makes for that metallic taste in coffee. Removing it seems to be all it takes to improve the taste.

@j_garcia
Those charcoal filters, like your Britta, only remove chlorine from water. They cannot remove the minerals that make for hard water. To soften hard water you have to use either a water softener or a de-ionizer filter. Water softeners exchange ions like calcium, magnesium or iron, with sodium which is more soluble. De-ionizer filters are much larger, require regular maintenance, and cost quite a bit more.

 

[SithZedi]

I won't buy Starbucks coffee because I can taste the coffee they put in the cup .
Just so you know … that whole house filter doesn't seem like a charcoal filter. It seems like a sediment & particle filter.

It's the chlorine in the water that makes for that metallic taste in coffee. Removing it seems to be all it takes to improve the taste.

@j_garcia
Those charcoal filters, like your Britta, only remove chlorine from water. They cannot remove the minerals that make for hard water. To soften hard water you have to use either a water softener or a de-ionizer filter. Water softeners exchange ions like calcium, magnesium or iron, with sodium which is more soluble. De-ionizer filters are much larger, require regular maintenance, and cost quite a bit more.

That same filter system will take these charcoal filters...

https://www.amazon.com/GOLDEN-ICEPURE-Replacement-Cartridge-Compatible/dp/B01N1IJ5V1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=30U391E919U7E&keywords=charcoal+water+filter+whole+house&qid=1646761174&sprefix=%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A20NGFRM6WQ2AB&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySDdIOTFZMUgyWVhTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTU1NDA1QjhER0tONThINzhMJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMzU2NTMySlo2QkQ3VFIyVlZZJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[Swerd]

Those who know me at AH may or may not know that I was a lab scientist for many years before taking a desk job in cancer research. In biochemistry and molecular biology labs having a good supply of clean water is essential. When I was a grad student, I had to learn what glass stills, deionizers, and reverse osmosis water purification systems did and how water purified through those systems differed. During the 1990s, one of my minor jobs was to demonstrate (validate) that the water system in a small biological drug manufacturing facility was clean enough to use as a component in an injectable monoclonal antibody drug. The FDA had very tough standards for what they called Water For Injection (WFI).

Ever since then, I never fail to be surprised at how little most of us know about our water supply. Tap water in most of the USA (with some notable exceptions) is actually very good. I've found that many people believe – mistakenly – that our water is bad and requires supplemental purification. Yes, we do have chlorinated water, but I'd rather have the chlorine than the bacteria it kills.

 

[j_garcia]

I won't buy Starbucks coffee because I can taste the coffee they put in the cup .
Just so you know … that whole house filter doesn't seem like a charcoal filter. It seems like a sediment & particle filter.

It's the chlorine in the water that makes for that metallic taste in coffee. Removing it seems to be all it takes to improve the taste.

@j_garcia
Those charcoal filters, like your Britta, only remove chlorine from water. They cannot remove the minerals that make for hard water. To soften hard water you have to use either a water softener or a de-ionizer filter. Water softeners exchange ions like calcium, magnesium or iron, with sodium which is more soluble. De-ionizer filters are much larger, require regular maintenance, and cost quite a bit more.

Not so worried about the minerals, just the stuff that the Brita removes for now. We tried the Zero filter and it does taste better, but I was reading about it and it says it actually removes so much that some of the beneficial minerals are removed lol.