Our 7 year old Keurig coffee maker appears to have finally bit the dust.  Maybe 5 years ago it started experiencing problems - if I left it on too long it wouldn't brew.  Seemed like it was overheating or something, as a result I started turning off the Keurig immediately after I made a cup of coffee.  Yesterday a new problem arose.  The Keurig wasn't brewing a full cup of coffee any longer.  It appears that the machine is pumping "excess" water back into the tank instead of into the coffee cup.

Before buying the Keurig in 2011 I had a regular old fashioned drip coffee maker.  I actually kinda prefer the drip coffee to the Keurig.  It was nice just being able to brew 4 cups in the morning and then my second refill would be waiting for me instead of needing to brew anything else.  I think it was also cheaper.  I exclusively use The Original Donut Shop K-Cups in my Keurig and I find them to be a little bit strong.  I tried the Dunkin Donuts K-Cups, but didn't find they were that much better to justify the cost.  I don't really mind watered down coffee.  As you can probably tell, I am far from being a coffee snob.  I worked with some people before that were absolutely disgusted with the idea of using some sort of capsule that had coffee that had been ground ages ago and was now sealed inside.

I'm kind of now torn between buying another Keurig, a drip brewer, or something fancy like an automatic Chemix: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/chemex-ottomatic-2-coffee-maker/.  We already have a Nespresso maker for making espresso drinks.  I suppose I could also look into getting their fancy VertuoLine coffee maker.

Any recommendations?

Thanks for those suggestions.  Was there a particular model of Technivorm Moccamaster?  I see several different models on Amazon.  Are you familiar with Chemix?  Is Moccamaster better than Chemix?

Thanks for that model number.

Yeah I agree.  You can't beat the convenience of just turning a machine on and walking away.  A manual pour over model seems like way to much work.  That's actually how my parents made their coffee in the 90s - they weren't even coffee snobs.  I think it was just what they happened to buy.  They used a whistling tea kettle to boil the water to pour over coffee grounds that were sitting on top of a carafe.

I’m on the anti-snob end of the spectrum. I use a little Cusinart 4 cup dripper but I hate weak coffee so I use Bustelo fine ground espresso and paper filters. It makes four small cups but if you were at my house you could just add some water to your cup.

X3 on the Technivorm Moccamaster. We bought one from Seattle Coffee Gear 6 or 7 years ago. It's a fantastic machine. Don't remember the number, but got a fairly basic model with glass carafe. While researching - we didn't need the extra features of the others.

What we learned was that the secret to good coffee is a machine that gets HOT, and this one does.

We highly reccomend it.

Hamilton Beach 49980A, makes a 12 cup pot or a 16 oz mug, only $60 at amazon.  The downside is it's only $60 at amazon so your friends may not be as impressed but they'll like the coffee just fine.

Get the glass carafe and then buy an aftermarket glass lined thermal carafe.  No metallic taste.  You get the best of both worlds.  That's what I did.

Glass Lined Carafe

I have had a Bonavita for over a year and I am very happy with it. I agree about getting the one with the glass carafe and buying a glass lined thermal carafe for storage. When I bought mine they only made 8 cup versions I don't know if that is still the case. It makes a pot in about 5 minutes so if I need more I just make another pot after pouring into the thermal carafe.

Mine is the plain version with no programing does not connect to my phone

Technivorm is a Dutch make. As a matter of fact at a time almost every household in the Netherlands must have had one, because it was attainable for even families with low income (like my parents’) through a savings program of the biggest coffee brand, Douwe Egberts.
One had to save up ‘points’ — cut out coupons from their packaging — and with several thousand points you could ‘buy’ a coffee maker in one of the special shops DE had around the country (I think a significant discount was involved). Going to one of these shops was a special treat for the Dutch housewives in the sixties and seventies.
I remember that coffee maker had place of honour in the kitchen (and no, I never had any, because I only got into coffee later on in life).

WOW.  Thanks for all the replies.  I must say I am very surprised how many people all have a Technivorm!

Followup question: what kind of coffee is everyone using in the Technivorm?  I really don't want to have to buy a coffee grinder to grind the beans every morning.  I know that will yield the optimum flavor and taste and all that, but it's not that big of a deal for me.

When we had the drip brewer I just used the big can of ground colombian coffee from Costco.  That was good enough for me.  Would it be sort of foolish to buy such a high end coffee maker if I was going to use pre-ground beans?

I think if you are happy with preground- stick with it.  Something like a Technivorm will definitely improve the quality by virtue of having consistent water temperature, but it’s not going to work any miracles.  Getting really good coffee is really a combination of bean type, grind, freshness and water temperature.  I’d still recommend the Technivorm for the durability and simplicity of the thing.  And if you ever do decide to dabble in brewing a higher end cup, then you’re all set.  Oh- one other super advantage of the Technivorm- it’s fast.  Easily twice as fast to brew a pot as the budget models.  I’m always shocked when I go to a rental house or am visiting someone how long it takes the coffee to brew, it’s like torture.

I think if you are happy with preground- stick with it.  Something like a Technivorm will definitely improve the quality by virtue of having consistent water temperature, but it’s not going to work any miracles.  Getting really good coffee is really a combination of bean type, grind, freshness and water temperature.  I’d still recommend the Technivorm for the durability and simplicity of the thing.  And if you ever do decide to dabble in brewing a higher end cup, then you’re all set.  Oh- one other super advantage of the Technivorm- it’s fast.  Easily twice as fast to brew a pot as the budget models.  I’m always shocked when I go to a rental house or am visiting someone how long it takes the coffee to brew, it’s like torture.

It sounds like a very good brand, but the price is a little bit steep.  Is this a good model: https://www.amazon.com/Technivorm-Moccamaster-59616-Coffee-Polished/dp/B0055P70MQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1531831073&sr=1-5&keywords=technivorm+moccamaster?

And the water quality probably has an even greater effect on the taste as the disolved minerals react with the coffee granules to extract specific flavours.

This article may give you more details of the science involved.

This one tells you how to brew your own water.

Brewing your own water is taking things to a whole different level.

Another followup question: how do most people drink their coffee?  I drink mine only with half and half.  I recently started measuring the half and half for more consistency and it was 3 tablespoons per 10 oz cup of Keurig brewed coffee.  I do enjoy a medium Dunkin Donuts coffee with cream and sugar every now and again.  I like whatever ratios of cream and sugar they use for the medium size.  It's a little bit sweet and so delightfully creamy.

In the spirit of German technology, I use the Miele countertop.

Quote from: GoingMyWay on July 16, 2018, 08:39 AM

WOW.  Thanks for all the replies.  I must say I am very surprised how many people all have a Technivorm!

Followup question: what kind of coffee is everyone using in the Technivorm?  I really don't want to have to buy a coffee grinder to grind the beans every morning.  I know that will yield the optimum flavor and taste and all that, but it's not that big of a deal for me.

When we had the drip brewer I just used the big can of ground colombian coffee from Costco.  That was good enough for me.  Would it be sort of foolish to buy such a high end coffee maker if I was going to use pre-ground beans?

I think if you are happy with preground- stick with it.  Something like a Technivorm will definitely improve the quality by virtue of having consistent water temperature, but it’s not going to work any miracles.  Getting really good coffee is really a combination of bean type, grind, freshness and water temperature.  I’d still recommend the Technivorm for the durability and simplicity of the thing.  And if you ever do decide to dabble in brewing a higher end cup, then you’re all set.  Oh- one other super advantage of the Technivorm- it’s fast.  Easily twice as fast to brew a pot as the budget models.  I’m always shocked when I go to a rental house or am visiting someone how long it takes the coffee to brew, it’s like torture.

 What Dane - and others said. I asked the same question here a few years ago and bought the Technivorm and am very satisfied with it.

If you like espresso, I have an Andreja Premium by Quick Mill.   It's manual and makes great espresso.  I bought it some years ago and now have in plumbed in.   Wasn't cheap, but I am very pleased with it.  Sort of art in Stainless Steel.

I bought it from Chris Coffee in Albany NY.  See https://www.chriscoffee.com.  They have a broad range of espresso machines, grinders, and accessories.   They shipped it to me in California.

They know their stuff and I have been pleased with support.   When I converted it to plumbed in they were very helpful answering my questions.

I bought my Andreja from Chris' Coffee as well. It was sight unseen, as it was the first lot delivered to the US. Unfortunately it needs to be overhauled now, but it's a great machine.

This thread seems like a lot of bother for someone who brews the coffee so weakly that he can’t tell the difference between Colombian and Arabica.   

Region vs bean? Since Columbia grows Arabica coffee, what would the difference be?