<p>We have Hamilton Beach percolator. H has always been a coffee person. Now after 30 years of drinking his coffee, I have become quite picky. I like my coffee piping hot.</p>
<p>Perhaps the OP could ask her friends or neighbors to borrow some of the equipment for a trial. People who love good coffee might own several (unused) devices and be happy to convert a friend. For instance, my parents who love coffee have dozens of coffee makers, resulting from gifts and a now aborted collection of Italian espresso machines and makers. </p>
<p>An alternative is to visit a local coffee shop that sells equipment. They are usually offering samples made by various equipment.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that one does not need to spend a fortune for a coffee maker. It is a bit like the razor business. The real cost is in the coffee, especially if you start using capsules and pods. It will take a full competitive market such as in Europe to break the quasi cartel prices maintained in the US. The good news is that the challenges to Nestle’s patents and hegemony are bringing new prices for the equipment and capsules. But that is another story.</p>
<p>Make sure you get decent coffee. The best coffee maker on the planet cannot turn bad coffee into good coffee. I have found that most coffeemakers make a decent cup of coffee if the right coffee is used. However…it is the other features that I think make a maker worth purchasing…or not. E.g. I have never owned a Mr. Coffee brand that didn’t drip like crazy when you poured from the pot into the cup. Some coffeemakers simply do not keep the coffee hot. Others take a LONG time to brew. Some of these features are things you would never notice in a taste test at a coffee shop. </p>
<p>I recently used a coffee maker with a thermal carafe. It had no heating element but once brewed, the coffee stayed piping hot in the carafe for several hours. I would have bought it…(it was on loan) BUT when I picked up the thing to return it, there was a puddle on the counter (no wonder the owners did not use it daily).</p>
<p>We had a Farberware percolated for years that we loved. It died…and stupidly we replaced it with a line of drip coffee makers. That was dumb.</p>
<p>I now have a Hamilton Beach that makes single cups (but with regular coffee). It’s fine for one person. </p>
<p>Ask a neighbor if you can borrow one…many have purchased Keurigs and the old ones are not in use.</p>
<p>I’m on my second Cuisanart drip which I bought after our Krups drip died. The first Cuisinart was poorly designed and leaked all over the kitchen counter. I always had Farberware electric percolators which made better coffee in my opinion but the Farberware percolators available now are not what they used to be and don’t last that long, haven’t bought for each d over the past few years. Both d’s now use French Press. I buy my coffee filters in Trader Joe’s and I use a Braun coffee grinder to grind beans every day… but I do change up the beans that I ususally get at Trader Joe’s or whenever I can get to Fairway but sometimes just buy Dunkin Donuts beans also. During Hurricane Sandy when we were powerless for 10 plus days we boiled water for tea and bought Folger’s ground coffee tea bags which weren’t too bad.</p>
<p>I got my Mr. Coffee on sale this winter at my local Shopko for $20 (less than they were charging for the cheap Proctor Silex drip coffeemaker we usually get).
As to other kinds of coffeemakers, check the Consumer Reports ratings, or just go to Consumer Search, which compares the reviews from various sites, including CR & Cook’s Illustrated.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to keep the coffeemaker in the house long-term, get something that can use the Keurig K-cups (Green Mountain Coffee was having a special on Keurigs recently, or check the sale ads at local stores), then either send it off to college with your son or daughter, or sell it on eBay. (A Keurig Mini or similar would be best if you’re sending it to college later, as it won’t take up much space in the dorm room.)</p>
<p>If you are not coffee drinkers yourselves and all you want to provide is an adequate am. caffeine delivery system for your guests, a Mr. Coffee machine is fine. The real issue is not the machine, but the coffee to water ratio. People have different tastes and a drip coffee maker will allow your guests to adjust. I drink 3-4 cups a day and Keurig will not work for me. I need volume.</p>
<p>This automated drip coffee maker is terrific. It takes five minutes and makes 10 cups. The carafe is sealed so you can drink it all morning. It is also, unfortunately, pricey.</p>
<p>[KBGT</a> 741 Polished Silver - Technivorm](<a href=“Moccamaster USA: Premium Pour-Over Coffee Brewers”>Moccamaster USA: Premium Pour-Over Coffee Brewers)</p>
<p>This would be for people for whom coffee is the elixir of life.</p>
<p>Look, you’ve received some good advice here, but if you really want to be a good host and not come off as a coffee dilettante, you need to spend some time here first: [Camp</a> Pull-A-Shot](<a href=“http://baristaguildofamerica.net/camp.html]Camp”>http://baristaguildofamerica.net/camp.html)</p>
<p>As you no doubt know, it’s not the tool, but the person wielding it that’s important. I would not even consider a cup of java unless the person brewing it is at least a BGA level 2.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you can get a Mr. Coffee or Black & Decker drip coffee maker, along with a small pack of filters, a can of Maxwell House coffee, cream and sugar and put it back in the cabinet after they leave. That would also suffice if I were your guest.</p>
<p>Or - you could go the other way & roast your own beans!
[Easy</a> Breezy: How to Home Roast Your Own Coffee](<a href=“http://seattlecoffeescene.com/how-to-home-roast-coffee/]Easy”>Easy Breezy: How to Home Roast Your Own Coffee | Seattle Coffee Scene)</p>
<p>xiggi, I love my senseo. It is easy and makes a great fresh cup of coffee every time. I always wonder why they were never as popular as the Keurig. I never liked the coffee made in a Keurig but always attributed it to the fact that I drank it at doctor’s offices and they usually only had powdered creamer. But I have since had it at friends houses with regular milk or half and half and I still think it is terrible. I have tried many varieties too.</p>
<p>If I were in your situation, ie a noncoffee drinker trying to accommodate guests who drink coffee, I would buy a plastic Melita filter holder and a pack of filters- the 2 - 4 cups size, maybe the 4 - 6 cup size. As long as you have a pot to boil water and a pot to drip the coffee into you will be set. </p>
<p>We bought a $9.99 electric coffee maker twice. The first time it lasted over a year (great!) but the second time it worked once and died. It would be very unfortunate to buy a coffee maker for guests and have it not work. Melita is going to work. :D</p>
<p>We tried a Keurig, barista DD despised it, other coffee snobs also disdained it, but the quick & easy coffee kid took it away with her, much to the relief of my snobs.</p>
<p>We were having a fight over the crowded counter, one person had a 4 cup pot, one person had a 12 cup pot, both were always out, even if I put them back in the cupboard at night. I keep an electric kettle out all the time so I bought them one of those over cup filter holders, despite some grumbling, both now do pour overs and are surviving fine. I am happy without a cluttered counter, so I would give points to the pour over if you have an electric or other kettle to boil water. Instant hot dispensers are not hot enough. The key to good coffee or good tea is starting with fully boiling water.</p>
<p>Another vote for the Melita method.</p>
<p><a href=“https://shoponline.melitta.com/product/640446/COFFMKRSPROVER[/url]”>https://shoponline.melitta.com/product/640446/COFFMKRSPROVER</a></p>
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<p>I am afraid that a coffee snob might correct that ever so slightly. The optimal water temperature for coffee is just BELOW boiling point and is 92 - 96C or about 197.6 - 204.8F. </p>
<p>Water that is boiling has will cause a loss in the quality of the coffee.</p>
<p>“The key to good coffee or good tea is starting with fully boiling water.”</p>
<p>The key to good coffee or good tea is starting with… good coffee beans or good tea leaves, respectively. In Europe, it is easy to do. In the Starbucks-enslaved US - not so much…</p>
<p>I like how early-morning idiot-proof my Keurig is. The coffee is decent, but it is there quickly and without much use of my brain. So, how awake are your guests before their caffeine fix?</p>
<p>I like to have my cup or two of coffee every morning! I have tried a variety of makers (French Press, Krupps, Cuisinart Programable) over the years and have come to the conclusion that my Mr. Coffee, for the price, makes a decent cup of coffee. About a year or so ago Kohl’s had Mr. Coffee on sale. I had a coupon to go along with the sale so I purchased two of the same maker for a grand total of $20! When my current maker goes I have a brand new one in reserve! That being said if I had to replace my coffee maker today I would go with a Keurig. A few friends have Keurigs and they make a nice cup of coffee.</p>
<p>If you do not want a big investment go with a basic Mr. Coffee. If you want something more upgraded ( and in my opinion kind of fun because everyone can have their own type of coffee) then go with a Keurig.</p>
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<p>Interesting quote that has a degree of truth to it. Starbucks is not everyone’s favorite but they offered a pleasant departure to a population who believed good coffee was to be had at the local 7-11, the donut shop, or the local gas station. If a diner served a “decent” cup of coffee with the usual pancakes and eggs, the same could not be said a couple of hours later. </p>
<p>With that there is little wonder that some people are happy to endorse the Mr. Coffee or Keurig of this world because they follow the same brewing method, namely pouring hot water over ground coffee. People satisfied with the foam-less and poorly extracted coffee flavor are sticking to the same rules. And that is nothing that a couple of Splenda or non-dairy creamer could not solve. Because that IS the coffee people drink in offices or get in the waiting room of the doctor or dentist.</p>
<p>On the other hand, in Europe, people learned that coffee is made with Melitta filter cones, drunk coffee at the restaurants made with Italian espresso machines, and were blessed with plenty of choices offered by Senseo and Nestl</p>
<p>Ok, I am going to admit, when I go to Europe I ask for cafe Americano.</p>
<p>I lived in Zurich during the late 80s and early 90s. Fancy espresso machines were standard equipment in almost every home. (By espresso, I mean coffee made by forcing steam through the coffee grounds–it was not as strong as italian espresso.) Even the vending machine in the building where I worked served up espresso made with beans that were freshly ground after you inserted money and pressed the button. </p>
<p>I went back for a visit last summer and was surprised to find a Starbucks on almost every other corner.</p>
<p>Lergnom is right. There are coffee drinkers, coffee lovers, and those people who drink flavored coffee. (OK, I’m a coffee snob.) The best answer depends on which group we’re talking about.</p>
<p>Cone filter is the safest bet. Any real coffee lover will be happy and able to make a cup they like. French press? Not for me. (Grounds, etc.) Mr. Coffee? Well, if they’re real coffee snobs you won’t like what they whisper behind your back. K-cups? Too corporate.</p>
<p>Chemex is way cool, but a cheap Melitta cone and a bag of filters is fine for an inexpensive brewing system. And with a cone filter you can make as much or as little as you like, with no effect on quality. In our local supermarkets they have a decent selection of good coffee - beans and/or ground. It’s easy enough to buy a couple of small bags of different varieties - a dark roast, a medium blend, etc. - so your guests can pick what they’re comfortable with. For decades I wouldn’t drink anything but Peet’s French Roast. In my dotage I’ve become more accepting of other things, and have had some nice medium roast blends.</p>