Your best ever coffee maker...

Got up this am, turned on the coffee maker and took the dogs out...like I do every morning.
Came in....no coffee!!!!

This is the fourth coffee maker this year, it's life span was 2 whole weeks. I have bought the $80.00 ones and the $9.99 ones.....I don't really notice a difference in longevity. Even splurged earlier in the year and bought a perkolator one.....pfft.....it lasted a month, now it heats the water, but won't bubble up.

So people, since I am now in the market for number 5....let's hear some recommendations....

Here's the one we use. Have had one of these for many years and love it. You do need the remove the filter (little flat disc that easily screws off) and clean it occasionally.

http://shopping.msn.com/Prices/shp/?itemId=436910459,ptnrid=171

I've been looking at them.......the design is good and they have a great reputation in the Restaurant biz. Glad to hear they actually do last.

I have used the Cuisinart Brewmaster for a couple of years now and just love it. It makes excellent coffee. You can get them at Costco usually for considerably less than the usual price.

Are you cleaning your coffee makers at least once a month by running vinegar or coffeepot cleaner through it? That might be what's clogging up your machines, especially if you have hard water.

The other thing that can ruin/clog them fast is using too fine of a grind of coffee.

I always use a filter........and yup, I clean the things....we are such heavy coffee drinkers, at least 4 pots a day...I think we just wear them out!!!

Using a filter or not won't make any difference concerning the grind being too fine. Actually I suppose a filter could make it worse. It blocks the water from dripping properly. Then everything backs up, especially if you're making large pots and using a lot of coffee. You may not notice it unless some grounds are getting into your coffee but it can really mess up the spray head on your coffee maker.

We make at least three pots a day and I clean my machine about once every two weeks because it is getting heavy use.

You might want to consider getting a commercial grade coffee maker like a Bunn. They're expensive but would probably be cheaper for you in the long run. Costco used to sell those too, not sure if they still carry them. Bunn also makes coffee makers for home use but I don't think any are made to hold up under very heavy use.

I don't know about the best. But I can tell you the worst.
There is a good brand name with coffee in the name, that makes a really, really nice looking, quite pricey stanless carafe coffee pot.
DO NOT BUY IT.
I wish I had read the reviews instead of the impulse buy at the store.
I have a Gevalia one now that I really like.

I went thru about 5 Mr. Coffee 's before I bought a Bunn. I'm sold on the Bunn and we do wear them out after about three years , but the pot is always on here . We have very hard water, so we have to unscrew the spray circle where the coffee comes out and clean it about once a week. You also receive a long metal coil to push up into the flow canal to keep it from getting "limed" up. This is much simpler than cleaning with vinegar as I did on the Mr Coffee's. I like the fact that it is so fast to make a pot. The resevoir always has hot water, and once you pour cold water into it, the coffee starts coming out, and you have a fresh pot in no time. Lou

How does it always have hot water? It doesn't hook into the water tap does it? Or do you just keep it filled?

Here's the one we use, twice a day, and we love it.
http://www.mrcoffee.com/Product.aspx?pid=4818
Alice

i will never get another Mr Coffee. My almost new 10 cup stainless steel crafe..holds 8 cups. Yep, Mr Coffee has made a coffee maker that states it's 10 cups..but low and behold it's only 8. Eight cups..heck that's hardly enough to bother with.
I've also have to buy at least 2 coffee makers a year.
Loved the one that had the reserve water thingy..but it didn't last a full year.

The bunn coffee maker has a reservoir that holds water to make one pot. If the coffee maker is plugged in, it keeps that water at the proper temperature. Then when you displace that with cold water, it comes out quickly, and you have a pot of coffee in about two minutes. We make three or four pots a day, and it has lasted over two years so far. Lou

my parents have a Bunn coffee maker, and they even got there's from a thrist store no less, and they have had it like 5-6yrs...and make like 5 pots a day. Alittle more during the holidays.
They love it...and thinking bout buying them a new one for xmas.

Char

I have heard good things about the Bunn. It will probably be my next coffee maker.
I do not mind cleaning the coffee pot. But that stainless carafe one we had, UGH, coffee all over the counter, in the drawers, or it would only use 1/2 the water. We had it 1 month and had trouble nearly every other day.
I am not into so much grief without my coffee in my hand.

Ex has custody of my 10 year old Bunn. Of course had to buy another Bunn. That hot water reservoir also is convenient when you need some hot water fast for tea brewing.

Thanks all!! Leaning heavily towards a Bunn, now just to find one somewhere close to here...lol
Every one knows to stay away from me until I've had at least 2 cups into me. Nothing worse than being up at 7 with no coffee!!!

The Bunn is what we have always used and never had a problem with them.

i have a flavia coffee maker. it also has hot water all the time in it andf you just refil whenever ou need it. yhou buy "rails" of coffee from flavia. they have all sorts of teas, coffess hot chocolate and many others. you take out one of the coffee "packages" put it into the machiner and press the top. the dcoffee comes out and thats it. you get fresh coffee one at a time. you can reach them at myflavia.com

My Son...Guarenteed...you'll move so fast, without picking up your feet...hahahah! NO kidding.

I like Mr. Coffee.

I LOVE MY COFFEE! But I don't notice alot of difference in the taste in the different makers, I have a Mr Coffee and a Gevalia, at home and a Westinghouse, at work, and to me -they are all the same. It's the coffee and the water--that make the difference between a good cup and a not so good. The best cups are when the coffee is first brewed--after it sits in the pot on the heat -it turns more and more bitter. I hope you find a good pot, good coffee, and most important--GOOD WATER to use !

My wife got me a new Hamilton Beach for Christmas and it was the first coffee maker I've had that died. I've had some cheap Proctor Silex ones last forever. My Mr. Coffee one has held in there pretty good. The best flavored coffee making device I have is a Bistro press BTW.

Our last two coffee pots were the Bunn brand. We think the Bunn is great and go through about two pots a day.

Deb

I have heard about the presses----but, can it make 12 cups at a time?

No, I think it's around 6. What do you have going on there with 97 cups a day ;)

lol...well, you know, a decent coffee mug is way more than a cup-----prob'ly close to a cup and a half----so that cuts it down to----um----64ish----divided by 2 people------wow----I drink a LOT of coffee!!!!

Just giving you the business Wally. It's about 2 1/2 cups a mug here too.

hehehe

I haven't found the machines themselves to make as much difference as the coffee itself and the water. The steel carafes are nice if you drink a lot of coffee, because you can keep it warm a bit longer without leaving it on the heat, where it just burns.

Gevalia has a few models, and as far as I can tell they are made by one the major manufacturers because you can match up the models. I've been happy with the ones I got through their offers. I'm referring to the brew machines. I've found that espresso machines are worth spending on.

My biggest problem with them is durability----I expect more than a month out of a coffee maker----I use a decent coffee and nice fresh well water. It does make all the difference, a friend of mine uses a certain brand, I usually decline when she offers coffee and go for tea instead----she cannot make coffee!!

You might want to focus on the retailer at this point. Choose a store that will honor a return for an extended period, and save your receipt. A month is an inexcusable period for a product to stop working.

I know, and this last one was 2 weeks---I'd rather avoid exchanging---I will do it, but being so far from town and they always break at the worst times---just would like to find a dependable one---have gotten some good suggestions here so far.

My two joemakers of choice are a Bodum French Press and an Espresso Machina. I don't have more than 6 people here at one time for the most part and I have lots of tea drinking friends. Wonderful tea shop near me so I indulge that preference as well. Peets is my favorite whole bean coffee then Starbucks Verona.

For what you will pay for a Bunn- you can go thru 6 Proctor Silex. They don't make anything to last anymore. I think they make them to break , so you have to keep buying more. Hope you find a good one.

Listened to the radio do talk show on "How much would you spend for a coffee"..there is a small cafe downtown Toronto, it's the 4th weekend they are promoting one of the best coffee's...$35.00 a cup...not me guys, enjoy my coffee but not that much..

Wow, that is alot. That better be darned good coffee!
I agree that water used is really important. Bad water equals bad coffee.
The best coffee I ever had, was a gift from a friend that had just got back from Jamaca. It was Blue mt. It was wonderful!

I think that you should do some research and write to the company itself. Outline your problems with the product.

With my coffee maker, (the one that overflowed often and sometimes only used half the water), I did write the company. They never replied. I cked on Amazon, with the ratings and comments for the product, and the company never responded to many other people who compained either. I think this added to dis-satisfaction. Seemed like the company did not care.
I have now learned to check customer satisfaction and read reviews, before making purchases. It really helps.
Sometimes, I feel, it is worth it to buy something for more money, than to keep buying a new one every 6 months or so.
Sometimes cheaper is not worth the frustration.

three ...4 POTS A DAY?? OMG....and i thought i was bad about my coffee....wowee ...do you have so energy going there??