Brewers that operate at 195-205 F

[thejavaman]

....The tricky part to measuring the water temperature is that in this type of machine the water comes out in spurts... so when the water is not spurting the temperature measurement is of the ambient temperature where it's being measured....

That's a good point and something that anyone trying to measure their own coffee makers should take into account if it applies....

[Tex]

Here's an update to Cooks Illustrated reviews of drip coffee makers. Summary: heating the water to 100?F 1100?F BEFORE starting the brew cycle helps some drip machines make better coffee.

[MGLloyd]

The Capresso MT 500, $ 175-185.

[7over]

The Capresso MT 500, $ 175-185.

Do you know what the brew time is?
Can we add that parameter to the discussion?

From a 'spec' standpoint, I think it's important to have a brewer that consistently produces water temps between 195 and 205, has a brew time of 4 to 6 minutes for 10 cups, and a 'half pot' setting that allows for longer extraction times when the water volume is less than a full pot.
Finding something like that for less than $200 is a bonus!

[MGLloyd]

I have had my Capresso MT 500 for about five years now, and it takes about 7-8 minutes to brew a 10 cup pot.  I don't do smaller pot sizes (I use a french press for that), so I don't know the brew times for 3-5 cups.   When I have tested the water out of the brewhead with a Fluke temperature probe, I get readings of 198-200 degrees F.

PS: As everyone here knows, the different manufactures have varying definitions for the volume of a 'cup'.  So my 10 cup carafe may not be the same size as your 10 cup carafe from a different model.

[mp]

Do you know what the brew time is?
Can we add that parameter to the discussion?

From a 'spec' standpoint, I think it's important to have a brewer that consistently produces water temps between 195 and 205, has a brew time of 4 to 6 minutes for 10 cups, and a 'half pot' setting that allows for longer extraction times when the water volume is less than a full pot.
Finding something like that for less than $200 is a bonus!

Agreed 7over.  I would suggest that the ability of keeping the coffee hot after it is brewed is also very desirable.  After all we all agree that the brew temperature should be between 195 and 203? so what good is it if the coffee gets cold immediately after brewing?

[Tex]

Do you know what the brew time is?
Can we add that parameter to the discussion?

I agree 110%! All brewers should be built to work at 7 AM - maybe 8:30 on Saturdays?

[mp]

HERE'S A LINK to a few coffee makers that supposedly brew in the optimal temperature range and a description of each of them.  I have a Braun AromaDeluxe KF510 at work and while I don't think it quite reaches the optimal temperature range (I've never measured it), it does produce a good, hot cup of coffee without breaking the bank.

I see that not all the coffee makers listed in that link make it to 195?:
- Braun AromaDeluxe KF510 listed for $40 only makes it to 186?
- Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 does not make it to 195? ($80)

These were listed because they represented good reviews by people who had bought them and perceived good value however are sub par for the needs of GCBC members.

This article sites that Newco and Technivorm make the best tasting coffee.  IMHO if great tasting drip coffee is what you want then your two choices are:

- Newco at $140
- Technivorm at $265

or make that 2 Newco's at $280 or 1 Technivorm at $265.

Hey GI Joe you gotta read this article in depth.  This may justify Newco's $140 cost for their unit.

[mp]

I agree 110%! All brewers should be built to work at 7 AM - maybe 8:30 on Saturdays?

I think it should be 8:30 - 9:00 and 13:30 - 14:00 on Saturdays.

 

[thejavaman]

...I see that not all the coffee makers listed in that link make it to 195?...

That's why I wrote:

...I don't think it quite reaches the optimal temperature range...

I do agree that the choices are very limited though....

[milowebailey]

- Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 does not make it to 195? ($80)

Where do you read that in the article?  I think it says it can brew in the sweet spot... and my test data shows it can... once warmed up.

Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200....................which makes exceptional coffee and is one of the small number of home machines that can brew at the optimal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The OCS-8 has a thermal carafe, which does a great job of preserving the temperature and flavor of brewed coffee

I'm not saying this is the best coffee maker out there, but certainly a good value if you don't mind running a pot of water through the machine when you first fire it up in the morning.... I will post plotted temp. data for 3 pots early next week using a thermocouple and the milowidget.

[Tex]

The price is right (~$80), but it's got one flaw that would take it off my short-list of acceptable brewers - no thermal carafe. I don't like hot plates to keep coffee at serving temps; to my mind they keep cooking coffee! I could use a separate thermal carafe, but it seems a lot simpler to buy a coffee maker with one.

Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200

[milowebailey]

The price is right (~$80), but it's got one flaw that would take it off my short-list of acceptable brewers - no thermal carafe. I don't like hot plates to keep coffee at serving temps; to my mind they keep cooking coffee! I could use a separate thermal carafe, but it seems a lot simpler to buy a coffee maker with one.

Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200

They do make a thermal carafe version.... $70... although I have not tested the temperature of this one....

[mp]

- Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 does not make it to 195? ($80)

Where do you read that in the article?  I think it says it can brew in the sweet spot... and my test data shows it can... once warmed up.

Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200....................which makes exceptional coffee and is one of the small number of home machines that can brew at the optimal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The OCS-8 has a thermal carafe, which does a great job of preserving the temperature and flavor of brewed coffee

I'm not saying this is the best coffee maker out there, but certainly a good value if you don't mind running a pot of water through the machine when you first fire it up in the morning.... I will post plotted temp. data for 3 pots early next week using a thermocouple and the milowidget.

Milo ... I did not find anywhere where it said it can't ... however I did not find anywhere where it said it could.  I check the expanded article, then I checked the Cusinart site and finally I checked the owner's manual and found no mention of the brew temperature.  Now granted you could run a pot of hot water through the coffee maker and heat up the machine it may be capable but if we are talking a machine that would upon power up reach the sweet spot heating up cold water then this one falls short.  Unless I goofed and failed to dig up some information that clearly says it does reach the sweet spot.

Milo ... do you have this model?  Even if you don't ... I would be very interested in your data that you post.

 

[mp]

The price is right (~$80), but it's got one flaw that would take it off my short-list of acceptable brewers - no thermal carafe. I don't like hot plates to keep coffee at serving temps; to my mind they keep cooking coffee! I could use a separate thermal carafe, but it seems a lot simpler to buy a coffee maker with one.

Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200

Agreed!