Brewers that operate at 195-205 F

[Joe]

I did, and I'm still not impressed, I got mine for $69 with an $11 airpot and something else and $11 shipping now that's impressive. The question you have to ask yourself is what is it worth to you. If you are comfortable paying $140 for a drip coffee maker then go for it. For me personally at that price point I would invest in some caffiza and a little time on Craigslist for a slightly used pourover Airpot brewer.

Joe

OK Joe, But it's not clear to me which is more important to you - price or quality of what's in the cup? For you it seems there's a point at which the quality can be sacrificed. Is that @ $90, $100, $120, or ??

If your Newco was worth ~$90 why isn't it worth ~$150? You could have bought a lot of used pour over airpots for what you paid for the OCS-8, right? Are you objecting to the price increase? It sounds like you really don't think the original $90 was money well spent.

Well, seeing as how I don't use my drip machine but for when I have a large group of people the value goes down significantly. Personally for myself I enjoy as John and BW and several others the control and super cheapness that a manual pour over brewer allows. Since I have a commercial Elektra t-1 espresso machine that has a hot water tap, it becomes even more of a non issue for me. My beef with Newco on their price point isn't so much the price which was originally established at $69w/ $11 shipping so we'll call it $80 but the fact that that price is some cases has doubled in less than 3 years. At certain price points you have to start looking at alternatives or what can my money buy that is either cheaper without many compromises or better use for the money. At $140 I can buy a commercial machine that I will still only use when I have a large group but is arguably much better product or I would revert to other brewers/brewing methods. example, vac pot, manual pour over, et. al.

Cheaper and decent brewers are easy to come by and since they are only for large groups or guests having an SCAA certification isn't paramount to me. If I had 3 people in my houshold who drink a morning cup of coffee then it might find more relevance.

Here is the non recall Starbucks brewer I had prior to my Newco:
Short term eBay link

It worked great and I paid $79 for it new. The trap I see people doing mental gymnastics about is whether or not their brewer is brewing at optimal temperature and time. They are relying on review websites that are getting their information from several sources and usually aren't 1st hand info. So was the Newco a better coffee maker for me at $80? Well it was $2 more than my Starbies and it didn't have an automatic function, however it had more screen holes better commercial grade components....so yeah I think it was worth it. Is it worth a jump of $40 more for the benefits? Nah...I would buy that Starbies machine off eBay and save a bundle.

[Tex]

...
It worked great and I paid $79 for it new. The trap I see people doing mental gymnastics about is whether or not their brewer is brewing at optimal temperature and time. They are relying on review websites that are getting their information from several sources and usually aren't 1st hand info. So was the Newco a better coffee maker for me at $80? Well it was $2 more than my Starbies and it didn't have an automatic function, however it had more screen holes better commercial grade components....so yeah I think it was worth it. Is it worth a jump of $40 more for the benefits? Nah...I would buy that Starbies machine off eBay and save a bundle.

Sorta like my $39 Melitta Clarity that I'll use now & then for a cup or two. I've measured the temps it puts out and I know it produces fantastic coffee.

For small groups I use a vintage Silex vac-pot and for big groups I have the Bunn VPR-APS Air Pot Brewer. But I seldom buy new drip brewers, preferring my Americano from my espresso machine.

But IF it does what folks say it does, then it's a better priced machine than a lot of machines that don't make good coffee.

[Joe]

Sorta like my $39 Melitta Clarity that I'll use now & then for a cup or two. I've measured the temps it puts out and I know it produces fantastic coffee.

Exactly. So can you justify to yourself spending 4-5 times the amount for the same result or similar?

But IF it does what folks say it does, then it's a better priced machine than a lot of machines that don't make good coffee.

It does do what everyone says it does, just as the Technivorm, I would never consider buying a technivorm personally. I guess making good coffee is subjective. I mean me and you could get into some knock out flame wars about what we think is the best way or even acceptable way to home roast coffee. So I don't want to open the door to what is "good" coffee.

[Tex]

Exactly. So can you justify to yourself spending 4-5 times the amount for the same result or similar?

No, the only reason I bought the Bunn was for its super capacity. I'm a firm believer that all things being equal, that cheaper is always better.

It does do what everyone says it does, just as the Technivorm, I would never consider buying a technivorm personally. I guess making good coffee is subjective. I mean me and you could get into some knock out flame wars about what we think is the best way or even acceptable way to home roast coffee. So I don't want to open the door to what is "good" coffee.

No, we wouldn't get into a flame war at all - your opinion is valued by me. I'm sure that if you had an opinion about what good coffee is I'd listen to, and evaluate what you said, then I'd flame your butt. But it'd be a reasoned and thoughtful flame. 

[John F]

Personally for myself I enjoy as John and BW and several others the control and super cheapness that a manual pour over brewer allows.

Yep.

You control the water temp, dispersion, flow rate...it's simple design, ease of use, and price point make it a serious tool in my arsenal for sure.

#2 into my mug every day at 7am.
#4 into a SS carafe for 2 mugs when the wife or Bro in law wants a cup.
#6 into an airpot for larger parties (but we normally use the Cuisinart due to location) however we will be running a blank pot first tanks to the recent Milo funded research.

[SusanJoM]

Has anyone tested the brew temp on a Krups Moka Brew?
I'm not sure I can see how I would do it (as in where I could get a thermocouple wire), but I will see if I can figure it out if no one has done it yet.

Susan

[peter]

Has anyone tested the brew temp on a Krups Moka Brew?
I'm not sure I can see how I would do it (as in where I could get a thermocouple wire), but I will see if I can figure it out if no one has done it yet.

Susan

I have one of those too Susan, but never bothered to measure it.  From what I can tell it uses steam to extract, so my thinking is it's a proper temp for brewing.

p.s.  if you can wrangle a chunk of rasqual's poly felt away from him and cut a filter for your KMB, you may find you like the cup more than using the stock paper filters.  That's been my experience, but then I eschew paper filters at all costs.

[Joe]

Mark Prince from Coffeegeek is a big fan of the Moka Brew if I remember correctly. I would contact CraigA or JonR10 through our membership, both are moderators at CG and they should be able to point you to a whole heap of info on that brewer. However, the Moka Brew is its own way of brewing coffee if I remember right, sort of like an Aeropress or Moka pot, a sort of hybrid brewer that takes some aspects of espresso and some from drip. But the result is kind of its own thing and can't really be considered in the drip category. Also didn't they stop making these?

[Tex]

Personally for myself I enjoy as John and BW and several others the control and super cheapness that a manual pour over brewer allows.

Yep.

You control the water temp, dispersion, flow rate...it's simple design, ease of use, and price point make it a serious tool in my arsenal for sure.

#2 into my mug every day at 7am.
#4 into a SS carafe for 2 mugs when the wife or Bro in law wants a cup.
#6 into an airpot for larger parties (but we normally use the Cuisinart due to location) however we will be running a blank pot first tanks to the recent Milo funded research.

My cousin in Dubrovnik built an interesting semi-cone pour over. It used three filters of different porosity separated by 1/2" spacers. He's pour the hot water into the top bowl , add the coffee, and let it steep. When it was properly infused he'd open a valve and draw off the liquid.

Because it filtered the sediment in stages it was a very quick & accurate way to get just the strength of coffee he wanted. He'd grind almost Turkish fine and still not get over-extracted coffee; because the filters worked in stages the extraction process was very quick.

I've been meaning to see what it would take to reproduce his gadget with s/s or gold mesh filters.

[SusanJoM]

Ah, well I was a moderator there briefly myself (until I decided I didn't like not being able to speak my own mind), and still check in to see what's going on and if anyone needs any particular help with their Gaggias.  

My KMB came from a member there who had two and sold one of them to me for a good price.  I used it yesterday for the first time and was quite pleased with the results, but didn't know if it was "officially" correct temp or not.  It's really quite interesting, and has a very small footprint for a "machine" that makes a good sized pot of coffee if you want.

I will check in with Rasqual for more information about the poly....

Rasqual?  Are you reading this?  Got data to share?

Thanks

[Joe]

Ah, well I was a moderator there briefly myself (until I decided I didn't like not being able to speak my own mind), and still check in to see what's going on and if anyone needs any particular help with their Gaggias.  

Off topic: Did you have a run in with the Prince of coffee?  If so then you aren't alone. Welcome to our club where you can definitely speak your mind and in some cases too much.

[Tex]

Has anyone tested the brew temp on a Krups Moka Brew?
I'm not sure I can see how I would do it (as in where I could get a thermocouple wire), but I will see if I can figure it out if no one has done it yet.

Susan

Because it's been getting rave reviews and because my Auntie bought one, I decided to take a look at this thing - admittedly with an anti-Krups eye (for some reason Krups and warranty claims seem to go hand-in-hand in my mind?).

1) I really like the way it looks - very techie & business-like.
2) It made good coffee.
3) While my Auntie was looking the other way, I drilled a small hole in the side and stuck a t/c into the brew path. It was delivering consistent 197 - 202?F temps.
4) I wouldn't recommend it! Why would Krups, or anyone, make a machine with a glass carafe? Thermal carafes are so much more functional, practically never break, and don't require warming heaters.

[thejavaman]

I have a KMB and it definitely makes a good cup of coffee - sort of like a cross between an americano and drip.  My only problem is I don't use it very much.  I have a drip brewer at work and I usually only drink espresso based drinks on the weekends.  I may put my KMB up for sale in the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum shortly, not because I don't like it, but because I never use it....

[Stubbie]

I may put my KMB up for sale in the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum shortly, not because I don't like it, but because I never use it....

Calling dibs if I can swing the price!   I've been interested in these things ever since B|Java got one...

-Stubs

[thejavaman]

I may put my KMB up for sale in the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum shortly, not because I don't like it, but because I never use it....

Calling dibs if I can swing the price!   I've been interested in these things ever since B|Java got one...

-Stubs

I'll send you a PM.