Coffee

I notice that using a higher quantity of ground for what is likely a smaller volume of water is definitely increasing the caffeine potency. (duh)

 

#1: I'm not gonna do that every time I make a pot of coffee. If I did, I'd keep the Mr. Coffee so I could pour in the brew basket and then into the pot (as I do during power outages) and have use of the warming plate.

#2: The Bonavita (like most drip makers) is nothing more than an automated pour-over machine. If I can make good coffee with the kettle, I should be able to do it with this without standing and pouring.

I'll wait until I get the new grinder before thinking I made a mistake. Even then, I'll work with their customer service is need be. But I'm glad you posted this. I take my boxes to a friend's business for him to use and was gonna drop them off tomorrow when I get my haircut. I'll hold back the Bonavita box, just in case.

 

My Mr. Coffee setup is able to be used as a pour-over...and I get the warming plate!


The only hitch to it is I gotta hold down the basket to depress the "poach-a-cup" valve. Under normal use, the lid would do that.

edit to add: Most of these machines have a "auto shut-off" timer on the warming plate. This particular model allows me to push the "Brew" button and have the warming plate turn on again, even with no water in the reservoir. My last Mr. Coffee required that I put in some token amount of water so as to put it in a new Brew mode...only then would the warming plate period reset.

 

For $20, this looks like a no-nonsense coffeemaker. I might buy one for upstairs.



My Ninja coffeemaker has settings for a Classic Brew and a Rich Brew, but I haven't been able to determine what it does differently. Is the Rich Brew a higher brew temperature or, as I suspect, does it simply drip the water more slowly and use less of it? As might be expected, the Rich Brew produces a slightly stronger coffee, but it also uses less water and, of course, makes less coffee in the pot. I'll use the Rich Brew with my light roasts and the Classic Brew with my dark roasts.

 

I never thought of the "Rich Brew" feature slowing down the drip rate. My Mr. Coffee has a "Strong Brew" button, and I checked the "with" and "without" temps...they are the same. The daggone manuals don't tell you what these things really do. And I never bothered to see if I could sense the difference.

All of these setting/water temp/chemical/grind nuances are having me feel a little like The Princess and the Pea.

 

Good advice on that Costco option. I had no idea I could do that.

 

As I read tips & reviews in my struggle for good coffee--killing time until my grinder arrives--I've come across brewers that allow you to control the temperature in 1° increments. We've commented elsewhere on the broad range of water temps for the varities of green teas out there, but I can't imagine chasing this dragon for coffee. At least the different teas each have their own published temp requirements and brewing times.

As a weird aside, I read a FAQ on the Bonavita website regarding the extended length of time some people have experienced in brewing a full pot of coffee. Bonavita pointed out there is a broad range of line voltages across the nation causing this: 120v in most places, and 104v in others. I've personally encountered line voltages below 100v running service calls in DC...so this can be a big regional variable.

The Bonavitas operate like most drip brewers...the water drips over the grounds as small amounts of it reach temperature and perk through the shower head. The Bunns might have a longer total cycle when the water takes longer to heat, but the Bunns heat the entire reservoir up to temp and then release the water all at once, so the true coffee brewing time does not change.

I thought I'd toss that one out there since we're talking "all things coffee." Brew times (water/coffee contact) are one of the drivers of the ideal grind size and quality of the end product, and this can be affected by local line voltages and the design of the machine.