The Technivorm
Sorry for being late to the coffee party. I just got back from my vacation.
If you absolutely positively must have a drip brewer, I would recommend the Technivorm Moccamaster.
I got one for my mother and use it on a fairly regular basis. It has never failed.
It is, AFAIK, the only model that consistently gets top marks in reviews. And, IIRC, I think it has won all the drip coffee maker tests I have ever read. It does so well because it is one of the very few machines that consistently gets the temperature right.
The looks, well...it grows on you. It is functional. You really need to think of it as industrial equipment to appreciate its aesthetics. It looks better with the glass pot (first pic). I kind of like it, now, although it took some time. And there is the CD, a more fancy looking model (second picture).
I would not get it with a thermos. They are hard to keep clean and need preheating for best results. The Technivorm has a switch to reduce heat if you need to keep the coffee warm.
For alternatives, I would look to the Porsche designed Siemens that robert1960 posted. We had it at my previous job, and it made good coffee. I particularly liked the detachable water tank.
Edit: Changed to smaller pictures.
I'm a french press guy (...
I'm a french press guy ( addicted to the ritual)-but for a great home Espresso or full cup of coffee, I LOVE my Nespresso machine.
http://www.swissespresso.com/NesC185.htm
http://www.swissespresso.com/NesC185.htm
The Capresso
barrympls, you are a man of impeccable taste, but I am afraid that I do not share your feelings for the Capresso. It just does not look good to me. As with william's Cuisinart and jesgord's Nespresso (both better looking than the Capresso I am afraid), everything seems hidden inside. It makes me wonder how you clean and maintain the machine.
I prefer appliances (and machines in general) that have a more mechanical, and, for a lack of a better word, 'honest' feel to their design. I guess I want to see how they work, at least to some extent. Sure, easier cleaning is good but that should not be the only design criteria. It's like the plastic covers on car engines that prevent you from seeing how many cylinders the engine has. Call it nostalgia, but I don't see why everything has to be so sleek and smooth these days, especially not appliances. Aerodynamics? I guess that could be useful when you toss it out of the window 🙂
The ECM Giotto with the Faema E-61 grouphead (pic 1) is more like it. But that's an espresso machine. And as much as I covet it, I know it would just sit on the counter and look pretty.
I also like the Chemex that rockland posted. Hadn't seen it before.
Personally, I tend to alternate between french press and moka express, with an occasional turkish coffee thrown in for variation.
The moka brewer, invented by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933, is a quick, simple and inexpensive alternative to espresso. It's not the same, but close enough for me. And the pot itself is a design classic (pic 2).
The choice of method also depends on if milk is going to be added? If yes, the moka with its stronger coffee would be my first choice.
My next machine will probably be a vacuum brewer, such as the Bodum Santos designed in 1958 (pic 3). The coffee tastes great (many connoisseurs claim this is the best coffee of all), and the process looks rather fascinating too. Has anyone tried it?
Going back to the Moccamaster, it is in fact possible to 'stop and pour' during the brewing cycle (see the swith on the filter holder).
Edit: Changed to smaller pictures.
I understand where your're coming from, Gustaf
There's something very appealing about 'exposed' workings, which is why I've always pined for a Pyrex glass percolator. (Water boiling... steam rising...coffee is born!)
But, if I'm being honest with myself, I wouldn't really be in the mood to marvel at such things before I've had my morning coffee... and such a device, used daily, would be broken in no time.
Where does your demand for "honest" design (visible working parts) end-- would cars be better without steel bodies? Cases and shells serve a purpose, there's nothing especially dishonest about them.
Still-- someday, while wide awake, I'd enjoy making a pot with this:
cleaning considerations
gustaf, i generally agree with your disdain for shrouds, cases and covers and the quest for honesty. on the other hand, when it comes to maintenance [or cleaning] considerations, i'm a fan of keeping the crud away from the nooks and crannies.
to be sure, cooking up a good cup of joe doesn't quite compare to mixing up a batch of drywall mud, but it can be surprising how the accumulation of splatters can become rather unsightly.
on this same note, this is why i'm not too keen on many kinds of ultra-glossy plastics. a matte finish --or one with a soft texture-- seems to have greater longevity when subjected to repeated washings and scrubbings, even using a soft cloth or paper towels.
william, honest to me...
william, honest to me primarily means being true to the function. Car bodies are there to absorb the energy from a collision and to improve aerodynamics and aesthetics, so they serve a multitude of functional purposes. Similarly, the cases and shells of coffee makers are there to perform various functions (prevent users from burning themselves, make cleaning and maintenance easier, look good, etc.). All designed objects are alike in this sense.
The difference lies in how we value these functions when they are pitted against each other, as they almost always are. It is all very subjective.
When, for example, does looks trump safety? The Faema E-61 group head gets extremely hot in use. But I still think it is better left exposed than covered up in metal or plastic (parents would probably have different priorities).
Covering the water tank and the coffee container on the Capresso also seems to be a decision guided by aesthetical rather than functional considerations, so in that sense the two are actually quite similar.
I guess honesty goes beyond any measurable characteristic. It is about connecting with the object on an emotional level, and for that, the object needs to communicate as much as possible about its structure, materials, manufacturing method, origin and function. If it does not, it is a bit like talking face-to-face to someone who is wearing mirrored sunglasses. Discomforting and unsatisfactory.
Having said that, a certain degree of compromise is implied. Such as the risk of burning yourself in favor of drop dead gorgeous looks.
But often, an honest design means less compromise, better materials, more replaceable parts, easier maintenance, safer operation, and ultimately less waste.
That perculator is lovely, btw. I particularly like the glass handle.
kdc, I mostly agree. And I like the term "drywall mud". Very apt! But as you note, it is not just a question of the physical form but also of choosing the right materials and making the different parts come apart for easier maintenance. As an example, I don't think I have ever seen a household appliance with an easily detachable case.
I use the
Braun drip coffeemaker most of the time but that's convienience. I always liked the Santos. At the end of a dinner it is a small but interesting show to see the water boil be pushed up by the steam and than being vacuumed down the pot again. Bodum has a small burner that goes with the Santos and it does a fine job. I would love to hear the full story on this particular perculator. I know K.Klaeson designed it as early as 1958, which is way before Jorgen Bodum started to build the Bodum success story. It always looked to me as if it was a collection of ready mades, existing parts put together in a functional way. As far as coffee goes, I still think it?s the best. Numerous tests have shown that the French Press system originally by Melior (owned by Bodum) makes the best coffee but personally I always had a problem with the fact that it is not well filtered. The Santos is certainly the next best thing?Chemex does a very good job as long as you keep the water close to boiling temperature, but most people turn off the kettle when they start poring water?
...and that there is this strange method swedes call "koka kaffe"...over to you Gustaf
koen kokar kanske kanadensiskt kaffe om en kvart
Ah, yes, "koka kaffe". Swedish for boiling coffee. I live in the south, which was the first part of Sweden to abandon this method in favor of brewing. The transition occurred sometime during the 1960s. Being born in the early seventies, I have never experienced it in its true cultural context (which is probably why I think of cowboys when I hear it). But the tradition still lives on in certain parts of northern Sweden, mostly among the Lapps.
And it is not uncommon even in the south to hear older people use the term "koka kaffe" when they really mean "brew coffee in a drip maker".
There was specially designed equipment too, such as the enamelled coffee pot made by Kockums pictured below.
The method is really simple. Coffee is added to cold water and quickly heated, but never allowed to actually boil. Instead it is removed from the heat just as the first bubbles start to show, and then left to soak for about five minutes. A few drops of cold water are often added to make the grounds sink faster. The grind should be very coarse (note the difference to Turkish coffee, which I believe uses the finest grind of any method). Sometimes the remaining grounds were reused.
Incidentally, the key technology drivers behind the transition from boiled to brewed coffee in Sweden were the evolved electric Melitta systems together with the Bodum Santos (sold under the Nilsjohan brand in Sweden).
There is a short Santos history on the Bodum USA website, told by Jørgen Bodum. Here is an excerpt (bodumusa.com):
"In the mid-50's my father, Peter Bodum, imported a French "vacuum" coffee maker and sold it for a couple of years on the Danish market. Although he found it both expensive and unsatisfactory he was convinced that the "vacuum coffee brewing system" was the best way to brew a good cup of coffee. With this in mind he set out to develop the first Bodum vacuum coffee maker in cooperation with one of Denmark's first product designers, the architect Kaas Klaeson. Their slogan, "design should not be expensive," is one that Bodum still stands for!"
I don't know the Bodum company history, but from the above it would seem that the Santos was one of their very first commercial successes?
And all of this for a little bean!
http://www.tekniskamuseet.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=19938
Great coffee stories
I've been in the woods and off the grid a few days...
The ritual is fascinating. Cultural i suppose.
I've had the 'mud' in Tunisia. The brilliant expresso in Rome.
The Greek, with a shot of ouzo. And recently a few memorable cups
in NY. Small coffee bars are everywhere.
And another odd home brew. This one from Belgium.
(can't read the info)
CAFETINO, Koffiezetapparaat - Theeketel
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250152698155
I'm still a Chemex whore
"The Chemex coffee maker is part chemist's funnel, part Erlenmeyer flask, with a blond leather band in the middle corseting its hourglass curves. An iconic symbol of German modernism and simple, functional Bauhaus style, the device,a Pyrex glass container with a sturdy paper filter produced M.F.K. Fisher's favorite cup of coffee and still holds an alluring power over coffee purists and design geeks....
Schlumbohm was a bit of a freak...
"And for the gourmet stuck in a small apartment, there was the original combi-appliance: electric oven, ice-cream maker, frozen food chest, thermos, dishwasher, and air conditioner, all in one. In Schlumbohm's world it was known as The Tempot, and Time Magazine predicted in 1946, without a hint of sarcasm, that this invention would make its way without trouble in the commercial world. When Time returned in 1949 to report again on the inventor, it found that only 20 Tempots were ever made and that the machine was, sadly, no longer in production."
http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/06/schlumbohm_slideshow?slide=1#showHeader
Do any stores in NYC still do store windows like this?
It is very surrealistic and wonderful drama using mannequins in this way. It used to be done in all major cities, and it made window shopping soooooo interesting. Every window felt a bit like a Twilight Zone. But I don't see it much any more out west and I haven't been to the Apple lately? The only time you see a mannequin is for clothes display. I never see mannequins for nonclothing goods anymore. 🙁
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