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Lindyhop
 
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Default Top Drip Makers under $100? water temp and filters

> The hot plate under the carafe is designed to keep the coffee hot =
after
> brewing. It does not effect the brewing temperature in most models, =

with
> the possible exception of some of the cheapest models where the same =

heating
> device serves to both heat the water for brewing and keep the coffee =

hot in
> the carafe after brewing.
>=20
> MOst of the brand lines that have been traditionally considered to be =

among
> the better brands have people who claim they all heat the water to the
> optimum reccommended brewing temperature.
>=20
> I have seen ads and statements from Bunn claiming that they make the =

only
> machines for the home market that get the water hot enough to brew a =

good
> cup of coffee. The last three times that Consumer Reports tested
> coffeemakers and actually listed the temperature of the coffee of the =

tested
> models in the carafe immediately after brewing stopped, the Bunn =

machines
> were among the coolest machines tested. They usually measured the =

temp in
> the carafe right after brewing, not the temperature of the water at =

the
> point where it leaves the nozzles just before going into the ground =

coffee.
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> I tried two different KitchenAid machines, I believe it was either =

KCM-200
> or DCM-200 12-cup models a couple of years ago. I liked their rounded =

body
> styling, and I liked the way the controls were mounted midway along =

the
> front of the machine, well above the warmer plate. When I saw the =

nice
> heavy-duty three-prong electrical cord, I felt reassured that this =

machine
> just might be a good hot brewer. No matter what variety of coffee I =

used,
> how I ground it, or whether I used a permanent filter or a paper =

filter, I
> could only get rather bland, nondescript brew out of those machines. =

Almost
> none of the distinctive characteristics of a given origin of coffee =

bean, or
> a given roast profile stood out in the output from those KitchenAid
> machines. I did not keep either one long enough to determine whether =

the
> problem lay with water not hot enough, or contact time not long =

enough, or
> water not agitated enough inside the filter basket, or some =

combination of
> any or all of those things was the cause of the insipid output.
> My old early 1990's-vintage Krups Cafe Aroma 12-cup model, and my =

12-cup
> Braun FlavorSelect models brew a good enough cup of coffee that I have =

a
> hard time trying to justify spending $185 to $225 plus shipping and =

handling
> to see if those Philips Technivorm models are any better at all.
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> As for paper versus gold-tone or other permanent filters, the big =

strike
> against paper is that it tends to soak up and blot out from your =

carafe and
> your cup, a large percentage of the volatile oils that carry the =

components
> that give good coffee much of the aroma and flavor characteristics =

that set
> good coffee apart from the older, cheaper, more stale run-of-the-mill =

stuff
> that most people drink most of the time.
> The cone-shaped or modified-cone-shaped filters are considerably more
> expensive than the flat pleated cupcake-style filters used in machines =

from
> the likes of Mr. Coffee and Black and Decker, and Sunbeam, and
> Hamilton-Beech. The quality of the paper is better and thicker, and =

in the
> case of the Melitta brand filters, they actually have what Melitta =

calls,
> "flavor pores" that are supposed to allow more of those volatile oils =

to get
> through the paper and into the carafe or cup.
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> Some of the price difference may be due to quality of materials and =

extra
> production costs, but I'm sure some of it is also due to smaller =

production
> runs, and even a certain amount of hype and snob appeal. After all, =

it's
> those more expensive European-brand models that use the cone type =

filters.
> Even a few "Euro-styled" Mr. Coffee models now use those cone type =

filters.
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> As for the issue of the gold filter holding water in the basket longer =

and
> overflowing the brew basket, you have to play around with different =

grind
> settings any time you change filter brands or types, or machines, and
> sometimes even different types and roasts of coffee beans to get your
> machine's optimum combination of filtration and drip rate for a given =

filter
> type or coffee type.
>=20
> Reply to:
> Brent Reynolds, Atlanta, GA USA


Thanks for the detailed answer. Regarding filters, would you care to =
take a position based on personal experience?, i.e. does coffee made =
with a gold/permanent filter taste better then coffee made with a paper =
filter? Can you tell the difference between coffees made with cone Vs =
cupcake filters?