I Just Got A Hamilton Beach 49987 Coffee Maker!

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

This is my first time visiting and posting in the Cafe forum, I think I should celebrate that by brewing a cup of coffee!

I actually have a Presto 12-cup percolator, a really nice stainless unit. I grind my own beans that I get from the store, (I usually get French Roast) and brew a pot, comes out very delicious! During the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holiday's, I will even add a bit of cinnamon spice to the coffee, to give it that nice delicious seasonal kick. The only problem is, I don't always want 12-cups of coffee for the day, and as we all know, coffee that sits in a pot for too many hours, goes stale, so thats a waste!

And yes, its true, I could only make 4-cups in my Presto, but thats a lot of work to make so few cups, I wanted to get something easier, for when I just want to make 1 or two cups for the day. I chose the Hamilton Beach 49987 single serve coffee maker, better known as, The Scoop! IMO, this coffee maker is very user friendly, very easy to use, and far quicker to setup and brew coffee. And to make things even easier, I ordered a 40 ounce bag of Kirkland grounded medium roast coffee.

I think this coffee maker has some stylish design choices to it, I like that stainless steel band that goes around the center of the unit, including the band around the front of the coffee reservoir section as well. If your using a small 8 ounce standard size mug, there is a flip down platform in the middle that can fold down to place the mug on. Keep the platform folded up though for 14-ounce mugs.

The water reservoir tank is removable, this is nice, because it allows you to take it to the sink to easily clean it out when it needs it. If you have soft water, you could also fill it from your tap. I have hard water though, so I don't recommend that, and I fill it with Britta filtered water.

The coffee reservoir has a handle that allows you to flip it up, its also spring loaded, which is nice, because it keeps the lid opened, while you are managing your coffee insertion, or removal. This unit uses a 2-stage filter design. First stage filtration is where you put the grinds in, the 2nd stage is a separate filter piece that goes in the unit, and the first stage filter rests inside it.

Here I am filling the water reservoir, I am filling it to the max 40 ounce mark.

I just have a cheapo B&D portable coffee grinder, its got none of those fancy set your grind level functionality. Basically, the longer you hold the button, the finer the grind will be. I've never had to try to grind less coffee beans, then I would for a full 12-cup pot, normally I just fill the grinder to the MAX. In order to compensate, I used the 1st stage filter scoop, and scooped up beans to the MAX line level, then dumped into the grinder, and grinded away.

I was trying to achieve a medium grind, I don't believe I did a great job, but still, I did my best. Another reason why I am going to enjoy just sticking already grounded coffee in there, to make my job easier lol. Yes I know, I can get better coffee grinder, desktop style, for around 100 bucks. But right now, a new coffee grinder is of low priority, if you saw the razor I recently purchased, you'd understand lol!

The amount of coffee grinds you put in the filter, depend on weather you are making an 8 ounce cup, or a 14 ounce cup. I believe the manual says 1.5 tablespoons for 8 ounces, and 3 tablespoons for 14 ounces, or simply, do what I did, fill to the MAX line.

Behold, for this is the control unit! This is where you make your coffee choices, will you brew 8 ounces? Will you brew 14 ounces? Will you brew a normal cup, or will you be daring today, and brew a BOLD cup? Once you select your choices, you simply hit that power button, and it begins brewing. If it flashes instead, thats because it didn't sense water in the reservoir. This happened to me, all you have to do is lift the reservoir up, (don't worry it has a seal, it won't drain the water out!) then slap the reservoir back down, and try again. If done correctly, you should hear the pump kick in, and it begins brewing in just a few seconds!

Do you recognize that mug? That is a 16 ounce Captains Choice coffee mug. If your going to drink coffee, I say, drink it with a little style. I wanted to get a shot of the coffee maker, brewing coffee into it, pretty cool ha? I was feeling bold today, but I realized that was a mistake, cause I am using quality coffee in this round, and wow did that make it strong! So maybe next time, I won't be feeling too daring to hit that BOLD button. LOL!

But thats a good review for you, because now you know that this coffee maker is capable of brewing a strong pot, if that is what you want to have. And for those of you, who might be curious, as to how full the mug got, here's a picture of that too!

As far as the noise level, this coffee maker is actually pretty quiet in operation. The only real noise you hear, is liquid filling up in a mug. So far, this coffee maker is working out for me, I like it a lot actually. Its easy to use, easy to clean. And this is the coffee I ordered, so that I can make coffee even quicker and easier with it, cause I don't have to grind this way.

I am a fan of the Kirkland brand, I love their popcorn, and their black peppercorns, yes, I grind my own pepper too, why not, its fresher that way too lol. So I have no doubt that I will love their coffee too. A lot of people seem to like Arabica coffee beans, people say they produce a smooth tasting coffee, I like the sound of that. I figure you coffee connoisseurs out there have experience with that and can easily confirm.

Let me know, do any of you on B&B use this coffee maker? And if so, how do you like it?

 

[mio_cuggino]

I don't use this coffee maker (I use a French Press), but I really enjoyed reading your post.
It made for such lovely reading while eating my breakfast and sipping my coffee.
And the Captain's coffee mug really brought it all together.
Thank you, this was a great way to start my day.

 

[borwish]

You ground your grounds that came from the ground in an ungrounded grinder? Did Master Chief approve?

I grew up on well water. Now that I live in the "city" and have "city water" everything I drink gets filtered. Nothing beats the taste of good well water.

While reading this post I was drinking Folger's decafe in my CC mug and eating my usual Dave's Killer Bread Blooming Berry bagel---toasted with nothing added. The dog gets the last bite of the bagel, but none of the coffee.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

I don't use this coffee maker (I use a French Press), but I really enjoyed reading your post.
It made for such lovely reading while eating my breakfast and sipping my coffee.
And the Captain's coffee mug really brought it all together.
Thank you, this was a great way to start my day.

I'm really glad you enjoyed the post. My hope was to be informative, entertaining, and engage in discussions about coffee and brewers.

A French press is about as fancy as you can get. I hear those things make excellent coffee. But they do use more grounds in comparison to my Hamilton Beach I think right?

I tell ya, I'm super impressed with those super expensive commercial coffee shop brewer's. Those things are pretty neat, plus they got those awesome grinders too.

I'm not a fan of the super loud espresso machines though, those tend to get obnoxious. But ya, how long you been making coffee with a French press?

I also agree about the mug, glad that was a happy surprise for ya.

You ground your grounds that came from the ground in an ungrounded grinder? Did Master Chief approve?

I grew up on well water. Now that I live in the "city" and have "city water" everything I drink gets filtered. Nothing beats the taste of good well water.

While reading this post I was drinking Folger's decafe in my CC mug and eating my usual Dave's Killer Bread Blooming Berry bagel---toasted with nothing added. The dog gets the last bite of the bagel, but none of the coffee.

I'm not surprised you recognized John 117 Master Chief. He's very picky about his coffee consistency. Last time I got it wrong, he put a hold in my table, he's got a bit of a temper.

To clarify, the grounded coffee has not arrived yet, so I had to grind my whole beans again. My Kirkland coffee is supposed to get here on Wednesday.

Ohhhh, I know what you mean! Good quality mountain spring water is far superior, over that of hard city water. You should see how many things die an early death due to the calcium deposits!

So cool we both share the art of drinking coffee from our Captains Choice mugs! A good bagel is a good bagel. I slap spicy cream cheese on my bagels.

 

[Ad Astra]

Welcome aboard! Great pix and writeup.

AA

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Thank you @Ad Astra for the welcome!

As with all things shipping related, it can be quite unpredictable at times. This time however, it was in my favor, as my coffee arrived a day early! I ended up having a bad day today, so this was a perfect day to try out my new coffee from Kirkland. So, lets have a look at these coffee grounds shall we?

Original 5K photo if the thing will ever show!!!

Lower resolution forum photo upload!

Mmmm, looks good, and smell delicious too!

I brewed a cup of this coffee, and I didn't go for BOLD this time. I had my first taste of this, and I was pleasantly surprised by its flavor! I don't believe I have ever tasted the flavor of an Arabica bean before. IMO, the coffee was plenty strong brewing normal, very rich flavor. And something else I noticed too, there is a sweetness to it.

I mean ya, of course, I put cream and sugar in it so of course its going to be sweet. But it seemed sweeter then normal, I think its coming from the coffee. And when people say Arabica coffee is smooth, oh yes, I am going to have to agree. Taking another taste now, yes its smooth alright. I knew I would love this Kirkland coffee, I never had any doubt.

Now, if only manufactures didn't use those cheap generic ziplocks that never ever work! Yep, had to resort to clips to keep the bag closed. Small price to pay for amazing coffee. You coffee connoisseurs out there may know of higher quality coffee, or better tasting coffees, but I sure do love this one. I completely recommend it.

Taking another sip... Yum

 

[APBinNCA]

Hi, just your snobby former barista here with my own roaster, grinder and espresso machine... just enjoying reading how the little people make their swill coffee like beverage.

Feel free to ask questions... at your own risk!

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Hi, just your snobby former barista here with my own roaster, grinder and espresso machine... just enjoying reading how the little people make their swill coffee like beverage.

Feel free to ask questions... at your own risk!

Hello Arron! Not everything I own can be Timeless Titanium quality now lol. If its true you used to be a professional barista in a coffee shop, I think thats pretty cool! I'd sure love to own one of those coffee shop brewers. I notice that they do a similar style to this one those, they have those separate carafes you put coffee in, and you just stick them into the machine, and coffee flows through them, pretty neat stuff.

 

[APBinNCA]

Hello Arron! Not everything I own can be Timeless Titanium quality now lol. If its true you used to be a professional barista in a coffee shop, I think thats pretty cool! I'd sure love to own one of those coffee shop brewers. I notice that they do a similar style to this one those, they have those separate carafes you put coffee in, and you just stick them into the machine, and coffee flows through them, pretty neat stuff.

I am just trolling you! It's all true, but I was hoping for a worse reaction. I guess I better go back to troll academy. I drink more European style coffee, but I am always helping people optimise their setup for their lifestyle and taste. That's really more fun than just raising my nose and shaming them for not spending thousands. If you ever want to play around with tweaking your coffee without having to commit to a large amount, try an aeropress. It's cheap and fun, as long as you have a grinder(you do).

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

I am just trolling you! It's all true, but I was hoping for a worse reaction. I guess I better go back to troll academy. I drink more European style coffee, but I am always helping people optimise their setup for their lifestyle and taste. That's really more fun than just raising my nose and shaming them for not spending thousands. If you ever want to play around with tweaking your coffee without having to commit to a large amount, try an aeropress. It's cheap and fun, as long as you have a grinder(you do).

Cool, I will try to remember that. That even sounds like a really cool name aeroproess, neat. I have a name in my head for who'm you can troll, but I won't say it. As far as getting a reaction out of me, a person already did that today, and its had permanent repercussions. Glad you enjoy European coffee, take care of yourself Arron. In a world so dark, only dark roast in your mug can make any sense of it, because it will at least taste good.

 

[APBinNCA]

Cool, I will try to remember that. That even sounds like a really cool name aeroproess, neat. I have a name in my head for who'm you can troll, but I won't say it. As far as getting a reaction out of me, a person already did that today, and its had permanent repercussions. Glad you enjoy European coffee, take care of yourself Arron. In a world so dark, only dark roast in your mug can make any sense of it, because it will at least taste good.

Just remember if somebody posts something that upsets you, and it's on one of your threads, the best thing to do is either thumbs up or heart their comment and not address it at all. That leaves them uncertain what you mean, does he agree with my comment or is he acknowledging it or what, and gives you time to take a breather. I was of course playing around by only insulting people's taste in coffee and not your machine, careful trolling so to speak. I have been on a lot of boards where somebody comes in and intentionally tries to hurt peoples feeling and get a reaction, hard trolling. Even though there is an actual person who typed something that may upset you doesn't mean you have to even acknowledge them and by ignoring them and thumbs upping them you are usually defeating the purpose of their post. There is also the issue of language to seriously consider, this one took me some time. You may not even know it, but there are people posting on here that run your post through translate and their replies back through translate. This leaves a lot of ambiguity due to slang, even in different English speaking countries. Just something to think about.

I get really annoyed when somebody comes into a thread and posts generic advice without either reading the post and/or the previous posts. The reason this annoys me is because I can't be mad at them for trying to be helpful, but because they are interrupting an ongoing exchange to explain the first three pages to them. If I was merely reactive, I could see how easy it would be to leave them a nasty comment and they wouldn't know what the problem is. And probably report it.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Chris and Aaron, (and the rest of the fine people on this thread)

Our son just got back from a belated honeymoon due to Covid.... he and his wife had an amazing time... 2 weeks in Italy.

But... he got addicted to Italian coffee and the day after they got back, he went out and bought a fairly expensive expresso machine... I forget the name.. all stainless... HUGE... but he loves it and the coffee it makes. I looked it up.. Breville Barista Pro... I can now rib him for getting on me for spending too much money on shaving items. <eg>

 

[APBinNCA]

Chris and Aaron, (and the rest of the fine people on this thread)

Our son just got back from a belated honeymoon due to Covid.... he and his wife had an amazing time... 2 weeks in Italy.

But... he got addicted to Italian coffee and the day after they got back, he went out and bought a fairly expensive expresso machine... I forget the name.. all stainless... HUGE... but he loves it and the coffee it makes. I looked it up.. Breville Barista Pro... I can now rib him for getting on me for spending too much money on shaving items. <eg>

Cough, Rocket Espresso, cough, cough! It must be dusty in here or I am thinking a new grinder is on the list. Not sure if the Barista Pro is the all in one or not... James should have some good tips for it though, they are branded Sage I think in the UK.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Aaron,

I read the coffee threads here, including this one, obviously... Man, you can spend a small fortune on coffee equipment. I love my coffee.... but not as much as some people.

The reason could very well be that I have a pretty poor sense of taste and smell. I know what tastes good to me but that's it... I can't taste the "hint of chocolate" or the "hint of ____"... I just can't. So I am content with my Don Pablo signature coffee beans. Anything better would be wasted on me.

My wife, on the other hand, can eat a dish at a restaurant and tell you all the spices they used. She's in another league.

 

[shave/brush]

I have a Hamilton Beach Scoop coffee maker also but it's a different model. I love it. I've had it for about 10 years.
Mine looks like this:

 

[Felixthecat]

Hi, just your snobby former barista here with my own roaster, grinder and espresso machine... just enjoying reading how the little people make their swill coffee like beverage.

Feel free to ask questions... at your own risk!

Hi there.
I have an ECM Mechanika, an ECM Best (Anfim) grinder and Behmor roaster.
The grinder is about 15 years old and my previous ECM Giotto gave up after about 14 years.
Crazy as it may seem to some, even though in Australian dollars the ECM cost $3000 and the grinder $800, they pay for themselves quickly because I roast my own green beans. I pay about $12 per kg for beans that sell for $30 per 250g roasted. And I drink a lot of espresso.
Being a coffee snob is a bust like being a wet shaving aficionado. It’s an enjoyable ritual and the process is part of the fun. I think a cup costs me about 20 to 30c so, “do the math” as they say My machine would do about 40 coffees per week - and I’ve always had two espressos before breakfast.
Anyway, it’s nice to see that there are other coffee lovers here.

 

[ogu]

hamilton beach , nostalgic memories...

my grandfather ran a high end bar in the '30s at arlberg in switzerland for the influental, rich and beautiful. the time when barblenders had a heavy glas jug and where built literally like a tanks, champagne stirrers for ladies where made out of silver and men did wear hats. hehe.
when i was a little kid and he was already old old he used to make alcoholic free fruitcocktails for us kids in summer for us. i will always remember his equipment. now it is setteling dust somewhere at my dads place. sorry for highjacking but hamilton beach triggered me.

 

[mio_cuggino]

I'm really glad you enjoyed the post. My hope was to be informative, entertaining, and engage in discussions about coffee and brewers.

A French press is about as fancy as you can get. I hear those things make excellent coffee. But they do use more grounds in comparison to my Hamilton Beach I think right?

I tell ya, I'm super impressed with those super expensive commercial coffee shop brewer's. Those things are pretty neat, plus they got those awesome grinders too.

I'm not a fan of the super loud espresso machines though, those tend to get obnoxious. But ya, how long you been making coffee with a French press?

I also agree about the mug, glad that was a happy surprise for ya.

I hope you will keep posting, on this or other topics. They make for enjoyable breakfast reading.

I switched to a French press almost 10 years ago.
I have been using the same one since. It's some no-name glass press which makes enough for two mugs' worth of coffee.

Before the press, I was using a percolator on weekdays and a Bialetti moka on weekends.
Honestly, the French press is so much lower maintenance then anything else I've used. As long as I can boil enough water, I can make my coffee.
(I suppose that an Aeropress or a single-cup pour over may be even lower fuss.)

Flavour-wise, yes, it's a bit more bold compared to filter coffee. But for me and my unrefined palate, it is not a deal maker (or breaker).

In terms of using more or less coffee, for me it depends on the coffee itself. Most of the dark roasts take about the same amount, some of the very light roasts take more (for me).

There is also the small issue of occasionally finding some floating grounds in my coffee if I'm a little careless. This never happened with my percolator or moka.

Another issue is that it doesn't make enough for a family gathering (too small), but that's OK. When family is over, it gives me an excuse to pick coffee from the local Tim Hortons, A&W, or McDonald's.

Ultimately, though, now that I drink much less coffee than I used to, a French press works great.

I hope this helps.
Anymore questions, or if I didn't answer any of your questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Chris and Aaron, (and the rest of the fine people on this thread)

Our son just got back from a belated honeymoon due to Covid.... he and his wife had an amazing time... 2 weeks in Italy.

But... he got addicted to Italian coffee and the day after they got back, he went out and bought a fairly expensive expresso machine... I forget the name.. all stainless... HUGE... but he loves it and the coffee it makes. I looked it up.. Breville Barista Pro... I can now rib him for getting on me for spending too much money on shaving items. <eg>

So, your son went to Italy, came back addicted to coffee. I am surprised he didn't get addicted to pizza too, that was also born in Italy I think lol. If I could combine pizza and coffee everyday, I'd be set for life. But unfortunately, our bodies like balanced food groups too, well, I don't work well in groups, so somebody tell my body that.

Those fancy coffee shop espresso machines costs thousands of dollars, there is no such thing as a cheap coffee machine, when it comes to commercial equipment. So your right, he better not dog on you for your expensive razor purchases, especially if he put down a grand or more for an espresso machine! I am glad he enjoys coffee.

As you've seen, I tend to be a bit more laid back with my coffee, I don't need the super expensive commercial equipment. Sure, as I've said, would love to have one, but I really can't justify the cost just to make coffee for one or two people, just doesn't make sense. I am just fine with residential equipment. And truth be told, my stainless Presto 12-cup percolator, actually does an amazing job making coffee, its far superior to those Mr. Coffee drip brewers that I've had in the past.

Truth be told, even my new Hamilton Beach single serve coffee maker, which is also drip based, also makes coffee better tasting then those Mr. Coffee's! Its really like a night and day difference. I really don't know what the difference is between them, except that one is designed to make 12-cups, and other 1-cup. But I tell you what, flavor wise, oh ya, there is a difference alright!

I have a Hamilton Beach Scoop coffee maker also but it's a different model. I love it. I've had it for about 10 years.
Mine looks like this:

View attachment 1465512

This was the other model that I was looking at first. Amazon still sells yours. Your model was only 6-dollars cheaper then mine at the time of my purchase. I looked at both models, and I concluded feature wise, that I would like the 49987 better. And considering it was only 6-dollars more, it was a no-brainer. I am glad that you like your single serve (the scoop) coffee maker as well, good deal!

What impresses me most though, is the fact that you said you've had yours for 10-years? That is completely unheard of in coffee brewers today. Just about all brands of drip based coffee makers that I have bought in the past, have lasted between 3 to 5 years and then dead. I then began doing the vinnager cleaning treatments, to try and get my last coffee makers going again, with limited successes.

Reading the manual for my new coffee maker, it does talk about how I should do a vinnager treatment every month, but I am not going to do it that often, thats kind of crazy! I think every 6-months is more then often enough to do a full vinnager treatment cleaning regimen.

hamilton beach , nostalgic memories...

my grandfather ran a high end bar in the '30s at arlberg in switzerland for the influental, rich and beautiful. the time when barblenders had a heavy glas jug and where built literally like a tanks, champagne stirrers for ladies where made out of silver and men did wear hats. hehe.
when i was a little kid and he was already old old he used to make alcoholic free fruitcocktails for us kids in summer for us. i will always remember his equipment. now it is setteling dust somewhere at my dads place. sorry for highjacking but hamilton beach triggered me.

This is perfectly OK, I love it when people share coffee stories. This was one of my hopes actually, that maybe my new coffee maker, might trigger a memory in someone, with a good story to tell. Considering the fact that Hamilton Beach is a very well known brand, that has been around for many many years, I really didn't have any doubts.

If you shop on Amazon, you will see lots of other no-name Chinese brands, all of which do not last beyond 3-months to a year, I stayed away from those brands, I wasn't willing to take a chance on garbage. So I bought from one of the best brands, hoping their quality was still good. I knew to stay away from Mr. Coffee. Cause even though they are a known brand as well, unfortunately, they sold their souls to cheap Chinese manufacturing, and their coffee makers, are utter garbage now.

IDK, maybe my expectations are too high. But it just seems like every Mr. Coffee I bought, died in 3 to 5 years, I am just so tired of it. The whole reason why I got that Presto 12 cup percolator, was to replace my last Mr. Coffee that died! And it makes far better tasting coffee, then my Mr. Coffee ever did! I am so glad that my post was able to trigger a positive memory of when you were a kid, getting tasty non-alcoholic drinks.

Truth is, when we are kids, the adults often make us feel like we are not one of them. When I was a kid, it was always, you kids go out and play, or, this is adult talk, not for you, go out and play. I ended up growing up as an only child, and since my mom and dad rarely liked doing anything with me, I didn't get a chance to develop those positive memories that you did as a kid.

We didn't go into coffee shops, or ice creams shops, or anything like that. We did eat at restaurants from time to time though, so we did do that of course. Truth is, I had a troubled childhood, and much of it has turned into a blurr. But even despite the troubles I had, I still miss my parents, wish they were here today. The thing is, I am only really starting to actually live these days.

This because I missed out on so much when I was younger, I didn't get to have those experiences. So, I am starting to have them now. Hey, better late then never am I right? And truth is, when your not spoiled with amazing things when you are young, you learn to appreciate amazing things, when you attain them, once you are older.

These kids today get spoiled with their cell phones, they don't have to struggle like we did. So they don't learn appreciations for having such a device, that makes their lives so much more convenient. Its only when you begin your life with nothing, that you appreciate having something later in life.

I hope you will keep posting, on this or other topics. They make for enjoyable breakfast reading.

I switched to a French press almost 10 years ago.
I have been using the same one since. It's some no-name glass press which makes enough for two mugs' worth of coffee.

Before the press, I was using a percolator on weekdays and a Bialetti moka on weekends.
Honestly, the French press is so much lower maintenance then anything else I've used. As long as I can boil enough water, I can make my coffee.
(I suppose that an Aeropress or a single-cup pour over may be even lower fuss.)

Flavour-wise, yes, it's a bit more bold compared to filter coffee. But for me and my unrefined palate, it is not a deal maker (or breaker).

In terms of using more or less coffee, for me it depends on the coffee itself. Most of the dark roasts take about the same amount, some of the very light roasts take more (for me).

There is also the small issue of occasionally finding some floating grounds in my coffee if I'm a little careless. This never happened with my percolator or moka.

Another issue is that it doesn't make enough for a family gathering (too small), but that's OK. When family is over, it gives me an excuse to pick coffee from the local Tim Hortons, A&W, or McDonald's.

Ultimately, though, now that I drink much less coffee than I used to, a French press works great.

I hope this helps.
Anymore questions, or if I didn't answer any of your questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Ya, things went to complete garbage the last couple of days, truth is, I didn't think I would ever post on the site again. But I have adjusted what I am willing to do here. And I won't make SOTD posts, nor talk about my shaving progress anymore, that ship has long since sailed. I will also no longer give anyone advice here, and won't be spending all my time welcoming newbies to the site, not my job, and no longer my concern anymore.

I am glad you enjoy my coffee posts, truth is, these are the first ones I've made in the Cafe forum, haven't even posted in any other's as of yet. Truth is, when I did take a quick glance at the thread titles, it was very clear, that I was completely out of my league. I think most of you coffee connoisseurs are far far beyond where I am, and I could never hope to measure up to your folks fancyness lol.

And when I made my initial post, I had no conceived notions that I was truly a member of your guys coffee guild. But I figured, hey, I love coffee, you folks love coffee, and maybe we could connect based on that. Yep, I am not using no fancy French press, nor am I using a 5000 dollars espresso machine. But, I am using a device that makes coffee, and at the end of the day, I hope thats what matters. lol

I actually own a commercial 30-cup coffee percolator that I haven't told you guys about, but thats mainly because I forgot about it, I haven' used it in years see, thats why I also don't remember the brand lol. Last time I used it, was back in the 2000's, when I used to have a couple of friends who came over for LAN party gaming night.

For those who are not in the know, LAN stands for, Local Area Network. Back in the days when the internet was still in its infancy, both back in dial up, and in the early days of cable broadband, we would have LAN parties for gaming night, because the internet was too slow, and had too high of latency, for FPS based multiplayer gaming.

If you hook computers up to a home network, you'd be amazed at how smooth your gaming sessions will be. But these days, internet and latency are so good, the days of LAN gaming is pretty much dead. But ya, we'd make 30-cups of coffee in that maker, and that would last 4 of us all night lol.

You talk about bold coffee, holy cow dude, that coffee maker of mine, can make bold coffee without even turning on the BOLD button! And if you turn on that button, you better be prepared for some super strong coffee! I literally started filling the 1st stage scoop filter just below the MAX line now. It not only saves on coffee grounds a bit, but now the flavor strength is more where I like it.

Don't get me wrong, I love strong coffee, I am not like those other folks who like to drink coffee so weak, that its more water then flavor. I do like my coffee strong, but not so strong that it changes my internal biological chemistry, where I find myself on an eternal cleanse at the thunderbox. And I don't mine a few coffee grounds in my coffee, so as long as its not full of coffee grounds!

Some people don't filter their coffee at all, and their coffee is full of coffee grounds, no no no no, thats not the way I role. I want my coffee filtered, but I don't use those paper filters though. Both in my coffee percolator, and in my new Hamilton Beach 49987, I just use what the brewer comes with for filtering. Why you ask? Well, you may not believe me if I tell you this but, I find that filtering through paper, most certainly ruins some of the flavor.

I find when you use a proper metal mesh filter instead, it maintains the coffee's flavor, and thereby securing that brew as a winner winner for my chicken dinner. No single serve coffee maker, is going to make enough coffee for an entire family. Thats why 12-cup brewers were invented in the first place. And if you have a giant family, better go with a 30-cup percolator, like that one unit I have in storage.

Nope, I don't have anymore questions, I was just all too happy to contribute to the conversation today. And I know, its a book long. But remember, I took a two-day break from this site, so I needed time to refresh, and handle some things. So, ya, hope that my post once again brings a smile to your face in some way. Thanks again!

 

[Phoenixkh]

I have a Cuisinart drip coffee maker... around $99 or so... and a decent burr mill grinder.. hmmm let me look: I forgot, it's a Cuisinart DBM-8 Burr Mill @ $60.

Both are good enough for me.

I think our son's coffee machine was around $700... so not one of those commercial machines that cost thousands.