ottawa foodies

Ok, my Oster coffee machine died after less then 2 years of usage. Can anyone recommend a coffee machine that looks good, is sturdy and makes great tasting coffee. I also have a Tassimo....that I Hate.

Hey Poutine, do you care if it's automatic? Short of getting an espresso machine, I'm a big fan of the stovetop espresso makers that you can find at many places in Ottawa as a more sensible alternative to the $$$ required for a machine. I almost never drink the espresso straight, but mix it with hot (sometimes frothy) milk etc.. for americano or cafe au lait.

We have a Krupps and it does the job for us. When the carafe broke we were back to our old GE for about a month and the difference in taste was astounding (don't buy a GE!). Best for me is a french press - but horror of horror I also drink a lot of Taster Choice instant when I'm on the run in the morning.

Do you mean like a a Bodum type? if so, I have that yes and I am using it in the morning till we find a good machine.

..yes, has to be automatic, and preferably 12 cups...any other suggestions?

I use this particular one from Cuisinart which works quite well and has the benefit of having an unbreakable carafe. Mostly because it _has_ no carafe.

www.cuisinart.com

ohhh and it has a 3yr warranty :-)

"good coffee machine" is any oxymoron :-)

Do you want good coffee?
Or do you want convenient coffee?

Best coffee for a 12-cup carafe=manual drip w/ a large carafe + electric kettle.

poutine, have a Timmy's move in next door
the breakfast sausage sandwiches aren't bad ;)

OK - talking about Coffee Houses - this takes the cake ..anything for a Buck !

I agree that the best 12-cupper is probably a combination of a boiling kettle, a manual drip, and patience, but we're talking about convenience here, not artisanality. (Is that even a word?)

My parents have this 12-cup thermal bad boy from Cuisinart:

www.cuisinart.com

It makes a pretty darn good cup of coffee, and has a stainless steel thermal carafe that you can close for transport.

I would highly recommend it, with the reservation that if you're a total klutz you may want to look elsewhere. I learned the hard way that Bad Things happen if you try to make a pot and the carafe is in the "closed" position.

A French press is excellent but if you want automatic, the Technivorm machines are apparently the best ones around.
It doesn't really look all that good, but it brew great coffee (aparently).
Available through transcend coffee of Edmonton www.transcendcoffee.com

After trying a few automatic drip machines (Krups and Mr Coffee) I knew I needed to find a machine having the following characteristics:

* A thermal carafe rather than a hot plate (waay better flavour)
* One where the coffee starts out hot rather than lukewarm

That second point is surprisingly hard to find. After reading a lot of reviews, I decided to try the Hamilton Beach "Stay or Go" system and I'm very happy with it! I bought it from Sears for under a hundred bucks.

For single cups of coffee, I use my Aeropress, but if we have friends over I always use the Stay or Go. I can safely say that it does justice to my home roasted coffee beans. The flavour is good, and the carafe retains heat very well. Cleanup is easy.

BTW, I've never used the travel mugs that came with it, but I can see how they might be useful for some. You can opt to fill one or both of them in one brewing. But online reviews of the mugs themselves are not so good.

We use a Cuisinart Brewstation, or whatever they're called, for daily, programmable, wake-up-to-hot-coffee, convenience. It's just good, nothing special. If I'm making only 1 or 2 cups of coffee, I use my Aeropress (I <3 Aeropress coffee). I've found that BUNN and Cuisinart usually achieve 'hot coffee' from the start, for automatic coffeemakers. Most others produce lukewarm coffee, which means they probably don't get the water hot enough for decent tasting coffee (instant FAIL).

Thank you guys, I did some searching on epinions.com after reading all of your suggestions and decided to go with a machine that does not have a carafe. (Cusinart or the Hamilton beach). I have 2 Klutz in the house, one that puts an empty pot of coffee back on the hot plate=crack. And a teen that rushes to do dishes and inevitably hits the pot on the side of sink or counter=crack.... So, I think this might be my best option.

The advantages of the Cuisinart include the handy fuel gauge (amount of coffee in the resevoir) and the spill tray there. I like mine quite well. The Hamilton Beach Brewstation does appear to have a slightly smaller footprint.

Sorry, mine is actually the Brew Central model of the Cuisinart line: www.cuisinart.com

My parents have the automated grind'n'brew version, they swear by it (and they are coffee fiends).

My parents have an automated grind'n'brew as well, but I have a nice burr mill grinder so I find it less important.

This is the one I found at HomeSense. This was in my old place. We have since moved and have yet to install it in the new kitchen :-(

Poutine, I suspect that isn't a coffee maker. :)

Meuh. LMAO. I'm at work and I was working and typing...that's what happends.. this was meant for the pot rack forum.

^^^ this made my morning :)

Aww.. I was going to remove it, but if it's brightening people's day I think I'll leave it!

Isn't someone going to compliment it? It is quite fetching.

Where does the coffee go in? Is the rooster the roaster?

LOL, looks like this isn't the "basic" model either... as this one is illuminated, and I can clearly see a "timer" in the photo.
:-)

Kettle plus a french press . . . I drink it black and this is the way I like to make it.

Bon, I thought I would do a quick follow up, it has now been a year since I purchased my Cuisinart coffee machine. I could not be happier with it. The quality of the coffee is the best I have had so far with this type of machine. I also LOVE the fact that there is no "glass carafe", the coffee stays inside, nice and warm. My only complaint, is that only one of our traveling mugs fits underneath, so I use large glass measuring cup and transfer the coffee to my traveling mug.

A better picture of the machine;

Yes, I still love mine as well. The only problem is that the condensation on the top drips down the back of the machine when you lift it up. Other then that, it's aweseome.

I have this Cuisinart - www.canadiantire.ca

alongside a Breville espresso machine, and also a Keurig platinum for a quick fix. I use a burr mill grinder for all grinding.

Oh and I should add, I'm happy with all of them for their intended purpose.

My parents use a Nespresso machine. It makes awesome coffee, but can get expensive...

www.nespresso.com

How much are you willing to spend? If money is no object . . .

www.slate.com/id/2185655/