Pod Coffee.

[Blackhorse]

Very true. You can also use too fine a grind. I think a medium grind filled into the cup (but not packed tight) so there’s a moderate concave space. If you’re used to doing espresso and tamping the ground coffee down moderately tight...I’d go a bit less than that.

A lot of folks scoff at the K-Cup style brew machines. But if you get one that works well it’s a great tool. Consider: my wife is the manager of a small private commercial insurance brokerage and the office only does regular coffee. So I bought her a Meuller K-Cup brewer for her office...just like the one we have here at home. She uses Community Coffee decaf blend in it. Perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PYPX7M9?ref=myi_title_dp

 

[Old Corps Piper]

I suppose it depends on the machine and the design of the K-cup. We have an old style Keurig that we've been using about 8-10 years (we always use filtered water and do the white vinegar cleaning periodically) we're on a second set of personal K-cups. I have always filed the K-cup level with its top and then press the lid into place. I've never had a problem. If it didn't brew what I thought was the right amount I'd just hit the brew button again. My coffee cup holds 14 oz., so I hit the large cup brew button two times and brew into a French press carafe. The results have always been very satisfying. The only exception was a time or two when we didn't do enough clear water rinses following a vinegar cleaning. Vinegar and coffee...not a good combo lol.

 

[RSteve]

Okay, I confess to being a bit OCD when it comes to using a Keurig style machine. I don't like the thought of old water sitting in the reservoir before I make a cup of coffee with it. I have the smallest Keurig that only holds enough water to make an 8 oz. cup of coffee. When I'm in a rush and use the Keurig, I have to fill it with fresh water.

 

[Old Corps Piper]

I'm sure I can't help with the OCD... I would first have to apply the wisdom of "physician heal thyself" and I' not a physician, lol! However, It occurs to me that what ever system you choose, you will normally start with "fresh water" anyway right? Just sayin'. Oh, btw, I just read your post on Thanksgiving Dinner and I like your approach. I usually... I'll finish this thought over on that thread

 

[RSteve]

It occurs to me that what ever system you choose, you will normally start with "fresh water" anyway right? Just sayin'.

Not necessarily. Some folks fill their Keurig's reservoir and don't refill until it's empty. The water can sit for days in the reservoir before it's used. I think the largest Keurig holds about three quarts of water.

 

[RSteve]

I just bought this Presto 15 to 30 oz. for $29.45 from Amazon Warehouse. I'll plug it in via a timer and wake up to freshly made coffee. I haven't had perked coffee except when I've used a 60 cup. I think I'll use paper filters in the coffee basket.
For the past few days, at supper I put four scoops of Lavazza de Crema in a 16 oz. jar, fill to fourteen oz. with water and shake. Before I go to bed, I shake it again. In the morning, I dump the jar through a pour through filter, then heat in the microwave. It's pretty good, and in the morning, fast.

 

[SteelyJ]

Cafe Bustelo!

 

[RSteve]

Cafe Bustelo!

Tenement Museum

 

[RSteve]

So, here's the deal. I have a Keurig, a Bialetti moka pot, two sizes of French press makers, a Bodum pour over, and a Krups espresso machine. Every one except the Keurig has a messy cleaning process and the Keurig also has a process if I use fill-your-K-cups, of which I have many. I'm getting L-A-Z-Y and if the Presto percolator makes a decent cup of coffee and is easy clean, that's path I will travel. Yes, I could buy one use K-cups, but I've found that there isn't sufficient coffee in them to make a 14 oz. travel cup.

 

[RSteve]

I just ordered a Presto 15 to 30 oz. percolator for $29.45 from Amazon Warehouse.

It arrived this afternoon from the local Amazon warehouse. My travel cup is 14 oz. I filled the percolator with 15 oz. of cold tap water, but made the mistake of using the same amount of ground coffee I use when using a French Press or Bodum pour through. The finished coffee was steaming hot and too strong for me to drink if I plan on sleeping tonight. Next pot, I halved the amount of grounds and for my preference, it's just a bit shy of spot on. The instructions do recommend using a paper filter. I have a ton of paper filters that I bought for use in a Mr. Coffee drip pot. I cut one to size.

 

[Donk93953]

If you are going to use a filter, may I suggest , a gold filter.
I have one that I have used for over a decade and only requires a quick rinse.
They come in numerous sizes, makes, and are readily available on Amazon.
They impart no taste to the coffee process. Unless you like the taste of wet paper, they are worth a try and run around £4-5.

 

[RSteve]

It has to have a hole in the center. Remember, it's a percolator.

 

[Donk93953]

It has to have a hole in the center. Remember, it's a percolator.

On this side of the pond, gold filters are available for percolators…complete with hole.

 

[RSteve]

...... if the Presto percolator makes a decent cup of coffee and is an easy clean, that's path I will travel.

Well, I gave the percolator a tryout, three pots, and it's been reboxed and going back to Amazon for three reasons:
1. The lid fits so tight, I have to pry it off with a screwdriver.
2. Each pot of coffee finished perking at a different temperature, from steaming hot to between very warm and hot.
3. The finished coffee has a very scorched taste when it finishes steaming hot.
So, I guess I'll go back to my altered French press method, 4 scoops of medium ground coffee in a metal cup, 14 oz. of boiling water poured over it, stir for a few seconds, let it sit for a minute, then pour through the pour through filter into the Bodum pour through decanter. It's messy, but the coffee, to my taste preference, is excellent.

If I just use the pour through method, the coffee is too weak for me unless I use an excessive amount of grounds.

 

[Searock Fan]

for what it's worth, we don't use a pod machine any more, but when we did the best pods we ever found was "Columbian Supremo" from Sams Club.

 

[RSteve]

You can fill a K cup too full as my better half found out. The machine would not push water through once the K cup got wet and swelled a bit.

If the grind is too fine that will certainly be a problem. Using a grind just between medium/drip and coarse, you shouldn't have a problem with a fairly full k-cup.

 

[Ranger107]

Well, I gave the percolator a tryout, three pots, and it's been reboxed and going back to Amazon for three reasons:
1. The lid fits so tight, I have to pry it off with a screwdriver.
2. Each pot of coffee finished perking at a different temperature, from steaming hot to between very warm and hot.
3. The finished coffee has a very scorched taste when it finishes steaming hot.
So, I guess I'll go back to my altered French press method, 4 scoops of medium ground coffee in a metal cup, 14 oz. of boiling water poured over it, stir for a few seconds, let it sit for a minute, then pour through the pour through filter into the Bodum pour through decanter. It's messy, but the coffee, to my taste preference, is excellent.

If I just use the pour through method, the coffee is too weak for me unless I use an excessive amount of grounds.

Steve, maybe you should try cowboy. Coffee? By varying the boil time you can make it as strong as you like.

 

[Blackhorse]

What you should try is the “Clever Coffee Brewer”! It’s a pour through style cone thing that holds the brewing coffee until you set it on top of a mug, etc. I’ve used one and it works very well.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/clever-coffee-dripper-large.html

 

[RSteve]

Steve, maybe you should try cowboy. Coffee? By varying the boil time you can make it as strong as you like.

That's pretty much what I'm drinking.

 

[RSteve]

I wish I could tolerate instant. My maternal grandmother (deceased, 1951) had a love affair with Nescafe.

Sad story. My maternal grandmother and my immediate family lived upstairs/downstairs in a duplex one block from the MN State Capitol. In 1950, everyone on that city block was told their houses were being taken by the State via eminent domain. We had twelve months to move out. My grandmother, age 72 and widowed since 1936, was overcome by grief that her home was being taken, and died shortly after we were all told to find new residences.