Technical Tuesday - …in the pursuit of the perfect cup of Joe

As I am writing this, I can hear that all too familiar sound, of the coffee maker spitting and gurgling thru’ its brewing cycle. It is music to my ears…it is my good morning anthem. Not only can I smell the aroma of the freshly brewed German roast, I can practically see the rich trail creeping from the coffee maker, snaking its way thru’ the house… it is laced with nostalgia, loving memories of people past, and a quiet promise that today will be a great day. Wow, do I ever love coffee – and equally, a well engineered and designed machine – which leads us to today’s small appliance.

The Coffee Maker

They come in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes. Some makers drip, while others percolate – some press, and some older ones are even vacuum based. All designed and constantly evolving to produce that perfect cup of Joe.

Trisha and I have been together 8 years, and we still have not found “THAT” coffee maker which we are willing to commit to for the rest of our lives. Finding the right one has been a struggle, especially when you and your wife have differing views on what constitutes the perfect machine.

My requirements are simple. The technology needs to be able to draw out the desirable flavor of the roast, the temperature needs to be perfect, and it has to work every time! Other than that I could careless. Trisha on the other hand likes to toss in a couple more requirements. It has to be visually stunning, stainless steel carafe is a must, easy to clean, etc.. Adding all of those features on top of my basic requirements makes it virtually impossible to find such a machine. I am not sure that it even exists yet. So in the mean time, we are using a hand-me-down electric drip from mom. It is very consistent, but does not produce the best cup of Joe.

We also have a used 40 year old Corningware electric percolator – pretty good cup of coffee, but a pain in the ass to use, and the coffee temperature is way too hot. Boxed up and taking up valuable pantry space is a brand new Kitchen Aid that we used a couple of times (4years ago) until the carafe broke – we have been unsuccessful in finding a replacement carafe. It is time to take that POS out into the country and “Office Space” that effen’ thing…ahhhhh, it feels good to be a gangsta’.

There is hope though’ people! I think I found the holy grail of coffee makers…I present to you The Melitta Stage – the only coffee maker to ever win the coveted Red Dot award! The beauty of this machine is that it meets all of our requirements. Excitement does not even begin to express my current emotional state…Eight long years, and the search is finally over! Or is it… there is a snag of course…GRRRRR…It is not sold in the USA. WTF? It is only sold in Germany and I have made arrangements to get one shipped over. I will keep you updated on the progress, and eventually write a detailed review.

The coffee maker is obviously not just a “small appliance”, it is part of the family. And although it is small in stature, it is the heavy weight champ of all appliances. I wish you success in the quest for your perfect machine…until next week! I wish you technical harmony and coffee bliss.