Leaking Coffee Machines

Leaking Coffee Makers

QUESTION:

My husband and I have different coffee makers. He has a Bunn Coffee Machine because he likes to grind his own coffee. I have a Cuisine Coffee Maker and I use Decaf Folgers.

I've had my coffee machine for 15 years and it began leaking and finally today stopped working. So I tried making my coffee in his Coffee Pot.

Guess what? His Coffee machine starting leaking and now he blames me for it because of the coffee. He says my coffee is too fine and just for peculators and that I ruined my coffee machine by using it in mine.

On the coffee can it says for all coffee makers. I think it is just coincidental that his coffee pot began to leak now too.

Can Folgers Decaf coffee work in a Bunn Coffee Maker?


ANSWER:

Now I have to become the coffee maker counsellor!

On the face of it, if your ground coffee says it is for all types of coffee makers, there shouldn’t be a problem.

That said, I would have to look at the grind size for your Folgers coffee. Because to be honest there is no such thing as a grind size that is suitable for all types of coffee maker – even though Folgers makes that claim.

For a French press you need a coarse grind. For an espresso machine you need a very fine grind. There is a big difference between the two. So you really can’t buy a grind that is suitable for all machines. There is no such thing.

Did you coffee cause the leaks in both coffee makers?

That depends on where the leak is. If both machines are drip brewers, then a grind that is too fine would simply cause the filter basket to get very wet and maybe back up and overflow.

So to try to accurately answer your question, I would need to know where the leak is. And the water that leaks out…is it clear water, or is it coffee with bits of coffee grinds in it?

Best wishes,

Nick

Best coffee maker selection

Bunn Coffee Makers

QUESTION:

I'm trying to purchase a coffee maker (without a grinder; I use my own) with a few basic features:

* removable water reservoir (I'm tired of pouring water all over the machine and counter while pouring through a small/inaccessible opening)

* charcoal filter

* carafe that doesn't leak and pours easily

* fairly easy to clean

* at least 10 cup capacity (no single cup brewers)

I've found some KitchenAid and Cuisinart models that best match these features, but they all have horrible user reviews. The removable reservoir seems to be the most limiting feature, so I would consider a non-removable that easy to fill, with a lined/clear separate container (using the carafe is awkward)

Any suggestions?

Thanks


ANSWER:

If your list is flexible, it sounds to me that what you are really after is a quality brewer. And, as you have discovered, low-priced brewers attract poor reviews because they are…well…cheap.

It’s the same as with any other kind of appliance. Manufacturers know that most people buy on price, so they find ways to cut corners and deliver the cheapest products possible. That’s why you can buy a drip brewer at WalMart for $25 or less.

If you want a decent brewer, with quality parts, that actually makes good coffee, you need to pay a little more.

There are various brands you can choose from, but my own favorite for quality is Bunn. And I think one of the main reasons why Bunn brewers are better is that they engineer their brewers for the commercial market first. They sell to restaurants, coffee bars and so on.

From what I can tell, they use the same quality parts for their home brewers.

Whether they have a model that matches your list exactly, I don’t know. But it’s a good place to start.

If you can’t find then locally, you can buy Bunn brewers online at Amazon.com.

Maxwell House Premium Cup Colombian Select in whole bean?

by Parker Gabriel
(Philadelphia, P.A., United States)

Maxwell House Coffee

QUESTION:

My inquiry to "Coffee Detective" Nicholas Usborne involves Maxwell House's Premium Cup series. One of its offerings was Colombian Select, and I would have used it regularly because I prefer 100% Colombian coffee. But that variety somehow never seemed to be available in whole-bean form--instead, it was always ground in advance whenever I found it.

Nick, are you familiar enough with Kraft General Foods's overall mindset to be able to explain that?


ANSWER:

Parker, hi

I don’t have the inside scoop on what happens inside the Kraft roasting facilities, but I can make a pretty good guess at the answer to your question.

If a company wants to offer its coffee as whole-bean, those beans had better look at least half-decent. If the beans look bad, then nobody is going to buy them.

Quality gourmet coffee beans look plump and whole, and their size is pretty uniform.

But when a company wants to sell inexpensive coffee - and you are thinking of buying it – everything changes.

Often, the coffee won’t be Arabica. It will be made from the cheaper Robusta beans. That’s why you see so many cans of inexpensive ground coffee with the words, “100% Coffee!” or “100% Natural!”

What they are not saying, but used to say, is “100% Arabica Coffee!”

When you are selling cheap coffee, you go for Robusta beans. And if you are selling the coffee already ground, then you don’t have to worry about the esthetics of the beans. Robusta beans tend to be smaller and rounder than Arabica beans, and don’t look as “good”.

And even if you are using Arabica coffee, can use broken beans, under-sized beans and so on. As nobody is going to see the whole beans, it doesn’t matter how bad they look before going into the grinder.

Long story short - when you find a coffee that isn’t available in a whole bean version, chances are it was made with low-quality beans and/or Robusta beans.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Nick

Does cafestol in coffee increase cholesterol levels?

by Beth
(Hamilton, ON)

QUESTION:

Someone at work told me that there is a substance in coffee called cafestol, and that it increases cholesterol levels. Is this true? If I have high cholesterol levels, should I even be drinking coffee?

This concerns me a lot, not least because I love coffee and drink a lot of it.


ANSWER:

The short answer is yes. Coffee does contain cafestol.

Cafestol is found in the oily fraction of coffee, and is a potent stimulator of LDL cholesterol levels. In fact, it is the most potent cholesterol-elevating compound known in the human diet.

What does this mean to you as a coffee drinker? Well, if you have concerns about your cholesterol levels, you should certainly pay some attention to this.

But there is some good news...so don’t throw away that cup of coffee!

If your coffee maker includes a paper filter of some kind, almost all the cafestol will be filtered out. Problem solved.

However, if you use a French press, a percolator or any other brewing method that uses a metal mesh or filter, you’re going to be getting the full dose of cafestol.

I’m no doctor, but I don’t believe that coffee is a significant cause of raised cholesterol levels. There are some much larger villains out there, such as foods which are high in saturated fats.

There are also many other facts that influence cholesterol levels, including age, alcohol consumption, heredity, weight and your level of physical activity.

However, if you love your coffee, but still want to take the best possible care of yourself, you might want to choose a brewing method that includes a paper filter.

Read more about how coffee impacts your health.

Why do some coffees taste too sweet to me?

QUESTION:

I've discovered that some coffees can be quite sweet, and that I dislike whatever it is that makes some coffees really sweet.

I've been wondering if this is due to the type of bean (I'm guessing Arabica), of the kind of roast, or even something else. One coffee that seems to have this in spades is Newman's Own Extra Dark Special Blend. Their description of the coffee says that it is a blend of Columbian and Indonesian coffee. I'm sure that Indonesian sourced beans don't taste too sweet to me, so could my problem be with Columbian sourced coffee.

BTW, I'm one of a group of people whose genes make certain nuts unpalatable, to say the least. For instance, I can taste if something has the least amount of hazelnut, and even smell it.

Accidently eating hazelnut coffee will be so distasteful to me that I have to eat or drink something strong and/or drink lots of water to keep me from retching on the lingering taste. The other nuts I cannot stomach are Brazil and Macadamia nuts.


ANSWER:

That’s weird. : ) I have never heard of anyone with that condition.

If you find some coffees too sweet, without sugar, your condition may have a part to play in that.

Certainly, some coffees taste sweeter than other. Out of the two you mention, my guess is that the sweetness you are tasting is coming from the Indonesian beans. But for most of us, natural sweetness in coffee is a subtle thing, not something that overwhelms other coffee flavors.

My advice is to keep trying coffees from different regions until you find a bean and a roast that works for you.

Keurig Mini - Brown Flakes in Coffee

The Keurig B30 K-Cup Brewer

QUESTION:

I've noticed lately that when I use my Keurig mini (the single-cup brewer, not sure of the model but it was purchased in 2009) spits out brown flakes as well as whatever I'm trying to make.

Lately I've just been running vinegar and water through it because it makes it very easy to see whether or not there's flakes; I barely make coffee with it anymore because the flakes happen so often and I don't want to waste the K cups. Any time I run about 5 cycles (with vinegar then water, or just with water), the last cup is entirely (or at least mostly) clear; however, if I wait more than three or four hours before running it again, the flakes start happening again.

I've taken out the part that holds the K cups and done my best to clean/prod it with toothpicks, q-tips, and even some string, and the problem is still happening. Does anybody know what's going on? I've seen a few things online about scale deposits, but it looks like that is mostly white flakes. I've followed descaling instructions for the hell of it, but so far no good.


ANSWER:

Well, that’s quite the mystery. I understand the white flakes people see, because those are the hard water deposits coming through when you descale the machine.

And I have seen small clumps of coffee coming through from the needle that pierces the top of the K-Cup. But I have never seen or heard of brown flakes coming through.

Beats me, but maybe someone will read this, know what the brown flakes are and leave a comment to help us out!

Best wishes,

Nick

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