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Single serve coffee maker on the cheap

sstalder5

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
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As a college student, coffee is a necessity, but the cafeteria's coffee is sh*t, and there's no good coffee shops in town. I'm not allowed to have a traditional coffee maker in my dorm because of the open burner so one of the single serve makers seemed like a good option. I really like the keurig ones that take the little coffee cartridges but they're not cheap. Is there a cheaper (<$50) version of the same idea?

Also I'm open to french press if someone could explain to me how the fvck it works :D
 
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jonKranked

jonKranked

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french press.

put in coffee grinds. add hot water. cover with lid/screen thing (but to not press it yet) allow to steep for ~5 minutes. Press the screen down. Pour. enjoy.
 
stoney

stoney

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Jul 26, 2006
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french press. just have a source for hot water. also, get your beans large ground. fine ground lets too muchresidue through.
 
I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

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Aug 6, 2001
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Another vote for french press.

As far as I know, there is no cheaper version of a Keurig machine. And if there were, the cups aren't exactly cheap for someone on a college budget, though still a lot cheaper than going to a coffee shop every day.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

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sstalder5 said:
Sounds easy enough. Is it good coffee? and is it a cheaper option? it seems like it would be.
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best coffee and one of the cheapest options. a decent french press can be had for $20 - $30. I have a press from ikea that makes a decent cup of coffee and was like $15. screen was not fine mesh, so a coarse grind of the beans was critical
 
denjen

denjen

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Sep 16, 2001
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Another vote on the french press, but if he cant have a hot plate how is he going to get boiling water to make a french press work? Even if he has a source of really hot water I dont think it will work right. When I use mine the coffee is just the right temp after letting it sit for 5 minutes, with just hot water the coffee will be luke warm in 5 minutes
 
sanjuro

sanjuro

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Sep 13, 2004
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Why don't you just run down to Salvation Army, buy a working coffeemaker, then make one cup at a time.
 
sstalder5

sstalder5

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Aug 20, 2008
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denjen said:
Another vote on the french press, but if he cant have a hot plate how is he going to get boiling water to make a french press work? Even if he has a source of really hot water I dont think it will work right. When I use mine the coffee is just the right temp after letting it sit for 5 minutes, with just hot water the coffee will be luke warm in 5 minutes
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um, it's 2010... I own a microwave. :rolleyes:

I'm not entirely convinced about the areopress so I'm looking at french press.

This one looks the best for my purposes (12oz version)
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=17&CHK=&SLT=&mscssid=A4CMMPQA4W388NQNAR1FL4MLTTHJ8LN4

good?
 
I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

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sstalder5 said:
um, it's 2010... I own a microwave. :rolleyes:

I'm not entirely convinced about the areopress so I'm looking at french press.

This one looks the best for my purposes (12oz version)
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=17&CHK=&SLT=&mscssid=A4CMMPQA4W388NQNAR1FL4MLTTHJ8LN4

good?
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That'll work. You can probably get it (or something similar) a little cheaper at your local Bed Bath and Beyond or Walmart, unless you are one of those hippie types that refuses to shop at one of those box stores.
 
dante

dante

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Feb 13, 2004
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Uhhhh, you do realize that any thermal carafe coffee maker doesn't have a hot-plate, right? We have this one and I can assure you that there is definitely no burner.

Or this one.

Keep in mind that the real expense with the single-serving ones isn't that the machine itself is that expensive, it's that the little coffee cups are $0.50 apiece. Far more expensive than the $6/pound you can get in bulk at the grocery store.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

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sstalder5 said:
The school specifically says we're not allowed to have that kind. basically the only thing we're allowed to have that heats stuff up is a microwave.
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what kind of handicapped school do you go to? they let us have all sorts of crap in our dorms. even george foreman grills.
 
dante

dante

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Yeah, the sooner you learn that the "rules" really only mean "you can't sue us if you burn down your dorm room", the better. :)

Hey, you said that you couldn't have a traditional coffee pot due to the open burner... I was just pointing to coffee pots that didn't have open burners. The thermal coffee pots work the same as your Keurig ones, it heats the water up internally and then drains through the coffee and into an insulated carafe. I'd reread what the policy states, as if your coffee pot can't have *any* heating element whatsoever, then you're relegated to a french-press style regardless.
 
sstalder5

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
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jonKranked said:
what kind of handicapped school do you go to? they let us have all sorts of crap in our dorms. even george foreman grills.
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Lees-McRae College. #2 in the country in cycling ;)

But our buildings are all old as fvck and they don't want them to burn down. Even though they're all stone :rolleyes:

Back on topic, I just pulled the trigger on this one:http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Kenya-17-Ounce-Coffee-Press/dp/B000YYODLO/ref=lh_ni_t_
$22 with free 2-day shipping.

So only 2 more mornings with bad coffee :)
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

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Aug 2, 2008
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I Are Baboon said:
That'll work. You can probably get it (or something similar) a little cheaper at your local Bed Bath and Beyond
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i got my cheap $17 french press from BBB and they work great for about 3 months before the rubber/plastic falls apart and disintegrates. my second plunger just broke. it was a tragic day.
gonna try the aeropress and buy another french press with a metal plunger just in case.

edit: the one thing i dont like about the aeropress is having to add hot water again after you filter the coffee
 
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Sghost

Sghost

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Jul 13, 2008
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sstalder5 said:
As a college student, coffee is a necessity, but the cafeteria's coffee is sh*t, and there's no good coffee shops in town. I'm not allowed to have a traditional coffee maker in my dorm because of the open burner so one of the single serve makers seemed like a good option. I really like the keurig ones that take the little coffee cartridges but they're not cheap. Is there a cheaper (<$50) version of the same idea?

Also I'm open to french press if someone could explain to me how the fvck it works :D
Click to expand...
Just use whatever normal appliances you want. If you decide to hook up with your RA, adjust accordingly to situations with others.

You must be a freshman, get a suite or apt for next year.
 
J

JRogers

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Mar 19, 2002
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IH8Rice said:
i got my cheap $17 french press from BBB and they work great for about 3 months before the rubber/plastic falls apart and disintegrates. my second plunger just broke. it was a tragic day.
gonna try the aeropress and buy another french press with a metal plunger just in case.
Click to expand...
I guess that's why it's worth getting a Bodum or other decent brand. I've had my standard Bodum model for maybe 5 years and never had a problem. Medium grind coffee will work too, though it's not ideal. Only issue is that the glass has broken several times, as it is rather fragile. I broke it once and it has now been broken by others 3 times.

As for the water and heating, can't you get an electric kettle/hot pot? I think most dorms allow them and they are nice to have around.

Oh, and good not getting a Keurig machine. They are expensive to buy, require expensive coffee, produce mediocre results and require you to produce more trash.
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
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Im over here now
JRogers said:
I guess that's why it's worth getting a Bodum or other decent brand. I've had my standard Bodum model for maybe 5 years and never had a problem. Medium grind coffee will work too, though it's not ideal. Only issue is that the glass has broken several times, as it is rather fragile. I broke it once and it has now been broken by others 3 times.
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i had a bodum that someone bought me before i learned how awesome french presses are, but when i went to go use it, the glass was shattered.

coffee rulez
 
sstalder5

sstalder5

Turbo Monkey
Aug 20, 2008
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Beech Mtn Definitely NOT Boulder
Sghost said:
Just use whatever normal appliances you want. If you decide to hook up with your RA, adjust accordingly to situations with others.

You must be a freshman, get a suite or apt for next year.
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My RA is the only one that's strict about stuff like this.. The day I moved in he came in to introduce himself, looked around, and told my parents to take my regular coffee pot and my toater oven back home. :think:

So i've been drinking cafeteria coffee but it's getting progressively worse so I'm going to make my own from now on
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
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I Are Baboon said:
As far as I know, there is no cheaper version of a Keurig machine. And if there were, the cups aren't exactly cheap for someone on a college budget, though still a lot cheaper than going to a coffee shop every day.
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And the coffee is pretty awful. Those things suck.
 
TreeSaw

TreeSaw

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Oct 30, 2003
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JRogers said:
I guess that's why it's worth getting a Bodum or other decent brand. I've had my standard Bodum model for maybe 5 years and never had a problem. Medium grind coffee will work too, though it's not ideal. Only issue is that the glass has broken several times, as it is rather fragile. I broke it once and it has now been broken by others 3 times.

As for the water and heating, can't you get an electric kettle/hot pot? I think most dorms allow them and they are nice to have around.

Oh, and good not getting a Keurig machine. They are expensive to buy, require expensive coffee, produce mediocre results and require you to produce more trash.
Click to expand...
:stupid: I use a coarse to medium grind and it works great (and has been for years now). I also have an insulated travel mug bodum press that rocks for camping!
 
owentking

owentking

Chimp
Mar 28, 2010
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0
Mountains of Rock
Sh*t, I had a coffee/espresso maker when I was a freshman in college. By the end of the year I realized that it was a major piece of crap and went with a frenchpress. I have a BonJour and it works great. A friend of mine had a stainless steal one that was awesome. It went every where. A lot nicer then plastic.
 
denjen

denjen

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Sep 16, 2001
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