A couple of months ago, when my drip maker finally broke, I switched to using a french press (thermally insulated, so it keeps warm for hours rather than minutes!) - I just boil it in a glass kettle. The whole setup cost me maybe $35 from Amazon. (Link: http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Nissan-34-Ounce-Insulated-Stai... )
This has two effects:
First, the coffee tastes better. No more "ugh, burnt" taste, and the process of pressing it seems to produce a rounder flavor than drip-brewing.
Second, I actually drink less coffee! Since a pot (which gets me ~3 large cups worth) takes about 15 minutes to make, I don't tend to slam through it as quickly, and I waste less. Given that I was hitting ~3 12-cup pots per day before, I don't think this is a bad thing.
Overall, it'd made my coffee-drinking experience a bit slower and more enjoyable. The morning ritual of boiling the water and pressing the coffee is a lot of fun.
(My wife has a k-cup maker which I use when I don't have time to make a press worth's of coffee. It does fine.)
This has two effects:
First, the coffee tastes better. No more "ugh, burnt" taste, and the process of pressing it seems to produce a rounder flavor than drip-brewing.
Second, I actually drink less coffee! Since a pot (which gets me ~3 large cups worth) takes about 15 minutes to make, I don't tend to slam through it as quickly, and I waste less. Given that I was hitting ~3 12-cup pots per day before, I don't think this is a bad thing.
Overall, it'd made my coffee-drinking experience a bit slower and more enjoyable. The morning ritual of boiling the water and pressing the coffee is a lot of fun.
(My wife has a k-cup maker which I use when I don't have time to make a press worth's of coffee. It does fine.)