[l3lackEyedAngels]

My wife's current drip coffee maker, some Hamilton Beach model with a gimmicky voice recognition feature, has a large lid on top that makes adding the ground coffee and water a pain. We only have 15.25 inches of vertical distance between the counter-top and bottom of the cabinets, and only one foot of horizontal distance between the cabinet doors and the end of the counter-top. The coffee maker's lid has a length of nine inches, so she can't open it much past ninety degrees before having to rest it against the cabinet door. These dimensions don't leave much room for her to fill the maker's reservoir and, somewhat supernaturally, the lid will occasionally close while she's adding the ground coffee. Hilarity does not ensue.

So, I seek a new, quality dripper that will fit under our kitchen cabinets and does not feature a lid on top or features a very minimal one. It should have a ten or twelve cup carafe. I'd rather avoid one with a preheated reservoir. I can stand to spend up to around 80USD. Any recommendations?

[havasu]

I have the same problem with my coffee maker. Fortunately, I can move it closer to the sink, where there is no upper cabinet and I can fill it using the flexible hose on the faucet. Keep in mind that the steam from a coffee maker will eventually cause havoc on any wood cabinets, so keep 'em waxed real good.

[l3lackEyedAngels]

Originally Posted by havasu

I have the same problem with my coffee maker. Fortunately, I can move it closer to the sink, where there is no upper cabinet and I can fill it using the flexible hose on the faucet. Keep in mind that the steam from a coffee maker will eventually cause havoc on any wood cabinets, so keep 'em waxed real good.

No such luck for us. I think the industry term for for our kitchen is "cozy". We expect to move out before the moisture becomes an issue.

[Spyder]

Good luck on finding a decent drip maker in that price range, as about 95% of what's on the market won't brew hot/consistent enough for great drip. I'd look strongly at the lower end BUNN machines, which prob start around $100 as the best option.

[l3lackEyedAngels]

Originally Posted by Spyder

Good luck on finding a decent drip maker in that price range, as about 95% of what's on the market won't brew hot/consistent enough for great drip. I'd look strongly at the lower end BUNN machines, which prob start around $100 as the best option.

This http://www.amazon.com/Bunn-NHBX-B-Contemporary-10-Cup-Coffee/dp/B000FFQ4TG/ref=sr_1_11?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1309871416&sr=1-11, which meets our dimensional constraints and comes in at 85USD, would fit the bill were it not for its wasteful preheating "feature".

[Spyder]

Wasteful is spending $15+ on a pound of good coffee and destroying all the good it has to offer by using it in an inferior machine. The heated reservoir ensures proper brew temperature and fast brew times, both of which equate to great flavor being extracted from the coffee.

For drip machines you either have preheated water or water that is flash heated as it passes through. Very few machines can flash heat the water properly, especially in the price range you'd like to stay in.

The cost of electricity used to keep the BUNN preheated would hardly be noticeable, especially considering how much good/fresh coffee costs. FWIW I use a BUNN VPR in a commercial setting that stays on standby and based on electrical costs for our operation it consumes $3-5 monthly at most. And it is on a much larger scale than the home model you linked.

[l3lackEyedAngels]

Originally Posted by Spyder

Wasteful is spending $15+ on a pound of good coffee and destroying all the good it has to offer by using it in an inferior machine. The heated reservoir ensures proper brew temperature and fast brew times, both of which equate to great flavor being extracted from the coffee.

For drip machines you either have preheated water or water that is flash heated as it passes through. Very few machines can flash heat the water properly, especially in the price range you'd like to stay in.

The cost of electricity used to keep the BUNN preheated would hardly be noticeable, especially considering how much good/fresh coffee costs. FWIW I use a BUNN VPR in a commercial setting that stays on standby and based on electrical costs for our operation it consumes $3-5 monthly at most. And it is on a much larger scale than the home model you linked.

Keep in mind that my wife and our guests drink all the coffee. I do not. I do, however, get to pay the electric bill. Also, as much as my wife enjoys coffee, she probably doesn't qualify as a coffee geek. Although, oddly, I might. I made her her first pot of cold brew and introduced her to grinding her own coffee, both of which she now enjoys very much.

I'm starting to lean towards this http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-14-Cup-Carafe-Coffee-Contour/dp/B003TT2RVO/ref=lh_ni_t. It's pushing my budget, but it looks like it's within my dimensional/ergonomic constraints. It also appears to have some automatic functionality and aesthetic appeal that the Bunn does not. Does anyone have any experience with it?

[havasu]

Although I've never used this specific type of coffee maker, it seems to have pretty good reviews. If it fits your needs, I would get it. Make sure you let us know how it worked out for you.

[Spyder]

To each his own... I'm talking a few dollars a month MAX and realistically if you consider the heating cycles of a reservoir model vs. a machine that flash heats the water every time it's turned ON there probably isn't much of a difference.

Cold brew makes good coffee anemic because heat is what extracts caffeine, which is the point of coffee to begin with for me. Great taste and texture is quite important, but if it lacks caffeine it's a waste.

Can't say much about the KitchenAid in the link. They 'did' make nice drip machine in their Pro Line several years back, but it was rather expensive. Prob is people go by form way more than function. If it doesn't work good who gives a crap how it matches the kitchen.