Join Me For A Rant

Drag out the soapboxes, I'm at it again! This time I have to vent my displeasure at coffee makers.

Rob and I received a coffee maker as a wedding gift. It worked nicely for twenty five years until last year we noticed that the coffee was only lukewarm. We ditched the trusty old coffee maker and set out to buy a new one.

STICKER SHOCK!!! The price of coffee makers went way up over the past twenty five years. Ok, once I adjusted to that fact, we chose a well known brand name coffee maker in the mid price range. I think we paid about $70 dollars. OUCH!! But there were many that were priced much higher.

The one we chose promised to do all the things we wanted plus more. It had a digital clock with a timer and an automatic off switch and a bright nightlight etc, etc, etc. All I really wanted was a good cup of hot coffee to get my brain working in the morning.

The new coffee maker was a disaster from the very first day. Although the instruction book said the carafe was dishwasher safe, there was no way to open the lid enough or to remove it to fit the carafe in the dishwasher. The way the machine was constructed it was impossible to fill the water storage area without spilling water onto the counter. Three out of five time while the coffee was brewing, it dripped onto the counter under the machine. Finally, it was impossible to pour coffee into the cups without a flood onto the counter or floor. The carafe was shaped wrong and as much coffee poured out the sides as poured into the cups. I quickly learned to always pour it over the sink. Many HBO words escaped as I saw half my morning coffee pooling in the sink.

Then, on Monday morning, about a year after this monster came to live with us, it died. Without even a hint that it was sick, it stopped doing everything. I can't say I'm sorry to see it go, but I NEED coffee in the morning.

After breakfast out, Rob and I settled down with our computers to find a new coffee maker. We went to Amazon customer reviews and guess what we found.. We checked out all the high priced coffee makers and found that customers reported the same problems we had with ours, bad design and leaks and dying after a short unhappy life. We read reviews for hours, then I made a decision.

Instead of buying an expensive machine that would leak all over my counters, I'd buy the cheapest coffee maker I could find. That way if I need to replace it every six months, it won't hurt so much. The $13 machine that I selected was out of stock. Apparently, a lot of other people have made the same decision. I found one for $19 and ordered it.

The new cheapo coffee maker arrived yesterday and this morning was the big test. It passed. It was easy to fill, made hot coffee and didn't leak on the counter. I was able to pour coffee into our mugs without spilling any or standing over the sink.

The coffee maker does not have a clock or a timer. It doesn't have a night light or an automatic off switch. It doesn't sing to me as I prepare breakfast but t does just what I want it to do. It makes coffee. 

OK, I'm getting off my soapbox now, thanks for listening.