Jan 23 2008$20,000 Coffee Maker Is Redonkdonkdiculous
How much is a perfect cup of brew worth to you? If $20,000 is the answer, then this might be your new coffee maker. Currently it's the only halogen-powered siphon coffee maker in the U.S. and is at the Blue Bottle Cafe in San Francisco.
The whole process of making a cup of coffee is invigorating and lasts 45 to 90 seconds. “The whirlpool, it messes with your mind,” said Mr. Freeman, who practiced stirring plain water for months to develop muscle memory before he brewed his first cup of siphon coffee. “There’s no way to rush it.” The key to a cup of siphon coffee is the temperature variation, the flavor changes as the temperature changes. The flavor is “kaleidoscopic,” says Mr. Freeman.
Uh, okay. Not totally sure what all that means because the only coffee I drink is from 7-11 and not only is the process far from invigorating, the flavor sure as hell isn't "kaleidoscopic." I'm still going to buy one of these brewers though, so I can see what all the fuss is about. And if it sucks I'll just part it out and make some wicked bongs.
$20,000 Coffee Maker Straight from Science Lab [bornrich]
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Reader Comments
1. damn luddites - January 23, 2008 1:07 PM
cause everyone knows halogen beats fire when it comes to boiling water
2. Melissa - January 23, 2008 1:24 PM
god damn hippies
acid flash backs while watching young frankenstein = $20,000 coffee maker
3. proteon - January 23, 2008 1:30 PM
Today's twenty thousand dollar word is Kaleidescope.
4. Brennan - January 23, 2008 2:37 PM
The whole process ... lasts 45 to 90 seconds.
"There’s no way to rush it."
5. Blackbullet - January 23, 2008 3:43 PM
I'll stick with my 10 dollar coffee maker. It should all be in the bean rather than the machine.... I would think.
6. damn luddites - January 23, 2008 4:27 PM
5 - a lot is in the bean, but not everything. equally important is the method - perk, drip, french press (french press being the best). and the water temp - if the water is too hot, you burn the coffee, if it isn't hot enough, you don't extract the full coffee flavor from the beans. even how fine you grind the beans, and how long the coffee brews will make a huge difference in the taste.
this machine is basically an upside down french press (see the slideshow at the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/dining/23coff.html?_r=1&oref=slogin). so, save yourself $19,985 and buy a french press.
7. mafme - January 23, 2008 9:45 PM
French press? Vacuum pot is the way to go. Find yourself an old Cory with a glass filter and that is the rockin'est.
8. guate6 - January 23, 2008 9:55 PM
I mostly agree with #5, except it depends on where the beans are from and what sort of coffee you want that would choose one method over the other. For instance, Coffee makers with filters are the worst method (the full "-ness" of the bean is not extracted, the oils, etc. Percolating is great, and the method I mostly use (you have to grind the beans a bit thicker), and french press is also preferred by many.
Of course any true coffee aficionado knows that coffee grown in the U.S. is what my dad would call "sock water." I personally only buy imported coffees (Kona, Hawaiian blend, Guatemalan, Jamaican, Colombian, etc.) You can get the French Press #5 mentioned, and/or a percolator. I got mine for $19,960 less than this stupid contraption.
Coffee has been around for a while, and ways to make it, I think that this is a gimmick, and an expensive one at that.
9. Skeps - January 23, 2008 10:55 PM
the first person to buy this for private use is gonna get a punch in the face
10. Wayne D - January 24, 2008 11:37 AM
Coffee snobs! Remember Mc Donald's coffee beat out Starbucks...
11. damn luddites - January 24, 2008 12:49 PM
McD's coffee is okay, but they tend to spit in it. That's why I like QuickCheck coffee - you prepare it yourself. So you can put it as much or as little spit in it as you want.
12. SV - January 26, 2008 5:54 AM
Why is it that the first guy to usually yell "coffee snobs!" is usually the buttmuncher with the stereo speakers that cost more than my car?