Drip Coffee Makers — super simple, super cheap

Don't hold back on those coffee opinions! It boosts engagement :)

I feel like you’ve opened the door to explore espresso machines now. It would make for a good video anyway, there’s a lot of mechanical goodness happening inside.

As a central European: we have both an electric kettle AND a coffe maker. Since we can't decide which hot brown we want at any given day.

Man I just watched nearly 40 minute video about a Mr. Coffee machine and I don't even drink coffee. Something about how this guy presents things just draws me in for a relaxed ride.

The look of that original Mr. Coffee machine is phenomenal.

"Big tubs because some families will absolutely get through it in a month." I have been promoted to the status of "a family." I don't feel lonely anymore.

This man could make a whole 2 hour documentary on anything, and I would watch all of it.

''I add cream and sugar, yes cream and sugar because I love myself..'' What a fascinating, detailed overview of the physical components and functions of the original Mr Coffee drip coffee maker, simply enthralling... Thank you.

I feel like the original Mr. Coffee machine is looking at me, judging silently. Surely I'm not the only one who sees tiny robot man holding a coffee pot

I am an Old Geezer and I remember the invention of the Mr. Coffee drip coffeemaker. One thing you did not mention is the prevalence of instant coffee during the time before Mr Coffee. Between the years of the late 1950's and the early 1970's in office break rooms, the ubiquitous instant coffee and an electric percolator used to keep hot water warm was the de facto standard. There wasn't any time to use anything else during the week. It is no wonder that people loved perked coffee during the weekend, in spite of it easily scorching if not carefully watched. Even perked was so much better than the instant garbage they usually drank. When Mr. Coffee machines were introduced, coffee lovers saw light from heaven. They could make a pot fast at the office, and it didn't taste like bilgewater. Another thing you did not mention on the later versions is the handy little spring that allows you to take a quick cup even though the coffeemaker is not done.

That bi-metal strip to control the water inlet is just genius. I love how limitations bring innovation.

Latin American here. Pour-over coffee’s not just a fancy/enthusiast/hipster thing, it’s one of the cheapest ways to make coffee (café colado). You just need a reusable plastic or fabric filter, no goosenecks or cool glass beakers needed. A lot of us have all sort of drip machines, espresso machines and/or electric kettles (specially in the countries that drink Mate), but if you’ve just moved into a new house and you don’t have kitchenware yet or if your grandma’s making it (and it always tastes better), you’re gonna boil or microwave some water and pour :)

I have found so many ways to mess up making coffee before I have coffee in my system. (forgetting water, forgetting power, etc). My favorite was when I carefully measured a certain amount of whole beans, dropped them into the brew basket, and looked in thinking… wait a moment.

I'm dreaming of a collab of you and James Hoffmann, a man of coffee makers, electric kettles, scientific method, and good old british sass.

My wife and I never bothered with coffee until we bought a Keurig to accommodate guests. We were hooked, and it became a daily indulgence. Then we moved, had to put things in storage for a while, yada yada yada, ended up with a cheap Mr Coffee as a “good enough” substitute for a few months and were BLOWN AWAY by how much better the coffee was. We eventually went the French press route and settled into a slightly hoity-toity routine we like. Amazingly, my wife put the old Mr Coffee up on facebook marketplace and someone actually bought it—I had the pleasure of instructing an astonishingly muscular immigrant with a delicious accent in the coffee brewing process, in a sandwich shop parking lot. He was obviously new to the US, and had no idea how to make coffee, but knew he needed it in his life and approached his new learning with a sense of awe and wonder. The good word keeps spreading!

Fun fact: in the Netherlands, we have both a strong tea and coffee culture, so most homes will have both this type of coffee machine (or one with pads) as well as an electric kettle

The YouTube algorithm robot randomly (and I mean RANDOMLY, I watch totally different content) delivered this video on my home page. I absolutely love your channel!!

Drip coffee machines are the dishwashers of coffee makers. They're consistent, reliable, and effective AS LONG AS YOU USE THEM PROPERLY. If you weigh your coffee and use the same mass of coffee each time, the other variables will make a much bigger difference (bean freshness, how recent the beans were ground, whether you're using an insulated carafe). Plus, guess what I'm not doing while my drip machine is making coffee! Yep, you guessed it! Making coffee! Great vid, Alec.

A decade or so ago i was in the market for a new coffee maker, and knowing about the problem of a hot plate burning and ruining coffee, i found a great solution for keeping my coffee warm: I got one with a thermal carafe. It works great.

I like how this is a technology story that intersects with American culture. Well done sir!