Our coffee maker is an old one -- a Procter Silex Mr. Coffee clone that we've had for easily a dozen years. From time to time we think about replacing it, but as our working model for just about everything is 'It still works, right? Then why replace it?', we're usually able to convince ourselves that doing so isn't necessary. We've replaced the carafe once, the carafe cover twice, and the mesh coffee filter is now replaced by paper ones. I imagine that if the coffee filter holder broke (it's already cracked), we might replace the whole thing -- or we might see how duct-taping the outside works. (I don't think we'd duct-tape the inside, though.)
It also helps our logic to see what the industry is offering as coffee-pot replacements. None of the new coffee technology thinks the way we do. Coffee pods? Commuter mugs? No, thanks. We do like the idea of something that holds the brewed coffee in a thermal tank, rather than on a heating stand (as ours does), but, just as our standing joke when we run late, usually exacerbated by getting behind a driver who does exactly the speed limit, if not below, is to imagine that person berating us (well, sonny, if yeh wanted to get theah soonah, yeh shoulda left earliah!), we think 'well, Bill, if the coffee tastes bitter because it's been sitting on a hot plate for the last two hours, maybe next time you should make less!'. After finding the pot on one day, long after we'd finished breakfast and gone our separate ways through the house, we adopted the habit of loudly announcing when the we'd shut it off --"Coffeepot's off! " That logic doesn't work, entirely, since its intent is to remind us that it's still on, announcing that we shut it off is more like announcing "Hey, I remembered something that I want to remember, and I'm congratulating myself". What we really want is something to remind us that its still on, roughly (conceptually) equivilent to Bill Cosby's doorbell story (Hey, somebody's at the door!) (Hey, the coffeepots still on!) that then shuts itself off after some interval. Now, that makes sense.
Some day, we'll replace it -- but its got to be as good, or better. Not sleeker, not niftier. Better.
3 comments:
I enjoyed this post. Especially your ol' timer's imaginary dialogue. Good stuff.
I'm not a coffee drinker, so I know there's really a whole morning culture to which I'm not privy... but with all the bells and whistles that coffee pots are tooting now, it's nice to see that you're not being swayed by the caffeinated technology.
We rarely drank coffee until my sister in law gave us a coffee grinder about twelve years ago. Thats about when we got the Proctor-Silex. Its served us well enough for our needs. I did notice a new Cuisinart coffee maker (they call it the DCC 2000) that has most of the characteristics I mentioned. It keeps the coffee warm without a heat plate, or even a carafe, and it does an auto-shutoff. Only downsides appear to be a) the cost -- its about $100, b) the serving size -- its 5 ounces, and I drink from a twelve ounce cup (but it will pour 1 - 4 at once, I think) , and c) its immovable -- right now, we will occasionally bring the pot into the dining room for refills; that would be out of the question here. We noted it for future awareness.
As for the culture, yeah, it can be very strange. Some of the people with whom my wife works have a ritual about when they will go get a cup -- and these guys must all go at once, thus forfeiting any right to scorn women going to the john en masse. And there are apparently people -- lots of people -- who speak fervently and at length about where the beans come from, the proper storage and roasting thereof, whether self-roasting is worth the 'undeniable' benefit, and all of that. Get a life, you people -- its just coffee, not plasma. Well, not usually, anyway.
I won't even mention Starbucks!
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