Why I'll Never Replace My Beloved, Cheap Mr. Coffee With A Trendy Coffee Maker
If I told you I've tried virtually every single other coffee maker—from a Keurig to a Cuisinart—that wouldn't be an exaggeration.
I registered for a souped-up coffee maker when I got married. A year later, the carafe broke and I replaced it with a no-nonsense Mr. Coffee.
To be honest, I liked it for its price first ($19.99); simplicity second. I learned from my first coffee maker that I just don't need the bells and whistles of an in-unit grinder or multiple buttons offering brew strength options and complicated timers.
And, when you make as many pots of coffee as I do in a day, you'll understand why I wanted a worker-bee machine—and one that would make 12 consistently good cups.
For years, my Mr. Coffee and I got along just fine. I even hand-carried it on a cross-country move from New York City to Arizona—true story.
Then, I got an assignment to consumer-test multiple brands of coffeemakers for a digital story. I felt like I was cheating on my Mr. Coffee: I was more than a little bit excited to see all of these gorgeous brew machines lined up on my counter, all shiny and new.
While I was testing those coffee makers, I tucked my rough-and-tumble Mr. Coffee, which by then had lost its verve—the logo has long been erased on the base, the heat-up pad is scratched and I'm not even sure the timer even works anymore—into a cabinet under my sink.
The competition was stiff. Those other machines were prettier, no doubt, and their auto shut-offs, aluminum carafes, and cleaning functionalities were pretty cool even for a coffee-making gal like myself who craves simplicity.
Still, within a few weeks, I was longing for my easy-peasy Mr. Coffee again, and I realized just how much I missed the ease of the old way of scooping in my grinds and knowing I wouldn't ever make a lousy pot.
Turns out, I’m not the only one who isn't shy about loving this coffee maker.
In fact, in a 2018 interview, Jack Mazzola, CEO and founder of Jack's Stir Brew, a super-hip New York coffee chain, waxed poetic about how to make a great cup of coffee at home. During the interview, he—the master of the bean—said that he made a 'great pot' using his Mr. Coffee.
Not only did he tout the benefits of this most basic of coffee makers, but he suggested that during the brew process you should 'lift the top up and give the coffee grinds a little swish with a spoon to make sure you're getting max flavor from your beans.'
I’ve done that pretty much every morning (thank you, Jack) and you know what? During this quarantine, my old pal, my Mr. Coffee, keeps going strong, even on mornings when the reality of this current situation seems more than I can bear.
And then I take a deep breath and pour a cup for my husband and one for my teenager, reveling in that aromatic smell and remembering just how lucky we are to have what we have.
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