Issue 66 — Wake Up and Smell the Mr. Coffee

Espresso Is Over

I’ve tried every coffee maker under the sun. I started with the French press, moved to a Chemex, then a pour-over setup and gooseneck Hario V60. I graduated to an espresso machine—first a hand-me-down from my dad, and eventually a new one of my own (which, admittedly, is now tucked away in a cupboard). I worked at an office with a Moccamaster — so temperamental. But the humble coffee pot? That was the one I’d never truly considered… until recently.

Once my dad handed down his espresso machine to me, he stuck to a coffee pot. Cuisinart I think. Bless him, he—and many men of his age—make the kind of coffee that could power a car. It’s not exactly my cup of tea (or coffee…), but I always found the "keep warm" feature on his machine intriguing.

In my Frogtown Kitchen, 2019

In 2020, I suggested to my roommates we try a coffee pot. All of us stuck at home, getting up at roughly the same time, shuffling around each other to make our own cup—one doing pour-over, another on espresso, and me on the Chemex. But they both agreed that coffee-making was a personal ritual, part of their wake-up routine. Fair enough, I let it go.

I now live with a professional barista, which explains why a La Marzocco proudly sits on our kitchen counter. But she's not waking up early to make coffee for me—she’s busy preparing it for you, at her job. I wouldn't dream of touching that machine myself.

Then, this past Christmas… My mom had run out of pour-over filters and suggested we pull out the Mr. Coffee pot she had stashed away in the pantry. It was a simple little machine, no frills. We made a couple of test pots until we found the right ratio, and that’s when it hit me— I need one of these.

I got back to LA and started researching, looking for a model that would fit my kitchen. I was hoping for something chic—after all, it would sit next to a La Marzocco. That was maybe a bit far-fetched…

I wanted something small—no more than 5 cups. Something I could tuck away in the cupboard when I wasn’t using it, or if I got bored of it.

I knew some coffee pots had a programmable feature—set it up the night before with the grounds and water, and it starts brewing at a set time of your choice. Pretty innovative, right? Lots of these machines are less than $50… I don’t know anyone my age who uses a regular coffee pot. (Update: I guess I know 2…) But the more I looked into it, the more convinced I became.

And that’s how I ended up with a Mr. Coffee Programmable Coffee Maker, 5 Cups with Auto Pause, Glass Carafe, Compact Design, in Black. oh ya.

I look at this $39 machine and wonder why I ever spent so much time waiting for water to heat, pouring, waiting again, or cleaning the mesh of a French press — going out of my way to that one coffee shop that sold Chemex filters.

Mr. Coffee’s simplicity is... liberating. And the "keep warm" feature? An absolute essential. I couldn’t possibly go back.

At 30, I finally found my coffee maker.

How are you brewing your coffee these days?

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