**REVIEW** Farberware 50124 Classic Yosemite Stainless Steel Coffee Percolator

 I talked in a previous post about why I wanted to replace my Keurig. I still have the stupid thing, I've just moved it into the storage closet for now but maybe not for long. I can't count on it for a decent cup of coffee anymore. Oh well. I did get over 4 years' hard use out of the thing.

I have been saving 5 and 10 dollars at a time for a replacement for that Keurig. I just didn't want to spend as much again on another machine that I'll be replacing every few years. This time, I went cheaper - sort of. Keep reading.

What I have now is this:

Nice simple setup. 

I'm really happy with it. As I mentioned in that previous post, there are pros and cons - and some of the pros are personal. But let's talk about it.

The Pros:

It's a nice-looking appliance, beautiful really. I have always loved stainless steel for the kitchen. I also don't like plastic parts for certain items because I think that metal is more durable and sturdy. Farberware has always been dependable when our family has had their stuff in the past.

The percolator was around $24 with tax. Price was a big concern because, as you will read later, I might need to go bigger. So I didn't want to spend any more than I could deduct from groceries for the month without feeling deprived.

Anyway.

I mainly wanted something that, if it stops working in a year, I won't feel ripped off. There's nothing on this to stop working, really. It's metal, inside and out except for the handle and the knob on top. 

It's pretty easy to clean. I've been rinsing it out between uses and I can put every part into the dishwasher if I want. I plan to just do a soap and water wash once a week or so. I do hate that the inside top holds water so you have to shake the pot to get it all out.

Using this is simple. You can make coffee with or without a filter and not get a lot of "grime" in your brew. I spent a few bucks on filters specific to it but they haven't arrived yet. In the meantime, I've made coffee both with and without filters that I've cut to fit. I can't tell much difference, honestly. I did think that one design feature could be having a strainer built into the inside to cover/strain where the coffee exits to pour. ~shrug~ To be honest, I wish now that I hadn't bothered to order filters. They aren't necessary.

finally got the Breakfast Blend
right!

The aroma when brewing the coffee in the percolator is stronger and more delicious. My whole apartment smelled like fresh-perking coffee. I'm sure that it has a lot to do with the coffee I was using, but I have used the same coffee in the Keurig with a universal filter and the smell wasn't as alluring. 

I can see when the coffee is getting strong enough by watching the color as it perks. And there's so much about watching the percolating action that reminds me of days with my late mother. A big part of my decision to get a percolator was to do with memories of Mom and my youth.

The whole process is soothing and relaxing. Setting up the appliance with coffee and water, then bringing it to a boil, and watching it brew makes me feel calm and peaceful. I don't know why this is. Maybe because I have to stop long enough and take the time to make the coffee instead of just plugging in a pod?

My favorite thing about percolated coffee I think is the temperature. I love, love, love piping hot coffee. With the Keurig, the output is decently hot but not enough to stay that way once I add creamer from the fridge. When I added creamer to the percolated coffee, I still had the perfect sipping temp.

Now, let's talk about some of the hassles.

The Cons:

While going through the ritual of making coffee in a percolator is part of the appeal, it can also play the other way. If you are in any kind of a hurry, you better have a backup machine or some instant. I do have a really small 2-cup travel machine. It fits in the smallest part of my pantry and takes about 7 minutes to add coffee, water, and run a brew through.  That's my backup but the coffee it turns out is not that great. It's really old and has started clogging up a lot. It's something to do with the little plastic tubing that the hot water runs through. Maybe it's in cahoots with that Keurig? Whatever the case, I will not be replacing that when it dies out.

It takes a little practice to get measurements of coffee-to-water right for different roasts. My first cup was perfect. I used some of the Green Mountain Dark Magic that time and got the brew just right. When I first used the Green Mountain Breakfast Roast, things didn't go as well. Because I went with more grounds (because of the lighter roast), I let the coffee perk too long. I had a strangely weak but burned-tasting brew. Ugh. But I don't really like light roasts anyway so that won't happen much.

One benefit of the Keurig vs the percolator is the same as with the Instant Pot vs stovetop cooking. Heat and steam. The percolator fits best on one of the front burners of my stove, but the steam still fogs under the hood unless I turn the spout just the right way. And, of course, the steam warms the kitchen. This will be lovely in the winter months but it's already way too humid where I live. I can turn on the hood ventilator but that thing is noisy. So... oh well.

The biggest downside is the time this takes to brew. When I have the time, it's wonderful. When I am on the way out to appointments or not feeling well, it's... tedious. I don't ever want to have to buy a coffee on the go. 

But, really, that's about it for the negatives. And I think that the positives outweigh them. 

I can't tell you what a money saver this is. Not only is the machine inexpensive, but there is no need to buy filters. And whole bean or ground coffee by the bag is much more affordable than pods. I can adjust the amount of ground (or whole bean) coffee I am using to my needs. With Kcups, you have to use the whole pod - whether you want to make 6, 8, or 10 ounces (the settings on the K-classic Keurig I have). With a pod, you are adjusting water for strength and with the percolator, I am adjusting coffee or water. Also, I can mix coffee if I need to. I currently have some really super-dark roast coffee that I plan to even out with the too-light breakfast roast I have.

Well, not always

I know that there are coffee lovers who look down their noses at percolated coffee. They might think that coffee made in a French press or a pour-over system is better. That could be - if you are really into tasting every tiny atom of difference from coffee to coffee. Personally, I have had coffee done in a French press and I don't find much difference in the quality of the brew. My Polish relatives have made me coffee that they steep right in the cup and that was kind of tastier than mine. I think that perhaps I or the coffee I drink are, as the kids say, too 'basic'. After all, I don't even grind my own beans from pot to pot.  How common!

But...

Now, since I had saved up some Amazon credits to use, I also got an electric percolator. My goal is to use both machines for a time and decide whether or not to keep one or both. That will depend on money, Amazon credits, and some budget necessities. If I keep the electric percolator, I will be selling my Keurig to a neighbor who wants one no matter how it works. Poor thing... I have until mid-August to return the stovetop percolator. So... we will see what we will see. I really don't want to get rid of the stovetop percolator. I like it so much.

The one reason I have to maybe keep the electric percolator is that it doesn't raise the heat in the kitchen. That's a real consideration in the summer months. Even if I keep both machines, I'm still nowhere near what I paid for the one Keurig - even with an extra 3-year warranty. Yes, I have spent a lot of time thinking this all out. You have to plan and make all your pennies count when you don't have a lot of them! I've probably spent more time and research choosing a coffee pot than many people do when buying a washing machine. That's life.

In the meantime, I do have one brand of coffee that I can't brew in any of my machines - it's a mushroom coffee (yes, child, mushroom, and I will do a review). I only brew 6 ounces a day - which is the suggestion and the only amount I can afford to brew. For the mushroom coffee, I use a little single-serve filter thingie that I have in the cabinet. (By the way, that filter is the best thing ever for when you are visiting someone who either doesn't drink coffee or doesn't drink the kind you like. You can baggie up some of your  own grounds to stow in your luggage and have it when you want.) I will have to do a review on the mushroom coffee and maybe even the filter since I never got around to that.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Vremi Single Cup Coffee Maker (with 14-oz travel mug)

Well, my Keurig is still packed away since it's cheaper to make a car payment than it is to keep myself stocked with pods. I was able to get by with the world's cheapest coffee pot for over a year until recently. It finally started tapdancing on my last good nerve a few weeks ago when the lid wouldn't completely close. Actually, it was a good little pot considering I picked it up for under 10 bucks at Walmart.

When it came time to replace the pot, I considered using the Keurig (which I only put out when I have guests staying for more than a few days) until I priced pods again. There are some cheap ones to be had but, honestly, I've been drinking chicory coffee lately and don't want to give that up.

Both Walmart and Amazon had pots similar to the one that was dying, but then I saw this:

That is the Vremi Single Cup Coffee Maker that comes with a 14-ounce capacity travel mug.

Of course, it didn't arrive like that. It came in a box and that box is freaking cute! Here's a collage of the different things written on it. Also, there is a little bonus inside. It's a nice bonus, too.

#thisboxrocks

People think of me as a rabid coffee drinker because I seem to always have a mug in my hand, but that's not true. I love my java but only ever make about 2 cups of coffee to fill my Kleen Kanteen (thank you again to my darling niece!) once, sometimes twice, a day. The Vremi seemed like a good deal at under $15. And I would have logged out of Amazon spending just that if I hadn't kept looking and saw this:

Keeps the coffee fresh!

cannister goes well with the coffee maker 

That will be in a review later, but let's talk about this coffee maker.

Positives

The main thing that mattered - other than that price - was that the pot not take up a lot of counter space. That was a bonus of my old, dying pot. Thankfully, the Vremi is basically the same size.

It doesn't matter to me that the old pot held more coffee. The Vremi has me covered with that 14-ounce capacity.

Another Pro is that the lid closes easily and completely on the Vremi. The lid is probably the biggest negative to small coffee makers. I'm not a total grouch first thing in the morning, but I don't want to have to wiggle and jiggle a lid closed to make my first cup of the day.

Next best: this thing brews fast! I usually set up my brew before I go to bed. In the morning, I hit the power button before I open the blinds and turn on the plant lights. No more than 2 minutes and my coffee is ready. Perfect.

The Vremi has an auto shut off. That right there is huge for me. The last time I left town to see the family, I had a panic attack right after my plane took off. For over 3 hours, I was twice as miserable as I usually am when flying. I could not remember if I had turned off the coffee pot. There have been times when I have woken out of a dead sleep to run into the kitchen and check that dang pot. I need a Valium right now just for these flashbacks.

So, yeah, the Vremi is pretty awesome but there are a couple of things I'm not thrilled with.

Negatives

First thing: the travel mug doesn't keep my coffee hot for very long - only very warm. This is not a problem for me because I always drink from my Kanteen. Still, some folks are going to think they can use this mug to savor their hot morning coffee for half an hour or so. They will be fine if they don't mind really warm, kind-of-sort-of-hot coffee.

The mug is described as being stainless steel on the product page. In my opinion, that should read as "stainless steel wrapped" because the inside is total plastic. It's so lightweight that it feels like it's made entirely of plastic. I just had to check the weight with my food scale.

may be off by a bit but...

Under 6 ounces. Very lightweight even if my scale is slightly off. Also, the lid does not have a strong seal so...  Like I said, for me, that's a minor complaint since I only use the mug to collect the brewed coffee. My own Kanteen mug won't fit the maker. If you want to know if your mug might fit, the travel mug is just around 5.75 inches tall and 3.5 inches at the base. The maker, from top to base, is stated to be 9.75 inches while the base is 7.125 inches.

The last negative is just plain pesky. It's to do with the permanent (but removable for cleaning) metal mesh filter.

I love and hate those things. They are convenient, of course, but they seem to let a lot of gritty residue seep into the coffee. Since I don't have any teeny-tiny paper filters on hand, I have been cutting out substitutes from the paper filters I have left over.

Overall

I'm really happy with the maker itself. That mug sucks though. Still, I would buy this again and I have already recommended it to one of my neighbors. It only took me the first 3 brews to figure out the best coffee to water ratio to use for the strength I prefer.

The positives are so high with this machine, I can't even really care about the pesky little cons. Also, I'm not kidding when I say that the bonus Vremi included is the best I've gotten with a purchase like this.

Peace
--Free