Well, sorta on Part II of the post title. Last Wednesday I mentioned that my spiffy Keurig machine had apparently lost its feeble lil mind and was only brewing a third of a cup at a time. It's gotten progressively worse since that time, bad enough for us to actually DO sumthin' about it this morning after I pushed the buttons a record FIVE times to brew a single cup o' coffee. So we bit the bullet, dove into the manual (old USAF maxim: "When all else fails, read the tech order"), and figgered out what we had to do to get operations back up to par. We cleaned the needles. We descaled the machine with white vinegar.Digression: "Descaling" the machine takes one helluva long time when you (a) fill the reservoir with vinegar, (b) push the damned buttons approximately 63 times to empty said reservoir of vinegar, i.e., run it through the machine a quarter of a cup at a time, and (c) wait FOUR HOURS (per the instructions) before running a reservoir full of water through the machine... once again: much button-pushing... to purge the vinegar. I began at 0700 hours this morning and finished just before noon, with a short nap during the four-hour wait.
So. Bottom line? The machine now makes nearly a full medium-size cup o' coffee when one punches the "large" button. I suppose that qualifies as success, but I have lingering doubts. Those old Mr. Coffee machines are looking better and better all the time.
So, uh....
ReplyDeleteHow often will it be necessary to spend 4+ hours descaling this gadget? Inquiring minds want to know.
The owner's manual sez "every three to six months." This doesn't bode well, seein' as how my machine went belly-up at almost exactly three months. Adding fuel to the fire of my discontent: I use bottled water to make my coffee, not hard-as-nails P-Ville tap water.
Delete12 cup Cuinsart... works EVERY time... ;-)
ReplyDeleteCusinarts are pretty pricey machines, too.
DeleteCusinart... Yerp, I rilly kan spel...
ReplyDeleteHeh!
DeleteKnew what you meant.
We have a Bunn.
ReplyDeleteIt's the second one we've had because the first one wore out after about 12 years.
It brews a pot, as in numerous cups, in about a minute.
We've had this one for about 5 years.
Prior to that we replaced Mr Coffee brewers about once every year or so.
My Buddy Dan In Florida swears by Bunn machines. And you see a LOT of them in restaurants and coffee shops, so that's sayin' sumthin', too.
DeleteHey, Buck. I know you're not a twitter guy, but I have seen folks get positive results from going there and letting companies have it about their crappy products... perhaps you should give it a shot?
ReplyDeleteHey... I AM a a Twitter Guy! I don't tweet a lot but I follow 75 people or orgs. I find it a good medium to keep up with hockey and other things. I might tweet my displeasure with Keurig, but I'll have a very limited audience, what with only 58 followers.
DeleteStart that ball rolling, and see what happens then!
DeleteBuck/
ReplyDeleteWe still like our Bosch Porsche stainless coffee-maker. (Check it out on the web-site) Nice unique thing about it is that the coffee "pot" is not glass on a warmer that can burn the coffee, but a stainless Thermos w. handle that one can take anywhere in house to keep one's refills at hand. It all fits into one sleek tower. Again, check it out..
Thanks, Virg. I'll check that out.
DeleteI use instant coffee and a steam kettle... sometimes I throw caution to the wind and use a packet of chocolate...
ReplyDeleteCheap bastard I know...
OMG. Instant coffee? AIIIEEE!
Delete