Back in April, I lamented the lack of coffee makers in the city where I live. It turns out I may or may not have been wrong, depending on a single factor. How's that for being ambiguous? I and the wife looked through the appliance stores in the city, but we didn't look anywhere at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. We actually did look, but it was before a lot of things were built or reorganized.

Royal Subic, SM Olongapo and the Ayala Mall at Subic

Either early this year, or last year (I don't remember – sue me, I'm old), the Royal Subic store was completely renovated. The interior was remodeled and confused everyone as to where everything was until they got themselves organized. The wife and I had checked what they had available as far as appliances were concerned and they didn't have much.

We knew they were moving in large plasma and LCD TV's but every time we shopped, we ignored everything else they were adding to that section of the store. A couple of days ago, while I was waiting for a different store to open (and the Royal Subic was already open for the day), I and a relative spent about 20 minutes inside the store, just looking and killing time. It was then that I noticed the GE refrigerators, and electronic section and a small appliances section.

In the appliance section, I spotted three different coffee makers, each of them automatic drip, ranging in price from about 700 pesos (about $16) to 4000 pesos (about $93). I didn't take a good, hard look at them because I didn't have the money on me to buy anything there. One was a Phillips brand, that I remember and it was the most expensive.

Even if I had not found those particular coffee makers, time is on my side. The SM Olongapo mall will be finished this month and I'm sure they would carry them. Even so, if they didn't, the new Ayala mall near the gate at Subic would and it's supposed to be finished early next year.

Still Missing

As I mentioned once before, I still need other items and one of those items is a new iced tea maker. I am sick of doing it the old-fashioned way, with a saucepan on the stove.

There are still other appliances that I need, but along with the iced tea maker, they'll be arriving whenever the cargo box from my son in Phoenix arrives – I don't even think it's been sent yet.

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I don't know how she did it, but my wife weaseled the facts about red coffee makers at Amazon out of me. It had to be a Jedi mind trick or something. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Actually, I think she cheated and read my article on the Hamilton Beach 43253 Ensemble 12-cup Coffeemaker (and she's not supposed to know this website exists). Ah well, I guess I should never underestimate the power of women and gossip in small groups.

Red Coffee Makers at Amazon

I'm afraid, no matter what I want, I will end up ordering a red coffee maker of some kind or another from Amazon. That is, if I want to sleep in the same bed as my wife.

I brought up the Amazon website and did a search for "red coffee maker" and lo and behold, there are many to choose from. I'm going to list all the 12-cup automatic drip coffee makers that fit within my price range and nothing else, and in the order displayed to me:

• Hamilton Beach 43253 Ensemble 12-Cup Coffeemaker with Glass Carafe, Red
• Cuisinart DCC-1200MR Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Metallic Red
• Mr. Coffee SKX26 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Red (that's an ugly red)
• Mr. Coffee EJX36 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Stainless Steel
• Mr. Coffee TFX26 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Red
• Cuisinart DCC-1100R 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Red
• 43603 Brewer by Hamilton Beach
• Mr. Coffee FTX49 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black/Red
• Kalorik 12-c. Metallic Programmable Coffee Maker, Red.
• Betty Crocker Appliances BR-736U 12-Cup Red Coffeemaker (that's an ugly red)
• Better Chef 12-Cup Coffee Maker, Red (that's an ugly red)
• Red Metallic Programmable Twelve Cup Coffee Maker (I think it's the same as the Kalorik above)

I specifically ignored the 8-cup, 10-cup and even the 14-cup coffee makers. 10 cups at a time is not enough and 14 cups is too much, at least in my opinion. Since I'm the one buying, it's my opinion that counts.

Ugly Red Coffee Makers

If I'm going to give in to my wife's desires, and order a red coffee maker, it can't be a shade of red that makes me want to gag. The small, lead-in image at the upper left of this article is an example of a color that makes me want to give up my lunch in the worst kind of way.

I'll be examining all of the red coffee makers I've listed, regardless of the puke factor. As I write about them, I'll link to them in the list above. As of right now, as I write this, I have already examined one (virtually, of course) and I've linked to my article on it. If you want to know more than what I write, you can go to Amazon and look for yourself.

I do more than just look at the pictures, the specifications and the price. I also read all the reviews. I don't have much time either. The wife wants to get a cargo box shipped in December (2011) to arrive here (the Philippines) within three months of that date. I'll do my best.

After I'm Done

Did I say done? It seems like I'm never done with anything and dealing with coffee makers is no exception. I'm supposed to look for permanent coffee filters and which coffee makers they're compatible with. It would really suck if I can't find one that works with the coffee maker I finally select.

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While I was shopping at the Royal Subic supermarket at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, I noticed various brands of imported fine grind gourmet coffee on one of the shelves. One that I specifically remember is "Melitta Fair Trade Organic Gourmet Coffee". It's not cheap, with the "Sun & Moon" blend being $8.50 for 10 ounces/283 grams. Still, I had a desire to drink something besides the instant coffee I've been drinking. Since I don't have a coffee maker, I set out to find one.

Appliance Stores that DO NOT carry Coffee Makers

After visiting a few small appliance stores and two major appliance stores, I've almost come to the conclusion that Olongapo City is the instant coffee capital of the world. I only found two brands of coffee makers in the two major appliance stores and only a couple of choices of models. One brand is "American Home" and the other brand name is an oriental name that I couldn't pronounce and I can't remember.

The American Home automatic drip coffee makers resembled other coffee makers I've seen and even owned while living in the US. When I got home, I did a Google search for these coffee makers and guess what? I couldn't find them anywhere. The closest I could come was "American Home Appliances" in the American Home building in Quezon City (metro Manila), Philippines. My guess is that it's a locally produced brand and that the "American" part of the name is a misnomer, probably intentional.

Other Options

The American Home coffee makers are cheap. The only one I liked at the "Savers" store costs a mere 600 pesos (about USD $13.00). It will suffice until I can get a better one. It has a "built-in" coffee filter, so at least I don't have to buy any paper filters for it. I won't be buying it until June, however, because I'm strapped for cash until then.

One of my neighbors, whose family recently moved from California, told me that they brought their coffee maker with them because they knew they couldn't find any locally. He's a disabled ex-military guy, just like another neighbor of mine. They're both Filipino, however, so it's not like I'm being surrounded by other Americans even if both of them served with the US military.

My wife is returning to the US this month for a few months (less than a year). My oldest son's family (including our grandson) lives there and my son's paying for the tickets. Anyway, my wife always sends at least one "balikbayan box" every time she's in the US. This time, she'll be buying a better coffee maker.

One other alternative is to take a trip to Manila to find what I need or want. Because I absolutely refuse to go to Manila unless I'm going for some other reason (such as a trip to the American Embassy) and I seriously doubt I'll be doing that within the next year, Manila is not an option.

As soon as I have a coffee maker, and some gourmet coffee, I'll start writing about the gourmet coffee and let you know how it tastes. Of course, I'll be comparing it to the standard brands like Folgers and Maxwell House only at the beginning.

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There are some unusual and expensive coffee makers on the market and the DeLonghi Prima Donna ESAM6600 Bean to Cup Coffee Maker is no exception. It's called a fully automatic coffee machine because it does exactly what it says it does – everything from grinding your coffee beans to making the final product, the beverage we simply call coffee. This is not one of the cheaper coffee makers from DeLonghi, like the DeLonghi DCF212T Coffee Maker, and you shouldn't expect it to be.

Features

I don't have one of these, nor can I afford one, but I can tell you what they list the features as:

• Adjustable aroma from extra mild to strong
• Adjustable temperature from medium to piping hot, with electronic temperature control
• Adjustable coffee quantity
• Adjustable water quantity
• Either coffee beans or ground coffee can be used
• Adjustable grinding with a silent, integrated professional burr grinder
• Pre-brewing
• Adjustable coffee dispenser for varying cup sizes
• Removable water reservoir with a water level indicator
• Automatic rinse and decalcification program
• Automatic shut-off
• Cup warmer
• Removable drip tray
• Patented autocappuccino system
• 1 year warranty

As I understand it, you can produce an espresso, a cappuccino, a latte or a plain cup of coffee with this coffee maker.

Pricing and Availability

I would probably be willing do a bit more digging if I intended to buy a DeLonghi Prima Donna ESAM6600 Coffee Machine for myself, but it's too pricey for my blood. The cheapest I could find it for online was about $2429 and some places sell it for much more. Just do a search for "DeLonghi ESAM6600" and you'll get a list of results and a lot of them point to store aggregators like myshopping.com.au.

If you have a limited budget, DeLonghi sells many less expensive models of coffee makers in addition to the high-end models. I fall into that category myself.

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When you're thinking about buying a gift, do you think about what they drink on a regular basis? Of all the beverages consumed around the world, I think coffee ranks as number one. I also think the only drink consumed more than coffee is plain drinking water, good tasting water or otherwise. Anyway, it makes sense to buy gifts for devoted coffee drinkers because they tend to appreciate them as they use them.

Coffee Cups and Coffee Mugs

I'm a devoted coffee drinker. I drink more than a couple of cups per day. I can never have too many coffee cups or coffee mugs in the house. I also like to share my coffee with friends and relatives and I never force them to go and get their own cups or mugs.

When I spotted the beaker mug at ThinkGeek's page for mugs & glasses, I immediately thought of this:

That's a picture of Austin Powers in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me NOT drinking coffee. Well, when I saw the beaker mug at ThinkGeek, I knew I had to add it, or one like it, to my coffee mug collection.

Coffee Makers

The automatic drip coffee maker is so commonly found in homes nowadays that buying one as a gift, especially for a coffee connoisseur, would probably be received as an insult. The recipient may or may not display their feelings to spare yours, but I'm sure he or she wouldn't be too happy about it.

A pod coffee maker would be a better choice, as would a coffee press pot. The press pot is something I've only seen on TV so far (in an episode of Rubicon).

A collector would surely appreciate an old-fashioned glass coffee percolator which still works and would probably appreciate a supply of the right kind of grind to go with it. If this is what you choose to give, good luck finding one.

Other Gifts for Coffee Drinkers

There are more gifts for coffee drinkers out there than you can shake a stick at, if you just look in the right places. If you're buying for a senior citizen (quite a few years older than I am right now), you can't go wrong with a novelty gift like the "Over the Hill Starter Kit" from Spencer Gifts.

For lesser occasions than full-blown holidays, you can get by with giving edible gifts or coffee drink certificates. Coffee candy, coffee cake donuts and coupons for Starbucks come to mind without any real effort.

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A pod coffee maker, as I recently found out, is the preferred term for a single serve one cup coffee maker. It's because it forces water through little coffee packets, or pods, under pressure. Examples of some pod coffee makers include models like the Keurig Special Edition B60 Gourmet Single Serve Coffee Maker and the Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug. If this is the kind of coffee maker you want to buy, there are a few of things you need to be aware of before plunking down your hard-earned cash.

Pod Coffee Maker Coffee Drawbacks

According to the Consumer Reports article, "A different (but not better) breed of brewer", each cup produced by a single pod is relatively weak compared to that which you can get from a traditional automatic drip coffee maker.

If you like your coffee a little on the strong side, and a particular pod coffee model doesn't allow you to use more than one pod at a time, it's best to skip that model and find a model that does. To be honest, I hadn't considered it until reading that article.

Another caveat is that there's usually little choice in the brands of coffee you can use or the coffee varieties within each brand. The pods tend to be machine-specific, not interchangeable with any other pod coffee maker, and sometimes specific to a particular model even when produced for other models from the same manufacturer.

The final issue you need to be aware of is that only some of the coffee pods are available for purchase at the local supermarket. That's okay, really, because the best-tasting, top coffee brands aren't usually sold at the local supermarket.

Pod Coffee Maker Sales

According to an article at The Gourmet Retailer, "Sales of Pod Coffee Makers Jump 20 Percent", pod coffee maker sales are up 20 percent for the first six months of 2010 compared to the first six month of 2009. Pod coffee makers already account for 30 percent of the sales of all drip coffee makers.

I wonder how long the percentage of pod coffee makers being sold will continue to rise. How many people buy these coffee makers without realizing the drawbacks that come with them? The drawbacks are obviously going to be more profound depending on what pod coffee maker is chosen, the consumer's location and the prices of the pods. A person living in a large US city is going to find availability much more to their liking than a person living in a rural farm town.

The key factor driving pod coffee sales is convenience. I don't think the sales are going to slow very much anytime soon. Being able to make a single cup serving of coffee at home or work, when one cup is all you want, is just way too convenient to ignore.

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Here's an interesting news piece I just came across. You can read my advice after skimming over the information:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2010
Release #10-238 Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 925-6278

Walmart Recalls General Electric® Coffee Makers Due to Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: General Electric®-branded 12-cup digital coffee makers

Units: About 900,000

Importer: Walmart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark.

Hazard: The coffee maker can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Walmart has received 83 reports of overheating, smoking, melting, burning and fire, including three reports of minor burn injuries to consumer’s hands, feet and torso. Reports of property damage include a significant kitchen fire and damage to countertops, cabinets and a wall.

Description: This recall involves General Electric®-brand 12-cup coffee makers sold in white or black. The digital coffee maker has programmable functions and plastic housing. The GE logo is printed on the base of the coffee maker and the model number is printed on the bottom of the base. Model numbers included in the recall are:

Note: by clicking on an image below, you can view a larger version. [Please go to the CPSC to view the actual images.]

No other models are included in this recall.

Sold exclusively at: Walmart stores nationwide from March 2008 through January 2010 for about $30.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled coffee makers and return the product to any Walmart for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Walmart at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.walmart.com

—

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.saferproducts.gov/CPSRMSPublic/Incidents/ReportIncident.aspx

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

My Advice

Always be aware of where any product you purchase originates from. There will always be a sticker, plate or something attached to any appliance stating where it's made or assembled. In this case, it would say "People's Republic of China".

In my experience, most Chinese appliances are just as good as appliances made anywhere else. The final decision about quality and safety always rests with the consumer. If you don't see an origin tag anywhere on an appliance, you should check to see if it's only missing on that particular piece because tags do come off. If like items are missing tags, please report it to the management.

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I saw this coffee maker at the top of the list when I searched for coffee makers on Google Squared, so I figured I'd go ahead and do a quick virtual review on it. Keurig calls it the "Special Edition Brewing System", but I don't know what makes it a special edition. When I first visited the Keurig website, I wasn't sure it was the right one. When I right-clicked to save the image, the title included "B60", so I'm fairly confident it's the right one. Without further delay…

Features

The Keurig Special Edition B60 has three brew size choices: 6 ounces, 8 ounces or 10 ounces. It has a removable 48 ounce reservoir, which means you don't have to refill it until you've made at least four cups of coffee. It has a programmable LCD message center, but I can't fathom why anyone would need to reprogram it. It has a removable drip tray, blue backlit LCD and water reservoir, chrome accents and a quiet brewing technology.

This Keurig coffee maker is about 13 inches tall and weighs about 12 pounds empty. It seems to be a little taller and a little heavier than most "full pot" coffee makers. It comes with a complimentary 12 K-Cup variety pack of coffee and tea.

Pricing

The suggested retail price is $139.95 and you can buy it directly from the Keurig website. I found it cheaper, at $129.95 ($10 cheaper) at Amazon.com and with free shipping.

That still seems a little steep to me since I usually go for coffee makers that are less than $100. The redeeming features are that it can produce a perfect cup of coffee in less than 60 seconds and, of course, the included coffee pack.

Would I buy the Keurig Special Edition B60 Gourmet Single Serve Coffee Maker (whew, that's a long description)? Not where I live right now because I wouldn't be able to get more K-Cups. Would I buy it in the US? Yes. I used to heat up hot water in a microwave oven and it would take two minutes for just that step. If I had one of these, I wouldn't need to make a pot at a time and risk part of it going bad (getting cold or burned) before getting consumed.

((Image source: Keurig)

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I've done a couple of semi-reviews on coffee makers, but nothing like I had intended when I started writing about them in the first place. Unlike the Netbook Virtual Reviews I'll soon be starting, I really can't think of a legitimate way to rate coffee makers.

What kinds of coffee makers?

That's a good question. The most common type you see nowadays is the automatic drip coffee maker, but it's not the only kind.

Although not seen in quite the same quantities, coffee percolator is still sold. Somehow I doubt you'll find them still made of glass.

There are some other types, but I can't name them at the moment. Some are for home use and some are for commercial use, like the kind used by Starbucks and Seattle's Best.

Coffee Maker Selection Factors

This is why I don't think I can rate them. Some people prefer the 12-cup coffee makers while others prefer 4-cup coffee makers. Still others prefer the single cup coffee makers like those made by Keurig.

Some coffee makers use paper filters and some have permanent, metal filters. Obviously, the ones with the permanent filters should be more expensive, right? Not necessarily so.

The coffee pot itself, or the carafe, could be made of glass or some other material. You would assume those made of glass would be cheaper, but that's not necessarily true either.

Pricing is a factor that doesn't seem to follow any standards. I've seen cheaply made coffee makers sell for more than well built coffee makers. Is it the brand name, reputation or some other facet that dictates the prices? I guess I won't know until I look at quite a few.

The best way?

I guess the best thing I can do is describe what I'm seeing and then try to relay my thoughts about it and whether I think it would be a good buy or not. In my opinion, a good coffee maker shouldn't be a major investment but it shouldn't be so cheap that it doesn't last.

Of course, it also depends on location. Some people get stuck with limited choices and I think I'm one of them.

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