Customer Reviews

Melitta Ready Set Joe/Mug 64010 Coffee Makers Speciality

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This coffee maker is super! My office has access to hot water, but not enough space for a traditional coffee maker. Ready Set Joe, was the answer. A delicious cup of hot coffee, with just the pouring of hot water. Everything is here, and only takes the space of a coffee mug. Low tech, high quality, that's how I define it.

John

As I can tell from other reviews, most people use these units in the office, and I am no exception. Since my company does not allow us to use small appliances at our desks (citing, "OSHA violations"), this unit serves my purposes excellently and at a price of $6, you really cannot go wrong. However, it takes some preparation to get the unit to make excellent, damn-near Chemex quality coffee. Here's how I did it:

The unit comes with some #2 paper filters, and since I acquired the unit at my local grocery store, I picked up some natural paper filters as well. A quick trip to Starbucks for some ground beans (I have to take the hit on fresh grind due to the, "no small appliances" rule) and I'm back at my desk about to have my first cup. I use one rounded tablespoon of cone-filter ground coffee for every four ounces of water (adjust to your taste preference). Once the water is done heating up, I pour the hot (not boiling; we're not making soup here) water over the grounds and patiently await my first cup, which takes all of about two minutes (half the ideal saturation time for grounds, but given the circumstances and the alternative of nasty office coffee, I'm not going to be too picky here). Right off the bat, the taste is off. There is an overwhelming taste of plastic and a strange, pulpy taste, which I am able to conclude as the paper from the filter. After a quick Internet search, I find excellent instructions and a video on vimeo for making coffee through a Chemex drip unit, which instructs one to pour a decent amount of hot water through the paper filter to eliminate that taste. That's one off-putting aspect gone, but it's an additional step in the process. Again, circumstances, alternative, not being picky.

However, what is there to do about the taste of polycarbonate in my coffee? Well, another quick search ends up with instructions on how to pretty-much eliminate plastic leaching from plastic parts in coffee machines, thus eliminating the taste. Boil the part in 91% or higher isopropyl alcohol (or cheap vodka) for about half an hour to fotry-five minutes and then run two kettles (mine is 1.5 liters per full kettle) of boiling water through it to wash it off, followed by a weak pot of coffee to eliminate any remaining taste interference. Wear a facemask or something; it's not a good thing to be breathing when it boils.

The results speak volumes. By eliminating the plastic taste and following the Chemex drip instructions (pre-rinsing the filter, pre-soaking the grounds for about thirty seconds, and dragging out the pour time of the water as long as I can), I am able to make an excellent cup of coffee with that slightly-reddish tint that indicates a quality drip brew, all with a $6 part ($3 if you don't get the one with the mug!). If you're already fine with the taste you get from the unit without doing these things, then keep on truckin'; glad it's working out for you! But for those who want to get the most out of this unit with not a lot of effort, follow these steps. You won't regret it!

Having a wife that worked as a Barista, I have run the gamut of individual coffee makers - from the single French press to the single cup coffee maker. This is my absolute favorite for the office. It makes great coffee and is inexpensive - what more could you ask for? Clean up is simple and I like the fact that you can see the coffee level in your cup so that you don't overfill it.

It was just terrific --just as I imagined and came with a set of starter filters too---perfect -- my highest compliments -- inexpensive and a great deal

Hate coffee? Have guests who love it? Here's your new coffee pot!
Love coffee? Here's your emergency backup (or simply one-cup) coffee pot. Saves space, money and sometimes, the day. Need I say more?

I hate the coffee that is provided for free at my office. I realize beggars can't be choosers when it comes to free coffee, but recently after choking down another cup o' swill I made the decision to brew my own coffee with this little gem.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I'm still learning the ropes a little bit to get to the ideal cup, but even the first cups I brewed were infinitely better than the office sludge. My only minor quibble is that the brew filter is a little tipsy while resting on the mug, but if you can set the mug down on a counter or table that issue disappears completely (I have to hold mine under the hot water spigot on the coffee machine).

Highly recommended!

the plastic part is made in U.S.A. Wow!!!! everything is made in China these days - ooops - the bottom part (the cup) is made in China - fine by me for 6$ I paid for both

Ready Set Joe - works like a champ at the office :)

This makes a great cup of coffee, perfect for when it's just meFrieling USA Gold Coffee Filter # 2also just recently bought the #2 gold filter that works perfectly with this; no grounds!

An inexpensive and quick way to make a delicious cup of coffee! Only drawback, of course, is that you need an external source of boiling water. You can easily run the brew through multiple times (if you wish) to coerce the ground coffee to yield a more intense flavor. I get an absolutely heavenly cup by using finely ground Brazilian coffee, such as Caboclo or Pilao, but this of course is a matter of taste. By the way you can use this unit just as easily to brew tea, or even hierba mate, if you wish. Oh yes, try to use decent water, like spring water. Ordinary tap water may flavor the brew in an unpleasant way !! Bottoms up!Melitta Ready Set Joe/Mug 64010 Coffee Makers Speciality

I ordered to take on a road trip so I could have my fresh ground coffee without using the crappy hotel machines. It works fantastic for that. Coffee tastes great, super easy to use and fast to clean. All you need is a little hot water and a filter. Still use it sometimes at home when I don't feel like using the pot.