The Perfect Small Coffee Maker: The Mr. Coffee Four Cup Coffee Maker

The Mr. Coffee four cup serving carafe coffee maker is the perfect appliance for a single person or anyone who only drinks a few cups of coffee. Personally I am a coffee addict and do not mind making a fresh pot a couple of times a day, but this coffee maker is not necessarily desirable for a large family with many coffee drinkers. However, if you are looking for the perfect small machine that makes great coffee then I would go with Mr. Coffee. Not only are Mr. Coffee makers economical, but these appliances tend to last longer than the really cheap knock offs. I had an eight dollar coffee maker for awhile and it did not last very long, but I bought this Mr. Coffee maker for around twenty dollars and I do not regret the investment. For two years this coffee maker has been going strong, and I consider it one of the best investments I have made for my kitchen. I used to be an avid Starbucks drinker, but I realized that paying three or four dollars for a cup of coffee was just not practical. A couple of years ago I bought a cheap knock off variety coffee maker that broke while making a cup of joe, so then I decided to purchase a model that had a better reputation. Mr. Coffee is a low end coffee maker that does a decent job, but it you are looking for a higher end model I was suggest investing more than twenty dollars.

When I was five years old I remember my mom buying her first Mr. Coffee maker. My mom was tired of her old fashioned coffee maker and decided to get an electric one in October of 1983. I have a few lucid memories starting from around the age of one, but my detailed and clear memories began with kindergarten in 1983. Something about learning how to write the date and the year made me obsessed with recounting these events, and from then on I have always kept a mental journal even when I failed to write in my physical one.

My first memories of the Mr. Coffee machine was about how loud and noisy it was, so I christened it my dad's snoring machine. My dad was a very loud snorer, and Mr. Coffee emulated his sound most perfectly. Does anyone remember those loud Mr. Coffee makers back in the 80's? I used to love to make up stories about the coffee maker and that was one of my greatest reveries.

In the mid nineties lmy mom got rid of this original Mr. Coffee maker, but now she has opted for drinking less and a newer model. Even though the new models still make noise while percolating the coffee, I miss the loud sound of that first coffee maker I came to know. Okay, I know most people do not like loud appliances, but this one was a special memory for me because it reminded me of my dad's legendary snoring.

In college I was more of a tea drinker than a coffee addict, but that gradually changed during my senior year in college. My roommate used to make these wonderfully sugary capacinos and induced me to try one, but since I had never had so much sugar and caffeine at once I was really hyper afterwards. I tend to be quite introverted and not particularly outgoing when people first meet me, so my roommate's friend was surprised to see how talkative I became after drinking one of those cappuccinos. The first time he saw me he was sitting on the stairs and I had walked by did not notice him, but I guess he told my roommate I hurt his feelings. When he came over later that week I was trying to make up for it by saying hello, but I think the coffee made me more gregarious than usual.  He remarked to my roommate that I seemed like two different people after seeing me on two separate occasions, but she informed him that it was the coffee talking.  I am friendly and can talk up a storm once I get to know someone, but I notice coffee makes me more outgoing for some reason.

At first coffee used to make my heart pound and I could not fall asleep.  However, I started volunteering as a conversation partner at university extension center and foreign exchange students taught me to love coffee.  The conversation partner program involved going to the extension center and have conversations with foreign exchange students a few times a week.  I volunteered to do this two times a week because I loved the experience.  Often the foreign exchange students and I would walk over to Starbucks and have lovely conversations over a cup of coffee. 

My love of Starbucks grew and I soon found myself having cups a couple of times a week.  Mostly I only enjoy drinking coffee in the winter time when it is cold out and during the summer I prefer water or ice tea.  However, I decided that my winter habit of drinking coffee was a bit expensive and it was time to buy a small coffee maker.  The first one I had was only eight dollars and broke after a few months while percolating a cup of coffee.  I finally decided to buy a Mr. Coffee maker because I knew these were cheap and reliable.  My favorite type of coffee to use is the Starbucks Cafe Moulu, but one day when I go back to Hawaii I want to buy a bag of pure Kona coffee.  My all time favorite is 100% unadulterated Kona coffee and I would definitely drink this every day if I were wealthy.  However, in the meantime I opt for the Cafe Moulu instead because it has a flavor I enjoy. 

The wonderful thing about a coffee maker is you can use any type of coffee you like, and thus safe money as opposed to buying a cup at your favorite coffee house.  For my Mr. Coffee maker I simply buy generic coffee filter because these come in a package of three hundred, work well, and are cheaper than the package of Mr. Coffee filters.  However, I would suggest experimenting and figuring out what type of coffee and coffee filters you like best.  The plus side to making your own fresh coffee at home is a package usually cost about the same price as three cups from your favorite coffee house.

I made this fun and silly video on how to make a simple pot of coffee.  As you can see using the Mr. Coffee maker is much easier, cheaper, and faster than going out for coffee.  All you have to do it get up and pour the coffee in, and if you buy a pot with a self-timer the machine can be set the night before.