It's especially bad in the confines of a fifth wheel. There just isn't enough room to do much bouncing! I keep running into Heidi and tripping over the dogs!
I could just brew up a couple cups, but the regular coffee makers seem to need way to much coffee to brew up just a single cup or two in any drinkable fashion.
This personal tradgedy is made worse by the fact that only I (not Heidi) drink coffee in this family.
I keep trying instant, but, it just isn't that good you know? I mean I'm not real picky, I've drank crud I was sure was brewed with a rusty horse shoe. Sometimes, I think they even forgot to pull it off the horse first!
So how does a guy brew just a single cup or two of decent coffee? I think I may have found a possibility. I recently bought a coffee maker built by Black and Decker. Now, that's not an outfit I think of when I think of a coffee maker, but there it was, sittin' on the shelf at, you guessed it, Wal Mart!
I'm, to say the least, not usually very impressed with Black and Decker tools. Thirty years ago (seems like I'm stuck on "thirty years ago" sometimes don't it? lol) they built top of the line stuff. Now a days I haven't seen anything with that name that wouldn't cause embarrassment if it was found in my shop! Until now.
A Black and Decker Coffee Maker? They call it the Black and Decker Home Cafe'. Pretty foo foo for a crusty ol' geezer I know, but I'm tryin' hard to grow some sow-fisti-cashun! Think I'll get there?
But a coffee maker from Black and Decker? And call it the Black and Decker Home cafe'? Sounds kinda like a Redneck Starbucks don't it?
Well, I took the $59, coffee building gizmo home! Its not often that I do such spur of the moment things, but every once in a while a guy just has to cut loose, you know!
Here's the thing. I figured, if this coffee maker works, I can get a decent cup of coffee in the rig, without burning propane or firing off that nuclear powered microwave that grows fur on rocks from its wierd vibrations! Not to mention the reduction in caffeine overdose contusions!
Unlike a regular electric pot, this is fast, only does one cup and turns off. This coffee maker draws 1400 watts, but it only runs for about a minute. It ought to work on a solar powered system just fine! One less drain on the propane and one less usage of that nuclear cooker Heidi likes so much!
Something of interest to RV Boondockers, it makes the coffee right into your cup. No coffee pot or carafe to wash, so it'll save a bit of water as well!
I've only had it for a few days but I'm impressed so far with its quality, and the coffee at least measures up to my delicate palate.
Oh yeah, one other thing. As it comes out of the box, this Black and Decker coffee maker calls for using those pretty pricey "coffee pods". But I saw just a little ways down the shelf another gizmo from "Presto". They call their little thingy the "Presto mypod refillable coffee holder". It's made especially for the Black and Decker Home Cafe' coffee maker.
It replaces the Black and Decker coffee pod holders, and allows you to use your regular, favorite coffee! You only need one little scoop, maybe one and a half, so you aren't wasting coffee either. I got it too! Wal Mart saw me coming that day for sure!
Anyways, I can brew a single, decent cup of coffee now! This coffee maker should work well in the RV on battery / inverter power, and it keeps me from gettin' all bruised up bouncing off the walls trying to burn off all the excess caffeine from brewin' too much coffee!
Have a cup on me!
**** Update ****
A reader of Goin' RV Boondocking recently sent me a link to a site where people have registered a significant number of complaints. I am really sorry to hear this, as the one I have has been working without a hitch. But I wanted you all to know that some have apparently had some difficulties.
Single serve coffee.com
***Black and Decker Home Cafe - Performance Update***
Just my own personal experience with the machine, since there have been a few people who have had difficulties.
As of 20 June 2007 I've been using the Black and Decker coffee maker for something over six months. It's built one to three cups a day, every day for that time, without a burp. I have no complaints at all.... maybe I'm easy or maybe other folks have had bad luck, but it's done what I asked it to!
Just thought it only fair to put my experience in there with everybody elses.... I'm sippin' a cup of 'Kona' blend from it right now!
*** 3 April '08 UPDATE ***
For those folks who are using the Home Cafe' coffee maker along with the Presto, MyPod accessory... you might have discovered, as I did some time ago, that Walmart quit carryin' the gol dang filters for 'em a while back.
Thanks a lot Wally!... Bummer!
Now... If you're just sittin' in one place... It's not a real big hassle to find those filters at one of the Amazon shops, or directly from Presto, on-line, order them in and keep on brewin'... but for me... that just weren't gonna get it done.
We're planning on bein' on the road... and between minimizin' hassles and finding places to recieve shipping, it swells up into a big deal... so I went back to lookin' for another suitable rv coffee maker for the rig.
It had to do a few things... First, it has to build a decent cup of joe; second, I wanted a reduced volume; and third, it has to be a coffee maker that will work reasonably well in a solar powered rig.
I do believe the machine I settled on fits all those coffee maker requirements for me.
The one I found is a Mr. Coffee unit by Sunbeam. It's the DRX5GTF model. The thing is rated as a '4 cup' maker by those folks... though when I pour it out into the coffee cups I use, there are two of 'em :-)... which makes it an absolutely perfect coffee maker for what I want... as long as it will work on my solar power that is...
This machine draws 650 watts. I've used it on several trips now in the rig... and it's performed flawlessly, by my standards. Of course, I don't leave it on, drawing power for the hot plate section. It brews the coffee and then I shut it off. So... from the inverter/battery perspective, I only run it for a couple of minutes... and wa la... Fresh, Good, Black, Coffee...
The last thing I can think of is, this, Mr. Coffee, coffee maker comes with a synthetic filter basket... so there are no on going filters you need to buy... a few, really fine grains escape the basket, and find their way into my coffee cup... but I have to say... it's not enough to be any sort of an issue for me.
So... if you're lookin' for a replacement... because Walmart let you down... go to Kohls! and get a Mr. Coffee 4 cup with the 'no paper filter', filter basket, like I did... which leaves you with one less 'consumable' you'll have to buy.
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