Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Dear Mr. Coffee pot designer........

It's been awhile since I have blogged about anything, and I am going off course from pottery promotion for a moment and posting a rant of sorts directed at all you product designers, those particularly that design new automatic drip coffeemakers. Help me out here, please, I beg of you. I am a coffee drinking addict and take my coffee seriously, but I am on a budget too. I can't afford to replace 2 or 3 coffee makers a year just because they fail to hold up to normal everyday use.

So, here is my wishlist for the perfect coffee maker. Of course an aesthetically pleasing modern look is a given. But only if it does its job to perfection.

1). Give me a carafe that pours without dripping back down the pot and down onto my counter (or worse) over the controls on the coffee making unit. A pot I can pour like a man, I am not a prim and proper tea party hostess, pouring into dainty china tea cups. I tote a big burly stoneware pottery mug that begs to be filled in a flash. I will say that Black and Decker is on the right track with the wider opening, unlike Mr. Coffee.
2). I want a stainless steel burner, not the teflon coated one the chips, flakes and wears off. That just looks tacky!
3). Only one overfill hole please. Don't need 2, that just increases the chance that while I am filling the unit, water will pour right through the hole that is for some reason strategically placed right where the widest fill opening is, and where of course, I am pouring in the water. Another mess.
4). Keep the buttons and electronics at the top. The smallest incidents of dripping or filter basket overflow, has been the demise of more than one of my pots. Poor design. If you must have it located at the bottom, then you better find a way to seal it to be waterproof.
5). Adjustable burner heat and brewing temperature. Everyone has a different idea of how hot they want their coffee, and those that brew boiling hot water seem to degrade the flavor of the coffe faster.
6). No cone filters, no cone filters, no cone filters. They serve the same purpose as a basket filter, but cost 3 times as much. Not sure why, but I hate using them for that reason and refuse to buy a pot that only accepts cone filters.
7). A large water reservoir filler opening is my dream. The little 2" slotted hole is too much of a hassle. Make it easy.....oh, and while you're at it, please design the lid to stay open by itself and not fall shut on me while I am trying to fill the unit. I want to be able to see the water level on both sides of the pot too, just in case my kitchen setup is different than your test kitchen.
8). Delayed brew timer is a must.
9). Finally, last but not least,
back up your product with a warranty that actually means something. If you think you have a good product, be confident enough in it that you can give me a 3 year warranty that covers everything short of me dropping and breaking it.

Let me know when you make one like this and you will have a faithful customer who will recommend it to all my coffee drinking buds too.