Need some technique troubleshooting here ...

[silenius]

Need some help here. I'm officially stating up front that I love coffee but have no background/knowledge in the inner workings of a good cup of it. A newbie of sorts.

Get ready for this ...

I admit to using an auto drip with grocery store bought (president's choice - my fav of the cheap stuff in Canada) coffee every day. Hey, at least it's not instant!

I'm clearly doing something wrong though. Almost every time I brew a pot the 'drip' doesn't seem to flow through the filter fast enough. The basket gets filled up and grounds end up seeping down into the pot (yuck).

I thought it was my machine (B&D flat bottom) so I bought another (Sunbeam flat bottom) ... still doing it.
I thought it was the grind (medium) so I tried fine ... stilll doing it.
I thought it was the water temp. If I make it cold it makes things better but not perfect. It takes forever though when cold.
I thought it was the amount of coffee being used (150-200ml) for 12 cups (13 if I go up to the top with water).
I thought it was the filter so I tried a permanent basket ... still doing it.

I suppose my own answer to the question is use 175ml medium or fine for every 12 cups while using COLD water and I can get by with very few grinds in the pot.

I guess I've never heard of anyone but myself with this 'problem'. What am I doing wrong here? (besides using an auto drip with store bought

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "silenius"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website.

It sounds like you have a mystery going on.

Are you using the same pot that came with your drip coffee maker, or have you substituted another brand or style of pot?
Sometimes if you use a different coffee pot, the top of the coffee pot presses too tight against the drip filter basket. That makes the coffee slow coming out of the brew area, and it backs up and overflows.

If you use too fine of a grind, it will slow the flow down, and the coffee and grounds will back up and overflow too. You just need a drip grind - medium setting for a drip coffee maker.

I don't know how much coffee you're using. Metric conversions are a pain!
Even if you're using too much coffee, the water should still flow through, but it will take longer and the coffee will be stronger. The water temperature should always be cold (room temperature), so I don't think that's a factor.

Twice in the past I've heard of people having the same problem, and it turned out it was because the coffee pot lid was blocking the flow hole in the drip filter brew basket.

Rose

 

[silenius]

Hello "silenius"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website.

It sounds like you have a mystery going on.

Are you using the same pot that came with your drip coffee maker, or have you substituted another brand or style of pot?
Sometimes if you use a different coffee pot, the top of the coffee pot presses too tight against the drip filter basket. That makes the coffee slow coming out of the brew area, and it backs up and overflows.

If you use too fine of a grind, it will slow the flow down, and the coffee and grounds will back up and overflow too. You just need a drip grind - medium setting for a drip coffee maker.

I don't know how much coffee you're using. Metric conversions are a pain!
Even if you're using too much coffee, the water should still flow through, but it will take longer and the coffee will be stronger. The water temperature should always be cold (room temperature), so I don't think that's a factor.

Twice in the past I've heard of people having the same problem, and it turned out it was because the coffee pot lid was blocking the flow hole in the drip filter brew basket.

Rose

thanks for for the reply. I believe 200ml is 1 cup. I doubt it's the pot because I bought a completely new auto drip maker. The coffee is medium ground 'designed for auto drip'. Tried both a paper filter and a metal reusable one. Frustrating ...

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Try different ground. Little more coarse. Also filter is completely covering the filter casing? sometimes filters are too small for the holder and it can over flow. But my guess is your coffee ground. Try that first. I am sure that would solve your problem.

 

[chast]

I have a Technivorm that has a slide on the brew basket that controls the drip. If pushed up all the way nothing comes out, next level very little, and it will overflow if not watched, and the final level opens for full drip. No sure of your model but it might have something similar.

 

[silenius]

I have a Technivorm that has a slide on the brew basket that controls the drip. If pushed up all the way nothing comes out, next level very little, and it will overflow if not watched, and the final level opens for full drip. No sure of your model but it might have something similar.

All I've got is the spring close that shuts off the drip when the pot is removed. Suppose I can't expect the frills when spending less than $30 on the maker.

 

[silenius]

The filter is a standard size flat with a standard size flat basket. Thought about going coarse but I tend to like stronger coffee (hence the 200ml when making it). I wonder if trying fine with less coffee would do the same trick or experimenting with different brands. Presidents Choice is a pretty popular brand around here - I'd be surprised if that was the reason. Perhaps it's time to give it up and go back to the Maxwell House or 8 o clock (seems these 2 are rated better than Folgers). PC seemed to be the best value ($8 for a large canister). Tim's is double that. Any recs on a budget?

 

[PinkRose]

Silenis,

That spring thing that you mentioned . . . . does it press against the pot lid, and go up, to let the coffee flow from the drip basket? And it should close (go down) when you remove the pot.

Maybe it isn't opening all the way when you put the pot (with its lid on) into the machine. Sometimes that spring area needs a good cleaning. Have you tried putting the basket under the sink faucet and filling it with water and pressing the spring underneath to see how the water flows out of it? It needs to go straight up and down - you'll see it right away.

When you put the pot into the machine, if the spring hits the top of your coffee pot lid on an angle, it may not open all the way, and that would cause your flow problem. Also, if the hole in the coffee pot lid doesn't open right as the spring is touching it (if that's the kind you have) that would also cause a flow problem.

Grinding the coffee courser should help the flow. But I have a strong feeling that you're using too much coffee in the filter basket.

You may need to adjust your coffee and water ratio - and since you like it strong - I'd make less coffee (using less grounds) and do it more often. So instead of making one huge pot with tons of ground coffee and overloading the brew basket, you could make a half of a pot and use half as much coffee and give the grinds some wiggle room in the brew basket. Then if you like the result, do it again when you want more coffee.


Rose