Mushroom Coffee Anyone?

Coffee — it’s the start of my day, every day. Without it, I would never find the motivation to get out of bed.

It wasn’t always this way — I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was 30 years old. I worked early (6am) and had a boss who was a coffee fiend. Three to four times a day he would grab me, “let’s get coffee.” I was one of the managers in a supermarket, so we only had to walk over to the deli. I tagged along because…duh. He was my boss. Plus he usually bought.

In time I added a Mr Coffee to the array of kitchen appliances at home, then a Cuisinart, then…well I’ve lost count. One of them had a timer and a built-in grinder — it was huge. For a time there was a Keurig, but it got to be too expensive and I really struggled with the plastic waste aspect.

A few years ago my wife (not a cofffe drinker BTW) bought me a Technivorm Moccamaster for Christmas — it was beautiful. I added a high-end burr grinder so I could grind the beans fresh, and after getting a $300 coffeemaker that seemed like less of an indulgence. Great, fresh coffee and easy to clean.

Or was it?

One morning I looked in the water reservoir and saw what appeared to be a piece of bread in the corner. Closer inspection revealed a small chunk of mold growing from beneath where the heating element was. After nearly throwing up, I took the water reservoir apart and found…more mold. Inside, where I couldn’t see it, and it wasn’t open to cleaning.

My coffeemaker was five or six years old at that point, so there was no telling how long this little science project had been there. A quick Google search showed that mold wasn’t uncommon — most drip makers will start growing mold; the heat and moisture make for a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of spore-based organisms.

The whole thing went into the trash, and I spent the day looking for alternatives. I also spent the day feeling more than a little queasy at the thought of what I’d been sucking down with my morning brew for who knows how long.

I ultimately settled on two options: a basic stainless steel percolator and a Chemex pour over. The percolator is for weekdays — it takes two minutes to get going and it brews 12 hot cups in about 10 minutes. The Chemex takes about a half-hour (I have the 10-cup model), so it’s more of a weekend thing. But the coffee is amazing.

I’ve come to appreciate the simplicity of both of these. They are easy to clean, there is no place for mold to grow, and the sound of the percolator brewing adds a nice touch to the morning.

Every time I see a drip coffeemaker now I feel a bit nauseous. Have you looked at your coffeemaker lately?