Mr. Coffee Quick Brew Microwave Coffeemaker

Remember when Mr. Coffee was king? Joltin' Joe DiMaggio told us it was “good to the last drop” so it had to be true, right?  Time moves forward and Joltin' Joe has left and gone away, Hey, Hey, Hey – and Mr. Coffee has gone away from their Midwest manufacturing roots to the Orient last time I checked.  All that is a story for a different day though. Let’s settle in to a tale from the Roaring Nineties – a time when anything was possible, and the coffee really was good to the last drop. 

The year was 1991, and a new friend joined good old Mr.Coffee on the kitchen counter – the microwave oven.  Those forward thinking engineers at MC were ready though – they rolled out the Mr. Coffee Quick Brew Microwave Coffeemaker – 10 ounces of fresh brewed coffee in minutes was now within reach of the average Joe – Joltin' or not.  They thought of everything since it came with a built in travel mug and lid along with a starter pack of filters and measuring spoon.

The brewer is a simple basket type pour over that sits on top of the included mug.  The regulating device is incredibly simple – a metal strip under the brew basket holder changes shape (a thermostat works the same way) when it reaches a certain temperature.  The new, heated shape bends pulling an attached rubber stopper valve away from the drip basket drain hole and out drains the coffee.  It takes about three minutes to complete the process with a modern microwave.

I know it takes three minutes because three minutes thirty seconds creates a coffee ground volcano inside the microwave. Third wave brewing method acolytes know timing is everything and this brewer is a cruel instructor of this most basic lesson.  The taste was much better than I expected though with a full bodied, heavily extracted cup being the end result. I probably need a couple more tries to dial this thing in but the initial attempts are promising. 

Is it worth potential scalds and a splattered microwave? For the gadget guy?  Yes – it is worth it. But the discussion is moot since like Joltin' Joe these MC Quick Brew’s have left and gone away. If you can’t find one don’t worry – more forgiving methods are available here on ROASTe – hey, this is 2011 so enjoy your coffee from the safety of your new coffee maker– where it is sure to be good to the last drop too.

/files/u2252/Mr_Coffee_Microwave2.jpg" align="middle" height="353" width="559" />