Ode to the OPOD from Grindmaster

/files/u2252/grindmaster_opod.jpg" width="136" height="250" align="right" />I look at the coffee equipment and accessories collected on my journey as markers to remind me where I came from and to point to where I am heading.  Some of these items are dearer to me than others while some are simply footnotes - items purchased on a lark, used once, and then boxed back up and placed on the shelf.  The Microwave Mr. Coffee brewer I wrote about a while back is definitely a one shot wonder (actually a three shot wonder since it took this many tries to get it to work right).  Unlike the Microwave Mr. Coffee, the OPOD is simply wonderful.

 

What is the OPOD? is it a coffee maker made by Apple? No. It is a commercial soft coffee pod brewer sold by Grindmaster Cecilware of Louisville, Kentucky.  The brewer is probably made in the orient but I am not sure without looking.  It does not really matter any way since it looks like Grindmaster will not be selling these any longer. But I am getting ahead of myself.  The first real introduction to exotic coffee came, for me, in the form of a pod.  I bought a box of pods and then bought a disaster of a pod brewer which worked only long enough to make me want to pursue the format.

I am quickly driven to excess in most things I become interested in and pod brewing was no different.  Soon I began collecting brewers of all sorts to compare results based on temperature, time, and design.  Some were total duds, some were mildly flawed, and one in particular was wonderful. This pod brewer of course is the OPOD.  The name is a bit strange, and the look is definitely not one I would call eye catching either. The unit is large and imposing so getting it in the door and keeping it was a challenge I will detail at another time.

Do you have a favorite coffee maker?  If so I would liove to hear about it!