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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2019 - 04 - 06 - ID#ba69n5
9
Accessible coffee makers? (self.Blind)
submitted by Prefect316
Hey all. Happy to say I have found a place of my own and will be striking out at the end of May. Before I start shopping around, I wanted to ask this sub if anyone knows of a good coffee maker that is mostly accessible? I'm totally blind.

Right now, I have a great Cuisinart that grinds beans, uses grounds, and even has timer. However, most of the sophisticated features are via a touchscreen, which my mother or sister adjust. Obviously, when I'm living on my own, I'd rather have something I can adjust on my own. I'm open to any suggestions. I've tried the Kewrig (pardon the spelling) but wasn't sure how to access it all that much. Any tips are also super appreciated.

--edit -- Just wanted to add that if anyone knows of an accessible machine that would also let me still grind whole beans, that would be the greatest. I like trying new coffees, and I like to make sure the coffee I brew is strong like rocket fuel.
Marconius 3 points 4y ago
I just use a hand grinder and a French Press with an electric kettle. I have a Keurig which is super easy to use, but mainly use it for hot water now since k-cups are horrible for the environment and the reusable filter doesn't hold nearly enough grounds for a proper cup. If you must go the Keurig route, you pop in a k-cup, hit the small, medium, or large buttons on the front after putting a cup under the drip area, and it pours coffee. Really easy with tactile buttons. My JavaPress hand grinder is awesome and is easy to figure out when it comes to grind settings, just needs some manual labor to grind everything and it's much less noisy than an electric mill or grinder.

It's kind of funny, but I use the Keurig to pour hot water into my French press to preheat it while water boils in my electric kettle. The water has boiled by the time I'm done hand-grinding my beans, then I pour out the French press, add in the beans, then pour in enough boiled water to just cover the beans, steep for 30 seconds, then pour in all the rest of the boiled water, brewing for 4 minutes before pressing and serving. All done fully blind, works great every time :)
[deleted] 1 points 4y ago
[deleted]
jrs12 2 points 4y ago
Why not get a separate grinder? My boyfriend's is totally accessible, just load up your beans, twist, and grind. Then you could do a french press or pour over coffee.... no electronics required.
Prefect316 [OP] 2 points 4y ago
I might go that route. Good call!
Hellsacomin94 2 points 4y ago
I have a Krups coffee grinder, I think it’s $20 on amazon. There’s visual interface at all.

I’d check out bialetti stovetop espresso makers. They’re great, especially for one or two people. Fill the bottom with water, coffee in the middle, screw on the top and place on the stove. It makes great, super strong coffee. Just buy bigger than you think, it’s sized in 2 oz cups.
Stick81 2 points 4y ago
That's how I do it. Works out great for me, we have a Keurig in the house, but my girlfriend mostly uses that. I don't like messing with all the settings, and don't think it's very cost effective, so I prefer using a simple grinder with fresh beans and adjusting the ratio of grinds and water to make the coffee as strong as I want. Occasionally, I will grind the beans on the fine setting and using a stovetop espresso pot. My grinder just has a dial on the front for different grades of coffee, so no guesswork there. All very simple to use. I'm not a daily coffee drinker, but I love a strong cup of quality coffee, so I usually use Black Rifle Coffee, or Deathwish, I also like that Black Rifle is veteran owned.
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 4y ago
Hell yeah. A grinder and a pour-over brewer makes excellent coffee, not to mention there are no stupid capacitive buttons or touch screens
AmAsabat 1 points 4y ago
I have a Jura machine with a jury rigged pi computer with Braille display. Took some programming and help of a electronics student but it means I can make any coffee at any time.
Prefect316 [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Wow, that's pretty cool! I can't wait to meet someone ambitious enough to set that up for me.
SLJ7 1 points 4y ago
Buy a manual grinder (everyone says they're better). Get a smart plug that works with Alexa or similar, and find a coffee maker with only a switch to turn it on and off. It is very important that it uses a switch and not a button, because it needs to turn on automatically as soon as it plugs in. Set up the smart outlet with the app or a voice assistant, set a schedule if you like, load it the night before, and voila; you can tell Alexa to make you coffee without moving an inch, or have the automatic alarm feature that is normally unavailable to us.
Prefect316 [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Now this is a setup I can manage. Thanks!
BlindOwl12 1 points 4y ago
Idk if u have a suitable store in your area but I spent two or three hours looking at different machines and checking to see if the buttons work for me, the result has 4 buttons and 2 dials. It grinds its own beans and makes coffee, has a milk steamer as well
Prefect316 [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Now that is what's up! Do you know what your machine is called?
BlindOwl12 1 points 4y ago
I’ll need to check, give me a bit
BlindOwl12 1 points 4y ago
It’s called a Delonghi magnifica, I have the second latest model so I can’t vouch for the accessibility of the latest one
Prefect316 [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Thanks for getting back to me about it. I'll look this one up.
gracers94 1 points 4y ago
I am not totally blind but I have the newer single serve K- mini Keurig that is very easy to use. It has two buttons, on/off and brew and the brew button is HUGE so it can't be mistaken for the power button. The reservoir for the water is great too because it opens up enough that I can stick my finger in and make sure I'm not overfilling the water. Keurigs don't make the greatest cup of coffee but its better than no coffee!
Prefect316 [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Thx, yeah I love a good strong cup of rocket fuel as opposed to coffee. I've never gotten that result out of a K-cup
afraidofdust 1 points 4y ago
There's a Mr Coffee that only has an on/off switch. I can link you when I'm at my computer.
Prefect316 [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Cool thank you! I guess I should have mentioned in the main post that I'm very particular about my coffee, so would love to still have the option to grind whole beans if possible.
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