Saturday morning, after speaking too soon

[ksmith]

You know how sometimes you can smell something without actually smelling it? You can't put your finger on it, but you know there's been a disturbance in the Force?

Got out of bed. Released the hounds of Heck. Walked into living room and...sniffed. Yup, someone had revisited her favorite spot and left a calling card. Not a way to start the day, but there were signs that maybe someone's tum was a little upset, so not sure I can blame her.

Funny, after I let King and Gaby back in, Gaby checked out that spot. I asked her what she was doing, and yes, maybe the tone of my voice was what made her hang her head, then sit up and beg, but I swear she remembers things longer than the other dogs, knows she shouldn't poop in the house, and knows this was a misstep. She actually seemed a little ashamed. I could be reading too much into this, but she is smarter than the average bear.

Anyway. Put the rug outside because some things just have to wait until after coffee. Made my first cup in the new Brewmaster. I read the reviews of the thing after I bought it, of course, and took note of the many complaints about leaking. It is an idiosyncratic little device. The coffee basket isn't quite tall enough for standard 10-cup filters, so that when you close the top, the mashing action can push the water arm out of the way, which can lead to leaks. Thing is, I see no mention of a water arm--dripper--whatever in the instructions, and the part is movable. If it moves, you should mention it in the manual, especially if said 'it' needs to be in a certain position for unit to work properly. Because you have to move the water arm to take the basket and such in and out, and if you don't move it back in place, the water will not drip over the coffee but elsewhere in the machine.

Also need to tweak ratios. More coffee, less water. Instructions say to add 3/4 tbsp per 6 oz cup instead of the usual 1 tbsp (or 2 tbsp in the case of Starbucks coffee, which I tried first). This is not a coffeemaker for a Starbucks drinker because you'll never be able to fill the water to capacity. Definitely one cup at a time for you.

I should cut/paste this into an Amazon review...

Comments

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

Doesn't the grind of the coffee have an effect on how it brews? (...said the non-coffee drinker.)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Yes. But the directions for pre-ground Starbucks states 2 tbsp per 6 oz cup, so anyone who drinks that would never be able to make 6 cups using this coffeemaker.

The instructions also warn against using too fine a grind because of the risk of plugging the internal filter, but you need a finer grind for this coffeemaker because it brews so quickly. There's a balancing act with this thing more so than with other coffeemakers I've used.

[michaeldthomas.livejournal.com]

We've lost two brewmasters to the leaking problem. The last one lived for about 18 months before we replaced it with a standard coffeemaker.

Good luck with Gaby and her problem. We had a string of dogs in my childhood that had the same issues.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

No leaks with the coffeemaker so far, but I wouldn't buy another one. The only other one-cuppers that Target had either used pods only or only used enough grounds to make a single 6oz cup at a time. The better single cuppers can cost hundreds of dollars, and I don't want to spend that much.

This is the first accident Gaby has had since November, so I shouldn't complain. I just didn't expect it.

[(Anonymous)]

I would trust your feelings on Gaby. Our Husky was far too smart for his own good. Once when we were out of town he had diarrhea. Locked in the house with no place to go, he backed up to the bathtub and let loose. It was awful. But the cleanup couldn't have been easier. Poor guy was so guilty about it though that we kenneled him when we left town after that. I've also read articles about how Huskies don't get trained as seeing eye dogs because they are *too* smart. I can understand why.

I don't know if it's an option for you, but could you install a dogdoor for Gaby so she could go out when she needs to?

Adrianne

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

It's just funny that I removed the puppy pad just a few days ago. It will be going back. If it had still been there, clean-up would have been simple. Not that it was all that bad. I just didn't expect to see it.

I don't believe I could install a Gaby-only door. King would have to be able to use it, or he'd get upset. Or try to get through it, and get stuck.

[(Anonymous)]

::sigh::

They have cat doors that have a magnetic lock that answers to a tag on the collar. But King is so darned big I could imagine him deciding to go through anyway.

A