Norelco Dial-N-Brew for Chemex

[Davidius]

I know this topic has been addressed before, but in searching I found
no satisfactory answer.

Apparently, Norelco made a Dial-N-Brew which 1) had high water
temperature, just under 200F, and 2) had a peculiar shower timing,
which attempted to mimick the ideal "pouring" over a Chemex.

Does anyone know which models had these attributes? Or perhaps a
visual description?

I've seen, now, pictures of two general designs for the 80's models.
On one, the filter housing sat directly on the carafe. On the other,
it attached below the top of the water dispenser. Also, I hear of one
which could fit Chemex-filters.

Again, I am looking to find out which Norelco has the high water temp,
and the chemex-style watering cycle.

Any help is appreciated.

-David

***@go.com (without the NOSPAM)

[Felix]

Post by Davidius
Any help is appreciated.

In that case, I'll mention that I saw one of these Norelco's at eBay
once upon a time. Also ...

I use an older Braun machine as a water heater/pourer for my Chemex.
The system is a bit elaborate, because it includes a Bodum part that
serves as a dispersion disc. The disc also lets me use Melitta-style
filters. I use #4's because I have a bunch, but I plan to switch to
Chemex filters when I run out, mostly because they're easier to use.


Felix

[Davidius]

Post by Felix
In that case, I'll mention that I saw one of these Norelco's at eBay
once upon a time.

Do you remember enough to describe it? There is one on eBay now, in
which the filter housing simply attaches to the carafe, instead of to
the machine. I enquired, and the owner says it produces a steady
stream of 175F water. So this one, it seems now, is not it.

-David

[Felix]

Post by Davidius
Do you remember enough to describe it? There is one on
eBay now, in which the filter housing simply attaches to
the carafe, instead of to the machine.

I don't remember it, but the one that's listed now doesn't look
familiar to me. Ignoring (temporarily) the temperature issue, I'm not
sure if it matters how the filter housing fits. I think it makes more
sense to use an actual Chemex carafe, because a carafe for such an old
machine would be very difficult to replace. I'd just worry about the
dimensions and ...

Post by Davidius
I enquired, and the owner says it produces a steady
stream of 175F water. So this one, it seems now, is not it.

It's hard to say without actually measuring. Without a boiler, the
machine almost has to boil the water. Heat is lost on the way to the
filter, and I agree with David about scaling being a factor. Frankly,
unless you're willing to invest a significant amount of time modifying
such a machine, it isn't going to better what you can accomplish with
an ordinary kettle.

One nice feature of my approach: I can reassemble my Bodum and make
coffee with it. At first, it seemed like I was just cobbling together
parts to caffeinate myself, but now I see logic in my madness :-)


Felix

[Davidius]

Thanks both, Felix and David R.

Hand pouring a Chemex certainly seems easier than having to
mechanically alter some old machine, without any experience or any real
tools. But it is a nice idea to think of a machine which would fit a
Chemex, and mimick the timing of the ideal hand pouring, and with 195+F
water.

Maybe one of these models, in a good working order, will turn up some
time. Thus I still need to find which model it is.

-David

[Felix]

Post by Davidius
Hand pouring a Chemex certainly seems easier than
having to mechanically alter some old machine, without
any experience or any real tools.

It depends on the machine. My Braun just needed to have its "flavor
selector" disabled, which entails plugging the hole that lets water
bypass the filter. Even unmodified, it works quite well.

Post by Davidius
But it is a nice idea to think of a machine which would
fit a Chemex, and mimick the timing of the ideal hand
pouring, and with 195+F water.

Dreams are nice things. Some thermoblock machines, like my Braun, don't
emit a continuous stream of hot water. The first few spurts do tend to
preinfuse the ground coffee (because of my dispersion disc), but ideal
hand pouring requires a bit of practice. Norelco's marketing department
may have exaggerated.

My Braun might be a little hotter than other Melitta filter machines,
but I suspect that there are workable alternatives. As long as the
thermoblock output doesn't lose too much heat to the water reservoir,
the dimensions needed to accommodate the carafe and filter holder give
you a chance to use a Chemex flask instead ... it just might work :-)


Felix

[D. Ross]

| I've seen, now, pictures of two general designs for the 80's models.
| On one, the filter housing sat directly on the carafe. On the other,
| it attached below the top of the water dispenser. Also, I hear of one
| which could fit Chemex-filters.

We had the Norelco model which took Chemex filters and on which the Chemex
version was based. (You can see the Chemex version pictured on the front of
the Chemex cleaning powder package, which in turn appears at several Chemex
dealer websites.)

I saw one last month in a thrift shop in central Illinois for $5 or so.

Its temp was fine, but when some drip machines get old and the main tube
scaled up they tend to brew cooler.

- David R.
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