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Comment by monkeybutton | Hacker News Reader

Don't most consumer coffee makers shut off automatically some time after brewing?

Some n=1 anecdata:

My circa-2002 Mr. Coffee brand drip coffee marker has an automatic cut-off. I have never bothered measuring it precisely, but I think it cuts off at around an hour and a half or two hours after being turned on. Believe me, there have been many times I put on a pot of coffee, got "in the zone" working on some code, got up a while later, walked in the kitchen, and found the pot of coffee stone cold. Much to my dismay. Although as a former firefighter, I do understand the intent behind this, and I can't really be mad about it.

I have a little Mr. Coffee. The manual says:

"One-Hour Auto Shut-Off – Keeps your coffee warm for 1 hour after you brew, then automatically turns off."

Many do, a surprising amount do not, including some models from brands you would recognize.

Edit: In the US, for sure. Like most of the ones on Amazon right now that are under $30.

Any coffee machine sold in the EU in the last 7/8 years is required to have a 40 minute off switch.

Yes. And I hate that so so much.

I inherited an older Moccamaster, which does not have the timeout, and the newer one went straight to storage. Unfortunately the old button without a timer is not sold as a spare anymore, or I would have "downgraded" the newer machine.

There are coffee machines that pour coffee straight into thermos.

I personally can't stand the taste of 'cooked' coffee. I'll grind and make another mug when needed in an espresso coffee maker. Doesn't take long at all. Mine is manual but you can have automatic machine to shave off even more time.

I'll often drink several cups over 3-4 hours; a 40 minute timer seems far too short.

But surely, after several hours whatever liquid remains on the brewer hardly tastes like coffee anymore?

As long as the caffeine remains in tact, all’s good!

Takes a while to "burn" good coffee, probably about 12 hours on heat.

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Now it's cold and I have to wait 20 minutes for it to warm up again, or use the microwave. I just want my coffee man!

It flicks off every 40 minutes. Turning it on after 40 minutes will keep it warm as the hot plate has residual heat that keeps it piping hot for about 5-10 minutes fter it switches off.

Agreed, that is way too short for me. I found 2hrs or 4 hours is the reasonable amount to cut off.

I wonder EU have that 40 min cut off is due to their high voltage/amperage?

I'm assuming energy savings, as the cutoff is 5 minutes if the device has an insulated carafe.

Just decant into a thermos in that case.

Are those the same coffee makers sold by foreign companies that declare bankruptcy the moment a lawsuit takes place?

Except for (the complicated mechanical mess that is) Black & Decker, the cheap ones I've encountered don't have any one-time-only control mechanism, they just cycle the thermostat if left on long enough, which means the heating element is powered long enough to pop the thermostat again. Then they put thermal fuses in to deal with any heat buildup.

I have a Black & Decker one, it have 2-hours shut off. My previous maker is Mr. Coffee and it have 4 hours shut off.

The only I know that consumer coffee maker don't have the auto shut off is the one that have a rocking switch and they are normally the most basic kind ($10 - $30 USD).

Mine has one, but something is causing it to get stuck in the on position. We know about this because it repeatedly clicks while trying and failing to turn itself off.

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