When Mr. Coffee Was The Must-Have Christmas Gift For Java Snobs
In the 1970s, Mr. Coffee became iconic, an American byword for drip brewing. By Christmas 1977, department stores were selling more than 40,000 Mr. Coffees a day. Credit for some of that success goes to the machine's longtime pitchman, former New York Yankee Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, seen here in a television commercial from 1978. Richard Drew/AP hide caption
In the 1970s, Mr. Coffee became iconic, an American byword for drip brewing. By Christmas 1977, department stores were selling more than 40,000 Mr. Coffees a day. Credit for some of that success goes to the machine's longtime pitchman, former New York Yankee Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, seen here in a television commercial from 1978.
Richard Drew/APHoliday wish lists for foodies and coffee snobs this year include Hario V60 ceramic pour-over dripper cones, highly sensitive digital brewing scales, burr grinders and, for stocking stuffers, bags of small-lot Ethiopian and Panamanian beans. (The truly optimistic are also including La Marzocco's mini Linea espresso machine, which retails for a cool $4,500.)
Holiday wish lists for foodies and coffee snobs this year include Hario V60 ceramic pour over dripper cones, highly sensitive digital brewing scales, and burr grinders, and, for stocking stuffers, bags of small-lot Ethiopian and Panamanian beans. (The truly optimistic are also including La Marzocco's mini Linea espresso machine, which retails for a cool $4,500.)
Forty years ago, the coffee habit-altering gift for those wanting to make a better cup of Joe at home would have been an automatic drip coffee machine.
Forty years ago, the coffee habit-altering gift for those wanting to make a better cup of Joe at home would have been an automatic drip coffee machine.
Back in the 1960s, Americans were preparing coffee by the potful for breakfast, lunch and even dinner with their percolator. While the glass knob-topped pot deliciously gurgled and filled the kitchen with wonderful aromas, percolators often produced a bitter brew from cycling boiling water over and over through the grounds.
Back in the 1960s, Americans were preparing coffee by the potful for breakfast, lunch and even dinner with their percolator. While the glass knob-topped pot deliciously gurgled and filled the kitchen with wonderful aromas, percolators often produced a bitter brew from cycling boiling water over and over through the grounds.
"It was really an outmoded way of making coffee," Vincent Marotta, a real estate developer in Cleveland told NPR's Linda Wertheimer in 2005.
"It was really an outmoded way of making coffee," Vincent Marotta, a real estate developer in Cleveland, Ohio, told NPR's Linda Wertheimer in 2005.
In 1969, Marotta set out to build an appliance that would make better coffee by controlling the temperature and flow of the water.
In 1969, Marotta set out to build an appliance that would make better coffee by controlling the temperature and flow of the water.
"The ideal temperature of the water is 200 degrees," he explained to Forbes in 1979. "Not 212 degrees, which the percolators give you; 212 degrees gives you overextraction, so the coffee becomes bitter and astringent. Not under 200 degrees, because then there's a tendency for the coffee to come out like tea — too weak, not enough extraction."
"The ideal temperature of the water is 200 degrees," he explained to Forbes in 1979. "Not 212 degrees, which the percolators give you; 212 degrees gives you overextraction, so the coffee becomes bitter and astringent. Not under 200 degrees, because then there's a tendency for the coffee to come out like tea — too weak, not enough extraction."
The secret — the challenge — was to get a mechanism that would provide water at exactly 200°F and then control its flow over the grounds for precisely the right length of time.
The secret — the challenge — was to get a mechanism that would provide water at exactly 200 degrees Fahrenheit and then control its flow over the grounds for precisely the right length of time.
Marotta and his business partner Samuel Glazer hired a pair of former Westinghouse engineers to solve the problem.
Marotta and his business partner Samuel Glazer hired a pair of former Westinghouse engineers to solve the problem.
On July 26, 1971, Edmund Abel Jr., one of the engineers, filed a patent for a "Pour-in, instant brewing electric coffee maker." On September 26, 1972, patent number US3693535 A was granted.
On July 26, 1971, Edmund Abel Jr., one of the engineers, filed a patent for a "Pour-in, instant brewing electric coffee maker." On Sept. 26, 1972, patent number US3693535 A was granted.
[INSERT PATENT ILLUSTRATION HERE: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pages/US3693535-1.png]
Christened Mr. Coffee, the first automatic drip coffee maker for the home launched a month later. Despite its hefty price tag — the equivalent of about $230 today — it was an immediate hit. By 1975, over 1 million Mr. Coffees had been snapped up.
Christened Mr. Coffee, the first automatic drip coffee maker for the home launched a month later. Despite its hefty price tag — the equivalent of costing about $230 today — it was an immediate hit. By 1975, over 1 million Mr. Coffees had been snapped up.
Correction Dec. 22, 2016
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that a Mr. Coffee machine took just 15 seconds to brew a pot. In fact, it took just 15 seconds for the coffee to start flowing.