These days, it feels like we’re caught in a battle of “survival of the screens” — microwaves, car dashboards, even refrigerators have become oversized iPads with compartments for perishable goods. But nowhere does contemporary competition feel more intense than in coffee, a category long steeped in snobbery and now dominated by machines so high-tech they rival the cost of a mortgage.
“If I were a cynic, I'd say: well, I can't get a $5K coffee maker, so I'll go for one that I’ve clearly chosen for aesthetics over function,” quips Livingetc deputy editor Hugh Metcalf. And honestly? Fair point. If you can’t keep up with the Joneses — or are simply fatigued by the over-complication of a once-simple ritual — why not embrace the “outdated” drip coffee maker styles that worked just fine decades ago?
