The Good Stuff

Coffeemakers and sweet potato sticks

The Best Coffeemaker

I don’t look at many Wirecutter best-product lists, but when I saw a headline for their list of best coffeemakers I checked it out.

Their choice for the best drip coffeemaker is Bonavita, an Italian brand I’ve used for several years. I can attest – it makes great coffee.

My understanding is that one of Bonavita’s secrets is a higher water temperature than the standard drip coffeemaker. Just as important, the Bonavita doesn’t have a hot-plate to keep the coffee warm – instead, the coffeemaker fills a carafe where coffee stays both hot and fresh.

I use the 8-cup Connoisseur model; there is also a 5-cup version and a slightly more sophisticated 8-cup coffeemaker.

Could I achieve a better coffee quality by doing a pour-over or French press? Probably, but it would be a lot more work, and (based on my experience) I question how much better it actually would be. I was talking with a friend the other day about this issue – the endless quest of the niche hobbyist to increase the quality level of a type of food or drink, even if the improvement is so miniscule as to be undetectable. It seems like a recipe for discontentment rather than happiness.

- Jack Jr.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Sweet Potato Sticks

I’m pretty strict about what I eat and some people think it’s because I am disciplined. This is wrong. I am strict about what I eat because I am a slob who loves to snack and can (and will) eat entire bags of chips. I try to be strict whenever I can and give myself a couple cheat days a week. This means I need to find alternatives that scratch that itch to snack.

Last year I found sweet potato sticks at Costco. They’re basically chewy, dried strips of sweet potato. Lara doesn’t like the texture, but I’m a big fan. They’re literally nothing but sweet potato so I can eat them and not feel like a failure, and they’re more filling than chips. I realize this is not exciting and might sound gross to some of you, but if they sound interesting, check them out at Costco (if you have one nearby).

- Jack III