[HN Gopher] Alien: Braun Aromaster KF 20 Coffee Makers (2012)
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       Alien: Braun Aromaster KF 20 Coffee Makers (2012)
        
       Author : exvi
       Score  : 92 points
       Date   : 2026-01-03 08:08 UTC (7 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (alienexplorations.blogspot.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (alienexplorations.blogspot.com)
        
       | SoftTalker wrote:
       | European designs from the '60s and '70s are so cool.
        
         | lostlogin wrote:
         | That orange one is spectacular.
         | 
         | So much great design in coffee equipment.
         | 
         | Faema Urania and e-61 are my top choices. Though a stovetop
         | Moka pot in that same orange would be nice.
        
           | joshu wrote:
           | I like it, but it is also giving me Lego person vibes
        
       | ggm wrote:
       | The parent site is a step down memory lane into the obsessive Web
       | world of the 1990s. True dedication.
        
         | gambiting wrote:
         | I honestly wish all web was like this. So much more readable
         | and immediately clear how to use.
        
         | michaelbuckbee wrote:
         | It's great! But what makes it even more so is that it's not a
         | time capsule, but still updated. There's pages for Alien
         | Romulus, the new Predator movies and more.
        
       | metalman wrote:
       | my stovetop coffee maker is, italian, stainless, somewhat
       | customised, but my braun coffee grinder is the mate to the coffee
       | maker in the article, and almost worn out, though I have a nos
       | one stashed. my mom had all the braun kichen gear, but as it is
       | all plastic, it inevitably fails in some unrepairable fashion
        
         | Propelloni wrote:
         | I would be happy to find a coffee grinder that lives for 10
         | years, let alone 50 like yours. What model do you own? The
         | KSM11 or the KMM10?
        
           | Cockbrand wrote:
           | Not a Braun product, but also timeless European design: I
           | have a De'Longhi KG79 which I've bought in 2019, and it
           | doesn't show any signs of wearing out yet. The only
           | maintenamce so far was that I gave it a thorough cleaning
           | last year or so. It does its job flawlessly and is fairly
           | cheap.
           | 
           | [EDIT: Looking at the Braun 4045 mentioned in the article: I
           | used to have the Braun 3045, which broke down at some point.
           | To be fair, it lasted at least 10 years, not sure how long
           | exactly. I remember that the somewhat brittle coffee grounds
           | container broke after only 2 or 3 years, but it could be
           | pieced together with epoxy]
        
           | speed_spread wrote:
           | I have a Rancilio Rocky that will outlive the universe. I've
           | had it for twenty years and have never maintained it. It
           | weighs more than any other device I have at home. You can buy
           | new parts for it from the manufacturer. It still grinds
           | coffee like it did on day 1.
        
           | natebc wrote:
           | I have a breville burr grinder that i've used every day for
           | the last 15 years and i've only cleaned it maybe 3 times?
           | 
           | At this point it will likely outlast me.
        
       | srean wrote:
       | By any chance is Ned Flanders modelled upon Florian Seiffert.
       | 
       | Link to photo fromthe pist:
       | https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj...
       | 
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ned_Flanders.png
        
       | Fricken wrote:
       | My dad and I picked out a Braun Espresso maker as a Christmas
       | gift for my mom in the mid-80s. When I grew up and moved out I
       | took it with me, and used it daily up until 2010. When it was
       | finally time to replace it the replacement lasted 6 months and
       | the next one lasted 2 months and then I just stopped using home
       | espresso makers.
        
         | hahahahhaah wrote:
         | 6 and 2 months for espresso maker is insanely bad. They are
         | fairly simple devices. I am doing 4 years with Breville which
         | is definitely consumer appliance grade (but semi pro results
         | when paired with a good grinder)
        
       | austinallegro wrote:
       | EUR600 on GrEUREURdBay. The Hoff reckons it makes terrible
       | coffee.
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Eg_2EwaSZVI
       | 
       | In summary, nice to admire. Terrible coffee maker. Fools and
       | their money...
        
         | pantalaimon wrote:
         | It's a standard drip coffee machine, can't expect anything
         | extraordinary there.
        
       | keepamovin wrote:
       | Beautiful design. And I love that 1970s high quality plastic.
        
       | jonhohle wrote:
       | I know jokes are typically frowned upon, but in this case I think
       | it's appropriate:
       | 
       | Ash woke up on his first morning on the Nostromo and was
       | rummaging through the refrigerator. Dallas came into the kitchen
       | and asked what he was up to. Ash said, "I can't find any milk for
       | my coffee." Dallas replied, "In space, no one can. Here, use
       | cream."
        
       | amelius wrote:
       | I'm looking for a dual-boiler espresso machine but I'm wondering
       | why they are so expensive. With the cost reduction opportunities
       | of mass production, I don't see why they should cost more than
       | $500.
       | 
       | Anyway, cheapest option so far, at around $900:
       | https://coffeegeek.com/blog/new-products/lelit-victoria-an-o...
       | 
       | But at that price point, I think I'm going to spend the money on
       | RAM.
        
         | carlmr wrote:
         | >With the cost reduction opportunities of mass production, I
         | don't see why they should cost more than $500.
         | 
         | I think it's more of a supply and demand thing. People spend a
         | lot on their hobby. And it's not as much mass produced as some
         | other items.
        
           | amelius wrote:
           | With a large percentage of the population drinking coffee on
           | a regular basis, can you really call it a "hobby"?
        
             | natebc wrote:
             | Arguably for "coffee geeks" it _is_ a hobby!
        
               | amelius wrote:
               | I'd assume the coffee geeks have figured out how to make
               | cheaper machines and put the designs on github.
        
         | ZiiS wrote:
         | Would two DeLonghi Dedica machines count as dual boiler?
        
           | amelius wrote:
           | Ha, this entirely proves my point that these dual boiler
           | machines can be cheaper!
        
         | halflife wrote:
         | Maybe material cost? I have a lelit mara machine, it's pretty
         | heavy. It weighs 18kg, with a plenty of brass and copper pipes.
         | Also the internals don't look like it can be machine assembled
         | an the fat that it's made in Italy makes it more expensive in
         | man hours
        
       | bradleyy wrote:
       | Admittedly a beautiful design, but drip coffee isn't my
       | preference. It does fit with the alien aesthetic in a certain
       | weird way, because bauhaus design isn't exactly how either the
       | Nostromo, H.R. Geiger, or the film really vibe.
        
       | moab wrote:
       | Let me use the discussion of coffee to plug what I believe is the
       | most beautiful and long-lasting espresso machine currently out
       | there (you'll hand it down to your grandkids):
       | https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/cafelat-robot-espr...
       | 
       | I've pulled a few thousand cups of long espresso from this guy
       | since we bought it two years ago. Much, much nicer and lower
       | maintenance than a boiler machine. If one wants, you can go deep
       | down the rabbit hole of heat control, etc. but even as a "just
       | boil water and make espresso" machine it works great, with no
       | fuss.
       | 
       | Unfortunately, after buying this thing I can't justify buying
       | other coffee objects that are beautiful but would probably make
       | worse coffee than the robot, e.g., the Moccamaster and other drip
       | machines.
        
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       (page generated 2026-01-10 23:01 UTC)