Re:Cona Vacuum Brewer (Score 1)

Agreed -- vac pots produce the cleanest and most consistent coffee. If you can't afford the Cona, the Bodum Santos is almost as good, though Bodum can't seem to make up their mind about whether or not they want to keep making the model. It's still available from some places, though (try http://greenbeanery.ca/ if you're in Canada). Don't be fooled by the electric version, it's far inferior (made of plastic, harder to clean, etc). As a cheap and very effective upgrade, which puts the Santos on an equal footing with the Cona IMO, I purchased an antique glass Cory filter rod on eBay to use instead of the plastic filter that comes with the Bodum Santos. Now my coffee never comes in contact with plastic or metal during brewing. Yum! As for the beans themselves, go for some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Many people call it the best coffee in the world, and I tend to agree!