West Bend 58030 12-30 Automatic Party Perk
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of West Bend 58030 12-30 Automatic Party Perk
Customer Review: CAUTION: Only for coffee!
Summary: 1 Stars
Okay, this is a "coffeemaker," but it is titled an "automatic party perk" and we purchased it to heat water for hot chocolate. I have seen mulled cider and cocoa served from similar percolators many times, so I don't think we are the only ones who have planned to use the 58030 in this way.
Our method was to get the water hot, then stir in hot chocolate mix and serve. The cocoa was usually in the pot for less than 25 minutes at most, and we had made it a maximum of 8 times when, without warning, it overheated. There was the smell of burning plastic and even the cord began to get hot, so we unplugged it and found the bottom covered with blackened residue--this with many cups of water still inside!
In talking to the customer service rep--a very pleasant, very helpful young woman--we were led to page 5 of the manual where there was a statement saying "Other than making coffee or heating water, no other liquid should be heated in coffeemaker as damage to heating unit can occur." This danger was not noted in the three pages of heavily stressed warnings that started out the booklet, and there is no other reference on packaging, etc., to the need to avoid using these "party perks" for things like hot chocolate or even mulled cider.
Since this very nearly caused a fire, I believe that the comment should be moved up to the warning section and a statement should be added to the packaging to alert potential customers "This product is to be used only for coffee and hot water." Very disappointing--and scary--that a company as reputable as West Bend would be allowing such a potential hazard to be so little noted.
Customer Review: Perfect for small office, small parties, or family gatherings
Summary: 5 Stars
To start off, we've used these similar ones for family gatherings as far as I can remember and they are so convenient and great time savers.
I've used it for coffee as suggested and have not had any problems with my unit. It works exactly as expected.
I use it most often for tea. I just put the tea bags on the built in coffee filter and it makes great tea.
It warns against other liquids besides water and coffee to be made in this unit. However, I've seen tea made in similar perks for over 20 years and haven't seen any issues, nor have I had an issue with mine. I've also read a of reviewers trying to brew hot chocolate in these and running into problems. I wouldn't recommend experimenting with liquids thicker than coffee, tea or water, or with sugary items (since sugar tends to heat to very high temperatures). I don't see any reason that you couldn't heat up just water then add hot chocolate mix to the perk, but this isn't a recommendation by me to do so. I add regular milk and sometimes evaporated milk after the brew is complete when I make tea but not during the brew.
The 12-30 cups is a wide estimate. If you're looking for a realistic 20-30 cups out of this unit you wont get it with one shot. If you make 8-10 oz , you'll get 7-10 cups, maybe 12 cups.
Customer Review: A Must Own for the Home Entertainer or Office Coffee Pro
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned 3 West Bend coffee pot just like this since 1991- each one lasting at least 8 years with heavy use. I purchased my first to make my own coffee to serve at impromptu receptions that I hosted on sight in my sales job. I use a gallon of bottled water, nice paper filters and Maxwell House French Roast coffee. Hundreds of gallons of coffee later I have no complaints! I keep a second pot for tea- I have never made coffee in it- it is my superior hot water pot. As the other reviewer states- these pots are hot and the coffee is never cold.
I have thrown parties, family gatherings, and had it in my office serving coffee every day and everyone agrees- perked coffee tastes best. I do not care for Starbucks - the strong acid is not my thing. I prefer a strong cup of perked coffee. The percolator allows the coffee to actually cook which reduces the acid.Anything leftover from morning gets put into a pitcher and into the fridge for iced coffee in the afternoon- it is so yummy! For smaller quantity the Westbend home percolators are great- not your grandma's machine they have nice easy to read and follow settings and again the superior flavor over drip.This unit is easy to clean- do not let the size intimidate you.
Customer Review: Good Deal
Summary: 4 Stars
Got two of these for a small private school. We use one for hot water only, the other for coffee. They serve both teachers and parents on a daily basis. The 12-30 cups size is not too big, not too small - both of ours fit on a kitchen countertop underneath a standard height cupboard. I find the two-handed spout design is safer and harder to mess up than one-handed designs. I did a fair amount of research before I purchased these, and we wanted something good that would last. I was encouraged by the other positive reviews I found, and the fact that these are made in USA was a plus too. These are very sturdy, and I expect they will last for decades. On the downside, after about 4 hours, the coffee will start to taste burnt if left plugged in, and the plastic coffee strainer does let in a few more coffee grounds than a paper filter, but that's the nature of percolated coffee. Nothing is perfect, but so far these have lived up to our expectations. A good product that makes good reliable coffee at a good price. Get two! :-)Customer Review: convenient handy machine and brews good coffee
Summary: 5 Stars
We are a small nonprofit and we were looking at ways to save some money - one silly expense we had was every time we did a workshop/conference we went through TONS of coffee. With a 'box-o-joe' being around $14 per 10 baby cups and caterers charging double that, we decided to make our own, and purchased this percolator 7 months ago. LOVE it! Cheapest on the market I could find and it works great with store-bought pre-ground coffee (even though the instructions have specific grinding settings, we've never done that). I just bought a second one.
Two down sides though: The cord is actually kind of short, so when we put it on a buffet table I have to work up this creative surge-protector/extension cord maze to plug it in, as the cord doesn't even reach the floor from a table top.
Also, the metal base does get extremely hot (as I am sure does with most percolators)and even though it has a small 'caution - hot' carved into it, people burn themselves a lot, so I have to put a giant sign on it.