As the largest consumers of coffee in the world, you’d be hard pressed to visit any household in the United States that doesn’t have some type of coffee brewer in the kitchen.
Coffee has weaved its way into our lives. It is what most of us reach for at the start of the day and a preferred drink to share with family and friends. Whether it’s made with an automatic drip, single serve, pour-over device or kettle, American adults are drinking an average of three cups of coffee per day.
For a century now, we've been making coffee moments possible from Boston to San Diego. We covet our invitation into your kitchens. Our goal today, as in the past, is to help you prepare a hot, flavorful cup of coffee, day after day.
The first Silex coffeemaker debuted in 1915, when the Silex Company introduced the vacuum brewer to the American market. Invented in Germany in the 1830’s, the brewer worked by heating water in the lower half of the brewer until the pressure caused the water to rise to an upper chamber. There it mixed with coffee grounds until it cooled and the pressure changed enough to suck the brewed coffee down to the bottom.
The Silex Company continued to perfect this appliance, securing patents and improving the brewer. They even had an exhibit of a 7 foot tall, fully operational glass coffee maker in the 1939 World’s Fair. Sales of the vacuum coffee maker were strong until the convenience of instant coffee became popular. Eventually the vacuum model was replaced with the percolator, which flourished until the 1970s when the automatic drip coffee maker was invented.
Today, Proctor Silex still strives to deliver quality products so you can wake up to a hot cup of coffee each morning. Innovation continues as well with the 2015 release of the first Proctor Silex single serve machine. This petite machine can fit in a small kitchen, dorm or even at your desk, but it brews big flavor and is easy to use
If you’re a fan of tried and true automatic drip coffeemakers, Proctor Silex offers a wide range of brewers whether you’re looking for a 4, 10 or 12 cup machine. Our coffee makers offer an auto pause and serve feature and some are programmable so you can have coffee waiting for you when you wake up. We also offer a line of kettles if you prefer the pour over method, instant coffee, or enjoy making your coffee in a French press.
You might think making great coffee is an art, but there’s definitely science behind it. The temperature the water reaches, how much the beans are ground, and how long the water is exposed to the grounds are all factors that affect the taste of your coffee. Understanding the science behind brewing coffee and using that information to create quality products is what we do.
The coffee lab is always buzzing at headquarters. Engineers stand near coffee brewers with thermometers in hand, testing for consistent temperatures and proper coffee saturation. Day after day, cup after cup is brewed as units are evaluated for performance.
Developing and evaluating a coffeemaker can get pretty technical. Engineers have two methods of getting a peek inside a working appliance: a thermal imaging camera and an X-Ray machine.
A thermal imaging camera allows them to take video of the heat transfer process. This information helps determine where to put thermal controls to ensure reliability and longer life. They can see the elements heat up and the water warming inside.
Just like looking at X-rays at the doctor's office, engineers use X-Ray machines to look inside parts without taking them apart. For example, if they need to check the positioning of a heating element, an x-ray machine is used. These pictures allow them to look at the heating element to be sure everything is working properly.
On the other side of the building, product and real life testing is done. For a full size automatic drip coffee maker, about 120 days are spent testing reliability. Typically, a coffee maker must undergo 6,000 consecutive brews to qualify for production, said Arthur Hudgins, engineering test lab manager.
Thousands of cups of coffee are brewed before our products are approved for production. Only then are we ready to share a cup with you.
What makes Proctor Silex kitchen appliances simply better? Our high-quality, easy-to-use appliances give you exactly what’s essential, every time. No frills, no fuss, no guesswork, no surprises. Just what you need, when you need it.
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