Tips for choosing the best coffee makers

When purchasing a coffee maker there are many areas that need to be given some serious consideration. Finding the best coffee makers in a market that is simply overflowing with options can be very challlenging. Below is a simple guide to help you on your mission to find the best coffee maker for your needs. It is very important to keep the following statement in mind. Irrespective of all the cofee maker ratings and reviews you need to remember that the best coffee maker for someone else might not necessarily be the coffee maker that is best for you. The whole process of which coffee maker to buy is very subjective. The circumstances and preferences of each individual are of course different, but one facts remains the same, the best coffee makers for others may not be thwe best coffee maker for you.

Consider the following;

1. How often will you be using your coffee machine?

2. How much coffee do you consume?

3.What is your brew of preference?

4. How quickly do you need your coffee fix?

5.Have you the time or inclination to grind your own coffee beans?

6. Is cleaning a coffee maker a real pain for you?

7. . How much space have you available for your coffee maker?

8. How much can you afford to spend on your coffee machine?

Now that you have answers to the questions above we will look at some of the options available to you in your search for the best coffee makers.




Automatic Drip Coffee Makers



Automatic drip coffee machines are probably the coffee makers most favored by Americans. They are relatively inexpensive to purchase and simple to use. Most work on the same principle. There is within the coffee pot there is a filter basket where the coffee grounds are held in a paper filter. Cold water is decanted into the reservoir where it's heated prior to being poured over the grounds. The ensuing coffee flows into a carafe. The brewed coffee is kept warm by the hot surface beneath the carafe.

Keeping the machine and carafe clean, using quality coffee and disposable paper filters will help ensure a better result.

Automatic Espresso Coffee Makers

Automatic espresso coffee makers are available in semi-automatic, fully automatic and super automatic versions. Semi-automatic models tamp the coffee grounds, brew the coffee, fill the cup and eject grounds. Fully automatic models also grind the coffee. Super models offer a wide variety of features, including built in water filters.

French Press Coffee Maker

French Press coffee makers are also known as press pots or plunger pots. The pot is a glass or porcelain cylinder which contains a stainless, mesh plunger that works as a filter.

The user measures coffee grounds into the pot and adds water that is just short of boiling point.. The plunger is put in place but not pushed until the coffee has steeped a few minutes. After steeping, the plunger is pushed and the coffee is ready.

The coffee needs to be served immediately or placed in a thermal carafe as there is no way of keeping the coffee hot.


Percolator Coffee Makers

Percolator coffee makers are available in stove top styles and in electric styles. Most modern ones are both electric and can be programmed. Some models make only one cup of coffee, others can make 12 cups at a time. The massive coffee urns that a lot of organisations use operate on the percolation principle and can brew in excess of 100 cups of coffee at a session.

Percolators are not used as often as they used to be. These machines continuously run the water over the grounds and the water is boiled. Many coffee lovers claim that both actions violate the laws of making good coffee.

Coffee made via percolator tends to be stronger and often bitter tasting than coffee made with other brewing methods.

Stovetop Espresso Coffee Makers

Stovetop espresso coffee machines are simple to use and can be made anywhere there is heat, whether on a stove or over a campfire. Water is put inside the bottom boiler. The funnel filter is then placed in the boiler and filled with coffee. The top is screwed on lightly and the unit is placed over the heat source.

Once the top of the boiler is filled with brewed coffee, the coffee machine is removed from the heat source and the coffee is served.

Vacuum Coffee Makers

Vacuum coffee makers look more like chemistry lab equipment than coffee machines. This type consists of two overlapped containers that are connected by a syphon tube. There is a filter in the bottom of the upper container.

The user places water in the lower container and coffee grounds in the upper container. The machine is then put on top of the stove where the heated water vaporizes and passes through the syphon tube into the upper container.

The coffee brewing cycle lasts approximately three minutes. After the unit is removed from heat, the vapor turns back to water and is forced through the filter and back into the lower container. Farberware created the first automatic vacuum coffee machine model while Sunbeam made the first truly automatic modern one.



Hopefully, this quick guide to coffee makers will make your task of choosing the best coffee makers for your circumstances, just that little bit easier.