Getting Started with Coffee Makers
Starting off the day with that first cup of coffee is an important morning ritual for many people, so choosing the right coffee maker can be essential to having a good morning—or good rest of the day, depending on a person’s coffee-drinking habits. Which type of coffee maker best suits a person’s preferences? Which features are the most important in terms of buying a coffee maker? Does brand really matter when choosing a coffee maker? These are important questions that will be answered in this guide so consumers can choose the ideal coffee maker for them.
The Types of Coffee Makers Available
- Drip coffee makers. These are the most common and popular consumer coffee makers because they often cost the least and allow people to make large amounts of coffee fairly quickly. This type of coffee maker features a water chamber, a basket for the filter and coffee grounds, and a carafe placed below the basket into which the coffee drips.
- Pod coffee makers. Those who only want a cup or two of coffee at a time may prefer the simplicity of a pod coffee maker, which requires only putting water in a reservoir and sticking a small pod that resembles a tea bag in a small, oval-shaped basket. The coffee is forced through the small pod and directly into the cup waiting below. K-cups can also fall under this type as they are also single-serve coffee makers.
- Percolators. These are ideal for those who like a quick, hot cup of coffee. The brewing method uses high water temperatures to get more flavor out of coffee grounds and thus produces coffee at higher temperatures than drip or pod coffee makers.
- Cappuccino and espresso machines. Gourmet coffee drinks like cappuccinos and espressos are no longer just for coffee shops. These machines make coffee by forcing water through coffee grounds with high pressure, giving the coffee its unique, rich flavor.
- French press coffee makers. Those who appreciate strong, robustly flavored coffee may prefer a French press. These work by placing coarsely-ground coffee beans in hot water and then lowering a plunger to trap the grounds on the bottom of the carafe.
Typical Coffee Maker Features
All coffee makers make coffee, but some of them come with different features that can make a difference to the consumer. The following are all features that can make a coffee maker a cut above the basic.
- Programmable settings. This coffee maker feature is the most popular as it allows people to pre-program the coffee maker to start at a certain time, which is ideal for those who want to wake up to the smell of brewing coffee. Other settings may be available, but the coffee timer is the most popular of these.
- Auto shutoff. This is another immensely popular feature as it gives the consumer peace of mind that he or she has not left the coffee maker on for the duration of the workday. Nobody wants to come home to burnt coffee—or even a burnt house.
- Built-in grinder. Coffee grounds begin to lose their freshness the moment they are ground up from coffee beans, so those who want to get the most flavor possible from their coffee beans may want to buy a coffee maker with this feature.
- Pause and serve. Many coffee makers have a feature that shuts down the coffee drip whenever the carafe is removed from the base of the machine, allowing for consumers to pour a cup of coffee before the pot is done brewing.
- Thermal carafe or mug. Some single-serving or pod coffee makers may come with an insulated mug or skinny metal carafe that is a perfect fit for the one-serving machine’s height and capacity.
The Brand Names in Coffee Makers
Some of the most popular brand names in terms of coffee makers are Mr. Coffee, Black & Decker, Hamilton Beach, Proctor-Silex, and Sunbeam. Higher-end coffee makers are made by such brands as Melitta, Gevalia, Krups, Cloer, and some of the aforementioned brands. Some of these brands offer a large range of coffee makers from fairly cheap one-cup or drip coffee makers to deluxe espresso machines and large percolators.
Author
