Coffee Maker Buying Guide

Brewing Method

While automatic-drip coffeemakers are by far the most popular choice for home brewing, there is a wide variety of brewing methods to suit the tastes of casual coffee-drinkers and aspiring home baristas alike. To make the best selection, you’ll want to consider the coffeemaker’s efficiency, the quality of coffee it can produce, and how much clean-up it requires.

If you’ve got your heart set on an automatic drip, however, you’re not alone. Since its introduction in the 1970s, this coffeemaker has found a home in millions of kitchens. The biggest advantage of this machine is efficiency. Once you add coffee grounds and water, the automatic drip coffeemaker does the work for you. For the person who craves convenience and consistency, this coffeemaker is a solid choice. It works by distributing water over the grounds either through a single hole or by a shower method. As the hot water passes through the grounds, it extracts flavor. In general, the shower method is more successful at evenly dispersing water over the grounds, which produces a more flavorful batch of coffee. You can use either paper or permanent filters to prevent grounds from falling into the finished product. Daily clean-up is simple, but you can extend your coffeemaker’s longevity by performing periodic maintenance, such as running a pot of water and a decalcifying agent through the machine.

The first alternative to the automatic drip, is the French press which produces flavorful coffee in smaller batches. This coffeemaker is designed to extract maximum flavor from the coffee grounds by allowing them to steep with hot water for 4-5 minutes in a canister. A plunger is slowly depressed to filter the grounds. Making coffee this way, requires more effort than an automatic drip machine, but the result is 1-2 cups of rich-bodied coffee. If you have the time and you love your coffee, a French press will be a welcome addition to your morning routine.

If you are seeking robust flavor, and are brewing only for yourself, consider a vacuum or stovetop brewer. Both systems are composed of two containers, one stacked on the other. The bottom bowl contains water, while the top bowl holds the coffee grounds. When placed over a heat source, the water boils and the resulting steam combines with the grounds in the top bowl. Like the French press, these techniques yield smaller batches of coffee, but for the coffee-drinker with a discerning palate, the results can be worth it.

How Much Coffee is Enough?

When selecting a coffeemaker, it’s important to pay attention to how much coffee you think you will brew in each batch. Unless your method is designed to produce small batches, brewing coffee for one or even two may sacrifice flavor because less water passes through the grounds resulting in a weaker extraction. Does that mean you’re limited to a French press or other method if you’re making coffee just for yourself? No. Just limit your selection to models that have flavor-enhancing features. In automatic drip machines, you can find single-serve coffeemakers, as well as 4-cup and 5-cup varieties. On today’s market, you will also see pod coffeemakers, which use pods of pre-packed coffee grounds. Some newer automatic drip machines are pod-compatible, so they can use pods or traditional loose coffee grounds. Conversely, if you prefer the French press method that doesn’t mean you can’t make larger batches of coffee. French presses come in a variety of sizes to serve anywhere from 1-5 people. You may find that you prefer to use the French press for yourself and rely on an automatic drip machine when you have guests.

Simmer Time

Have you ever returned to your coffeemaker for a second cup only to find bitter swill where balanced and flavorful coffee once sat? Coffee tastes best when it is consumed immediately after it brews. When it is exposed to high levels of heat as it rests on the hotplate, the flavor begins to break down and turn bitter. Look for automatic drip coffeemakers that offer adjustable hotplates so that your coffee doesn’t cook. However, your best bet is to remove the carafe from the heat source immediately after the coffee has brewed. By pouring the coffee into a thermal carafe, you can preserve freshness. Some models even brew directly into a portable thermal carafe instead of the traditional glass variety so seek them out if flavor freshness is top concern for you.

Time savers

Most mornings, it’s a struggle to get out the door on time never mind find time to make coffee. Programmable drip coffeemakers give you a head start on your day by allowing you to set an automatic brewing time through the LCD or LED display. For those coffee-drinkers who can’t wait 8-10 minutes to take their first sip, this feature is a necessity. Some machines also allow you to program a shut-off time so you don’t have to worry about the temperature of the hotplate when you finally leave the house.

If you’re a multitasker at heart, another time-saving feature to look for is a built-in grinder. Some coffee lovers say this is a must because it offers convenience without sacrificing the flavor. Coffee begins to lose its flavor not long after it is ground, so shortening the time between the grinding and the brewing will improve the quality of your cup. While the price of coffeemakers with built-in grinders is not necessarily higher than standard coffeemakers, whole bean coffee is generally more expensive than ground. Additionally, machines with built-in grinders require more frequent cleaning, take longer to brew, and generally take up more counter space than standard coffeemakers. If budget, space or time to clean is an issue for you, purchase a separate grinder.

Additional Features

Modern coffeemakers do a lot more than they used to and all these extras are designed to make your coffee-making more enjoyable and your java taste better. One feature to keep any eye out for is ‘pause and serve’. In automatic drip machines, the typical brewing cycles take 8-10 minutes. For those of us who have a hard time waiting for our first cup in the morning, the pause and serve feature is perfect because it allows you to remove the carafe from the hot plate before the coffeemaker has finished brewing.

Coffee enthusiasts will tell you that a good cup owes as much of its superior taste to filtered water as it does to the quality of the grounds. Tap water contains an abundance of minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which tend to build up on the inside of the coffeemaker. For that reason, some high-end models include filtration systems to remove these elements before they pass through the coffee grounds.Lastly, if you’re a budding barista with no counter space to speak of, you might consider a dual coffee/espresso maker. While they’re no substitute for dedicated espresso makers, units with this dual functionality get the job done and let you practice your techniques on one space-saving machine. (See also Espresso Machine Buying Guide).

Need to know more?

• Consumer Reviews and How To’s
  http://www.coffeegeek.com
• The Mad Coffee Maker’s Everything About Coffee
  http://www.madcoffeemaker.com
• Coffee News, Reviews and Science
  http://www.talkaboutcoffee.com