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How to find the best coffee makers, among a wide variety of choices.
The French Press The French press is essentially a glass jar with vertical sides and a plunger with a mesh filter on it. You put the coffee grounds in the jar, pour in the hot water, put the lid on and press down the plunger after 3 – 4 minutes. Presto. You have a wonderful, rich cup of coffee. It's one of the best coffee makers you'll ever use. Coffee Percolators Don’t make your coffee with a percolator. Those are the pots you put on the stove and leave for hours. It’s not a good way to make the most of your carefully selected coffee beans. When you brew coffee, whatever the coffee maker, the water temperature should be slightly below boiling point. Percolators just boil the flavor out of your beans. If you are completely indifferent to the flavor of your coffee, by all means keep that old percolator. But if you want to enjoy the flavor you paid for when you bought those coffee beans, use a different kind of coffee maker. Coffee Drip Brewers This is the commonest and one of the best coffee makers. You probably have one at work, and maybe at home too. You just put ground coffee in a paper filter, fill a reservoir with water, turn the brewer on and watch the glass carafe fill with coffee. So long as you have a good model, and the water hits the coffee grounds at the right temperature, drip brewers can make a great cup of coffee. But they do have one disadvantage. And if you have ever poured yourself a cup of coffee an hour or two after it was made in a drip brewer, you know what that problem tastes like. Here’s what happens...these glass carafes are on a hotplate, to keep the coffee hot. The trouble is, after a while, the heat from the hotplate starts “cooking” the coffee. Coffee Detective Tip: If you are going to use a Drip Brewer, make just enough coffee for the amount you want to drink over the next thirty minutes or so. If you want more coffee an hour or two later, make a fresh brew.
Enter the new world of K-Cup Coffee, Pod Coffee and Disc Coffee. It’s a bit like VHS and Betamax. These are all competing “One-cup” presentations fighting for the lion’s share of the market. Here’s the deal. You buy a particular brand of single-serve coffee maker, and then buy these single-serve K-Cups or Pods of ground coffee. If the machine is designed for use with K Cups, you can’t use Pods, and vice versa. The advantages? You get a fresh cup of coffee, one at a time, with no mess, no coffee grounds to spill...no bother. Disadvantages? There are a few. Chief among them being that you can only brew coffee that comes in these pre-sealed cups or pods. No more going down to the store and trying some exotic new blend of beans. Each machine manufacturer has its own suppliers of coffee...and their selection is what you get. Right now the most popular combination seems to be using K-Cups with Keurig brewers. Both the machines and K-Cups are available at Green Mountain Coffee. There’s plenty more to say on the subject, which is why we have devoted a separate page to single cup coffee brewers. Final thoughts on the “best coffee makers”... At the end of the day, everyone has different ideas about which are the best coffee makers. It has nothing much to do with expert opinions, and everything to do with your own tastes and lifestyle. Just keep in mind that some of the simplest brewers make excellent coffee, and never break down.
Learn more about making great coffee...
Learn more about single cup coffee brewers... Choosing between the different Keurig single cup brewers... Find a good coffee maker with travel mug... Learn more about making coffee with a coffee press... Learn more about coffee maker ratings... Save space with an under counter coffee maker... Using a variety of different coffee makers... All about Vacuum Coffee makers... Should you choose a 4, 8 or 10 cup coffee maker? All about Grind and Brew coffee makers... How to make Turkish coffee... Learn about the advantages of a Thermal Mug Coffee Maker... Find out about the best and least expensive one cup coffee maker... Which kind of coffee maker do YOU use?There are so many different types and brands of coffee maker to choose from. But over time we find the type and brand that suits us best. Which coffee maker do YOU use? What do you like about it, and why? What others have written about their coffee makersClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Technivorm - Moccamaster
Eva Solo Cafe Solo
We love our Cuisinart Grind & Brew coffee maker
Single Cup - Breville
Not rated yet
Aerobie Aeropress
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