Top 12 Coffee Makers
The vast majority of the Americans own an auto drip coffee maker. This type of coffeemaker is easy, quick and convenient to use. After the basic preparations are done, with just a push of a button, the machine can automatically do the rest.
Top 5 Home Espresso
Espresso makers produce a highly concentrated, rich, dark brew which is often used as a base for blends and mixes. Right here is the crème de la crème, as we say. This is the brew of choice of Italian bistros and ritzy coffee shops around the globe.
Top 5 Single Serve
Single Serve has become more popular in recent years. These use coffee pods which have an air-tight seal that ensures the products’ freshness. Today, you can choose from a range of beverages to brew using single serve coffee makers.
Top 10 French Press
The French press can capture more of the coffee’s flavor and its essential oils, than a coffee maker that uses paper filters. Coffee purists praise the qualities of a French press coffee maker, contending that it generates the finest coffee flavor.
Choosing the Best Coffee Maker for Your Needs
IntroductionWhat are coffee machines? Coffee machines or coffee makers are cooking appliances used to brew coffee. There are several types of coffee machines with different brewing principles. In most common devices, the coffee grounds are placed in a metal or paper filter inside a funnel, which sits above a ceramic or glass coffee pot. Water is poured into a separate chamber which is heated to near boiling point (ideally 195 to 205 Fahrenheit), then is directed into the funnel. It is called automatic drip brew.During the 1990s, consumers demanded more attractive cooking devices to complement modern kitchen designs. This lead to a new wave of re-designed coffee makers available in a wide variety of styles and designer colors.
In choosing your best coffee maker for home, you have to consider all your personal preferences. Adding a bit of understanding to the mix is a good way to decide just which coffee machine will best meet your needs. Making coffee might be just one small element of your morning ritual, (performed with your eyes closed), or it could be a sacred rite for you , one which has to be done precisely every time. Either way the right coffee maker is an essential part of your kitchen.
Know The Factors That Affect Brewed Coffee Flavor
Several factors influence the flavor of the brewed coffee. Many coffee enthusiasts try to get the mix of the following variables that best fits their own personal tastes.
1. Bean Variety & Roast
While the country of origin and plant species of the bean variety affect the flavor of the coffee, the roast of the coffee beans hugely influence the flavor. The dark roasted beans make richer, fuller bodied drink than do the lightly roasted bean varieties.
2. Extraction
Extraction is the process in which the water is pulled through the grounds, extracting its flavors and essential oils from the beans and integrating them in to the hot water. The degree of extraction equals the weight of the coffee grounds dissolved in water.
3. Strength
The strength of the brew is equivalent to the total amount of dissolved solids in the coffee. This is a measure of the coffee concentration too. The coffee could be strong or watery.
4. Brew Ratio
The brew ratio is the amount of the coffee grounds opposed to the amount of water inside the pot. The relationship of these different variables in the ideal cup of coffee is indicated as:
Strength = Brew Ratio x Extraction
PICK A COFFEE MAKER – Finally, the efficiency with which the coffeemaker extracts the flavor in the coffee grounds, adds the final flourish to the perfect cup of coffee. That’s the reason why choosing the right coffee machine for your home or for the office is vital.
Know Which Type of the Top Rated Coffee Makers to Pick
Auto-Drip Coffeemaker
An automatic drip coffeemaker consists of a glass or thermal carafe with hinged plastic lid, a filter chamber, a water reservoir, and a power base with electrical cord. To brew a pot of coffee, the machine measures coffee grounds in the filter chamber then pours the water for the selected number of cups into the coffee pot or carafe. With just a touch of a button, the machine can automatically do the rest, distributing the heated water through the coffee grounds, through the filter and down into the carafe. Most drip coffee machines also feature a heater plate below the carafe that keeps coffee warm for hours.
Pros:
- Convenient to use
- Programmable
- Quick
- Consistent brew quality
- Warming feature keeps the coffee drinkable longer
Cons
- Need to purchase filters
- Can’t really regulate the water temperature for different kinds of coffee beans
- Can’t alter the time how the water and coffee steep
Espresso Machine
Espresso machines require that the coffee should be finely ground and packed to make strong coffee, which people drink as “shots” in a miniature cup. The brew holds a higher volume of the suspended and dissolved coffee bean solids compared to a regular strength coffee. Parts of an espresso machine for home includes a portafilter and a tamper, (which packs the coffee grounds inside the portafilter), a spout, and a grouphead which decides the number of cups that can be made at a time. When making a latte or cappuccino, milk is heated separately using the steaming wand that blasts steam in to the milk, whipping it to froth.
Pros:
- Creates gourmet coffee
- Will save you money over buying espresso at coffee shops
- Presents the kitchen with a modern mystique
- Reveals the full potential of the coffee beans
Cons
- Expensive
- Time consuming
- Makes more mess compared to other coffeemakers
- The brew could be too strong for some
Single Serve Coffeemaker
Single-cup or single-serve coffeemakers, allow a specific volume of water, heated to a precise temperature, to go through a coffee pod, making a standardized cup of coffee, collected in a receptacle placed directly under the beverage outlet. A coffee pod contains a determined amount of ground coffee and commonly encloses an internal paper filter for best brewing results. Consumers can choose the cup size and brew strength, and with just a touch of a button the machine can rapidly deliver a cup of brewed coffee.
Pros:
- Easy to insert coffee pod into the machine & brews a cup quickly.
- Can choose a range of beverages to brew
- Produces only as much coffee needed with none wasted
Cons
- Not the strongest coffee for some
- Coffee pods could be costly over time
- Limited to single cup function
French Press
A French press coffee machine is a stainless steel or glass receptacle into which the brewer will place fresh ground beans and hot water. The parts of a French press include the stainless steel or glass pot, a lid with a plunger and also a screen filter that’s attached to the plunger. Note that coffee grounds should be coarse (medium coarse) in order that they don’t filter through the press going to the finished brewed coffee. When adding water, you can gently stir the coffee grounds and water, and then place the lid on the top with its plunger. Extraction should be completed after four minutes, you can then push the plunger all the way down in order to separate coffee grounds from the brewed coffee. Pour the finished coffee in a thermos or pot ready to be served.
Pros:
- Control of water temperature
- Control of brewing time
- Makes richer and fuller coffee flavor
- Doesn’t need electricty
Cons
- Skills is required
- Not automatic and programmable
- Should transfer finished coffee into a thermos to stop extraction and keeps the coffee hot longer
Coffee consumers and producers – Today, Americans consume around 400 million cups of coffee each day, totaling to 146 billion cups of coffee consumed each year which makes the United States one of the leading consumers of coffee worldwide. Coffee represents 75 percent of the caffeine that is being consumed in America. But America was “out caffeined” by Finland and other top coffee consuming countries such as Norway, Netherlands, Slovenia and Austria. While some of the top coffee producing countries are Brazil, Vietnam, Columbia, Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Deciding Which Coffee Maker to Pick – Making the Final Decision
To help make the best purchase, consumers should look into how much effort, time and expense they’re willing to invest in a coffee machine. Budgetary concerns are usually one factor in almost any buying decision. Generally, a traditional automatic drip coffee machine would be the most affordable, models start around $30 and mostly come with a carafe to easily serve coffee for a group. Drip coffeemakers will deliver the best value for your money. But when it comes to convenience, the single-serve coffeemakers will deliver a cup with just a touch of a button. No more grinding and cleaning is also a breeze. So you should consider the streamlining of your morning routine as one of the important criteria, or perhaps making delicious cup of coffee each time is simply not negotiable. There is always a coffee maker for everyone, for today there are a lot of coffee machines to choose from, so there is one that will suit your needs. Know the top rated coffee makers of today, read coffee maker reviews then choose the best suited coffee maker for you.
