For centuries, people all over the globe have been drinking coffee. The question is, which coffee machine should you buy to brew the best cup of coffee?
Learn about the different types of coffee makers available with this guide from Blain’s Farm & Fleet. So you can enjoy the perfect cup o’ joe!
These easy-to-use coffee makers are a popular model. Single-serve coffee makers use pods of ground coffee. You simply put the pod in, and the reservoir of water heats up and filters through the pod.
Coffee pods come in a variety of blends and flavors.
Single-serve coffee makers are a great option if you plan on only having one cup of coffee. They’re also ideal if you’re going to have multiple people making coffee. They can each make their own flavor coffee with a simple pod.
A French press doesn’t use a paper filter, which leaves your coffee without that paper filter taste. This is one of the easiest ways you can manually make coffee.
Simply pour the coffee and hot water into the press and stir. Using the mesh filter, squeeze the coffee grounds down to separate them from the water. You’re left with a pure, hot cup of coffee.
This may be the most commonly used coffee maker. A reservoir is filled with water, which is heated. Hot water is filtered through the coffee grounds in a paper filter. The coffee then drips into a large, warm coffee pot.
This a great option if you want to brew multiple cups of coffee. Many drip coffee makers come with timer settings, so you can set them to brew a fresh pot of coffee for you.
Espresso is made by filtering hot water through finely ground, tightly packed coffee.
To make espresso, you will need a special espresso machine. Espresso machines have attachments for steaming milk, which give you a frothy coffee drink like you’d get from a café.
Percolators are a great alternative to the other kinds of coffee makers. Percolators must be used over a heat source to bring the contents to a boiling point.
Some percolators are electric and can be plugged into an outlet. Other percolators are similar to a tea kettle and can be used on a stove top.
Percolators are also great for camping because you can brew coffee with your campfire or camping stove.
The percolator produces a great aroma, but usually results in less flavorful coffee.
Pour-over coffee makers are another good manual option. You put a filter filled with coffee grounds at the top, then pour hot water over them, as the name suggests.
Fans of pour-over coffee like its taste and smoothness.
If you’re more of an iced coffee drinker, there are also cold brew coffee makers to choose from. These use cold or room-temperature water and coffee grounds to make the perfect cup of cold coffee.
You need to have more patience with this type of coffee maker, as it will often need to brew for at least a few hours. And depending on the type, it may even need to sit overnight.
There are programmable coffee makers that come with some great features. One feature is an automatic shutoff option. This is especially useful if you forget to turn off the coffee pot before you leave the house.
After a set amount of time, the coffee maker automatically shuts off, ensuring you won’t come home to burnt coffee.
There are also coffee makers available with programmable start times. You can set most automatic coffee makers to start brewing at a certain time.
This is perfect if you have to get up extra early and can’t function without that first cup of coffee. You’ll wake up with a freshly-brewed pot of coffee to help you get your day started right.
Pause-and-serve is another useful feature for your coffee maker. There’s nothing worse than trying to pour a cup of coffee in the middle of a brew cycle. The coffee goes all over the counter and your coffee maker.
With a pause-and-serve option, you can pause the brew cycle, pour yourself a cup, and keep brewing the rest of the pot.
You’ll need a coffee grinder if you plan on using whole coffee beans. A coffee grinder will give you freshly-ground beans while being able to control the grind consistency.
For most models, you simply plug in the grinder, pour in the desired amount of beans, and manually press down on the lid to grind. Some coffee makers even come with built-in grinders.
If you love fresh coffee, you should consider using whole beans and a grinder.
Don’t forget the paper filters if you plan on buying an automatic-drip coffee maker.
There are also reusable pod filters for single-serve coffee maker pods. You can use these mesh filters with regular coffee if you don’t want to use the coffee pods.
For more kitchen buying guides, check out our Cooking & Recipes Blog.
