It’s very hard to imagine getting through the day without a cup of coffee. We’d feel lethargic, demotivated and the likeliness of us being stressed out would be quite high. It would seem that a lot of people in the world are addicted to coffee and therefore it is no surprise that we consume 145 million bags of coffee on average every year.
A lot of us buy our coffee from vendors – either big commercial chains like Starbucks or local cafés near our homes and workplaces. The prevalence of these vendors certainly makes our lives convenient as a cup of coffee is never too far from our reach.
The downside is that we end up spending a lot of money in the process. According to surveys, the average American spends more than a $1000 a year on coffee! It’s safe to assume that other developed countries are not far behind this figure, especially considering how much coffee is imported every year.
The solution to this is quite simple: make your own coffee at home. Lots of people are already doing it, and with coffee machines becoming more advanced and easier to use, it makes sense for the rest of us to start doing it too.
Now, depending on your coffee preferences, budget and brewing skills, the type of machine you should invest in may differ. In this article, we take a look at the different types of coffee makers so that you can decide on which is most suited to you:
Automatic Drip Brewer
You’ve most likely seen these coffee makers in people’s homes. The way it works is quite simple: hot water flushes through the ground beans and coffee is extracted. Most new devices also come with a hot plate which keeps the newly brewed pot of coffee at a steady, warm temperature. Since it is automatic, all of this is possible with the press of a button! This latter feature is very useful as automatic drip brewers typically allow you to brew enough for twelve cups at a time.
For Whom Is This?
If you just want a simple cup of coffee without working too hard to brew it, then an automatic drip brewer could be what you’re looking for. With timers in the newer models, you could program the machine to start brewing just before your alarm goes on. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy a freshly-brewed cup of coffee first thing in the morning.
Single-Serve Makers
If brewing a whole pot of coffee seems like a waste to you, then we recommend getting a single-serve coffee maker. These machines keep things simple by brewing just one cup at a time. The advantage is that you don’t end up throwing away unused coffee and neither do you have to worry about freshness. Getting a single-serve coffee machine makes a lot of sense if you live alone and only drink one or two cups a day.
Manual Drip Brewer
If you’re a coffee aficionado who doesn’t want to relinquish control of the brewing process to a machine, then a manual drip brewer may satisfy your needs. With a maker like this, you can experiment to your heart’s desire, trying out varying temperatures, extraction times and grind times.
If you enjoy having coffee at the press of a button or don’t have time for manual brewing, these machines may not be for you.
Percolator
Percolators work similarly to drip brewers: water is flushed through grinds and you end up with a cup of coffee. There are two key differences though. Firstly, in a percolator, the water that hits the ground coffee is at a much higher temperature. Some people prefer it when their coffee comes out steaming. If you’re one of them, then you’ll likely be quite happy with a percolator.
Secondly, with a percolator, you can brew huge quantities of coffee at a time. Some allow you to brew up to a 100 at a go. While you should, under no circumstances, drink 100 cups of coffee a day, a percolator can be quite useful if you tend to throw parties often.
French Press
If you like your coffee strong, then this coffee maker is perfect for you. The brewing process is simple. You place the ground coffee in the press and mix it with hot water. Let it steep for around five minutes and then push the screen down so that you can extract the coffee. By brewing it this way, a greater quantity of the coffee beans’ natural oils is retrieved.
The major downside of this type of coffee maker is that the interior can be quite hard to clean. Also, if you dislike bitter-tasting coffee, this isn’t the machine for you.
Considering how many cups of coffee most of us consume every month, we probably end up spending a small fortune at cafés and commercial chains. That’s why it’s a great idea to switch to home-brewing. In this article, we’ve discussed the different kinds of coffee machines – how they work and who they’re best suited for. Hopefully, this should help you come to the right decision in terms of what kind of coffee maker you should purchase.
