Best Coffee Machine Shopping Tips

Trying to find the perfect coffee machine is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. With so many different coffeemakers out there, the entire experience can be more than a little overwhelming. Take time to focus on the main issue, before making any decision. There are six basic methods of making coffee. Pick which method you're going to use, then find a machine that fits.

Single Cup Coffee Maker - What's not to like about an appliance that can make any kind of coffee, quickly and conveniently? The per cup cost of these machines is greater than other kinds due to the price of the pods and capsules, which are ground beans prepackaged in their own filter. The machines that use capsules are at a small disadvantage, because they can not be interchanged. That means you'll need to buy both machine and capsules from the same manufacturer. Coffee pods are more versatile in that they can be used in a wide variety of coffee makers.

Drip Coffee Brewer - Introduced in the early 1970s, the drip coffee maker quickly replaced the percolator as the most common way to brew coffee at home. They are economical to use and quite simple to operate. Place some ground coffee in the paper filter, pour water into the reservoir and turn on the machine. As water is heated to the correct temperature, it drips onto the grains in the filter and runs through to the glass carafe below. Be careful not to leave the coffee sitting on the hot plate for too long, as it can start to cook. One way around this problem is to use a thermally insulated carafe.

Combination Coffeemaker - This combination coffeemaker sets the bar for both freshness and ease-of-use. It's essentially a drip coffee maker with an attached grinder. The advantage of this type machine is that it automatically grinds the correct amount of beans and places them directly into the filter below. That reduces the potential for mess, since you don't have to empty out the contents from the grinder into the filter. It's also very convenient for people who want to have a fresh cup of coffee in the morning. Just fill up the machine with whole beans and water the night before, and program it to start first thing in the morning. Presto! Fresh coffee.

French Press - The coffee plunger, or French press, is a simple brewing method adored by many coffee drinkers. So simplest method, that one can't even call this a machine. The French press is merely a glass jar and a plunger with a filter in it. Course grounds are placed in the glass jar and the right amount of water is added. After steeping for about 4 minutes, the plunger is pushed down, separating the coffee grounds from the liquid. Because the grounds stay in constant contact with the water during the brewing cycle, there is a better transfer of essential coffee oils and flavor. This also means, that if left in the jar too long, the coffee will quickly become bitter. So, it is essential to serve the coffee as soon as possible.

Vacuum Coffee Machine - According to Wikipedia, "a vacuum coffee maker brews coffee using two chambers where vapour pressure and vacuum produce coffee which is clean, crisp, rich and smooth compared to other brewing methods". Although that is a matter of opinion, one this is for sure; the steps to make coffee using this method are quite involved and time consuming. Due to its shape, a vacuum coffee maker is not the easiest thing to keep clean. I guess that's why these coffee machines have a small but loyal following.

Coffee Percolator -  Until the early 1970s, the coffee percolator was the main method of making coffee in North American homes. It's called the percolator because the coffee percolates through in a continuous cycle. To start, the correct amount water is poured into the machine, where it heats up and travels to the top through a pipe. Gravity brings the water down through the coffee grounds in the filter, back to the bottom of the percolator. Here the liquid heats up and the cycle repeats. It will continue to repeat the cycle until the coffee reaches the boiling point, at which time the perking action stops. The coffee is now ready to drink.

Any method can produce great coffee. It's not really a question of which one is better than the other. It's about finding something that suits your taste and lifestyle. If you're pressed for time, then a single cup coffee maker may be the way to go. But if you're a fan of complexity and you have the time to learn, then perhaps a vacuum coffee maker would be more appropriate.