How to Buy A Coffee Maker?
Coffee is how most people in the United States (and throughout much of the rest of the world) start their day. It helps people overcome the grogginess of waking up in the morning and keeps them productive throughout the day.
Nowadays, it’s a regular enough part of life that it’s expected to be offered from office break rooms to anywhere breakfast is served. Coffee makers are also one of the most common appliances found in homes today.
From the devoted coffee lovers to those who simply turn to it for the occasional pick-me-up, few people need to be convinced of the benefits of owning their own coffee maker. But with coffee shops a familiar sight in most cities, not everyone considers the benefits of making their own at home.
Once you realize the benefits of owning a coffee maker then next logical step would be actually buying one. If your in that mode and are actively looking to buy a coffee maker then you will benefit from this " Best Coffee Makers Ranked 2018 " it's a in-depth coffee maker buying guide with the best coffee makers you can buy right now. This guide will help save you ten's of hours researching on your own all the models and hundreds if not thousands of features of each coffee maker.
4 Benefits of Owning a Coffee Maker
Owning a coffee maker can pay dividends, both in how much money it saves you and in how much it adds to your life:
- Savings vary based on how you like your coffee, but if you drink at least one cup of coffee every day you’re probably saving $2-$3 a day making your own. Over a year, that’s around $1,000.
- You’ll save both gas and time by skipping that trip to the coffee shop.
- You can make pretty much whatever type of coffee you like best at home (and have some options you won’t find at your usual coffee shop).
- That coffee smell you like so much will fill your kitchen every morning.
If anything, making your own coffee at home gives you more room to be picky about choosing the type of coffee you like best and crafting the perfect cup to your tastes every time you brew a pot. And no matter how you cut it, as long as you use your coffee maker rather than falling back on the familiar habit of buying coffee by the cup at your local Starbucks, you will save money in the equation.
4 Types of Coffee Makers
The type of coffee maker you buy can make a big difference in your the overall experience. There are plenty of options available to you, and there’s no clear consensus on which type is best, it’s all a matter of taste and what works best for your situation and budget. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of coffee makers.
1. Drip Coffee Maker / Coffee Brewer
The coffee brewer, sometimes called an automatic drip coffee maker, is easily the most common type of coffee maker you will find in homes across the world. This type of coffee maker can come in a number of shapes and sizes, but when you hear someone talk about making a pot of coffee (e.g. several cups at once), they’re usually going to be using a coffee brewer.
These familiar machines are very easy to use. You load up a coffee filter with your choice of ground coffee, put it in the allotted spot, add water, and start the coffee maker. For some drip coffee makers, this process is even easier than that. You can make the coffee as strong as you prefer and return to the pot for refills until it’s done (or no longer fresh enough to meet your tasting standards). These drip coffee makers aren’t just common in homes, they’re also the type you’ll see the most often in office break rooms and many types of restaurants.
This type of coffee maker is not only affordable to buy, it’s also affordable to use. Filters are cheap to buy and will last for a long time. And ground coffee both come pretty cheap (unless you choose to splurge on more high-end brands of the latter). You can also buy bags of whole bean coffee and use a coffee grinder to grind it yourself.
Benefits:
- Extremely easy to use.
- Affordable to buy and use on a daily basis.
- Very convenient, as it makes a whole pot of coffee at once.
- Lots of options for different models, shapes, sizes and brands.
- Offers easy flexibility in brewing the best-tasting coffee for your taste buds.
To Keep in Mind:
- Only makes basic coffee. Nothing fancy, and likely won’t be satisfactory for those that prefer espresso drinks.
- Makes a lot at once. While a benefit, there may be instances where you end up wasting a lot of coffee.
One of the newest types of coffee makers on the market, single-serving coffee makers are sometimes referred too as pod coffeemakers because that’s what you use to make the coffee – single-serving pods or K-cups. . You can buy pods in all sorts of different flavors that are tailored to meet your personal preferences, and then simply drop them into the machine, add water, and brew.
Automatic drip coffee makers were already convenient and easy to use, but single-serving models are even more so. You don’t have to worry about messy coffee grounds or filters, so you skip a couple of the steps common to making coffee in a more traditional brewer. There’s also less clean-up as the pod gives you coffee, but the grains stay contained within.
While the over all cost will range based on features and brands, single-serving coffee makers tend to be affordable to buy, but can be more expensive to use over time. The pods you use with this type of machine tend to be more expensive than simply buying a bag of coffee beans or ground coffee.
Don’t let this stop you though, as some single-serve models have extra add-ons that allow you skip the individual pods and load your own coffee grounds. While this will help offset the long-term costs, it may potentially create more of a mess that you’ll need to clean up daily.
Benefits:
- Extremely easy to use and clean.
- This type of coffee maker is usually very affordable.
- Coffee pods come in many flavors.
- Less waste of coffee if you only want to drink one cup at a time.
- Great for offices, as coworkers can brew coffee precisely to their taste.
- Will also brew tea, if you buy the right pods.
To Keep in Mind:
- Buying individual pods will get expensive over time.
- Not great for the environment, because constant use and disposal of K-cups will produce a lot of plastic trash over time.
3. French Press
One of the most traditional methods for making coffee, the French press is decidedly low-tech, but still simple to use. You simply pour in the amount of coffee grounds you want, add boiling water, and press the lid of the device down to force the grounds to the bottom.
A French press is one of the cheapest types of coffee makers available for you to make your own coffee at home. Not only can skip buying filters, but it uses absolutely no electricity. And depending on the size and brand you buy, the device itself can cost as little as $10.
The coffee produced by the French press isn’t always as flavorful as that of some of the other options, especially if you don’t let it brew for just the right amount of time. And you’re more likely to get some loose grounds floating in your cup.
So, while for the frugal it’s an obvious choice, for those at all particular about the quality of their morning cup of joe, it might not make the best option.
Benefits:
- This type of coffee maker is the most affordable option.
- Very little costs once the device is bought.
- Extremely simple to use.
- No filters or electricity required.
To Keep in Mind:
- You may end up with more grounds floating around in your coffee.
- You have to get the timing just right for the flavor to be how you want it.
4. Espresso Makers
Espresso makers are the “sports cars” of the coffee maker world. If you’re a serious coffee aficionado, espresso is probably your favored type. While it will widely-range based on brand and features, espresso makers almost always fall on the higher end of the price range, but for those who really value their daily cup of joe, the difference is absolutely worth it.
Espresso makers usually produce smaller quantities (think a shot versus a cup) that are stronger and more flavorful. However, any decent espresso machine out there will allow you to make a variety of drinks, such as cappuccinos, macchiattos and lattes. The most common models will allow you to make just one shot of espresso at a time, but it’s becoming more common to make two shots of espresso at once.
To make your buying decision even more complex, there are a wide variety of features, brands and types of espresso machines available for you to choose from. If you feel that an espresso machine is the best coffee maker for your home, we’d encourage you to read our buyer’s guide before making your purchase.
Benefits:
- Espresso machines create the highest quality of coffee, according to most enthusiasts.
- Offers you the ability to make the types of drinks you often see at coffee shops, like cappuccinos, lattes, mochas and macchiatos.
- An attractive kitchen appliance to have on your countertops.
- Extremely easy to use.
To Keep in Mind:
- Usually, this will be the most expensive coffee maker on the market.
- Makes small quantities at a time, only a shot versus an entire cup or pot.
Conclusion
Now that you know there are tremendous benefits of owning your own coffee maker here are the best coffee makers you can buy right now with in-depth reviews for each one. Good luck on your coffee journey and remember life is to short to drink bad coffee.
You can check out: Best Espresso Machine Under 500 For More Info.
