Need A Coffee Maker? Here’s What To Look For
A hot cup of coffee in the morning or a nice big mug after walking in the snow or rain is one of life’s great pleasures.
Coffee is a part of our culture, relationships, and daily habits. This being said, many people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their coffee maker. Whichever you choose will likely be around for a few years and become a part of your routine.
The following will explore some of the things you need to think about when choosing a coffee maker for your home or work environment.
What Type Of Coffee Maker Are You Thinking About?
There are a handful of options when it comes to coffee makers, and many of them have long histories intertwined with different cultures throughout the world. Depending on the flavor and strength you want, you might want to think a little outside the box.
The Standard Coffee Maker
The standard coffee maker involves placing a filter above the pot and using medium-ground grains to brew several cups at once. These coffee makers tend to make the fastest (and largest quantities of) coffee, but if you have a craving for more potent brews or brews from other cultures, this isn’t going to be the right choice for you.
The brew’s strength can be altered a little by how many grains you toss in, but the water tends to pass through the grains only once, meaning incredibly strong coffee is harder to make with these devices.
For The Impatient Folk: Look For The Sneak-A-Cup Feature
If you’re someone who doesn’t want to wait for the entire pot to brew before you have your first cup of the day, make sure that you look for a feature called sneak-a-cup. Experts at kitchenauthority.net explain that in coffee makers that have this feature, there is a lever or automatic valve that tells the machine to stop filling the pot when it’s removed. This can save you a lot of mess and trouble.
Pre-ground or Freshly Ground?
The other factor to consider when looking at a standard coffee maker is whether you want freshly ground beans or not. Some coffee makers come with a built-in grinder, meaning you pour in whole beans and let the machine grind them before it makes the coffee. Many machines don’t have this feature, but you can still get the freshly ground taste by purchasing your own grinder and using that before you pour your grains into the filter.
French Press
For brewing smaller batches that take only a little bit longer, you might want to look into a french press. It is probably the easiest coffee maker to operate. These devices involve pouring medium-ground grains and boiling water into a jug and letting it steep like making tea. Because of this, it’s easy to alter the strength of the coffee as the longer you leave it steeping, the stronger it gets. A plunger is then pressed down (hence the name, French press) that separates the grains from the coffee. Many people adore the taste of french pressed coffee, but usually, these devices don’t produce as much coffee as the standard maker.
Turkish Cezve Pot
For a robust, rich brew, you might want to look into the Turkish way of making coffee. The Turkish method involves using very finely ground coffee and no filter, meaning that there will be grains at the bottom of your cup when you’re done. This also means that much higher caffeine content is possible. Because of the strength, many people who don’t normally take sugar might be inclined that way. If you want to go really traditional, you can add cardamom to the grains. Like the French press, the cezve pot tends to make smaller quantities than the larger standard coffee makers.
Vietnamese Phin
By far, the strongest coffee we’ve ever tasted came out of a Phin. This is a much smaller device than you might be used to; it sits right on top of the cup you plan on drinking the coffee out of and produces a rich, eye-widening strong brew. The Phin makes fantastic coffee, there’s no doubt about it, but it takes some time because it steeps and drips slowly drop by drop into your mug.
The above information should get you started in your search for the perfect coffee maker. Be sure to read customer reviews before making your choice to get an idea of the specifics of the brand you’re looking at. Every make and model works at a slightly different speed and has an ideal grain size. If you’re environmentally focused, you might also want to look into a reusable filter for your coffee to reduce waste.