Coffee

There is an obstacle course involved with brewing a great cup of coffee. When you wake up for work at 6:00 AM and you have 30-45 minutes to hit the road, how are you going to get a good, hot cup of brew in your hand when you do? The chances are, you could be brewing in a way that delivers flavor far superior to what you are getting now, and in the same amount of time, or even less.

To help you decide what brewing method, or methods, will best match your needs, start by asking these questions:

1) What are the occasions do you normally drink coffee, and what is the relative importance of taste and convenience?
2) How much money are you willing to spend on coffee, a coffee maker, or various brewing equipment?
3)Can this particular brewing equipment produce great coffee?

For most coffee lovers, the biggest hurdle to overcome as you begin to get serious about coffee is the fact that you own an electric drip coffeemaker, and the vast majority of the electric drip brewers sacrifice some of the taste for convenience. If good taste is your ultimate goal, you may want to think of an investment of time rather than dollars. Grinding fresh coffee beans, and measuring coffee precisely, will become second nature after about a week. If you will be going to the trouble of buying fresh, perfectly-roasted coffee beans, then you should brew coffee to get every precious bit of flavor and aroma you are paying for.

A great drip maker combines the essential brewing elements in a specific way. You need a filter that contains a large amount of fresh grounds for each 6 ounces of coffee brewing. The water should be heated to 195-205 degrees F. The water should be allowed to saturate the grounds gently and thoroughly. The total brew cycle, from start to finish, must take from 4 to 6 minutes. If it takes longer than 8 minutes, the coffee will be over-extracted and bitter.

It is almost impossible to brew drip coffee that meets the above criteria using your typical home electric brewer. This is what leads to the frustration so many coffee lovers come across when they try to duplicate good coffee-bar coffee at home. Brewing manually, where you can control the brewing process, is still the absolute best way to get a great cup of coffee. Since almost no coffee maker under $150 can produce great coffee, you will have to sacrifice some flavor when using one. Spend some money on a coffee maker that gets the best reviews, regardless of price, always use quality coffee, and you will come closest to the best cup of coffee possible in an automatic coffee maker.

Greg has been writing articles for over 4 years. Please visit his latest website about coffee at http://www.bestdripcoffeemaker.com with information on finding the best drip coffee maker and other coffee products and discussions that any coffee lover would be interested in.

Author: Greg Parsons
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you’re looking to buy a new coffee maker, you obviously want to get the best one that you can. As with other consumer products though, which is “best” is dependent on your particular needs. Cheapest, fastest or best features all being ways of evaluating which is the best coffee maker. Therefore, it’s necessary to know the pros and cons of the differing types of coffee makers, and weigh your needs against them, in order to know which is the best for you.

Drip coffee makers are the most common coffee maker. You find them at home, the office, hotels, restaurants, etc. They come in many shapes in sizes, but they all use a water reservoir that passes hot water over coffee grounds in a paper (or gold) coffee filter. They usually make a pretty good cup of coffee as long as the coffee doesn’t sit on the hot plate too long. When coffee sits in the glass carafe for too long, it starts to burn and taste bitter. To prevent this though, you just need to only brew as much coffee as you know you can finish in 30 minutes.

Coffee percolators have been around for a while, but they’re not the best way to make coffee. They require a coarse ground like the French press, but the problem is that they keep boiling your coffee over and over because the brewed coffee spills over into the hot water reservoir. They’re classic, but not the best option. If you must use one though, try not to use an expensive coffee blend, as to a degree, it will be wasted.

Seen as the elegant and classy coffee maker, the French press is the best option for people who like their kitchen and appliances to give off a stylish and modern vibe. The French press is made up of a glass cylinder with a plunger and a flat mesh filter, and to use it you just put some ground coffee into the cylinder, douse it was water, and press repeatedly on the plunger. As for the final cup of coffee that it produces, it is definitely better than average. The only downside to them being that only coarse coffee grounds can be used with it, so it isn’t an option for those of you who prefer finer blends.

The newest coffee maker trend is one cup coffee brewers, especially coffee pod systems. They are becoming more and more popular in offices. They’re extremely easy to use and maintain because there is no messy filter or coffee grounds to fuss with. You simply pop the coffee pod (or disc) into the machine and let it brew. A minute later you have a cup of freshly brewed coffee, with just a pod to throw away.The only downside is that you can’t brew your favorite exotic blend.

So, which is the best coffee maker for you? It’s just a matter of evaluating your lifestyle and coffee habits, and establishing which type best suits your needs.

http://TheCoffeeMakerStore.com is a daily blog and e-commerce store about coffee, coffee makers, and coffee culture. Leave a comment on the blog for a chance to win a free coffee maker!
By Mark Walters

Author: Mark Thomas Walters
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Made to order

When it comes to buying a coffee maker, one that gets you through the morning, there are so many options that it may drive you crazy. Drifting away from Starbucks and the instant stuff, there are machines that can do the job fairly well. But they must pass through a set of criteria.

Simplicity

With coffee makers, as with most machines, simple is always better. You don’t want too many switches and buttons and overcomplicated procedures. All you want is a cup of coffee. A simple machine, one designed and tested to do one simple thing, and be good at it, tends to work better than a complicated one.

Function

You want a coffee maker that does the job all the way through, nothing too much, and nothing left half done. Underachievers that don’t extract enough flavor, and overachievers that boil the water too much that your coffee gets too bitter; you don’t want them.

Type of Coffee

It pays to know what kind of coffee you love to have from your coffee maker. For most brews, drip coffee makers are all right. For espresso, a dedicated espresso machine is the only one that will do. If you want espresso, but don’t want to buy a machine for it, a French press can actually do the trick. Percolators are also good, as they’re tried and tested. The coffee you want tells you what kind of coffee maker you need.

Cup Size

See if the coffee maker makes a decent-sized serving at one go. Decent-sized is relative. If your morning wake up ritual needs two cups, then see that your coffee maker can deliver just that. Some coffee machines limit themselves to serving sizes that are precise, but are annoyingly less or more than what some need. Make sure what you buy neither serves too little nor overflows your cup and wastes all that coffee goodness.

Reservoir

A good coffee maker should hold enough water for a decent amount of servings at one time. Make sure it can hold a good amount without the reservoir being too big that it takes over the machine. Bad coffee makers tend to have big reservoirs, and cheap machine parts within, just so that they can pass as coffee makers. Do not fall for this. Scrutinize, and choose wisely.

Value

Everyone wants a bargain, but remember that there’s such a thing as a balance between the price and the features. Measure the coffee maker’s set of features along with its build and its price. This kind of formula is a good rule of thumb. So this means you’ll need to check out the slightly costly items, and visit the reputable shops to get the best “balanced” value. It’s not just money at stake here, it’s your mornings.

Brand

It may not seem necessary, but buying a coffee maker from a reputable brand is much better than buying some run-in-the-mill counterpart (unless you’ve done a great deal of research behind some new or unknown brands). A branded machine can beat any brandless contraption anytime. That’s another consumer rule of thumb there. More of a guide, not a rule. When it comes to build quality, features, and overall design, brands like Bunn, Black & Decker, Cuisinart, Braun, and so on are the best there is.

Easy-to-Clean

Of course, you have to deal with cleaning issues. You want to maintain your coffee maker’s service life. Make sure that the crucial parts are washable so that you do not get coffee sticking to them over time. As long as you can wash the important parts like the pot and the reservoir with soap and water, you’re good to go.

Portability

You don’t want anything bigger than your counter. If you buy something that can sit snugly at the corner of your kitchen, then you’d want to use it day after day, since it doesn’t “intrude” in your kitchen space.

Safety

Make sure that there are no exposed electric parts; that everything is properly insulated. Sometimes there are spills, and you don’t want a shock when you clean up the spill. See if the handles are cool to the touch and children who fumble with them and won’t get burned.

Coffee makers come in many shapes and sizes. Simplify your search of your best coffee maker by setting your criteria of what you want from your machine before you start looking for your perfect coffee maker.

Yogi Shinde offers coffee maker ratings and reviews on different brands and types of coffee makers. Helping your find the best coffee maker to suit your needs.

Author: Yogi Shinde
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Coffee maker ratings can help you choose the best coffee maker for you and your family. These ratings are helpful because aside from helping you find the best coffee makers, they also point out in which aspects the coffee makers are good and in which aspects they’re not.

According to coffee maker ratings, there are top brands that manufacture good coffee makers, and there are top models that manufacture good coffee. There are also top innovations in the world of coffee making, pioneered by specific brands, which help make your coffee experience unforgettable and perfectly convenient and easy for you.

Which Brands and Models Top the Ratings?

There are several coffee maker brands that top the ratings. And from each brand, there are several models that shoot up the charts. There are also certain features that are highly appreciated by consumers and reviewers. According to the coffee maker ratings, the brands that get the best scores are Braun, Keurig, Gevalia, Krups. Capresso, and Melitta, among some others.

There are also consumers who show loyalty to some household names in the industry, including Cuisinart and Black and Decker. When it comes to specific models, however, the top raters include Braun’s Tassimo and the Braun Aromaster models. From Keurig, ratings show that their best products include the B70 and the B80, both of which have a great set of features and a fairly large capacity for brewing.

Krups is also a well-rated company, and their secret is the affordable prices of their coffee makers. Don’t let the affordable prices fool you; Krups coffee makers are innovative, durable, and are of top quality, despite their reasonable prices, which makes them a great choice for a lot of homemakers who are trying to keep within a budget.

Which Innovations Win Gold Medals?

When it comes to innovations, Keurig gets extra points for their innovative single cup coffee makers. Even as more and more companies offer this product, Keurig remains to be one of the pioneers who pushed this product to its state of popularity now. To help make the innovation even better, Keurig came up with the K-Cup, which already contains a specific pre-measured coffee recipe just perfect for one great cup of coffee. These K-Cups are great companions to Keurig’s single-serve coffee makers. The single-serve concept was also adopted by another industry dominator, Cuisinart.

Cuisinart marketed the innovation through their Cup-O-Matic products, which is the name they gave to these single-cup coffee makers. Another innovation that revolutionized the world of coffee drinking is Braun’s T-Discs of Tassimo Discs. These discs are designed to be used with the Braun Tassimo coffee maker. They work like your personal barista, whipping up great coffee for you in an instant. You will also get a guaranteed fresh-brew perfect taste because the T-discs hold the perfect recipe that teaches the coffee maker exactly how to make your coffee.

The Braun Tassimo concept also garners additional points for its versatility. They not only produce great coffee but can also prepare tea and hot chocolate for you without any extra effort. All you need are the right T-discs and you’re good to go. Aside from those two top innovations, Melitta coffee makers also get good coffee maker ratings especially for their thermal cup coffee makers. Although thermal carafes are not Melitte’s proprietary inventions, Melitta has one of the widest variety of models that have the thermal cups. These thermal coffee makers keep coffee warm for a longer time while you’re not drinking it yet.

How Coffee Maker Ratings Help

When looking to buy a coffee maker, make sure to check out the coffee maker ratings. The ratings will show you which products are worth buying. They will also help you weigh the good points of certain products against their weak points. There is no one perfect coffee maker that has it all; there are just coffee makers that can be perfect for you, based on which factors you appreciate and value the most.

You can find more detailed coffee maker ratings on our Best coffee makers website.

Copyright 2008 Coffee-maker-guide.com, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Mark is the editor Coffee-maker-guide.com which provides you with the best coffee maker reviews and ratings. You can find more detailed coffee maker ratings on our Best coffee makers website.

Author: Mark Van Tuel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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How do we look for the best coffee maker for our coffee drinking needs?

Coffee makers are very important kitchen appliances that can really make or break our morning coffee time. With so many choices around, deciding for the most suitable type may prove to be a demanding job. Whether you want a cup of drip coffee, or hot cappuccino filled with a deep shot of espresso, coffee machine options are almost limitless.

In this article we are focusing on coffee makers that do the job of brewing your gourmet coffee beans and deliver the results that you paid them to deliver.

There really are lots of different types on the market today. But to make it relatively easy for you, we will present you with most essential factors you got to take into account, when choosing best coffee machine for your desires and wants.

Price is a vital factor in determining the overall value of your coffee maker, but a low price does not always mean that you are getting the best value for your money. Sometimes we can purchase first rate coffee machine for a small amount of money.

It’s ease of use, quality of flavor and quality of construction, brewing temperature, durability, and also heat retention can make a higher priced java maker better overall value.

We looked: price, brewing method, consumer reviews and proper overall performance of a certain java maker. So if you buy any one of these brewers you will make a right decision.

1. Keurig B60 coffee machine

In the category of one cup coffee makers, the Keurig B60 coffee brewer has a great deal of competition, having said that if you are looking for, most durable single cup system – then the Keurig B60 coffee maker is the answer to your coffee making. It has 1500-watt brewing system that can be used to make fine coffee beverages, flavorful teas, and rich cocoas.

With forty eight ounce water reservoir it can make coffee at 3 different sizes. It comes equipped with programmable backlit Liquid crystal display with digital clock and timer lends. With temperature command function and great pumping mechanism your can make your beverage as hot as you like it to be. Because it is very compact, it is ideal for people who have limited kitchen counter space.

2. Cuisinart DCC-1200 12 Cup Coffee Machine

With a brushed metal finish and an elegant industrial stainless design it sticks out from numerous coffee makers on the market.

Its shower head is uniquely designed, so that the water goes over entire surface of the ground coffee within the filter. The exact result is full and rich java flavor. It has built in digital clock for programming automatic brewing.

The warming plate can be adjusted to a lower temperature and can keep coffee hot for up to four hours. This is also the highest programmable automatic shut off time.

The coffee machine can be set to brew 1 -4 5-oz. cups or five to 12 cups, and comes with a charcoal water filter.

If you want to buy best coffee machine that brews great tasting coffee, then the Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central Coffee maker is the right choice.

3. Delonghi Coffee Maker DC514T Esclusivo

The appealing 14-cup (70 oz.) DeLonghi coffee maker DC514T is one of the best coffee makers out there. With many great functions like permanent gold-tone java filter, advanced water filtration which optimizes taste by eliminating chlorine in the water, lights that shows you how long the java has been sitting and when it’s time to decalcify the unit.

It has 24 hour programmable timer with 2 two hour automatic switch off and aroma button which activates a time-released process which extracts ideal flavor and aroma for a delicious cup of hot coffee.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, everyone has different ideas about which are the best coffee makers on the market. It does not have much to do with expert opinions, and everything to do with your own taste and lifestyle.

Just keep in mind that some of the rather basic coffee brewers can make excellent coffee, and just do not break down.

The best place to shop is online as you can get what you want for reasonable price from reputable online sellers. If you are looking for best coffee maker please visit CoffeeInspector’s best coffee maker site where you will find all you need to know to brew a great cup of coffee and choose the right coffee machine for you.

Author: Roman Hafner
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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