If you’re planning to buy a coffee machine, you’ll want to be sure to choose the type that best suits your needs. You can choose between filter coffee makers, percolators, single-serve coffee makers, semi-automatic espresso machines or even fully automatic coffee machines.
Below is a brief description of each of these coffee machines. When deciding which coffee machine is right for your needs, keep in mind that some machines are better than others. They may have more manual or automatic operation and each comes with its own features. Of course, each offers slightly different coffee tastes depending on how it is made. Finally, the quality of each brand may also differ considerably, so take time to shop around once you decide what type of coffee machine you want.
Filtered coffee makers:
When it comes to brewing coffee at home, there are many types of filtered coffee makers available. There are different brands and models available in the market, but the main similarity is that they allow hot water to come into contact with ground coffee to allow extraction of the coffee solubles.
The most common type of filter coffee machine is the drip coffee maker, which passes hot water through a paper filter cone that holds the ground coffee. Some use a fine mesh net to hold the coffee grounds and this reduces the cost of having to buy filter papers. All you need to do is empty the used coffee grounds into a bin and rinse out the remaining grounds from the mesh. Other types of filtered coffee makers include the traditional South Indian two-chambered filter coffee maker.
Percolators:
Percolators are coffee makers that are convenient and easy to use. To brew coffee, you simply need to add some water and coffee grounds. Once the water reaches boiling point, the coffee grounds rise to the top of the percolator and the liquid drips back down. This re-brew process is then repeated several times until you are satisfied with the brew. If you find that the brew is too bitter or too sweet, you can always remove it from the heat and re-brew it.
Single-serve coffee machines:
The single-serve coffee machine is an alternative to the traditional drip coffee maker and less expensive than the automatic coffee machinery. It offers single servings of coffee that range in strength from medium to strong. The machine requires capsules for brewing, which you must store, and cost about 50-80 US cents each. Some models include reusable capsules that you fill up with ground coffee, but these eliminate one of the main benefits of pod coffee machines, simplicity. On the other hand, giving up some ease of use for the environmental benefit of not disposing of plastic or aluminum waste, is well worth it.
The Vertuo line of Nespresso coffee machines was introduced in 2014. They feature a more complex extraction process and can brew espresso, double espresso, gran lungo, and regular drip-style coffee. Each coffee capsule contains a barcode that allows the machine to tailor the amount of water and coffee extracted. A unique system allows coffee to brew at the optimal temperature, and the extraction at high speed, creates a rich crema. The Vertuo line of coffee makers offers 26 different blends and five cup sizes.
Semi automatic espresso machines:
You may already own a good manual espresso machine, but you may want to try out a semi-automatic machine. This type of machine, like the manual espresso machine, requires a little more work. Before brewing your coffee, you must first grind the beans and load the portafilter. Once you have finished tamping, the machine will automatically run until it shuts off. Some machines stop after twenty-five or thirty seconds, while others continue to run until you manually stop the water flow. It takes some skill to know how to grind the coffee correctly, how to tamp the coffee and how long to let hot water run through the grounds to get the best coffee flavours.
Automatic coffee machines:
These are coffee machines that automatically grind, tamp and brew coffee at the touch of a button. You only have to put coffee beans into the bean hopper and water into the on-board water tank to make great coffee. They usually give you a choice of different coffee drinks like espresso and americano. Most of the recent models also froth milk and add it automatically to the espresso shot to make milk containing coffee variants such as cappuccino and latte. These are often referred to as “one-touch cappuccino coffee makers”. They are more expensive than coffee capsule and filter coffee machines, but they do make coffee making a lot easier.
So there you have it, a description of the different types of coffee makers from very manual to fully automatic coffee machines. Hopefully you will be able to find one that meets your coffee preference and which matches your budget.
