By Nancy Mattia, CTW Features
What’s so great about brewing coffee at home? It’s convenient, affordable, and nobody needs to write your name on the side of a cup. Even though you’re not in a coffee shop or café, you expect your coffee to have barista-level taste. To achieve that perfect cup, you need water and the freshest coffee grounds you can find.
Having the right coffeemaker is essential too. Some basic features: It should be easy to use, a breeze to clean, and fit underneath your kitchen’s upper cabinets (you may have to pull it out when filling up water reservoir and coffee grounds). See below for different coffee personalities and which type of maker is best for you:
1. The crowd-pleaser
A drip coffeemaker is easy, familiar and, depending on the model, can make up to 14 cups. When the coffee is brewed, it goes into a glass carafe that stays warm for hours on a burner.
2. The one-cup wonder
Your needs are pretty simple: just one cup of coffee a day. You could get a 2-cup drip model but why not make it more fun with a single-serve coffeemaker? It uses pods filled with a wide variety of coffee, from Colombian and Kona to caramel and French vanilla.
3. The multifunctional maker
Many machines do more than one thing—make coffee in a variety of strengths, brew a cappuccino, latte, or espresso, and turn a hot coffee into a cold one. These tend to be on the more expensive side but can typically get a good deal during sales like Black Friday, Amazon Prime Day and other discount promotions.
4. The timer/alarm clock
You use your coffeemaker as an alarm clock, and that’s okay. Waking up to the robust aroma of hazelnut coffee makes getting out of bed a bit easier. Look for models that are programmable to automatically brew coffee at the predesignated time you set the night before.
5. The iced coffee creator
You may prefer your coffee cold. While you could make iced coffee the old-fashioned way (brew then chill), manufacturers make it even easier. Some machines brew coffee hot then dispense it cold; others offer specialty appliances made specifically to produce only cold brew using a process that steeps coarse coffee grounds in cold water for 12 to 24 hours.
6. The space saver
If you have limited counter space in your kitchen, a French press may be a good fit. It’s compact: just a glass beaker (pot) and lid, filter, and plunger. But don’t just buy one for its space-saving size—buy one for the rich flavorful brew it makes.
7. The intense sip
An espresso maker is your go-to coffee maker if you prefer your drink to be dark roasted and concentrated and served in a smaller cup. This isn’t coffee you linger over but enjoy each sip for the rich taste. You can also use your espresso to make those coffee shop favorites like cappuccinos, lattes and americanos.
8. The grounded brew
A pour-over is simple: You fill a cone-shaped funnel with coarse coffee grounds then pour hot water over them. When a single cup is done, you’ll have a rich, delicious cup of joe. It’s popular with baristas because they get to monitor the saturation of the grounds.
A coffee order is personal – everyone likes their cup made a certain way. Which coffeemaker works best for yours?