Coffee Makers From Copper Containers to LCD Screens

How long have the coffee makers been around? Not surprisingly, almost as long as coffee. The original coffee brewer was called Turkish Ibrik. It was a copper container that had a long handle, a grooved tongue and produced a very strong brew because it does no filtering. Nowadays, these are still used in the Middle East.

If you are more interested in drinking a beverage than eating coffee grounds, there are a wide variety of types available from the plain to the esoteric. These are a few things you should be looking for:

The largest percentage of coffee makers nowadays is the inexpensive drip model. You pour water in the top, it’s heated by an electric coil, the water passes through coffee grounds and into a glass pot sitting on a heating plate.

These are the basics, but there are a few other features it’s handy to have.

Controls have proliferated to the point that many coffee machines look like a modern stereo: LCD screens display the time, the time to brew, temperature, a timer and several infobits even more esoteric.

The ‘degree of brew desired’ control is a minimum, but more control rather than less may be preferred. Auto-shutoff is useful for those who tend to forget to turn it off. Many people these days are too busy to wait for the brewing process to be completed, so they remove the pot before the water has finished draining. In the old days, coffee would continue to drip, splashing onto the heating plate. The automatic shut-off solves this by stopping the water flow when the pot is lifted.

The illuminated displays are also helpful on those dark mornings when you can’t find the light switch and haven’t yet had your coffee to get your eyes completely open.

Cleaning has also been made easier by the invention of coffee ‘pods’ – small pre-measured paper containers of coffee through which the water flows. They have the added advantage of providing good filtering for grounds. Once the brewing is complete you just pop them out (wait till they’ve cooled!) and toss them into the waste basket. Essential for the busy coffee drinker who doesn’t have much time for cleaning up.

Several models can be had with water filters, essential for the urban dweller where the city supply often tastes like the community swimming pool. The filters can be quite pricey but a good cup of coffee is priceless.

Also available are permanent coffee filter styles, but with the pods they’re much less important. There are quite a few debates over the environmental impact and the taste effect of the paper from the pods. Vote your conscience.

Some coffee makers have integrated bean grinders, even though it could be easier to clean up id done in a separate device .

There are also machines that are made for brewing a single cup of coffee. It’s fast and useful if you don’t need to make large amounts at once and want to get your coffe quickly.

So, when you go buying a coffee maker consider what are your needs, how fast you want your coffee and what’s your budget for this.

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