How to choose the right drip coffee maker

I love coffee.

As per a recent survey, apparently 60% Americans enjoy their daily coffee and make it part of their routine because they believe coffee keeps their brain active and maximizes their efficiency. I’d wholeheartedly agree. But yes, it is easy to love coffee for its own sake – it is so tasteful and flavorful that one really needs no reason to love it.

I am willing to bet that most coffee lovers own some kind of a coffee maker. There’s no dearth of choices, but my best friend, also a coffee lover, agrees that a drip coffee maker is the best one. Why? Because its historical design and usage makes it the favorite choice, too.

As someone who adores her coffee and can’t imagine life without it, I’ve seen some fantastic coffee makers. Now, the one I use at home is prehistoric and simple. It is made of two cylindrical steel containers – for the legendary South Indian filter coffee. One has a perforated bottom and fits into the container below. The coffee grounds go into the top. Boiled water is poured over it and coffee drips into the lower container. I also have a Moka pot I enjoy using occasionally!

I have been eyeing a drip coffee maker for quite some time now, but keep sitting on the fence over buying one. It looks so stylish and convenient. I’ve even used a few while traveling and absolutely loved them.

But hey, the drip coffee maker we see today has come a long way and has its share of history. Back in the 1970s, Mr. Coffee introduced the first one and ever since, became synonymous with drip coffee makers. Here was this little coffee maker, loaded with features to make the coffee lover’s eyes shine with love, even as their heart beat accelerated.

Over the years, several new brands have arrived in the market, each one boasting of more capabilities than the one before it. Gradually, it became difficult for the coffee enthusiast to pick the perfect coffee maker for that perfect cuppa!

Of course, one could choose the best drip coffee maker from the list of 2016, but even before looking at that list, you want to know exactly what you should look for to find that coffee maker of your dreams.

So what exactly should you expect with drip coffee makers?

Here’s are some typical features they come with:

• Heating elements to heat water and coffee in the carafe
• Brew baskets that need generic filters or some special kind of filters to strain the coffee as it drips down into the carafe below
• A spray element to wet the dry ground coffee
• A timer to start the brewing process automatically
• A built-in grinder and water filter

You’ll find these in practically every drip coffee maker in the market. How do you figure out which one to pick?

Look at brewing capacity

There are plenty of options starting from single serve drip coffee makers to commercialized drip coffee machines for the whole crowd. Single serve coffee makers or pod coffee makers are very popular these days because we can have a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee within some minutes without any mess. But hey, you really don’t want to hog all the coffee for yourself, do you? Speaking for myself, I love to share my coffee, because coffee definitely tastes better with friends. So, for me, choosing a drip coffee maker would be all about brewing capacity. If you like laughter and conversations with your coffee,  think of your family, and friends, and how often you invite people over because this way, you can make sure that everyone gets a cup of their beloved brew – in short, make sure you buy the right capacity.

How much does it cost?

Of course, money matters. Pricing can range from $10 to $600 or even more and this depends on all the bells and whistles the drip coffee maker comes with.  If quality matters, duh, you’ll obviously pay more. Still, price is not everything because a cheap coffee maker might have just the feature you want, making it worth the buy.  Although, it IS true that the more expensive the coffee maker, the more features it comes with.

It comes down to looking at the following after deciding on a budget:

The capacity of the carafe – that pot into which the coffee drips – one cup or multiple cups? Usually ranges from 4 to 12 cups at a time.

Features – technology makes life easy by letting you program the coffee maker to automatically turn on and off, which means you can smell your coffee just as your waking up even before you actually get out of bed. Heaven eh? You can even interrupt your coffee maker if you are in a hurry and grab what’s ready before it is fully through.

Other features, to my stunned surprise, include a coffee grinder for fresh coffee, which means nirvana, really.

Water filter – some coffee makers have a built in filter because hey, you don’t want your water to contaminate your coffee. I already use a water filter so will look for a coffee maker without that feature.

Warranty – this one’s more important than the budget! Yes, support is important.Very.

So now, the brand hunt is on.

Do you use a drip coffee maker?

Which one?