Espresso maker, manual drip, electric drip, plunge pot and vacuum pot. Espresso Maker: If you love your coffee strong and hot, then you can't go wrong with an espresso machine when picking the perfect coffee maker. It makes delicious, concentrated coffee. Manual Drip: If you are picking the perfect coffee maker, the manual drip style, also known as a percolator, can be a good choice. This type of coffee maker doesn't brew coffee, it boils it. But still, it worked for your parents (when they were picking the perfect coffee maker) and it's still a viable option today. Electric Drip: Known as an automatic drip coffee maker, this is the most popular choice when picking the perfect coffee maker. Mr. Coffee virtually started the revolution way back when and this is the leader for many reasons, including flavor, price and convenience. Still many true coffee lovers eschew the automatic drip version when picking the perfect coffee maker because it doesn't always brew at the ideal temperature (180 to 200 degrees). French Press: For those picking the perfect coffee maker, a French Press offers the perfect balance between flavor, price and ease of use. It doesn't need a filter, which is another bonus. Vacuum Pot: If a true coffee lover is picking the perfect coffee maker, he will often choose this when picking the perfect coffee maker, which is a bit of a throwback to times past. Water vapor is what does the trick, pushing the water up a tube so it drips over the coffee grounds.
Now that you know the types of coffee makers out there, picking out the perfect coffee maker is a matter of features and price. Most often you get more features for the price, but a higher priced coffee maker doesn't necessarily make a better cup of coffee. The key is the temperature of the water. As we noted, 180 to 200 degrees F is the magic temperature where the essential oils and rich flavors are released from the beans. The lower the temperature, the less flavor, and compensating with more grind won't improve the flavor. Temperature accounts for 99% of all problems when brewing coffee at home, so if you're picking the perfect coffee maker, read through the reviews and the owners manual before buying. Get as close to the magic 180 to 200 degree mark as possible. All the other features and bells and whistles come in a distant second to temperature when picking the perfect coffee maker.
