Tips for Choosing Automatic Drip Coffee Machines

Automatic Drip Coffee Machines are the most popular coffee maker used world-wide. They are stylish and brew a great cup of coffee quickly.

You fill the reservoir with cold water and add a filter with ground coffee. Automatic drip coffee machines heat the water and then it drips through the grounds into a glass decanter.

There are a variety of features available on these coffee machines and some are very beneficial. But like anything else you purchase, you can spend money on features you don't need.

Look for a good design, especially if you have limited space, and outstanding reliability.

Three Major Considerations

Features vary with the different brand names of automatic coffee makers that are on the market. However, regardless of which coffee machine you choose, there are three things to consider.

Brewing Temperature - To get the most flavor from your coffee, the brewing temperature should be between 195° and 205°.

Water Quality - Depending on the quality of your regular water supply, you may want to use distilled water for the best coffee flavor.

Coffee Quality - Coffee taste is a personal preference. Depending on the taste you're looking for, you may want to grind your own beans for fresher coffee versus using canned coffee.

Automatic Drip Coffee Machines Features

Cup Capacity - Standard drip coffee machines are available in sizes from 1 cup up to 12 cups. When you are determining what size you need, keep in mind a cup is equal to about five ounces, not eight ounces which is the standard measurement for a cup.

Coffee On Demand - models brews the coffee directly into a holding tank instead of a carafe. Your coffee stays hot without using a heat plate, so you don't get that scorched taste. You dispense the coffee by holding your cup against a bar on the coffee machine.

Dual Coffee Makers - are also known as the double pot system, this automatic coffee maker has some additional benefits. When you entertain guests you have two pots of coffee available in a matter of minutes. If you have a decaffeinated coffee drinker in your household, you have the option of brewing regular coffee in one pot and decaffeinated in the other pot. If you have a tea drinker in your household, one pot can be used for hot water or brewing tea. This can be a very beneficial machine.

Thermal Carafe - Most standard drip machines come with the glass decanter and heating plate. Some of the thermal coffee machines also have a prewarm setting to warm the carafe prior to brewing. Thermal carafes keep your coffee warm for four to five hours and your coffee tastes as fresh as when you first brewed it. With a thermal coffee maker I prefer the stainless steel carafe. The stainless steel carafe preserves the taste, the aroma, and the freshness.

Pour and Lock System - feature allows you to press the lock down to pour your coffee, then you press it again to close it which keeps your heat and freshness locked in. This feature is almost always available with the stainless steel carafes.

Programmable - Being able to program your automatic coffee maker has benefits and saves you time. If your schedule is basically the same each day, you can program the hour you want your coffee to brew. It's nice getting up to a fresh cup of coffee.

Programming Strength - allows you to set your coffee to brew at mild, medium or strong settings which gives you the control you want.

Programming Cup Amounts - allows you to set how many cups you want to brew depending on the brand you decide on.

Removable Filter Basket - This is a definite plus for adding your filter and grounds as well as for clean up. In addition, a permanent coffee filter saves money versus purchasing paper filters and is easy to clean. The gold, stainless, or nylon filters allow for a more robust cup of coffee because they are more porous allowing more flavor to come through.

Built-in Bean Grinder - If you prefer your beans ground fresh, the built-in grinder feature grinds just enough coffee for each pot. This isn't a typical feature but it is becoming more popular.

Water Filtration - Carbon filters are the best and do not remove the trace minerals in the water that have a good affect on the coffee. These do require regular replacement.

Pod Compatible - Prepackaged pod filters take the guess work out of the measuring and clean up is a breeze.

Space Savers and Under The Cabinet Models - If you need to save space these work - depending on the capacity you need, you can get one cup servers up to 12 cup servers.

Frothers - Milk Steamers - Some models do have frothers available, however I don't recommend them. Quality cappuccinos cannot be made with drip coffee machines.

Auto shut-off shuts off the coffee maker if you forget to turn it off.
Pause and Serve allows you to grab a cup of coffee before the entire pot has brewed.
Removable water tanks are available on some models and they do make refill easy.

Automatic coffee makers price range varies from $20.00 to over $200.00 depending on what features you choose. Warranties average one to two years for most brand names, although some of the top of the line models may be longer. You'll find a variety of styles, sizes, and colors in automatic coffee makers.

Coffee Maker Reviews - Reviews of brand names and styles.