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.

To assist you with sorting through all of the available features, I've listed many for you below.

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

You've decided you want an automatic coffee maker. Let's review the features available so you'll know exactly which drip coffee machines meet your needs.

Cup Capacity
Standard drip coffee machines are available in sizes from 1 cup up to 12 cups. However, 1 to 2 cups can be a problem with a larger model because the water temperature isn't adequate which may result in producing weak coffee.

Depending on your lifestyle you may not use that much coffee in the mornings. If you are an on-the-go person, a one cup coffee maker may very well suit your needs. But if you drink more coffee on weekends or your days off, be sure to count that in your decision.

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
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
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. If you brew coffee and don't consume it in a fairly short time, heating plates can scorch the coffee resulting in a bitter taste.

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
This 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
With this feature you can set your coffee to brew at mild, medium or strong settings which gives you the control you want.

Programming Cup Amounts
This feature allows you to set how many cups you want to brew. You can usually choose four, six, eight, ten, or twelve cups 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.

I prefer a separate grinder for two reasons:

• The built-in grinders are normally blade grinders and I prefer burr grinders for better quality.
• Unless the grinder is removable it will be more difficult to clean.

Water Filtration
If your community or well water is too hard and ruins the taste of your coffee, a system that uses quality carbon filters work well. Unlike some filters, carbon filters 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 are becoming very popular. The guess work is taken out of the measuring and clean up is a breeze. If you like using pods look for coffee machines that are compatible.

Space Savers and Under The Cabinet Models
If you're short on counter space these may suit your needs. 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.

Additional Drip Coffee Machine Features

Auto shut-off is a great feature if you purchase drip coffee machines with the heating plate. It will shut off if you forget to turn it off.

Pause and Serve allows you to grab a cup of coffee before the entire pot has brewed if you're in a hurry.

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. Before you go shopping for one, you may want to jot down the features you must have and the features you would like to have to assist you in shopping.