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Table of Contents
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Table of Contents
By
Bryan Huynh
Key Takeaways
Coffee has hundreds of years of history as a stimulating beverage. First found in Sufi shrines in what is now Yemen in the 15th century, it traveled across the Middle East. The Turkish were the first to invent a method for brewing coffee that’s similar to what we enjoy today. While you can still brew coffee the Turkish way if you like, you also have many other options for modern coffee machines that handle all of the hard work. There’s a device for making coffee that fits every consumer’s needs. Manual brewing methods like the French Press or percolator give you direct control, while pod and capsule coffee machines are largely hands off.
Today’s coffee machines have come a long way since the basic metal pots used for brewing up Turkish coffee. Making the right choice for your morning routine is largely a matter of personal preference. Almost every kind of coffee machine can produce a high quality cup with the right tricks. Yet for some connoisseurs, only the rich crema created by certain machines will please the palate.
Many specialty devices that claim to be all new coffee machines are simply variations of older designs. However, some modern methods really do stand out for certain improvements or features that make them worthy of attention. Explore the main types of coffee machines to get a grasp on what you’re choosing from before you shop.
For the fan of concentrated caffeine and flavor, the espresso is a small amount of coffee produced under high pressure. There are three categories of espresso machines:
As the name suggests, a manual espresso machine requires you to handle every step from tamping down the grounds to ending the drip when it’s time. You actually push the lever up to set the pressure and then pull it down to physically draw the espresso out. This also gives you the finest control over the finished cup of espresso. Semi-automatic machines require tamping and setting, but they handle the rest of the work. You’ll hear a beep when your cup is ready. You have less control over the process. This can be a good thing if you’re a beginner because it’s not always easy to get consistent results from a manual espresso machine.
Fully automatic espresso machines aim to take all the work out of the process by using pre-loaded capsules so there’s no need to tamp or clean filters. However, they don’t always produce espresso that has the same quality as drinks produced by the other two types of machines. Only complete beginners who don’t want to learn to tamp their own coffee grounds generally choose this kind of coffee machine. Many also produce other types of coffee, which can make them more appealing if you rarely indulge in this concentrated form of coffee.
Quick and foolproof coffee drinks are easily made with modern pod and capsule coffee machines that are topping the sales charts today. However, many coffee lovers prefer to have more control over the grounds they use and the brewing conditions. These coffee machines not only create a cup that has limited quality, but they also raise concerns over sustainability due to the disposable plastic pods used to produce the drink. The main benefits of this kind of coffee machine are consistency and speed.
Most people today grew up in a home where a drip coffee maker burbled and growled every morning while their parents woke up. It’s not considered a method suited to producing the highest quality cup, but using the right filter and grounds can still give you great flavor. The popularity of this kind of percolating device is that most drip coffee makers offer programming features so you can set them at night and wake up to a freshly brewed cup. Many drip devices produce a cup as quickly as a pod coffee machine but with less waste. Other machines give you precise controls over temperature and water level to produce the type of coffee you like best.
The French Press is a manual coffee machine, but it takes little skill or effort aside from patience. You simply load your coffee grinds in the bottom of a metal or glass cylinder, fill it with hot water, and let it brew for a few minutes. Then you press down a plunger that lowers a mesh screen and traps the grounds at the bottom. You pour off a creamy, flavorful cup of coffee without needing further straining. Many people consider this one of the easiest ways to get crema and well-rounded flavor from quality coffee grounds without having to deal with the high pressure of an espresso machine or Moka pot.
The Moka Pot comes in both old-fashioned stove top models and plug-in electric devices. Both types vaporize water in a lower chamber to drive it through the coffee grounds and create a strong extract that’s similar to espresso. It’s relatively easy to use, but cleaning and maintaining the device takes more time than with a drip coffee machine or a French Press. Some people also find the results unpredictable and hard to control.
Designed for use on campfires by cowboys and other travelers, the many percolators still sold today are functionally the same as older models. Pressure from boiling water forces it up the stem of the device and through the coffee grounds, then the brewed coffee percolates back down into the rest of the pot. Some percolators sit inside their own metal or glass pitchers for easy dispensing. Other devices are designed to sit on top of a large coffee mug or inside another pot you already own.
Coffee lovers are split on whether percolators produce a better or worse cup of coffee than devices like Moka Pots and French Presses. Some like the more acidity and robust taste that comes from this kind of coffee machine. Others find it too fiddly or come to feel discouraged by the cleaning and maintenance requirements of the equipment.
Another manual coffee maker that requires you to just add hot water and coffee grounds, the AeroPress is slightly different from the standard French Press. The plunger uses a silicone seal to put extra pressure on the water as it is forced down onto the coffee grounds. A filter in the base of the plunger ensures that only the finest extract enters the upper chamber for a highly concentrated cup of coffee. Many people consider it to produce quality espresso with the work of a full-sized machine, while French Press machines tend to turn out a muddy or overpowering cup if you use fine espresso grounds.
The siphon or vacuum coffee maker looks quite modern, but it was invented back in the 1830s. Two chambers are connected with a filter unit. Heating up the device forces the water to quickly vaporize, creating a finished cup of coffee in under 2 minutes. The coffee brews in the upper chamber and then drops back down through the filter to clarify and remove solids. The resulting cup has a rich flavor and is nearly as concentrated as espresso. It works on the same principle as the Moka Pot, but some coffee lovers consider it to produce a cleaner and less acidic flavor.
There’s little reason to buy a fancy espresso coffee machine if you don’t enjoy drinking espresso or the drinks made with it. If you like teas and other hot drinks like cocoa, a pod or capsule machine may give you greater flexibility. Don’t forget features like milk steaming and frothing to complete your cappuccino or other homemade masterpiece. A simple cup of coffee is easy to produce with most coffee machines.
The most affordable coffee machines cost less than $20 and still produce decent to great results. French Presses, drip coffee machines, and percolators tend to cost the least. Manual espresso machines and siphon coffee makers tend to cost the most, with Moka Pots and semi-automatic espresso machines falling in the middle.
Small devices like French Presses and Moka Pots have been popular for decades in kitchens without a lot of space. Most powered devices like espresso machines and drip coffee makers will take up much more counter space. If you enjoy coffee daily, you’ll need dedicated space for the coffee machine and its accessories.
Espresso machines and Moka Pots tend to generate loud noises that can be difficult for some people to handle early in the morning. You don’t want to wake your neighbors up at an hour when they’re still usually in bed. Drip coffee machines are noisy enough to wake you up, but won’t usually alert anyone else. French Presses and AeroPresses are practically silent.
Due to the internal structures, percolators and Moka Pots take the most work to keep clean and well-maintained. Drip coffee machines can vary greatly in how easy they are to clean. French Presses and AeroPresses are simple to clean by hand or in a dishwasher. Espresso machines are also variable in the amount of maintenance they need and how hard they are to clean. Check out videos from actual users of specific models if you can to get an idea of how much work goes into cleaning.
Some coffee machines produce much more waste than others. Coffee pods and capsules are made with plastic and foil, but they’re single use and are immediately discarded. If you drink multiple cups per day, you could easily fill a small trash can by the end of the week with just coffee pods. Every other method of coffee making has sustainable options like reusable mesh filters. You can also compost the coffee grounds or add them directly to your garden to reduce what goes into your trash can. Even many espresso machines are now built with sustainability in mind.
Coffee machines offer interesting mixes of benefits and requirements from their users. Espresso machines take skill to operate, while most people can get the swing of using a French Press or drip machine fairly quickly. If you’re just after a quick cup of coffee, you have a lot of options for making the process as painless as possible. Just consider the long-term impact of those convenient coffee pods before you decide that’s the right type of coffee machine for your kitchen or office.
Does the type of coffee machine you use affect the caffeine level?
Yes, the brewing method determines the caffeine level of the finished coffee. Espresso makers and devices like Moka Pots brew concentrated coffee with a caffeine level as high as 75 mg per ounce. In contrast, an AeroPress or French Press produces an 8 ounce cup of coffee with 100 mg of caffeine in it.
Which coffee machines allow you to control the concentration of the coffee?
Moka Pots and espresso machines usually produce a concentrated form of coffee no matter how you brew. Drip coffee makers, French Presses, AeroPresses, and siphon coffee machines give you more control over the concentration by allowing you to use varying amounts of water and grounds.
Are siphon pots difficult to use?
Siphon pots do take some practice to master. However, many people consider them easier to use than Moka Pots and much easier than manual espresso machines while producing similar results.
Should you buy a metal, glass, or ceramic coffee machine?
Metal can produce a slight flavor that some people detect in their coffee. If you’re sensitive, a ceramic or glass vessel for your French Press or other coffee machine will prevent that problem.
Bryan Huynh
Product Tester & Writer
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Edited by:
Bryan Huynh
•
Product Tester & Writer
