Coffee Makers for home: For a hot cuppa!

In a family where members have varying tastes, it becomes absolutely important to first decide what kind of coffee will be made on a daily basis. Are you looking for something basic to start with or are you keen on getting an espresso and cappuccino maker? Or are you considering investing in a superior, more advanced machine loaded with a variety of features? Just read the report that follows.

For many people, there’s no better way to start the day than with a great cup of coffee. But today’s coffee makers do far more. Some grind beans, others froth milk for lattes and macchiatos, and a few even brew iced coffee. You start out by thinking it’s only about an appliance that will give you your daily cuppa and so there can’t be anything much to ponder about. Then, when you do some basic research, you realize there is a whole world of features out there and not only that, there are all these coffeemakers with different features and different features in different combinations. So, what should be your pick?

Types of coffee makers

If one cup is enough to jumpstart your day, choose a one- or two-cup drip model or a single- serve machine. Need more? Choose a larger automatic drip or one of the specialty machines.

Most large models brew 10 to 12 cups.If you space your coffee drinking throughout the day, consider a model with an insulated mug or carafe. These keep coffee hot and fresh-tasting for hours.

For some people, filling the coffee machine and turning it on is too much to handle in the morning. If you are one of them, consider a unit with an automatic ‘on’ switch. For the forgetful who rush out of the house in the morning, an automatically timed ‘off’ feature is also important.

Through all this, remember that the basic mechanism of all automatic-drip coffeemakers remains the same across brands. How they differ is in terms of the design, the compact structure, the glass carafe, the shape of the funnel, the time taken to brew, the water- filtration process, the flavour of the final brew, etc. All these factors together contribute to making one coffee machine different from, or better than, another one. Some also have added features such as timers for automatic start and inbuilt coffee-grinding mechanisms, but these are hard to find as compared to the basic ones.

What you may, or should, be looking for

Design – whether the coffeemaker is sleek and attractive, and how much space does it occupy
Simplicity – the simplest machine is always the best machine, with no complicated features to make it irksome to use
Safety – whether the machine is safe to use and backed by safety features

Comparison at a glance: of coffee makers

For our survey, we shortlisted regular-selling models of drip and espresso coffee makers

Brand	Model	Ca- pacity	Features	Power Consu mption, watts	Price, Rs.	War- rantee, years
Drip Type
Tefal	Appre- cia	600 ml	Easy to clean glass carafe for serving and storing Water level window to indicate Compact and ultra-convenient	600	2690
Preethi	Cafe Zest C	500 ml	Water level indicator,Anti drip system, Heat sensitive, Thermal Fuse	450	2349	1
Won- derchef	Regalia	700ml	Does not allow the coffee to flow out once the carafe is removed	550	2399	2
Black & Decker	DCM25- IN	1 cup	Covered reservoir, Removable drip tray, Indicator light, Ceramic cup, Permanent filter	330	1050	2
Insta- Cuppa	800 ml		Complete Pour Over Coffee Dripper		2499
Espresso Type
Singar	Xpress Brew	4 cup	Stainless Steel Filter & Metal Funnel Au to m a ti c P r e s s u r e R e l e a s e Protection with Frothing Function Glass Carafe & Removable Drip Tray	800W	2999	2
Morphy Richards	Fresco	4 cup	Overheat protectionRemovable drip tray for easy cleaning, Glass carafe	800W	4835	2
DE- LONG- HI	ECP 31.21	1.1 liter	Can make- espresso, cappucino& dispense hot water Advanced in-built cappuccino system	1100	18950
Russell Hobbs	RCM1	0.125L	Pull out filter holder, Permanent filter	330W	1,125.00	2
Morphy Richards	New Europa	4 cups	Removable drip tray for easy cleaning, Steam control knob	800	4299	2
Black & Decker	BXC- M0401IN	4 cup	Steam knob for coffee and frothing High temperature carafe with water level indicator Detachable drip tray for easy cleaning	870	4070	2
DeLong- hi	EC 685	1 litre	Can make- espresso, cappucino Advanced in-built cappuccino system Professional aluminium filter holder for ground coffee	1350	23100

Note: Prices may vary; check on amazon.in or flitkart.com for latest price

A buying checklist

Best in your budget
You should make a rough estimate of your requirements and then choose the appliance that is efficient as well as budget-friendly. You may find that two different appliances with same efficiency cost different.A little research can thereby help you to save money.
Easeand convenience
Be sure that there is no challenging procedure involved in the making of coffee. The appliance needs certain steps to be followed and the rest is done automatically. Some machines are automatic with a timer and these let you know when the coffee is ready by the beep noise – all you need to do is fill the machine with coffee beans, sugar, etc., beforehand.
Quantity
This is an important factor and you should be clear whether you need a:
1. single-cup coffeemaker (this is capable of providing one single cup at a time and is just perfect for less requirements or requirement at different times by different people), or
2. multi-cup coffeemaker (this is capable of preparing about three to four cups of coffee at a time)
Easy to clean and maintain
Usually coffeemakers have a coffee jar that can be detached and cleaned regularly. The filter inside the coffeemaker can be removed after some time of usage.

Drip/Filter coffee: Also called drip coffee, it is prepared by using finely ground coffee placed on paper through which steaming hot water is passed and the final brew is obtained in the decoction.

Espresso: The coffee ground is very fine, over which pressurised hot water is passed. The coffee obtained is filled inside the cups placed beneath the outlet. The coffee also has a layer of fine and creamy foam.

How much coffee can you drink a day?

An average 148 ml cup of ground coffee contains 85 mg of caffeine (that’s 57 mg of caffeine per 100 ml). Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee.

How can I make coffee taste better at home?

Buy whole beans in small batches. Coffee beans lose flavor over time. Keeping the beans whole and storing them at room temperature in an airtight container. Grinding them just prior to use with a burr grinder will ensure that the coffee is ground evenly, resulting in coffee that is flavorful and balanced.