Coffee Making Machines: A Study in Variety and Price

Today I thought it might be interesting to take a brief look at coffee makers for the home or office. Which brands are the best buy? The answer to that question may surprise the reader.

According to Consumer Reports, you can spend up to $200 for a machine that gets the water hot enough for the optimum cup of coffee (between 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit). But other coffee makers did the job just as well for $40 - $50. And one -- made by Melitta -- was available for $25.00.

KitchenAid's Pro Line carafe model, considered by many to be a top-of-the-line machine costs $200.00 (U.S.) brewed impressively, but apparently the top-ranked Cuisinart brewed just as well and cost only half the price. And surprisingly, the $40.00 Michael Graves model did almost as good a job.

Consumer Reports does not recommend the use of combination grind and brew machines. Apparently, the grinders require regular disassembly and cleaning. The brewing capacities of these machines was only mediocre as well. The one exception was Cuisinart's Grind and Brew (model DGB-700BC) which "brewed superbly" but failed on the grinding tests.

All in all, the message as far as combination grind and brew machines go is to avoid their use. When purchasing a grinding machine, use a burr grinder, which grinds the beans more uniformly than those that use blades.

While searching the web and doing research for this blog installment, the profusion of information on the various coffee makers was overwhelming. Technological advances have contributed enormously to the proliferation of coffee-making features, ranging from pause and serve options to permanent filters. There are also a number of ways one can go in terms of what type of machine to purchase, from French presses to percolators. Generally speaking, however, choices will most likely be determined by the two traditional consumer principles of price and convenience, with the exception of die-hard coffee connoisseurs.