Archive for the ‘Coffee Makers’ category

Electric Coffee Makers Guide

January 22nd, 2010

Electric coffee makers are found in just about every home.  Even people who do not drink coffee use them to make a quick pot of tea.  They can be very cheap costing only $20 at the low end working their way up to much more expensive. They come with many options to make lives easier and to allow delicious gourmet coffee to be enjoyed at home.

The coffee machine has improved the taste of coffee and simplified the clean up process.  The water is poured into the back of the machine and is heated to just the right temperature before it is sprayed over the coffee grounds in a filter in the top of the machine.  As the water seeps through the coffee, delicious aromatic liquid is collected in a pot below.  The pot sets on a hot plate that keeps the coffee warm until consumption.

There are a number of different electric coffee makers available.  The cheaper ones do not usually last very long, are noisy and have no extra features. The best electric coffee makers cost hundreds of dollars but they are much better quality and last for many years.

A very handy feature is the coffee machine with the delay brew option.  It is so nice to crawl out of bed at 5 am and have the coffee ready.  It really helps to get the day going.  Another feature that should be included in all coffee makers is the automatic shut-off.  There is nothing like getting to work and remembering that the coffee maker is still on.  It will have to stay on all day and there will be a mess to clean up later.

One of the best small electric coffee makers currently is the Keurig single cup machine. It uses patented technology to make one cup of perfect coffee at a time.  A small sealed canister called a K-Cup is inserted into the pot and just enough water is heated and passed through the canister to make one cup.  Clean up is as simple as throwing away the canister.  There are no filters and messy used coffee grounds to worry about.

Electric coffee pots come in single serve versions like the Keurig model or also in four-cup versions.  These look just like the larger models that make twelve cups but are much smaller.  They hold less water, have a smaller basket and filter, and make only four cups of coffee at a time but they come with all the features of larger models.

Accessories for electric coffee makers are limited.  One of the neatest accessories is the reusable coffee filter.  It is available for all machine models including the Keurig so you need never run out of filters again.  Simply wash the filter and re-use.  The Keurig also has special holders for the K-cups it uses.

Electric coffee makers are convenient and affordable.  They use very little electricity so it is tempting to have a pot of coffee ready at all times.  Coffee that sits on the burner too long evaporates and just does not taste as good as a fresh pot.  So consider how much coffee will be consumed at one time when purchasing a new coffee maker.  It may be better to spend a little more and get a Keurig.

No comments »

Posted in Coffee Makers

Tags:

Coffee Pods Explained

December 15th, 2009

Coffee pods are an innovation in coffee machine use that ensures making great coffee is simple. They are paper capsules that contain measured amounts of freshly roasted, ground and compressed coffee.  The paper filter package is made of food safe materials. All you do is pop a coffee pod into a pod adaptor in your machines filter holder or into the brewing chamber of a pod coffee maker and wait while it is brewed into delicious coffee. After you have drunk your fix of the brown nectar the only mess you have to clear up is a used pod that you pop in the bin.

Types of coffee pod
There are three sizes of coffee pods you can find. The standard size of 44mm includes about 7g of coffee and is used mainly in espresso pump or semi-automatic machines. The larger 62mm pod is used with Philips, Senseo and Black & Decker Home Cafe machines. You can also find 55mm pods which contain twice as much coffee to make two shots of espresso with only one brew.

Blends available
Coffee pods are an ideal way for you to try many of the different blends of coffee that are available. Rather than buying a bag of a certain blend, you can buy large, multi packs that contain coffee pods of all different blends. You can then try differing varieties such as Italian (from the home of espresso), dark roast (a strong dark blend), decaffeinated, flavoured (including vanilla, and hazelnut), or specialties like the smooth, sweet Ethiopian blend or the creamy and mild Crema Milano. You can even get tea pods for those households where coffee is not the only hot drink choice.

Pod adaptors
Most coffee machines, even if they are marketed as machines where you are in full control over the coffee making process, have the ability to use coffee pods for those days when you need a bit more convenience. The leading coffee machine manufacturers came together and defined the ESE coffee pods format. This stands for Easy Serving Espresso pod and is the term given to 44mm pods that can be used with any machine bearing the ESE logo. Your machine may take the pods directly or you may need an adaptor but if you buy an ESE compatible machine, the adaptor will be included. If you have an older machine without this logo, you can probably buy an adaptor filter to convert your machine so it can use coffee pods. There is also a rapidly expanding range of single serve coffee machines that use only coffee pods.

How much do coffee pods cost?
The price of a coffee pod will depend on the brand you buy, the blend and whether or not you are buying in bulk. Prices range from as low as $0.20 per pod up to a few dollars. Multi packs are the most economical way to buy coffee pods and variety packs give you the opportunity to try blends you might not want to buy a lot of before knowing you like them.

Benefits of coffee pods
There are many steps involved in making the perfect espresso such as grinding, measuring, using fresh beans, roasting, tamping, heating the water and using the right water pressure – most are handled by your coffee machine but some involve you. Even if you buy ready ground, fresh roasted coffee you still have to measure the correct amount out and tamp it perfectly in the filter holder. The coffee pod alleviates these two steps making drinking great coffee more convenient.

As well as the speed and convenience of preparation, coffee pods allow for easy cleaning and less waste of your coffee grounds. They also ensure the taste of your coffee is consistent from cup to cup. Traditionally specialist training was required to use espresso machines but pod brewers have allowed a standardized quality to be repeated time after time. Coffee connoisseurs think the taste is inferior to that served by an espresso specialist but for the average consumer, the results are likely to be far better than if they used a traditional machine with fresh coffee beans. The famous espresso crema has been incorporated into the coffee pod technology making the resulting coffee highly comparable to what you would be served in a current espresso bar.

Other advantages of coffee pods are that you can try a variety of blends easily, there are no packets of coffee left open to go stale and there is no need for you to invest in a coffee grinder as well as a maker.

As with everything there are disadvantages to coffee pods. These include a higher cost per cup than from normal coffee grounds as well as fewer suppliers to buy from. There is a small amount of packaging waste from the film the pods are packed in and from the paper of the pods themselves. The used pods are easily degradable though and can be used as compost.

No comments »

Posted in Coffee Makers

Tags:

Gaggia Coffee Machine Top 3 Choices

December 3rd, 2009

Designed in Italy the Gaggia coffee machine is one of the most respected in the business. That is why every day coffee lovers all around the world are enjoying espresso coffee from one of their many machines. Gaggia coffee machines use steam pressure to push water through ground coffee in a way that ensures all of the aromas and flavours are extracted and a rich foam, called the crema, is created. Below we go through three of our favourite Gaggia coffee machines.

Gaggia 14101 Classic Espresso Machine

For around $500 you can treat yourself to this stainless steel Gaggia Classic coffee machine. Its style is classic and timeless but its technology is advanced. It stands at just over 14 inches tall and uses standard 58mm filters so has plenty of space to make rich espresso coffees in the comfort of your own home. It may be a home machine but has a few commercial features in its high power pump and high voltage boiler which mean it warms up quickly. Its special valves ensure that no pressure builds up so espresso shots can be prepared continuously and other parts are well made ensuring temperatures remain stable. Coffee pods are used in the machine to produce two cups at a time. The Gaggia 14101 is full of features such as a hot water dispenser, a frothing wand, a cup warmer, a coffee tamper and two stainless steel filter baskets. The water reservoir holds 72 fluid ounces of water and is easily removed so you can fill it or clean it.

Its commercial grade quality and heavy duty construction make the Gaggia Classic a top selling coffee machine. It performs well and will last the distance making you those perfect espressos for a long time to come. The frothing capability is good and it looks the part making a nice accessory for your kitchen work surfaces. The only downside is that the frothing wand does not move in every direction so can get in the way when removing your cup.

Gaggia 16100 Evolution Home Espresso Cappuccino Machine

For just over $200 the black Gaggia Evolution has an appealing look with its sleek new design. The outside may have pushed the boundaries in the visual appeal of coffee makers but rest assured the respected internal workings of this Gaggia machine have not changed. The super efficient boiler heats up the water quicker than most other machines and the high power pump has plenty of spare capacity. Gaggia’s home espresso machines are designed with all types of coffee lover in mind. The two filter baskets are akin to those found in commercial machines so suit the coffee perfectionist and the unique Perfect Crema device is there for those of us who just want to grab a great coffee in the midst of our busy lives. The water reservoir just slides to the left enabling quick and easy filling and the machine can use the well known Illy coffee pods. The controls are easy to get the hang so you can soon be sipping creamy, tasty coffee you have brewed.

This well built machine is amazingly quick to heat up and makes lots of foam and steam. It is great value for money as it includes the same workings as other more expensive Gaggia machines. The design improvements over other Gaggias include a larger drip tray, a cup warmer and rubber mounts that alleviate vibration noises. The Turbo Frother attachment makes really creamy and dense foam but make sure you use skimmed milk to get the best results. The instructions come in manual and CD-Rom format so you can watch how to set up the machine rather than miss anything by reading it. The CD also includes advanced tips and techniques for the coffee perfectionists we mentioned earlier! The only downsides relate to the coffee scoop which looks a bit cheap and the tamper which is not the best and could probably do with replacing.

Gaggia 11400 Achille Lever Operated Espresso Machine

At around $800 the Achille is the most expensive of our favourite Gaggia coffee espresso machine choices. Its beautiful lever operated mechanism reminds us of more vintage machines and its domed water reservoir is very eye catching. The stainless steel Achille is easy to use – you just raise the lever to allow the water through into the filter holder to start infusing the coffee and lower it again to push the coffee into your cup. There is also a Turbo frothing wand that creates a fancy, creamy froth very simply. Other features include a 28 fluid ounce removable water tank, two filter baskets for single and double shots and a tamper. The Gaggia Achille makes a real statement in your kitchen – that you are serious about your coffee. The machine keeps stable temperatures which ensures there are no sour or bitter shots.

This coffee maker is great on two levels – one it is a work of art and very interesting to look at and two it produces wonderful espresso. On the downsides the grinds do need tamping well to produce a consistent quality drink. You need to be patient and practice with different combinations of grind fineness and tamping pressure to see what works and what doesn’t. Also the machine does seem prone to leaky parts.

We hope you found each Gaggia coffee machine review useful. If you have any comments to add we would love to hear them.

No comments »

Posted in Coffee Makers

Tags:

Braun Coffee Maker Choices

November 5th, 2009

Finding a Braun coffee maker is made easy since Braun is known for reliable, affordable and competitive products. In business for nearly a century, Braun is consistently considered a leader in coffee makers. Currently, the Braun CaféHouse, Sommelier, and Classics coffee makers are among the designs, and their features keep them ahead of the industry curve.

The following features are common to all three Braun coffee makers: auto shut-off, the OptiBrew System, built-in Brita filters, drip-stop system, and a non-slip handle. You can leave your home without worrying whether you turned off your coffee maker, because all three lines simply shut themselves off. Auto shut-off ensures not only that your coffee will not burn or overheat, but that you will not accidentally cause an electrical fire. The Optibrew System is the patented process developed by Braun, which ensures that temperature, brew time, and extraction of flavour from the coffee grounds relate to one another in such a way that you enjoy that perfect cup of coffee every morning.

Braun’s three designs also have a Brita filtration system. Purified through the built-in Brita cartridge, the water that percolates into the coffee grounds is virtually free of chlorine, fluoride, or other calcifying minerals that are often found in tap water.

Surely, choosing a kind of coffee bean that is high in quality, with good overall character is crucial; nevertheless, the purified Brita water extracts unwanted qualities from your water, helping you achieve the most exquisite cup of coffee, no matter which bean you choose.

Braun’s drip-stop feature is another unique feature. Allowing you to pour coffee even before the brewing is finished, a locking mechanism causes the brewing process to pause, so that you do not lose any coffee or create a mess. Even the handles are smartly designed. A non-slip, soft, and ergonomically shaped grip make even pouring your coffee a pleasurable experience. There is more to enjoying coffee than drinking it, after all.

While the Sommelier, Classics, and CaféHouse share qualities that make Braun an industry leader in coffee makers, they each have unique features, as well. The Sommelier and Classics both feature a thermal carafe. Insulated by a double wall, the coffee pots themselves create a vacuum, so that your coffee maintains the temperature, aroma, and flavour you desire. The Classics coffee makers have unique features, too. Some models have a flavour-selector feature, which is two-fold. First, select your preference on a range of mild to strong. The flavour-selector system then separates unsavoury oils and acids that can leave unwanted acridity in your coffee. The result, of course, is high-quality coffee, brewed exactly how you like it.

Consumer reviews of the Braun coffee maker suggest that the CaféHouse, Classics, and Sommelier lines quickly brew great tasting coffee, at a price your pocket book will like, too. Both the novice and connoisseur may unanimously find that Braun’s combination of durability, style, and cost befits an aromatic morning in any home.

No comments »

Posted in Coffee Makers

Tags: