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Types of Coffee Makers for Home Use: The Ultimate Guide

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“Get Perfect Cup of Coffee Every Morning with Right Coffee Maker”

The coffee makers in India have come a long way from standard pots to automatic drip machines. Today, the market is filled with several options from French press to cappuccino coffee makers.

Among this varied range, choosing a coffee maker can be daunting, especially if you don’t know its differences. Because every person has a different opinion on which coffee tastes better.

In this article, we have decoded the information related to different types of coffee makers, how they work and who they are suitable for.

Types of Coffee Makers:

Types of coffee makersAs mentioned, there are 8 types of coffee makers that are listed below. Take a look.

  • Drip Coffee Makers
  • Single Serve Pod Coffee Makers
  • French Press Coffee Makers
  • Cappuccino Coffee Makers
  • Percolators
  • Cold Brew coffee maker
  • Moka coffee maker
  • Aero press coffee maker

1. Drip Coffee Makers

Drip Coffee MakerThese are the most common type of coffee makers found in every Indian home. It allows you to set the strength of the brew, water quantity and coffee quality the night before so you wake up to the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee according to your taste. To know the best drip coffee maker available in India, click here to check out reviews.

How does it work?

  • Load the filter of this coffee maker with ground coffee.
  • Fill the water reservoir with water.
  • A heating element starts heating the water and forces it upwards.
  • This hot water then drips down into the filter with ground coffee.
  • Brewed coffee then flows out into the carafe (container attached to the coffee maker).

Suitable For: Black coffee lovers.

Brewing Time: 5 to 10 minutes.

Capacity: 3, 4, 6 or 12 cups of coffee.

Price: Inexpensive.

Size: Drip coffee makers are usually compact and can be carried anywhere. They fit in any corner of your kitchen.

Maintenance: Very easy to clean. The filter lasts long and the damage charges are cost effective.

Benefits:

  • Easy to operate and maintain.
  • You can customize the brew as per your requirement.
  • Comes in several models, sizes and shapes.

Drawbacks:

  • You can only make a basic black coffee, if you are an espresso lover, this wouldn’t suit you.
  • The coffee in the drip coffee maker stays hot till the morning with the “keep warm” feature in it.

2. Single Serve Pod Coffee Makers

Single Serve Pod Coffee MakersIf you can’t wait till the drip coffee maker gets its job done, you can go for this single serve pod coffee maker. This type of coffee maker, as the name suggests, serves coffee for a single person just with the touch of a button. All this happens with the help of a pod. The pods are now coming in various flavors, so getting your favorite espresso is now made simple.

How does it work?

Add your coffee pod into the coffee maker.

The machine sends hot water into this pod and delivers instant coffee.

Suitable For: Bachelors, for those who hate cleaning the mess after making a coffee and for small offices

Brewing Time: Instant

Capacity: 1 cup

Size: Very compact

Price: Initial investment is affordable; However, the maintenance cost is high as the coffee pods are only available online.

Cleaning and Maintenance: Very easy to clean and leaves no mess.

Benefits:

  • Different flavors of coffee pods are available, so you can get the right coffee according to your taste and mood.
  • No wastage as it makes only one cup of coffee at a time.
  • Best for small offices as employees can make their coffee as per taste.
  • Easy to clean.

Drawbacks:

  • Coffee pods are expensive

3. French Press Coffee Maker

French Press Coffee MakerThis is the most stylish coffee maker which is very easy to use. The coffee making with French press maker is similar to hand-made coffee making. It doesn’t need electricity like drip coffee machines.

You can get a perfect dose of coffee each time with this machine as it has clear indications that’ll help you pour the right amounts of coffee powder and water.

The coffee can be a little grainy and if you’re okay with it, French press coffee maker is perfect for you.

How does it work?

  • Add the coffee grounds and boiling water into the coffee maker.
  • Gently press the lids for the coffee grounds to be suppressed.
  • The grounds get separated from the coffee by pressing down the filter.

Suitable For: Anyone who loves having coffee while travelling, anyone who loves rich aromatic coffee

Brewing Time: Instant

Capacity: 3, 4, 6 or 12 cups

Size: Compact and travel-friendly

Price: Cheaper than other coffee makers

Cleaning and Maintenance: French press coffee makers don’t require filter replacement, so the maintenance costs are less and cleaning can also be done with ease as there’s not much equipment.

Benefits:

  • Most affordable coffee maker.
  • Doesn’t require electricity to work and no need of filter replacement.
  • The easiest way to brew your coffee.
  • Very less maintenance.

Drawbacks:

  • French press coffee maker doesn’t filter out “Cafestol” that can cause your cholesterol levels to rise.
  • The coffee can contain some coffee grounds and this can be irritating if you don’t like grainy coffee.
  • If the water you add into the maker is not appropriate, you may get a burnt taste.
Note: For reviews on the best French-press maker in India, you read the reviews HERE.

4. Cappuccino/Espresso Machines

CappuccinoEspresso MachinesThese Espresso Coffee machines are the most popular in India for their unique features. These machines are similar to the ones you see in your CCD, Starbucks and Barista.

Espresso machines can give you your favorite lattes, cappuccino’s, macchiato and other flavors of coffee. Some of the espresso machines even contain coffee pod option and water storage capabilities, automatic settings, porta filter and many such features.

These coffee machines give out small quantities (one shot of espresso) at a time but your coffee will be strong and full of flavor.

Espresso machines are available in three types:

  • Manual espresso machine:

This is piston-driven and helps you brew your customized espresso. You can even control the brewing process.

  • Semi-Automatic espresso machine:

This type is similar to manual one but tends to be less expensive than fully-automatic machine. Here, you need to put the coffee grounds and attach it to the machine.

  • Fully-automatic espresso machine:

This is similar to having an at-home CCD and is very expensive. However, you get some customization controls. Here, you just need to push the start button if you have the coffee grounds stored in the machine.

How do they work?

  • Fill the reservoir in your espresso machine with water. Use filtered water if your machine doesn’t have built-in filter.
  • Turn on the machine and wait till you find indication that the machine is ready to use.
  • Remove the shot basket from the portable filter and fill it with espresso grounds and insert it back.
  • The machine will now brew your espresso. Collect it with a cup.

Suitable For: Strong coffee lovers, and Barista, Café Coffee Day coffee lovers

Brewing Time: 25 to 30 seconds

Capacity: The volume of coffee you get is less than a cup if you’re making a single espresso shot.

Size: Less in weight but occupies more space.

Price: Expensive than the rest.

Cleaning and Maintenance: It is expensive to maintain an expresso machine and cleaning can also get difficult.

Benefits:

  • Many coffee varieties and flavours from a single espresso machine.
  • Provides strong and highest quality of coffee.
  • Looks stylish.
  • Fast and efficient.

Drawbacks:

  • Most expensive one than the rest of coffee makers in India.
  • The comes out in smaller quantities than expected.

5. Percolators

PercolatorsAs different as it sounds, a percolator is a coffee pot in which coffee beans and water are added and placed on a stovetop to create perfect coffee. Here, coffee is made through the process of steaming.

This is the oldest type of coffee machine which has been on the go since 12th century. With percolator machines, you can make your favorite south Indian filter coffee and espresso with much ease.

Percolator is mostly made of stainless steel to suit the stove tops but in the recent times, electric ones made of aluminum are also being available.

How do they work?

  • The percolator comes in two parts.
  • Fill the lower part with water and put the coffee grounds into the basket.
  • Then, put back the top part and place this percolator in the cooker to boil.
  • You can even put this machine directly on a stovetop with medium temperature setting.
  • The machine stops gurgling after a few minutes, this is when you can enjoy your coffee.

Suitable for: Unless you have a serious addiction to south Indian filter coffee or a hot coffee, you don’t need a percolator.

Brewing Time: 3 to 5 minutes

Capacity: 4 to 100 cups

Size: Very small, it is almost the size of a water bottle

Price: Much affordable

Cleaning and Maintenance: Based on the design, the cleaning process can be easy or complicated. Once purchased, the percolator needs cleaning and doesn’t require any replacement.

Benefits:

  • You get the instant hot coffee with highest quality.
  • Creates a coffee smell while brewing.

Drawbacks:

  • The coffee brewed is too hot, which some people find it unpleasant.
  • Temperature controlling can become difficult when a percolator is used on a stovetop.

6. Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Cold Brew Coffee Maker