The type of coffee maker you use will probably be partly dependant on what type of coffee maker you are used to. Most coffee drinkers use an automatic drip coffee maker for their morning coffee, but there’s a good variety of coffee makers available and they all produce slightly different results.
Types Of Coffee Makers
The most popular type of coffee maker in the United States is the automatic drip coffee maker. They are extremely simple to use and can make a pot of coffee fairly quickly. Hot water is run through the ground coffee which has been placed in a filter in the cup of the coffee maker. The hot water drips through the grounds and makes its way to the pot where it usually produces a fairly clear, decent tasting pot of coffee and doesn’t allow any coffee grounds to foul up the brew. Drip coffee makers have a warming plate under the coffee pot, and you should limit the amount of time the pot sits on the warming plate since the longer the coffee pot sits there, the stronger the coffee will be.
Probably one of the oldest types of coffee makers is the percolator. This works by boiling the water, which then circulates through the coffee grounds repeatedly. Unless you are partial to this type of maker, most coffee experts don’t recommend it since boiling the water through the grounds can make the coffee bitter and you can also end up with coffee grounds in your cup.
A French press is probably the simplest method and it makes a great cup of coffee. The French press usually consists of a glass cylinder and a plunger that has a fine mesh screen on it. Ground coffee is placed in the plunger and then water that is almost at the boiling point is poured over the grounds into the cylinder. The coffee steeps for several minutes and then the plunger is pushed down to the bottom of the cylinder, which forces the coffee grounds to the bottom and out of the coffee. Using a French press has a tendency to give the coffee a better all around flavor.
Each individual will have their own preference when deciding on what type of coffee maker is best for them. There are pros and cons to every type of maker and you may want to try out a few methods before you settle on one particular type.
How do you make coffee without a coffee maker?
I have never made coffee before and I had bought the grounds and cream and milk and filters…only to realize that my coffee maker is missing the little thing that holds the filters in place…
Is there an easy way to make coffee (to end up as iced coffee) without a maker?
Answer
I have a way hardly anyone seems to have ever heard of that’s actually best for iced coffee, but makes a great hot coffee too. It’s called cold brewed coffee.
There’s a device sold called a Toddy Cold Brew system, but I do it with nothing but bowls and a strainer. All you do is combine 1/2 pound medium grind coffee with 5-6 cups cold water, let it sit overnight, pour it through a strainer into a bowl to get the majority of the grounds, and finally pour through a medium strainer with a paper coffee filter to get the fine residue.
It makes about 3.5 cups of a cold coffee concentrate. You add as much as you like for strength and dilute with water. It’s delicious and smooth (almost no acid), stores for around a week in the fridge and can actually make great “instant” coffee.
I bring some to work so I just have to add hot water. I’ve used it for coffee based drinks after dinner (great with Kahlua & Bailey’s). It’s even been made into homemade coffee ice cream.
No one ever picks this method, but I think it’s worth knowing about.
