The Best Coffee Machine
Chances are that if you’ve found this article you’re looking for the best coffee machine that money can buy; a machine that is capable of brewing consistently spectacular coffee. If this is the case, you’re not alone. In fact, one of the most common questions we’re asked has to do with where to find the perfect small coffee maker. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, there is no single coffee maker that we can say is the best. Sure, there are some darn good machines, which we’ll cover in this article, but we simply wouldn’t feel right proclaiming any one machine as the best machine. The reason for this is that great coffee isn’t necessarily a result of the machine that was used to brew it; rather, it results from utilizing a sound set of principles. Follow me here for a second, as brewing great coffee really involves nothing more than adhering to the bulleted points below:
• Use the freshest beans you can buy, preferably beans that have been roasted within 3-5 days. Fresh roasted coffee is available at many independent coffee shops and online.
• Grind your fresh roasted beans using a conical burr grinder, which will produce a consistent grind that is free from dust. Dust = bitterness, which is bad. Avoid the blade grinder at all costs.
• Ensure that the brew water is a temperature range between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, which will allow for proper extraction of flavors and wonderful coffee oils.
Those 3 points mentioned above will allow you to brew coffee that is consistently superior to any coffee chain or restaurant that you can think of. With the exception of the last bullet point, all of the points are independent of the actual coffee maker, which is why your decision regarding what to purchase carries little weight. Well, okay, the machine is somewhat important, particularly if you’re looking for a small coffee pot that can brew at the proper temperature. Items like a thermal carafe are also important to the enjoyment of the finished product. The two small coffee pots we recommend most often for their exceptional build quality and performance are as follows:
1. Technivorm Moccamaster CDT – this machine is the Cadillac of all small coffee makers. It brews at the recommended temperature range and comes equipped with a thermal carafe to keep your coffee hot without the risk of being burnt by the hot plate. It retails for $265, but really, this machine could very well be the last one you’ll ever need to purchase; it’s that good.
2. Krups Moka Brew Coffeemaker – this machine is unique in that it uses low pressure steam to produce drip coffee, which Krups claims helps to avoid over-saturation of the coffee grounds. In theory this makes sense, since rapid saturation of the grounds means less contact time and a weaker, less flavorful cup. Like the Technivorm, the Moka Brew also brews at the correct temperature range, which is critical. The machine retails for around $150.00.
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