How to Buy a Coffee Maker

Tips for buying a coffee maker

1. You can buy coffee makers in several sizes. Choose yours depending on how much coffee you make and consume each day. If you are the only coffee drinker in the house, then a four-cup coffee maker may suit you fine. You can even buy “personal” or single-serve coffee makers that brew the coffee directly into a commuter mug. However, if you are a power coffee drinker, or if you are making coffee for two or more people, you will likely want a coffee maker that can brew up to 12 cups of java. Note that even if the coffee maker can make several cups, you can add an amount of water and coffee that limits what is brewed.
2. Coffee makers come with many features. Some allow you to set the machine in advance so that the coffee is brewed and ready to drink before you wake up. Another feature allows you to program the coffee maker to turn off automatically. Some coffee makers have bean grinders built in, so that counter space is saved by combining two appliances into one machine.
3. More advanced coffee makers will have water filtration systems to remove the chlorine and lime from tap water. Of course, the more features the machine has, the more it will cost.
4. Consider a coffee maker that uses a removable, washable filter. This will make it unnecessary to buy and use paper filters. Also, there’s nothing more convenient than a coffee machine that stops brewing when you remove the carafe from the machine to pour yourself a cup. The brewing will resume when you replace the carafe.
5. The latest coffee maker design involves a process that is a cross between making drip coffee and espresso. This process forces water through a prepackaged pellet of coffee instead of simply soaking coffee grounds in water and waiting for the finished coffee to drip out. Advocates of these new coffee makers believe they deliver fresh, delicious coffee better than drip designs. Since the water is forced through the coffee and into a cup, it only takes a few seconds to brew a fresh cup for anyone who wants one.

Caution

Glass coffee carafes used for many coffee makers do break, usually in washing accidents. Make sure that the manufacturer of your coffee maker sells replacement carafes, should you ever need one.

Where to buy a coffee maker

Shop for your next coffee maker at one of these online retailers—

Bed, Bath & Beyond can set you up with single-serving coffee makers, 12-cup coffee makers and coffee maker-espresso machine combos.

Amazon sells a variety of coffee makers of all sizes and designs. Also find coffee grinders and pods.

J&R.com offers a big selection of coffee makers, in all sizes and with a variety of features.