Electric Coffee Makers

One of the most commonly used appliances on everyone’s kitchen counter is the coffee maker.  These machines come in all kinds of sizes and types, from small electric coffee makers to electric perk coffee makers.  Using coffee makers is by far the most convenient method for making coffee.  Most people drink coffee in the morning, and this time of day happens to be when we are usually in a hurry.  The best electric coffee makers are those that are simple and quick to use.  When you have to rush off to work in the morning, you usually don’t have enough time to spend making coffee manually.  In addition, cleaning electric coffee makers is a quick and simple affair, which only takes a second.  In fact, many people even forget to clean their machines until they get home from work in the evening!

By far the most common machines that people use are electric drip coffee makers.  They are convenient and inexpensive, usually requiring nothing but ground coffee, water, and maybe a filter.  Some of them have other advanced features as well, such as electronic timers, built-in filters, or even attached grinders and espresso presses.  These coffee machines start at around $13, and can cost as much as $400 or more for top-of-the-line modes with the latest bells and whistles.

One of the latest types of coffee machines is the one cup electric coffee makers.  These nifty machines do exactly what their name suggests – they make exactly one perfect cup of coffee every time.  These coffee makers use pre-packed cups that come in a dizzying array of brands and flavors, and are simply dropped into the machine to be used only once.  There are specialty and brand name coffees, decaf, cappuccinos, and even teas and cocoa.  Many offices are choosing to use this type of coffee maker because they conveniently offer each person a choice of beverages.  The cups are called either k-cups or coffee pods, depending on which coffee maker you buy.

According to consumer based electric coffee makers reviews, one of the most reliable and trustworthy brands available today is GE.  General Electric coffee makers come in many different styles, from simple drip machines to fancy espresso makers.  These coffee makers can be found either in stores or online.  Most coffee makers are built with convenience in mind, but there are many other options for when you have lots of time and want to make your coffee a different way.

In the days before electricity, people relied on non electric coffee makers every day.  Although these require a little bit of extra effort than automatic machines, the coffee they produce is of great quality as well.  One of the simplest ways to make coffee without a machine is by using one of the non electric drip coffee makers available.  They are basically a cone made of either plastic or another material in which you put a paper coffee filter.  All you have to do is add the ground coffee, place the cone on top of a mug, and pour hot water on it.  The coffee automatically filters down and drips into the cup below.

vaccum coffee makerIf you are really a coffee connoisseur, you might want to consider using a vacuum coffee maker.  These ingenious contraptions are also known as siphon coffee makers, and work by heating the water in a glass sphere until it reaches the boiling point.  It then automatically travels upward, through a narrow tube, and into the upper glass compartment that contains the ground coffee.  At this point, the heat source is removed, and the coffee returns to the lower container and can be poured out.  The result of using this method is usually a stronger cup of coffee.  There are even electric vacuum coffee makers that operate this way without the need for open flames underneath the lower container.

With so many different types of machines out there, how do you choose?  You can start by thinking about your needs and how much money you can spend on a coffee maker.  You can compare the different machines in each price range and choose a model that is right for you.  Surely there is a coffee maker out there that is perfect just for you

Single Serve Coffee Makers: Perfect for the Office

Is your office still using that plain, old coffee machine that churns out the same cup of joe day in and day out?  Do the workers in your office dash out to Starbucks whenever they get a chance, even though you have your own electric coffee maker right there at work?  To keep workers satisfied these days, you need more than the plain-old coffee maker.  You need something that will satisfy everyone in the office, from the organic, fair trade coffee drinker to the green tea sipper.

No, you don’t have to open your own coffee shop inside your office.  There is a much easier, cheaper option available.  The solution is a great little machine called the Keurig Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System

Here is how it works:

  1. Place clean, filtered water in the reservoir
  2. Choose your beverage of choice (coffee, tea, cocoa, etc.)
  3. Push “Start” on the machine
  4. Promptly shove your cup under the spout
  5. Patiently wait for about 40 seconds
  6. Take your mug back to your desk
  7. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this great moment in life!

Single serve electric coffee makers are the perfect solution for the office.  People want choices, and these nifty machines dish them out.  The single serve machines use what is called a k-Cup, which is a sealed little cup, inside of which is placed a type of coffee, tea, cocoa, or other beverage.  The great thing about these K-Cups is that they are available in a dizzying array of flavors from your favorite brands:  espresso, organic fair trade coffee, Caribou Coffee, Newman’s Own, Green Mountain Coffee, etc.   They have all kinds of teas too, from green to oolong to spiced chai.

How to Satisfy an Entire Office or Household

First, purchase the  Single-Cup Coffee Maker and then buy a wide variety of coffee, tea, and cocoa beverage K-Cups.  The K-Cups come in packs of about 20 each, so you can order a dozen, set out all of the different kinds of coffees, teas, and other drinks, and everyone can choose whichever one they want.  It is like having your own personal coffee shop right in the office.

Study after study suggest that giving employees small perks like free beverages and snacks improves morale in the workplace.  Employees who are happy work harder and more efficiently.  By having an appliance like this one in your office, it will pay for itself again and again in added employee output, which is what every business strives for.

The Best Cheap Electric Coffee Makers

You asked for it, so here it is:  Here is a list of the top 3 electric coffee makers that cost less than $25.  There is a huge demand for cheap coffee makers, and to fill this demand, there is indeed a massive supply of these inexpensive machines to satisfy the masses.  Some cheap coffee machines are absolute rubbish.  Others can actually produce great quality coffee despite their low cost.  This is a review of the best of the best machines according to customer satisfaction.

  1. Coming in at #1 is the  Black & Decker Brew ‘n Go Personal Coffeemaker This little gem is perfect for making coffee for one.  It brews the coffee into its own to-go travel mug, so you can just grab it and take off without another thought.  It will even turn itself off if you forget.  Toss in a built-in filter, which eliminates the need for those pesky paper filters, and you have one hell of a deal for $21.99
  2. At the second spot we have the Elite Cuisine 4-Cup Pause-’n-Serve Coffeemaker This is pretty much your basic, all-around coffee maker at a cheap price.  It isn’t exactly chock full of features, but at $18.50 you can’t expect much.  They did manage to toss in a nifty pause-n-serve function, which lets you stop the machine mid-brew and pour yourself a cup without coffee spilling out all over the heating disk.  The folks at Elite Cuisine were even nice enough to throw in a free coffee scoop and a built-in filter too.
  3. At number three, I managed to find the absolute cheapest electric coffee maker that I could find.  Now,  you might be able to find a better one at a garage sale, or maybe your bank will toss one to you if you deposit $100,000 in a CD, but the Proctor Silex 12 Cup Coffeemaker
    is as cheap as they come if you want to buy a new machine.  Despite its low, low price, it actually boasts a few features that make it seem better than our #2 pick (but it didn’t have as good a customer rating).  It can pump out a full 12 cups of coffee, which is large enough to energize a small army.  This machine says it features a “unique hydro-clean system”, but I can’t figure out what that actually does.  Maybe it cleans itself.  I’ll have to get one to try it out.  You will have to pick up a pack of disposable coffee filters to use in this one, as it doesn’t come with a built in filter.

There you have it folks, the top three electric coffee makers you can get your mitts on for less than $25.  Enjoy!

Electric Coffee Makers: A Buyer’s Guide

Let’s face it, purchasing a coffee maker isn’t exactly the kind of decision that most people lose sleep over.  However, it is in fact an important decision since this is a machine that is used probably more than any other appliance on your kitchen counter.  Choosing the right type of coffee maker depends on your preferences.  Electric coffee makers come with many different functions and alternatives.  Some are simple affairs and others are fantastically complicated.  Here are a few features that some coffee machines have:

Thermal Coffee Makers

Some Coffee Makers Like this one by Hamilton Beach actually drip the coffee into a thermal, insulated travel mug that you can take with you when it is finished.  It does a terrific job of keeping the contents inside hot for extended periods of time.   It even comes with two additional insulated travel mugs.

Internal Holding Tanks

A recent addition on the coffee maker scene are the machines that feature an internal holding tank, like the Cuisinart DCC-2000.  These machines do away with the glass pots and carafes, and store the coffee in a special tank inside the machine itself.  The advantage of the internal tank is that it eliminates the “burnt” flavor coffee get when sitting in a glass pot on a heating plate for too long.  These types of machines are remarkably easy to clean as well– just take out the tank and clean it in the sink, as you would any other pot.

Coffee Machines With Built in Grinders

These nifty machines are a relatively new phenomenon as well in the coffee world.  They actually grind the whole coffee beans automatically right before the machine starts to make the coffee.  We’ve all heard about how using freshly ground coffee beans produces a higher quality taste.  This type of coffee maker does it all for you just when you need it, and without the hassle of cleaning out a grinder each time you use it.  Some machines like this one by Cuisinart even feature a thermal carafe, so you get all the best features in one machine.

Single Cup Coffee Makers

These machines brew exactly one perfect cup of coffee every time.  They are perfect for people who want a cup of coffee, but but not the hassle of grinding, measuring, or even cleaning.  For example,  the Keurig B40 Elite uses their own patented k-cups, which you simply insert into the machine, choose from the two cup sizes, and it will make your coffee in only 40 seconds.  Their k-cups come in a huge variety — over 70 different types of coffees and teas from leading brands.  Another great aspect of having a single cup coffee maker is that it allows you to quickly make the perfect drink to go with a meal. For example, if you have friends over and cook great Italian food, you could easily whip out some fantastic tasting cappuccinos afterward.