While nearly everybody knows how to make hot coffee in an electric coffee maker, few people actually make their own iced coffee.  It starts out the same way.  Just brew the coffee the same way that you always do.  Once you have some hot coffee, you then need to make it cold.  Before you make it cold however, you need to add whatever you like to sweeten or lighten it with.  If you want to add sugar, make sure you put it in when the coffee is still hot, since sugar added to cold coffee will just sit at the bottom without mixing.  You can add the cream or milk later if you want though.

What most people do next, (and the easiest way), is fill a glass up with ice and then pour the hot coffee into it.  Make sure that you use a full cup of ice, since the coffee will melt most of it.  While this method is enough to satisfy some people, what happens when you pour hot coffee over ice is that you end up with very watered-down coffee.

Fortunately, there is something you can do to fix this problem but it takes a little preparation.  The secret of making instant iced coffee that is strong is to use coffee ice cubes.  To do this, just make an extra couple of cups of coffee beforehand, let it sit until it cools down, and then pour it into an empty ice cube tray.  With coffee ice cubes in the freezer, all you need to do is fill a glass up with them, pour the hot coffee into it, and voila – great tasting iced coffee. Many times there is some leftover coffee in the pot anyways.  Just get into the habit of filling up the ice cube tray when you use it, and you should be good to go.

As you can see, making great tasting iced coffee isn’t all that hard after all.  If a simple cup of icy coffee is too boring for you, another thing to try is putting the coffee ice cubes into the blender with coffee, sweetener, and whatever else you want to add.  Some ideas are cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, or agave nectar as a sweetener.  The result will be a thick iced coffee shake.  The more coffee ice you put in the thicker it will be.

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!

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.

Here are the best coffee makers you can buy,  sorted by price range:

Electric Coffee Makers

Under $25

$25 to $50

$50 to $100

$100 to $200

$200 and Above

Quality

Electric coffee makers can vary a lot in quality, and this in turn affects the taste of the coffee produced.  Coffee makers are made in different countries, including Italy, The United States, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan.  You can buy a quality coffee maker at both ends of the price spectrum.  Here are the top brands according to customer satisfaction:

Braun Bunn Black & Decker Capresso Cuisinart

DeLonghi Hamilton Beach Krups LaCafetiere Medelco

Mr. Coffee Nespresso Sanyo Sunbeam Zojirushi

Types Of Electric Coffee Makers

Electric Espresso Machines

A must-have for anybody who loves the taste of a great espresso at the coffee shop, but wants it at home, anytime their heart desires it!

Espresso Machine/Coffee Maker Combos

These nifty little machines are a great solution for the family or the office with different tastes.  They will make a great espresso or a simple cup of coffee, without the need for two machines.

Commercial Coffee Makers

Here you will find a simple solution for your office, catering company, or restaurant.  No matter how much coffee you need to make, there is an electric coffee maker that will suit your needs.

Buy Organic Coffee Beans

Did you know that coffee plants are sprayed with more pesticides than any other agricultural crop?  Unless you want to consume these chemicals, opt for an organic whole bean coffee.  They are available everywhere good coffee is sold these days—from specialty coffee stores to supermarkets.  You can also find them right here.

Buy Whole Coffee Beans

Always buy whole coffee beans at the store and grind them yourself.  You can grind enough for a few days and store the rest in the refrigerator.  The quality of coffee declines quickly after it is ground, so this way, you will always have fresh, quality coffee to work with. You can easily pick up an inexpensive grinder here.

Use Quality Water

The quality of the water you put in your electric coffee maker will directly affect the quality of the coffee that comes out.  In most of the western world, tap water is fine, and it is best if you have a good filter on the tap.  You can also get an inexpensive pitcher-type filter that will make your water taste better and filter out impurities and give you a great cup of coffee.

Get a Quality Coffee Maker

Finally, the quality of the electric coffee maker itself will influence the coffee that it makes.  Good quality coffee makers are made of durable, quality parts that don’t affect the taste.  On the other hand, poor quality machines can give your coffee a “plastic” taste.  Don’t get the cheapest coffee maker you can find.  Spend a few extra bucks and get a good quality machine that will produce great-tasting coffee for many years.  If you are content with drinking normal coffee most of the time, a regular machine should be fine.  The size of the machine doesn’t matter that much.  Some people think that a large coffee maker is better, but if you routinely brew one or two cups, you probably don’t need one that big.  A quality small coffee machine can make really good coffee, perfect for one or two people.  However, a cappuccino maker is good if you want to brew different coffee beverages sometimes, or if there are a few people who will use the machine with different tastes.