Coffee Makers & Espresso Machines

1. The drip coffee maker is the standard across America for making coffee. It is what we order at the coffee shop, what we drink at home, and what we miss when we spend too much time in Europe. Sure, we love their espressos, cortados, and cappuccinos, but those tiny portions are contrary to our preferred mode of consumption.

2. Drip coffee makers became popular in America because they are, in fact, the most practical and cost effective. Drip is quick, free of grounds, and comes from a machine that can be replaced without a visit to the bank.

3. These days, a thermal pot is almost standard on drip coffee makers. While not necessary at all if the coffee at your home or office gets consumed immediately, it is very nice to have if you like one cup of coffee every couple of hours.

4. K-cups are great for a single serving at home or at work. This is a name brand, patented single serving method that can be used with nearly any kind of coffee. You do have to order the K-cups through Keurig.

5. A second kind of single-serving coffee maker is the pod variety that fits neatly into a machine and shoots out a piping hot cup in just a minute. Neat, clean, efficient.

6. Other ways to get your coffee include stove top Neapolitan coffee pots (percolators), the French press, cold brew and single serve filter. They all produce excellent products if done properly, so if you identify as a "coffee lover," you should probably learn them all sooner or later.

7. With all these options, though, we still love our drip coffee maker. Why? Water heats simultaneously, the coffee can be kept fresh in a thermos, you get as much variety as you want, and, perhaps best of all, you can program it to be ready when you wake.