Nowadays, buying a home coffee machine can be a daunting experience since there are many options to choose from and, oftentimes, it is a substantial financial investment. This is why we have to talk about the most important factors to consider when you buy an espresso machine for home.
Use the following tips as a general guide. Analyze everything but don’t forget about personal preferences. Obviously, some machines are just better for some people because individuals have different needs and wishes.
Coffee Machine Type
There are 4 main types you can choose from:
· Bean to cup machines – The coffee maker grinds beans right before brewing coffee so the flavor is very high in every single cup.
· Capsule machines – A very simple machine that uses coffee pods to brew coffee.
· Manual espresso machines – The perfect option for those who want the very best taste since every aspect of the brewing process can be controlled. Complexity varies from one machine to the next.
· Filter coffee machines – A very affordable machine that allows you to brew big pots in one go with the use of ground coffee.
Coffee Output Quality
Numerous variables influence the quality of brewed coffee. Keep in mind that the more expensive machines are not necessarily the best when it comes to tasty coffee, especially if you do not know how to use them.
Entry-level coffee makers can brew high-quality coffee. However, it is important to know what you like and what you can get with such a machine. Always look for coffee makers that can provide the exact type of coffee you like. Also, as a general rule, when the machine is more complex, you need to know more about the brewing process to get a good cup of coffee. If you are not willing to learn about how to use the machine to make the best possible coffee, it is better to opt for the more automatic units.
How Much Are You Willing To Learn?
For most buyers, buying the coffee machine is all about getting great-tasting coffee without much fuss. For others, the passion for brewing coffee is so high that the process is seen as an art form. The latter group always wants to delve into the process deeper and get a perfectly brewed cup every single time they use the coffee maker.
If you only want to press a few buttons and you do not care about the complexities of making coffee, on-the-go, simple machines are best. If you want to learn the art of making good espresso, it is better to opt for complex espresso machines, similar to those that you often see in coffee shops.
Brewing Capacity
Before you buy, you need to know exactly how much coffee the machine can brew. Consider how much coffee you and your family drink every day and think about the days in which you drink more than usual.
When you only drink a cup of coffee in the morning, a single-serving coffee maker should be more than enough. However, if you drink many cups or when there are many coffee drinkers in the home, larger units are better. However, if you drink many cups or when there are many coffee drinkers in the home, larger units are better.
The safe bet is buying a coffee maker that brews 12 cups. This is usually enough for most families. You can, of course, choose larger or smaller machines.
Extra Tip: No matter what size you opt for, it is recommended to buy a machine that is also capable of brewing one cup at a time because you never know when you need a quick cup of coffee.
Available Kitchen Counter Space
This is a factor that cannot be negotiated. Most people want their coffee maker on the kitchen counter, which is limited in terms of available space. Measure where the machine will be set and do not forget about height if you plan to place the coffee maker under cabinets. If not much space is available, you are restricted to the compact coffee makers. If you absolutely want to buy a larger machine, you will need to look for another place to put it.
Functionality
Flavour And Strength
If in your household there are many coffee drinkers with different preferences, the coffee machine should include settings for changing brewing strength. Some machines also feature settings for cappuccinos and hot chocolate or similar drinks. Of course, the one thing that you need to make sure you have is good coffee beans. Fresh coffee will always
Heat
Many coffee makers include a heating plate under the carafe. The problem with the heating plate is that if you want to keep coffee hot for a longer period of time, the hot plate leads to a bitter and burnt taste. In this case, you can consider an insulated carafe that can keep coffee warm for longer.
Extra Features
Some coffee machines include auto-programming options so you can set them to start brewing automatically at a preferred hour. Others include auto-off features that stop the machines if not used for an amount of time.
Always look at all the extra features since they can help you differentiate between very similar coffee makers. This way you can choose the one that is the best for you. The extra features differ from coffee maker to coffee maker and they hold different value for different coffee lovers.
Price
Last but not least, price is a factor that you surely want to take into account as you look for the perfect home coffee machine. How much money you can spend will limit the options you consider. However, it is very important that you do not buy a coffee machine thinking solely about the price.
As an example, if you really like espresso and you want a machine that features a complex hands-on coffee maker approach, the very cheap pod machine offers the lowest price but you will not get the experience you initially wanted.
Coffee beans
There is one thing that we have not covered in this article. This, of course, is the quality of the coffee bean that you use for your coffee,
Final Thoughts
Choosing the very best home coffee machine is a highly subjective process. It is very hard to find two people that have the exact same coffee preference. Due to this, you need to always consider the factors that were presented above.
Comments are closed.