Coffee Machines Buying Guide

Whether you are a casual coffee drinker or a real connoisseur, being able to create a great cup at home is easily achievable with a coffee machine. When it comes to choosing the best home coffee machine for you, it can be tricky task; they come in lots of different shapes and sizes, with different ways of operating and can produce a wide range of hot beverages; everything from espresso and Americano to latte, hot chocolate or even speciality teas. This guide aims to help you decide on the best coffee machine for your needs.

Cafetiere

Sometimes known as a coffee press, or French press, the cafetiere is one of the simplest ways to make coffee. Whist not strictly a coffee machine, as you operate it by hand, the cafetiere is an affordable and easy way to make great tasting coffee at home or work. Water and ground coffee is added to hot water in the glass jug, then, after leaving time for infusion, the plunger is pushed down to separate the grounds from the coffee, leaving you with a delicious fresh brew.

Filter coffee maker

Great for households that need more than one cup of coffee making at a time, filter coffee machines make a pot of American-style black coffee, usually enough for at least two cups or mugs, depending on the size of the pot. If you know the number of cups that you’d like to get from each pot, you can find the best filter coffee machine for your requirements.

They work by heating water with an element, which then drips evenly through ground coffee and the filter paper into the jug below, making the delicious coffee aroma as it goes. Some filter coffee makers come with a pot heater that keeps the jug of coffee at the right temperature until you’re ready for it, and some also come with timer functions, so you can fill it up with water and ground coffee the night before and wake up to a delicious pot of fresh coffee first thing in the morning.

Pod coffee machines

For those who love their coffee but want to minimise the mess or hassle, pod coffee machines could be the ideal solution. Pod machines do come in lots of different forms, designs and with varying features, but generally they use sealed pods with coffee inside, to make a single cup each time. There are usually a range of different pods available for each type of pod machine, whether it’s different strengths of black coffee, or other varieties such as latte or cappuccino. Some pod machines are capable of automatically scanning the pods to adjust the settings depending on what kind of drink they are making and they are usually very straightforward to use.

The speed and hassle-free qualities of pod coffee machines make them highly popular, and with lots of different types of drink available too, they suit those who like some variety with their hot beverages, or households where different people like certain types of drink.

Bean-to-cup coffee machines

The name of bean-to-cup coffee machines is a bit of a giveaway; they take whole beans, grind them and turn them onto delicious espresso-based drinks, giving you the freshest brew possible. Some of these machines offer different levels of grinding, from course to fine, so you can tailor your coffee to your exact tastes. Using your beans of choice, you can make straightforward and great tasting black coffee, or add milk, cream, froth, syrups or any other ingredients you wish, to create the coffee type of your choice.

Coffee machine maintenance

All coffee machines require some level of maintenance, but the amount of cleaning or maintenance involved does vary widely, depending on the type of machine.

Some pod machines come with ‘service pods’ that actually instruct the machine to run through its own maintenance or descaling cycle, and will give you a warning when this process is due. Bean-to-cup coffee machines usually require regular cleaning to avoid blockages, but filter coffee machines are usually fairly easy to maintain if filter papers are used every time.

Why not check out the full range of coffee machines at TJs Hughes?