In-home coffee makers have come a long way since percolators and the revolutionary Mr. Coffee! It seems a lot of you are looking to upgrade your coffee devices, whether wanting one of those nifty fully-automated machines (grinds, brews, and steams!) or a smaller footprint pod machine. And with the popularity of espresso martinis at cocktail hour and affogatos for dessert, making coffee isn’t just a morning activity anymore. These machines are hard at work all day long! And because we know people are particular about how their coffee is brewed, our FabList includes a variety of coffee and espresso making options.
FabList Favorite:
This machine is hard at work in Chrissie & Jo’s kitchens (Chrissie isn’t a coffee drinker but her husband is) and even has been known to go on vacation with them. It’s quick, easy, occupies a tiny footprint, and delivers delicious coffee. The smaller size works just fine too!
Drip Coffee Maker:
If you’re looking for plain ol’ coffee, convenience, and quantity, drip coffee makers are a good choice. Many of them have auto settings so you can prep the machine the night before, set a timer, and wake up to freshly brewed coffee.
Performance coffee brewer makes an 8-cup carafe in approximately 6 minutes. The flat-bottomed filter basket and larger showerhead allow for even better saturation and uniform extraction. Comes with a double walled stainless steel thermal carafe to keep coffee hot!
Pour Over:
If you want more control over the process, try the pour over method. You can choose the temperature of the water (if your kettle allows – this is a good choice if you need one) and by controlling the stream of water, there is a more even saturation of the coffee grounds resulting in a more robust and flavorful cup of coffee than traditional drip.
The flat bottom of this traditional cone, that sits right on top of the coffee cup, maintains a wide and even coffee bed, allowing water to permeate and leave the dripper evenly through three holes.
FabLister John R. is addicted to this. Developed by the coffee-obsessed scientist Alan Adler, who sought to improve the single-cup brewing process, the AeroPress uses a French press-like system but goes a step further combining hybrid immersion and air pressure applied from the plunger. And apparently this eliminates bitterness and acidity and creates a smooth, rich, full bodied cup of coffee.
French Press:
Another easy way to make coffee (but not fun to clean up!), the French Press allows the coffee grounds to steep in the hot water for an extended period of time, which results in a more robust and flavorful cup of coffee.
Espro P3 Double Walled Stainless Steel Insulated Coffee and Tea Maker
The 32-ounce ESPRO French press holds 48 ounces of water and brews 32 ounces of delicious coffee. This top-tier coffee maker features a stainless steel with double filter, ensuring a smooth and rich coffee experience every time.
Cold Brew:
The battle of the brew has heated up lately with the arrival of cold brew. Cold brewing extracts the flavor of the coffee bean differently than a hot brew. The flavor and caffeine extracted from the coffee bean produce a rich, flavorful brew that is smoother and milder.
Wirecutter reports: “This model makes cold coffee with balanced acidity, and it has a stronger aroma and a cleaner finish than brews from the 20 other coffee makers we’ve tested. On top of that, the OXO Good Grips brewer is the easiest to use and clean.”
Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker:
If you’re looking for a hands-on barista-type experience.
This user-friendly machine features an intuitive control panel with just five buttons, and offers a wide range of grind size variables and has a minimal footprint.
Fully Automatic Espresso/Coffee Maker:
If you’re looking for the all-in-one, push the button experience for coffee or espresso drinks, this is the one for you. These machines grind the beans, make the coffee, and add the milk (some do, some don’t feature the auto-milk option). They’re more expensive and there is some work involved to clean and descale the machine routinely.
This beauty boasts barista-quality performance, a new intuitive touchscreen display with pre-programmed café drinks menu, and automatic milk texturing. All within a compact footprint. A built-in grinder delivers the right amount of ground coffee on demand and with a 3 second heat up time, allowing you to go from bean to cup faster than ever before. You have to froth your own milk with this one.
Automated, touch screen operation simplifies how to make your favorite coffees in three easy steps – grind, brew, and milk. You can easily adjust the coffee strength, milk texture, or temperature to suit your taste. Then save your preferences with your own unique name, creating up to 8 personalized coffee ‘orders’. This brews and steams at the same time.
This machine has got you covered, whether you’re in the mood for coffee, espresso, latte macchiato, or hot milk. It also creates a creamy milk froth for a diverse range of specialty drinks and prepares up to 8 cups at a time for guests thanks to the included coffee pot. And a special added feature: with just a touch of a button you can make two of any specialty drink!
This Jura makes 6 specialty drinks including: cappuccino, coffee, two coffees, espresso, two espressos, and milk foam. The controls make it easy to find, customize and brew your favorite drinks and let you choose from eight coffee strength levels to fine tune each drink.
