Best Coffee Makers Online
Coffee makers, what would we do without them. One of the default settings in our lives is the morning cup of coffee. Most of us just like to drink coffee early in the morning, while a few of us absolutely cannot function without it.
There are many different kinds of coffee makers and many of us do not spend much time in getting one. We use ours as long as it works and when it stops, we just get another one.
Actually there is not much to a coffee maker and almost all makes have the same general principle. You pour water into a container in the machine. This water gets heated and rises up in a tube which in turn opens above where you pour out your coffee powder.
Everyone knows that this system is the best way to make coffee, because you get the best flavor out of it. If you brew the coffee for too long, it tends to turn a little bitter which spoils the taste somewhat.
In fact this method of making coffee is just an adaptation of an age old system where powdered coffee seeds were kept in a sieve and hot water poured on top. This system is still used in a few countries, and it is claimed that it gives the best coffee of the lot.
If all the machines follow the same system then what difference is there between them will naturally be your question. Well for starters there are different sizes. You get coffee makers in many different sizes starting from something that is good only for a few cups to much larger machines that can make many cups of coffee.
Next comes the efficiency. Just because all of them follow the same scientific principle does not mean that all machines work the same. Some of them work better and some of them do not. It is purely subjective, and people can argue for hours on the merits of one brand without changing their minds that they get the best coffee from that machine.
Lastly comes the price. Even if coffee makers as such are not very expensive appliances there are coffee makers in every budget and many times, one is purchased only because it is cheaper.
Because of all this inconsistencies we have divided coffee makers into three categories depending on the price. The top three selling machines in each category are reviewed so that it will enable you as the buyer to make a better informed choice. Read below to find out the top selling coffeemakers in the different categories.
Budget (Under $50) Coffee Makers
The low end machines are those that are less than $50 in price. This category is the most price conscious of all which means that the biggest factor when it comes to determining which coffeemaker to go with is the price. If you see the top three models given below you will find that it is basically the price that has had the greatest impact on their sales, and hence their rating.
These coffee makers are all of them of the smallest size possible and you get anywhere between 2 and 4 cups of coffee in one go. The cup is obviously included, but many of us tend to use our own simply because the mugs provided are not that great ones.
This model is the most selling and there are no prizes for guessing why. It is the cheapest one around, gives you one huge mug full of coffee, that any two or three normal people can share, and works very well for years. What more do you want from a coffee maker. Most of us use our coffee makers once in the morning and maybe once in the evening. Even if we have large families all of whom drink coffee, considering that it just takes 5 minutes or so to get your coffee, this size is more than enough for most households. At only $16 you really do not expect it to last you even 1 year, while this one will last you 10 times as long. Check it out at here
This model is the second most popular in this category because of two reasons, it is a larger machine and gives you 4 cups of coffee and it is also programmable. This means that you can alter settings to get the exact kind of coffee that you want and you also get a large enough container that even looks nice. It is not a cup and comes with a lid attachment so that even if you take your time getting round to your coffee, it will not be cold. Obviously you pay more but at only $19.99 it is almost a steal. You get a large enough machine and you get different settings that you can play around with. You can check it out at Amazon.com because this is where you get the lowest prices.
This model is actually more expensive than the other two and if it were not the discounts that came with it would probably be in the next category. As it is it is a $150 machine that is being sold at $49 which makes it a throwaway price. This model makes 10 cups of coffee, is fully programmable and comes with the option of you brewing one to 4 cups of coffee for those times when you don’t want a pot full. It also comes with a 24 hr timer so you don’t have to do everything in a hurry in the morning. Plus it comes with an insulated carafe, a self cleaning option so that you just need to rinse out the carafe, and two different kinds of filters so that the water is pure. Unless you really do not want all this, and there are very few of us who will not find a use for these features, this model makes a very good pitch for itself, especially at the price that you are getting it at. Just remember to go here (Amazon.com) because the price is a discounted one and the store prices, even if you go directly to the manufacturer is around $80.
Economy ($50 – $150) Coffee Makers
The mid range ones are the ones that are between $50 and $150 in terms of price. These machines are higher tech machines which give you many more features than the basic machines of the previous category. You also get a much larger capacity, and very often a much more advanced coffee making system. Read on to find out the top selling ones in this category.
1. Delonghi EC 155 Espresso maker
This model is one of the simplest ones in this category, but still manages to give you everything that you would want. It is an Espresso maker which means that it comes with an additional feature where milk, coffee and steam are all mixed together so that you can get a much more creamy and frothy cup of coffee. Plus you get different kinds of settings for both the coffee as well as the temperature of the steam so that you can either have scalding hot coffee, or just plain hot coffee. You can either use the ground coffee or go with the easy serve espresso pods.
There is a 1 l detachable storage container for water and two outlets which means that you can get two cups of coffee at the same time. With all these features and with a price of just $79.99 (after discounts here) this machine is a very good option for those who like the creamy espresso over regular coffee.
2. Keurig B60 special edition brewing system
This option is actually quite an expensive one and costs nearly $133. As a coffeemaker it is not as high tech as the previous machine, but it is very popular, even if it costs twice as much as the Delonghi for only one reason and that is that the same machine allows you to make coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and even a cold drink. There is no other machine in this category that allows you to do all this except the next model which once again is a Keurig one.
Even if it costs so much the advantage of having such a versatile machine means that you do not need to get other appliances for making other drinks. Plus it also gives you the option of drinking whatever you feel like at that time, instead of drinking coffee, simply because you have only a coffee maker. Especially for families with children, this machine is very valuable what with most parents needing to make separate drinks for each child.
Of course this price is a very discounted price and is available only here so check it out before you decide on going elsewhere where you have to pay more.
3. Keurig B 40 elite gourmet coffee maker
This model is a cheaper version of the above model. It is not that different from the previous model and gives you much of the same functions. In fact you even get the same ability to make tea and other drinks, both hot and cold apart from coffee. The only difference is that you get only two different cup sizes while the previous one gets three different cup sizes.
Considering that this model costs only $108 it is a little surprising that this model does not sell as much as the more expensive B 60. In fact both models even look the same including the LCD display and the back-light controls.
High End (Over $150) Coffee Makers
The high end makers are those that cost more than $150. Most of the time these makers are more than is required for average households. Yet a really good high end coffee maker is good to have if only to get all the different settings that they come with. Of course even the mid range ones give you most of the options that these do, but then the most selling high end coffee makers are those that are actually quite close to the mid range category. Read below to find out what the top three are.
This is quite a good machine and at around $175 (cheapest prices here at Amazon) is only $25 more than the mid range ones. You however get an 80 oz water container, good for 10 cups of coffee, plus a blue back-lit display as well as settings for everything from different temperatures for the hot water to an auto shut off function. You also get a rinse control that quickly rinses the inside of the brew chamber with a high speed blast of hot water. This function is really good because you really do not need to do any manual rinsing at all, just one push of the button and the machine is as good as new. It also comes with the standard filters for the water.
2. Delonghi EC 702 Espresso maker
The Delonghi EC 702 is actually a bigger version of the Delonghi EC 155. It offers the same features except in a bigger appliance that holds up to 44 oz of water as well as being completely made of stainless steel. The EC 155 itself is a very good machine, and the EC 702 just makes it better by adding a few things that makes coffee making more convenient. For example there is a cup tray on top of the machine that actually keeps your cups warm.
You also get separate controls for both water and steam so that you can control them individually, a must for getting great espressos and cappuccinos from the same machine. Of course it costs $178 and that too only here after all discounts, but the stainless steel outer casing itself makes it worth it. Added to all this is the special Delonghi twin filter holder that can give you two cups at the same time that only Delonghi gives and all of a sudden this machine does not look too expensive.
This is the most expensive coffeemaker on our list and at $218, you may wonder whether this machine is really needed. Well the only reason why this machine sells is because it a joint venture between Keurig and Breville. You therefore get all the features that make the Keurig special but in a Breville design. The entire outer casing is in stainless steel and even has the standard multifunction display. The advantage over the Keurig though is that you can get to use your own coffee without having to rely on the K-cup pods. The model however comes with a My K-Cup and a spoon as standard which can be stored inside the machine itself making transportation a breeze with it.
All the other standard functions are all there, and you even get a 60 oz water container, for those times when you really don’t want to keep refilling your coffee machine.
As can be seen, the most selling machines are the mid range ones because they are the most practical. They give you all the features that you can possibly need and you can get quite good ones for under $100 too. Yet the high end ones too are good if you want convenience and have the money to spend on it. Reliability is generally not an issue, and the only problem that you may have is with noise, but then only the high end ones come with “noise reduction technology” in them.
