By FrankAre you a real coffee fanatic and do you drink just a little too many cups every day? Are you completely done with simple filter coffee and want something finer? Then it’s about time you bought a new coffee machine. In this blog, I would like to give you a hand with finding a new machine that you can enjoy extremely well for at least the next ten years.
What types of coffee machines there are
Of course, one coffee machine is not like another and each manufacturer and brand will have a completely different machine on the market. Each machine will give a completely different flavour to an espresso, cappuccino or whatever other coffee drink you like. The options are endless and you could write a book about them.
Choose which coffee machine to get
Because there is such a wide variety of coffee makers, it is difficult to divide them into categories. Still, I will try to give a small overview with the existing coffee machines.
- The fully automatic coffee machine
People call the fully automatic coffee machine also the espresso bean machine. These machines come in all shapes and sizes, but generally these are machines in the more expensive segment. After all, the machine can both grind beans and brew an espresso. All you have to do is put the cup under the machine. - The semi-automatic coffee machine
This piston machine requires a number of actions from you. You will have to make coffee yourself, you will have to press it and you have to rotate the ground coffee in the piston machine. It’s quite simple, but you will spend some time with it. It is often these machines that are used in city cafés and restaurants. - Filter coffee makers
These are the most normal coffee makers found in almost every Dutch kitchen. It is the type of coffee where you fill up a simple filter with a few scoops of ground coffee powder and where you then let the water run through the filter at the push of a button. You then pour this filter coffee into cups. More and more people are using a thermos jug instead of a glass coffee pot. If the glass coffee pot is left on the hot plate for too long, the coffee can quickly become bitter. - Cup machines and coffee pads
Then there are the easy coffee makers that use coffee pods or cups. Think for example of the now widely used Senseo machine where you simply put a coffee pod in and put a cup under it. Again, there are different shapes and sizes in different price categories. While it is very simple to make coffee with these cup and pad machines, it is somewhat annoying if you don’t have any coffee pods or cups in the house. Only one kind often fits in.
The alternatives – vacuum coffee machines, French press and Turkish coffee
Of course, there are dozens of other options for brewing a bakkie pleur. One of the oldest forms of brewing coffee is to make it vacuum. Such a system is not expensive and the taste of coffee is considerably better than comparable systems.
The French invented the French Press system. It is a very quick and easy way to make a cup of coffee and the contact between the water and the coffee over a period of several minutes makes the flavour very rich and aromatic.
In Turkey and actually throughout the Middle East, Turkish coffee is very popular. All one needs for this is a special Turkish coffee pot and very finely ground coffee. The disadvantage here is that you have to let the drink settle before you can drink it. We in the Netherlands don’t always like that.
Choosing the best coffee machines
Make sure you are well informed when choosing a coffee machine. If you don’t like espresso, then you should definitely not invest in the large fully and semi-automatic coffee makers. If you are more someone who likes filter coffee, then you might want to focus on looking for a bean grinder to improve the quality of your coffee. And maybe you are just looking for a quick vending machine for early mornings, then a cup or pad machine might be better.