With so many different types of home coffee makers on the market, it’s hard to know which type of coffee maker is right for you.
This guide will explain 10 different types of coffee makers, with pros and cons of each. At the end of this article, you should be able to identify which coffee maker is best for you!
Different types of coffee makers discussed in this post:
- Drip Coffee
- French Press
- Chemex
- Single Serve Pour Over
- AeroPress
- Espresso Maker
- Moka Pot
- Ibrik
- Cold Brew Coffee Maker
- Percolators
Factors you need to consider when buying a home coffee maker:
- Price
How much are you willing to spend? First, determine your budget. This may determine which type of coffee makers are most suited for you and may eliminate some right off the bat.
For example, many espresso makers are very expensive, so this may be out of the average price range. On the other hand, a drip coffee maker or French press is more affordable and widely available.
- How much coffee do you drink?
The next question you need to answer is how much coffee you drink each day. If you only have one cup of coffee a day, a smaller coffee maker like an AeroPress might be ideal.
On the other hand, if you drink 4-6 cups of coffee each day, you might want to buy a larger coffee pot so you don’t have to keep making coffee all day.
- What kind of coffee do you drink?
Do you enjoy black coffee, espresso, cold brew, or a variety of the above? If you typically drink black coffee, you will have more options to choose from than if you only drink espresso or cold brew coffee. Keep this in mind when determining which type of coffee maker to buy.
- Cleanup
How much are you willing to clean your coffee maker? Some coffee makers require more maintenance than others, so this is important when choosing which type of coffee maker to buy.
Pros and Cons of Coffee Makers
Drip Coffee
- What is a Drip Coffee Maker?
A drip coffee maker is a traditional coffee maker. Think of the coffee maker you saw at your grandparents' house. It was probably a drop coffee maker. Drip coffee makers only make hot coffee, and they range in 4 to 12 cup pots.
- Pros:
Drip coffee makers are very affordable. You can buy some for as little as $10! If you are on a tight budget, this is a great option.
Drip coffee makers are very low maintenance. You pour water in the coffee maker, add a filter with grounds, turn it on, and your coffee is brewing. Some drip coffee makers are even programmable, so you can set it to start in the morning.
- Cons:
Drip coffee makers don’t give you much control over how your coffee is brewed. Some expensive models will allow you to make stronger or hotter coffee, but typically there is only one setting to make coffee.
Drip coffee makers can be large. If you live in a small apartment, this might take up a lot of counter space.
- Which one we recommend:
We recommend this Ninja CE251 Programmable Brewer, with 12-cup Glass Carafe, Black and Stainless Steel Finish that you can buy on Amazon. It has multiple programs and a large carafe, so you can make coffee in the morning and enjoy all day long.
French Press
- What is a French Press?
The French press is a manual immersion coffee machine. It requires the user to boil water and pour water into the barrel, pressing the water into the beans, creating the coffee. The ratio of coffee and water are totally customizable, so you can brew your coffee exactly how you want.
- Pros:
The French press tends to make very strong coffee. If you like strong coffee, this might be the perfect coffee maker for you! This coffee maker also extracts many of the natural oils from the coffee, giving the coffee a better flavor profile.
The French press can be repurposed into a cold brew coffee maker as well, so if you like hot and cold coffee, this will give you variety.
- Cons:
The French press is time consuming. If you drink more than a few cups of coffee a day, this may be too much work to make multiple French presses a day.
A French press is not ideal with light roast coffees. If you enjoy light and dark roasts, this may limit the type of coffee you can make.
- Which one we recommend:
We love the Veken French Press. It's beautiful, affordable, and easy to use. You can check it out here on Amazon.
Chemex
- What is a Chemex?
A Chemex is a manual pour over coffee maker. It requires the user to boil water and pour water over the grinds, and the coffee will drip into the Chemex pot.
The Chemex requires you to “bloom” your coffee. Blooming is when you gently pour over a little bit of water onto the grinds, then let the water release natural gasses from the beans. This makes the coffee very smooth and easy to drink.
- Pros:
The Chemex is known for making extremely smooth coffee. There is minimal acidity, which makes the coffee balanced and easy to drink.
This coffee maker and brewing method extracts more flavors of the coffee whereas other coffee makers do not.
- Cons:
The Chemex is time consuming and it only makes a few cups of coffee. If you drink more than a few cups of coffee a day, this would be a time-consuming coffee maker.
Additionally, since the Chemex is a completely manual process, it will take some time to learn and fully understand how you like your coffee with this tool.
- Which one we recommend:
We own a Chemex 10 cup coffee maker and love it. It's our Saturday and Sunday slow morning coffee routine. Check out the Chemex 10 cup pour over here on Amazon.
Single Serve Pour Over Coffee Maker
- What is a single serve pour over coffee maker?
A single serve pour over is essentially a mini-Chemex. You place it on top of your coffee mug, add your filter and grinds, and add water. It’s as easy as that!
- Pros:
This coffee maker is very easy to use and has minimal clean up. This is a great option for those that only drink one cup of coffee a day.
This option is extremely affordable – you can get one for as little as $6.
- Cons:
Single serve pour over is a completely manual process. It will take some time to learn and understand how you like your coffee best in this method.
This method only makes one cup of coffee at a time. If you enjoy many cups of coffee a day, this might not be the best option for you.
- Which one we recommend:
This stainlesss steel single serve pour over on Amazon doesn't require a paper filter, which reduces waste and is one less step for you to do!
AeroPress
- What is an AeroPress?
An AeroPress is an immersion coffee maker that utilizes manual pressure to filter the coffee. Think of this option as French press straight into your mug. AeroPress coffee makers make black coffee or Italian coffee.
- Pros:
The process of making coffee in an AeroPress is quick. It makes great quality coffee in just a few minutes.
The AeroPress machine is very simple and straightforward to use.
- Cons:
Similar to the single serve pour over, the AeroPress only makes one cup of coffee. This is not the best option for those who want multiple cups of coffee made at one time.
There are many parts to disassemble and clean in an AeroPress. If you’re using this multiple times a day, it might be tedious to clean.
- Which one we recommend:
We recommend checking out this AeroPress coffee maker on Amazon. It's the base model and is a great affordable option for starting out with an AeroPress.
Espresso Maker
- What is an Espresso Maker?
Espresso makers come in many shapes, sizes, and prices. It uses steam forced through coffee beans at high pressure to create a strong, flavorful coffee.
- Pros:
The right espresso maker can make delicious coffee. If you like espresso, you’ll love having the café feeling right from your kitchen and the ability to make drinks like a latte or flat white at your fingertips.
There are many options for espresso machines. If you love espresso, you will have a great selection of different price points to choose from.
- Cons:
Espresso makers can be very pricey. If you want a machine that can make fancy coffee drinks like lattes or cappuccinos, it will come at a high price point.
Espresso machines can be very, very messy and difficult to clean, especially if the machine contains a milk frother. They can also be large, so they take up a good deal of counter space.
- Which one we recommend:
If you're new to making espresso, we recommend taking a look at this espresso machine by De'Longhi on Amazon. It's got everything you need, but at a lower price point than many other espresso makers.
Moka Pot
- What is a Moka pot?
A Moka Pot is similar to an espresso maker, except you make it on the stove. It uses steam, but under less pressure than an espresso maker. It creates Italian style, very strong coffee. If you like your coffee very strong that mimics espresso without the characteristic crema, this is a great option for you.
- Pros:
Moka pot is a very inexpensive way to get a good quality cup of coffee. It’s a great cheaper alternative to an expensive espresso machine.
The Moka pot is very simple and easy to use! All you need to do is fill the bottom with water, fill the basket with coffee grinds, assemble, and heat on the stove.
- Cons:
The Moka pot limits you to only one type of coffee. If you like a variety of coffee, this will limit your ability to make different types of coffee drinks.
Quality in Moka pot brands vary. Some are great and will last a long time, but if you purchase the wrong brand, it may break easily.
- Which one we recommend:
Check out this Moka pot by Bialetti on Amazon. Bialetti is a trusted Italian brand that we own ourselves. If you've ever been to Italy, the Bialetti brand should be familiar to you - it's everywhere there!
Ibrik
- What is an Ibrik?
An Ibrik is a very unique coffee maker used to brew Turkish and Greek coffee. You use an Ibrik by placing special coffee grinds and water into the bowl, and heating it until it bubbles. When your pour the coffee into a mug, a thick sediment is left at the bottom of the Ibrik.
- Pros:
If you enjoy Turkish or Greek coffee, this is the only way to make it! Buying an authentic Ibrik will yield great results every time.
Ibriks are beautiful and ornate. They look absolutely beautiful on your stove as a kitchen accessory!
- Cons:
An Ibrik can only make one type of coffee and requires special coffee grinds.
It takes experience and trial and error to learn how to brew coffee in this method. For most people, this is better off as a supplemental coffee maker and not for every day use.
- Which one we recommend:
Check out your local Mediterranean grocery store. Most will have beautiful Ibrik options and it's a great way to support a local business! But if you don't have a Mediterranean store near you, check out this one on Amazon.
Cold Brew Coffee Maker
- What is it a cold brew coffee maker?
A cold brew coffee maker is similar to a tea infuser, but for coffee. You add coffee grinds and water, and let steep overnight in the fridge.
- Pros:
Cold brew makers are great for a large volume of cold brew at one time! It’s much more cost effective than buying cartons of cold brew coffee from the grocery store.
These coffee makers are relatively cheap and very straightforward to use.
- Cons:
This only makes cold coffee, so if you like hot coffee, you will need to buy another type of coffee maker.
Cold brew makers are difficult to clean. Coffee grinds will often get stuck in the filter, which may have messy cleanup.
- Which one we recommend:
Check out this cold brew coffee maker. It's got a stainless steel filter and it doubles as an iced tea maker! You can find it on Amazon.
Percolators
- What is a coffee percolator?
A coffee percolator makes coffee by continuously recycling coffee grounds through the coffee. It boils water and allows the water to travel through the grounds, steeping coffee.
These machines were more popular in the 1970s but are making a comeback today. Coffee percolators are said to make stronger coffee since the water is continuously steeped in coffee grounds.
- Pros:
If you like strong coffee, this is a great option for you! Coffee percolators are known for their strong cup of Joe.
This type of coffee machine comes in a stovetop or electric model, so you can choose which option is best for your living situation.
- Cons:
Coffee Percolators expose the coffee beans to higher temperature than other methods, which can extract coffee too quickly, causing bitter flavors.
If you don’t like strong coffee, we do not recommend this method for you.
- Which one we recommend:
Check out this coffee Percolator on Amazon. It's electric and makes 12 cups of coffee!
Coffee Accessories
After you’ve decided on the type of coffee maker that’s right for you, consider other home coffee accessories:
- Milk Frother
A milk frother can help you make lattes, cappuccino, flat white, or cortado coffee drinks. This small but mighty tool can greatly expand your coffee possibilities!
- Coffee Grinder
Consider purchasing a good coffee grinder. There are two main types of coffee grinders: burr and blade. Burr grinders give you a more consistent coffee grind, but it is more expensive. A blade grinder is more affordable, but is not as high quality.
- Electric Kettle
If you end up buying a pour over coffee maker, you need an electric kettle to heat your water. There are many choices, but you will want to buy an electric kettle with a goose neck spout.
- Travel Coffee Mug
Now that you have all the tools to make coffee at home, you need a great mug! I love Yeti travel mugs because they keep your drinks hot or cold all day long.
Funny story – once I left a Yeti full of iced coffee in a very hot car in Hawaii for 6 hours. When I returned, not only was the coffee cold, but the ice was still intact!
- Kitchen Scale
Kitchen scales have so many uses besides coffee. But for coffee, it’s great for measuring the perfect water and coffee ratio in manual coffee making like in a Chemex or an AeroPress.
Conclusion: Which Type of Coffee Maker is Right For You
Deciding which type of home coffee maker to purchase can be difficult. Now that you’ve read this article, you’re ready to purchase the which type of coffee maker is right for you. Happy brewing!
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