How many times have you gone into a coffee shop and seen about ten different coffee brewing methods all at once. Ever wonder why and what reason this is done. You probably wonder why is that guy getting Chemex, and another is getting simple autodrip. YOU start to wonder if you will be judged harshly if you order the wrong coffee that’s not cool enough, who orders Sumantran from a percolator, are you a monster?!
What is the best coffee maker you ask? Well that depends on what you consider to be the best coffee. If you like a quick cup then the auto drip is your friend. If you like faney, a chemex might be for you. If you want the raw taste and best flavor possible then maybe a french press. All methods have pros and cons and tons of debate about what is the best coffee maker. For example Chemex is one of my favorites because it has such a smooth and clean flavor but it’s also slower and more expensive. You need the special glass coffee maker plus the crazy expensive filters, that have gotten so expensive it’s cheaper to buy a brand new chemex coffee maker then the box of 100 paper filters. Seriously amazon sellers Im not paying $59 for a box of paper filters, I’ll use melita paper filters or luxury panythose (they are at last reuasable) first before paying that much. Back to the best coffee maker though.
So what are the available methods to brew the best coffee? I will list my personal favorites along with some tricks to extract the best coffee possible. So in no particular order here is my list of best coffee makers.
Chemex
The Chemex is my latest brewing technology and also one of my favorites. I don’t recall where I first saw this but I have consistently found it makes the generally the best coffee. For those that somehow have not discovered the Chemex yet, it is really just a conical filter in a fancy glass carafe. But the magic is in the filters because as the story goes a chemist came up with the idea for Chemex with his knowledge of chemical extractions and processing. One thing I didn’t realize was how old this invention is though as it was invented in 1941! So much for being cutting edge I guess.
I really like it because it filters exceptionally well yet leaves the coffee smoother than autodrip. I find the best autodrips with good filters, still somehow make the coffee harsher. This may be the fact that autodrips have a lot of nooks and crannies that trap old coffee residue and particles. I also have read in several resources that autodrips generally brew too cold versus Chemex where you are more directly controlling the water temperature from your boil kettle. I would believe this as often by the time my pot of autodrip is done it’s usually warm but not piping hot. According to the Speciality Coffee Association of America the golden temperature for perfect brewing is between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit. This is definitely not a problem with the Chemex as you pour almost boiling water directly over it and get the ideal temperature. One final note on the Chemex it certainly is one of the most elegant pieces of coffee hardware you will have in your kitchen. I often do marvel at both the simple yet elegant design. I see why this design has been placed in several design museums as a work of art.
Percolator
Ah the percolator, another very steampunk looking gadget that makes awesome coffee on the stove or in the camp fire. My small five cup percolator has survived many campfires and charcoal grill brews. I only melted the plastic top once because I put it on too small a grill and put a hot lid directly on top of it, whoops. I wouldn’t mind a nice glass perc top though as I’m not sure if I like plastic getting soaked in boiling water. The percolator is also an old style coffee maker predating the autodrip by about 150 years. Invented as alternative to tea and beer it allowed easy brewing of coffee for its stimulating effects. Basically it works by using gravity and the action of boiling to pump water on top of the coffee similar to an autodrip. The main drawback is it recirculates already brewed coffee over the grounds. In all my years of brewing with a percolator I have never found myself with a single bad cup other then putting too few grounds in. Is it the best coffee maker? I think it’s certainly one of the more robust ways to brew coffee. You feel like your drinking a manly cup of motor oil for sure. I do find it to have a lively and robust flavor that other methods would make much more muted. I have only one complain generally that the grounds do get into the coffee and that is irritating to my throat. If you have acid reflux a percolator pot may not be your best coffee maker.
Autodrip
What can I say about the autodrip other than the poor maligned autodrip. Very convenient though! The staple of the modern office. A step away from the maligned coffee pod machines for the serious coffee aficionado. I have highlighted a bunch of the less noble characteristics so I won’t detail much more but I will highlight that most of these other methods are impossible in an office setting without a full sized kitchen so unless you work at Google and have your own barista in your working pod the autodrip is your friend.
French Press
If the chemex and the percolator had a baby it would be the french press. Is this the best coffee maker for you? Well maybe, purist argue it gives you the best and truest flavor. Haters say it gives you a over extracted cup with a fine soot of grounds in every cup. Would I agree with both points, well yes. I do love my french press though again I do find the grounds/soot irritating. Before you say it, yes I do try to pour it off into a serving carafe after it brews but you still get some level of residue in the coffee. Maybe I need a new one with a better screen but it works for the occasions I use it. Also very aesthetic this is also one of the more pleasing coffee makers to have around, especially in stainless steel.
Keurig
Ok, if there is any brewer more maligned then the autodrip it is the Keurig. Branded as the most polluting coffee maker it had received a bad rap and it stands accused of making terrible coffee. I would agree to both points but I would also say it’s very convenient too. It’s nice to have a single serving coffee hot for you anytime. A “perfect” cup every time. No empty pots or burned coffee leftovers. No coworkers making dirty sock water and claiming they love coffee to your face. No ridiculous people telling you the supermarket blend is just as good as $20 a pound coffee! Come on Gerrry do you even like coffee!!!! ANyway, most decaf coffee pods are way too weak and the only shining star I will mention is Green Mountains Dark Magic Decaf. This is almost as good as brewed coffee it’s a dark roast with flavor and not burnt. I hate burnt dark roast!!
So what’s the best coffee maker? I’ll leave that up to you but if you want pure hipster elegance go for the chemex. If you need automatic coffee to get you going the autodrip. If your a cowboy in 1864 and all you have is a campfire then the percolator pot is the way to go. No matter which way you go remember to get yourself some great decaf and enjoy the flavor.