Coffee Presses
French presses or more recently coffee presses are the ultimate green coffee maker. Other than heating water in a separate kettle no energy is required, and now the Toddy Maker Cold Brew Coffee Maker eliminates even that requirement. The toddy maker coffee cold brew method drastically reduces many of the oils and acids found in hot brewed coffee that are not soluble at low temperatures. Cold brew coffee is easier on the stomach for acid sensitive coffee drinkers. Opinions vary on if cold brew leaves too much of the oil and acid in the bean.
Perhaps the most valuable feature of coffee presses is that they give you absolute control over the temperature of the water used for the coffee maker brew, which, along with the quality of the bean, is probably the most important factor in the quest for the perfect cup. Bodum is still the biggest seller worldwide but AeroPress and other coffee press manufacturers are making a name. The number of reviews for coffee machines of all kinds indicate how passionate people are about their coffee and the different styles of coffeemakers.
Drip Coffeemakers
Cold water from a reservoir on the coffee maker is first heated and then dripped onto coffee grounds contained within a filter assembly. That is the essence of a drip coffeemaker. You can still find manual drip coffeemakers but the overwhelming majority of drip coffee makers are electric. The final result is brewed coffee deposited into a glass pot, a thermal carafe, or an insulated travel mug.
There are variations in the water temperature of the brew, the filter assembly design, and speed of the drip, so some drip coffeemakers do make better coffee than others, and it's not necessarily a function of price. Black & Decker is the value leader. With a little experience, however, you can tweak any drip coffeemaker to get it just right for you. Some models are programmable and have built-in water filters. Some drip coffeemakers like the Cuisinart DGB900 grind and brew in one operation. A drip coffeemaker sits on your kitchen counter in plain sight so maybe the deciding factor should be whether the darn thing is attractive enough to be there.
