How to Choose the Best Drip Coffee Maker

A drip coffee maker is a perfect tool to brew the most flavorful coffee. But with hundreds of different brands of coffee drippers available in the market today, it can be a little difficult to find one ideal for your needs.

Here are some tips for choosing the best drip coffee maker.

The Right Material

You will find coffee drippers made from different kinds of materials such as ceramic, steel, and plastic. So, how do you choose which one to buy?

Ceramic drip coffee makers can brew the best coffee. Ceramic as a material offers the best insulation required to brew the perfect coffee.  It helps in maintaining the ideal temperature range required for brewing the perfect cup of coffee using a dripper. The extraction of the coffee from the grounds requires the ideal temperature setting. You can only achieve this using a ceramic dripper.

Ceramic is also a safe material with no risk of toxins seeping into your daily coffee. You may be tempted to buy plastic drippers due to their low costs (which is not always the case anyway). But there is always a risk of toxins from the plastic to seep into the liquid inside it.

The Right Design

The ideal drip coffee maker will contain spiral ridges to help the coffee brew uniformly. Ridges promote coffee extraction in a balanced manner. The cone shape of the drippers helps the filters fit perfectly. The shape is ideal for extracting the coffee from all sides.

The wall angle should be such that it allows for compatibility with more than one type of filter. You should be able to choose your filter without the dripper’s design restricting your choice. 

A single large hole at the bottom of the dripper is what you need to look for when buying it. A dripper with multiple small holes may seem like a good idea. You may assume that multiple small holes will offer better extraction and flow. But such is not the case.

Small holes can slow down the flow of water. Coffee grounds may clog small holes, not allowing the water to flow at all. Your coffee can become bitter due to a slower flow of water. You may not get any coffee altogether if the grounds stop the water’s flow. So, choose a dripper with one hole that is large enough for the water to flow unrestricted. But the hole shouldn’t be too large as it can let the water drip before the extraction is complete or ideal.

The Right Size

When buying a drip coffee maker, it is important to consider the size of the dripper. You can choose from a dripper large enough to brew and hold one cup of coffee or perhaps two.

If you like to brew your coffee fresh every time you wish to consume it, a single-cup dripper may serve you just as well. But if you want to brew large quantities of coffee or for two people at the same time, it is best to choose a large size of the dripper.

The Right Ergonomics

The handle must offer a nice and comfortable grip. You should be able to pour the coffee quite comfortably by the handle. When shopping online, read the description to know more about the handle design. If you can touch and see the dripper before buying it, ensure that you check the product description properly.

The dripper must come with a bottom design to keep it steady and firm on the ground. You wouldn’t want the dripper to move or shake while brewing the coffee.

The Right Price

There is simply no need to pay an exorbitant price for a drip coffee maker. Several brands make the perfect coffee drippers, which are available at economical rates. The right price can even enable you to buy multiple drippers in different sizes and colors. You can always have a spare one around in case you break the one you are currently using.

Brewing the perfect cup of coffee need not be expensive in any case, especially if you are making it at home.