How to Buy: Coffeemakers and Grinders

Grinders
Coffeemakers

Because coffee depends on complex, volatile oils for flavor and aroma, it cannot be overstated that freshness is best. Capturing those flavors in the cup or mug before they evaporate is the whole point--aside from the jolt that liquefied caffeine delivers to the nervous system. Given that taste is subjective and convenience often involves tradeoffs, coffee fanciers confront many choices among various grinding and brewing methods.

Grinding coffee beans only moments before brewing prevents the beans' flavorful and aromatic oils from escaping. Grinders can run from around $20 all the way up to more than $100, so it's good to know what type of grinder you need. Two types of grinders do the trick:

1. Burr grinders: By pulverizing beans between grooved metal plates or cones, burr grinders (or mills) produce uniform-size granules, with little "dust" to cause overextraction and bitterness. Burr-grinding also minimizes heat so oils don't burn off. Because speed generates heat, hand-crank burr grinders offer the most heat control, handle small amounts of beans, and soothe with use. Electric burr grinders increase speed and reduce effort. Many also provide several grind settings so users can find the match between the coarseness of the grind and brewing method, and to adjust for varying bean moisture and ambient humidity. (Espresso, for example, requires extra-fine grounds, while French press coffee needs a coarse grind.) However, electric burr grinders usually require enough beans for at least two cups of coffee, with a maximum capacity of about 18 cups.
2. Blade grinders: These grinders chop coffee beans with whirring stainless-steel blades. They're fast and operate by pushing a button or by pressing their tops. The only advantage they have over burr grinders is price--costing about half as much. The granules they produce aren't as uniform, "dust" usually results, and varying the grind requires careful monitoring and pulsing. Blade grinders also generate heat that destroys the most delicate flavor/aroma oils. Large blade grinders handle enough beans for 20 cups, but the more beans ground the more likely heat, dust, and varying granule size will result.

Brewing coffee is no more complicated than dissolving ground coffee's soluble elements and extracting the best flavor and aroma oils. The different brewing methods, however, yield varying results. In the U.S., the most common coffeemakers are drip, French press, and percolator.

Simple walk-away operation and multiple options make drip coffeemakers the most popular brewing machines. Stripped to its essence, the drip method involves pouring hot water over ground coffee contained in a filter. Passing the coffee through the water dissolves the soluble elements. Electric drip machines automate the process by heating water and spraying it over the grounds. Clarified by the filter, coffee then drips into a carafe.

Selecting an electric drip coffeemaker begins with capacity, which ranges from four to 12 cups. Those "cups," however, are not standard 8-ounce measurements. Instead they mean "cups" of coffee, or 5-ounce servings. Thus, an eight-cup machine will brew up to 40 ounces of coffee, not 64 ounces. (Some manufacturers rate their machines by 4-ounce servings.)

The next question is, carafe on warming plate or insulated thermos carafe? Machines that brew directly into thermos carafes cost more. But coffee left on a warming plate deteriorates rather quickly, which is why diner waitresses often advise waiting for "a fresh pot, honey." An insulated carafe also travels around the house while keeping the coffee hot.

The third consideration is, unfortunately, not easy to assess. Fast brewing at the proper water temperature (about 200 degrees F) produces the best coffee. Speed counts because desirable elements dissolve first, and off-flavor elements take longer. Water temperature matters because too-cold water doesn't fully extract flavor and aroma, and too-hot water increases acidity. A particular machine's brewing speed and water temperature aren't easy to ascertain. Reliable brand names and the get-what-you-pay-for rule are the best insurance against disappointment.

Other fundamentals include filters for both water and coffee. Because tap water imparts off flavors, connoisseurs use bottled water or purchase machines with built-in water filters. Connoisseurs also claim paper filters impart off tastes and absorb flavor elements. Some machines come with disposable paper filters, others with permanent nylon or metal filters, but, in the former case, you can always purchase a permanent filter separately. (Nearly all machines now use a conical filter, which ensures better saturation of grounds than an old-fashioned flat-bottom filter.)

Drip coffeemakers abound in feature options, which can alter the price (coffeemakers range in price from under $40 all the way to more than $200). A removable water tank and a swing-out, removable filter holder offer convenience. A window or exterior gauge permits water-level monitoring. An automatic shutoff (usually two hours) provides memory-lapse insurance. A pause function stops the brewing process for 20 or 30 seconds for a quick pour. A programmable clock/timer begins the brewing process at a selected time up to 24 hours in advance (fresh wake-up coffee!). A strength selector varies brewing time to personal taste. A temperature control adjusts warming-plate heat. Some coffeemakers also come with built-in grinders.

A French press uses a glass beaker or other cylindrical container to steep ground coffee (or tea leaves) in hot water. Pressing a plunger equipped with a wire-mesh filter then pushes grounds to the container's bottom so clarified coffee can be poured from the top. Devotees contend this is the best method--period!--for brewing coffee because it's slow and avoids paper filters. Objections center on the difficulty of filtering out all grounds and the time required--four to six minutes, depending on the container's size, which ranges from one to 18 cups. Steeping time also means water cools during brewing to less-than-optimal temperature. To prevent this, some French presses are insulated. Most French presses require users to heat the water in a separate container, but there are electric French presses that heat water in their own containers.

Once universal in the U.S., percolators fell into disfavor as coffee connoisseurship spread. A percolator boils water, forcing it up a metal tube from which it emerges to spray over ground coffee contained in a metal filter attached to the tube's top. This boil-up, filter-down process continues until coffee reaches its desired strength. Because it involves boiled water--not to mention boiled coffee--too much extraction occurs for most contemporary tastes, resulting in a bitter, acid brew. Percolator fans insist that's precisely the way coffee should taste. Instead of going on the stovetop, most percolators are now electric, with heating elements in their bottoms. All still produce the perk, perk, perk sound and enveloping aroma of grandma's kitchen.

Fred Brack is a Seattle writer, former newspaperman, and coauthor of the cookbooks The Tastes of Washington and Tastes of the Pacific Northwest .