Coffee Methods: The Drip Pot

We'll talk about several ways of making coffee this week, so let's start with the most basic, ubiquitous method of coffee-making: the drip brew pot.

In the United States at least, the drip brew is by far the most popular method of brewing coffee. It brews by heating water then dripping it through a basket, usually lined with a paper or plastic mesh filter, that is filled with ground coffee beans. The water drains out the bottom of the basket into the waiting pot below.

These drip brew systems are fairly inexpensive and it's easy to adjust their output for one or more coffee drinkers. The black Cuisinart above ($79.95, Amazon) is on the higher end of the spectrum with auto-off and timing functions. The little 4-cup Mr. Coffee ($18.88, Amazon) is a model we lived with for years, and it brews just enough for one or two people.

Drip brewing has certain advantages - it's easy, quick, and cleanup is easy. It also leaves a lot of the essential oils and sludge behind in the filter, so it's a little easier on the stomachs of people who are bothered by coffee's oils. But it also leaves more of the rich taste behind, giving a clearer, brighter brew than other methods.

Drip brewing also results in a greater amount of caffeine per cup because of the length of time the water spends in the grounds.

A couple tips to get the most out of your drip brew coffe:

• Grind your beans right before you brew the coffee for maximum taste and freshness.
• Brew only what you will drink in the next 20 or 30 minutes. Once coffee has cooled it can't be reheated without serious degradation of taste.

We like the convenience of drip coffee but prefer the taste of French press and other brewing methods. Do you have any drip pot recommendations? What do you look for in a drip pot brewer?

Comments (11)

I'm hoping you'll profile the aeropress. It's one of my favorite methods of brewing a couple of cups at a time.

http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm

Drip coffee tastes better if you use a metal filter, like a Gold Tone cone filter, instead of a paper filter.

maybe my palate is not so refined, but i find that good-quality beans taste fine a week after grinding as long as they are kept in an airtight container.

i set up my coffeemaker the night before and set the timer to have it brewed and ready when i get out of the shower. i guess the coffee might be a little less fresh for having spent the night in the coffeemaker, but the convenience is worth it!

I'm so excited you're blogging coffee this week. It's one of my favorite things. I have the Cuisinart pictured above & I like it so far. I usually just make a cup for myself so I use the 1-4 cup feature & it makes a nice hot cup of coffee. And, when I make a full pot, it's really fast.

By far the best drip pot coffee I've tasted has been made in the Technivorm Moccamaster. Most consumer-model drip pots do not get hot enough, in my opinion, to make really full-flavored coffee.

Sadly, the Technivorm is a bit too rich for my budget, so I rely on the old-school Melitta cone boiling water method.

I love the french press method, but when you have a house full of guests it's not very practical. When shopping for a drip coffee maker there are three things that are essential. It has to be programmable, it has to have auto shut off and it has to have the pause and pour ability.

I'll second the Moccamaster recommendation. A couple of friends have it and the quality of the coffee is notable. The problem (as chez shoes notes) is that most drip coffee makers don't heat the water to the right temperature and so don't extract the beans all that well. (Similarly, one shouldn't use boiling water, as that will burn the beans.) The Moccamaster heats the water to precisely the right temperature and so the brewed coffee gets the best taste from the beans. This is also why vacuum brewing results in such delicious coffee.

But, alas, the moccamaster is too expensive for me. But I like my french press just fine. :)

America's Test Kitchen (by Cooks Illustrated, on PBS) tested drip coffee makers under $50, comparing the taste of a fresh cup, the taste of coffee that sits around a while, and the appliance's ease and convenience. They picked the Black & Decker Smartbrew. The article is here.

For Christmas, we got a Cuisinart drip automatic grind-and-brew type that is awesome. I've never tried to use a French press or another type of coffeemaker, so I might not know what I'm missing. Compared to our two most recent coffeepots - the tiny Mr. Coffee, then that black-and-silver, space-age-looking coffeemaker that used to spew hot water and grounds everywhere (only at the most inconvenient times, of course), I'm sold. We load it up with the water and the whole beans at night, set the timer, and wake up to great coffee in the morning. Also love that it uses a nifty carafe instead of a warmer-plate, because I'm notorious for leaving things like that on all day.
My suggestion: a coffeepot that is hooked into the water supply (like the icemaker in your freezer) - add beans only. Come on, it's 2008. Too much to ask?

I, too, have the Cuisinart pictured above. It makes a fine cup of coffee, but it is designed terribly. First, when you open the top to take out the used grounds, condensated water drips down the lid, off the back, and I get a daily puddle on my counter. Second, it is impossible to clean out the long thin back corner where the carbon filter goes -- you can pull out the plastic holder to replace the filter, but if any grounds or yuckiness have accumulated back there, I have resorted to dropping in a torn piece of paper towel and pushing it around with chopsticks. I loved my old Cuisinart grind-n-brew until it broke and I thought this one would be comparable, but I've been disappointed!

I'm loving the coffee coverage this week! As someone who is a big fan of all things caffeinated, but especially coffee and espresso, I am always seeking ways to make that superlative cup. In regard to coffee maker recommendations, here are 3Luxe's top three picks: http://www.3luxe.com/category/Small_Appliances/Coffee_Maker

I also second Louie Louie's suggestion for the coffee maker hooked into the water supply! That would be all kinds of futuristic-awesome.