Drip coffee confidently wins the title of the most modern and popular beverage. Its main advantage is that this technology fully preserves the delicious and energetic characteristics of natural coffee, and at the same time, you can drink a coffee in minutes. You might think that drip coffee comes from that good old automatic drip machine that’s stashed somewhere in the closet. While that is true, there are other types of drip coffee makers that work just as well- if not better. What you can learn from them might surprise you in ways that make the brewing experience rather satisfying.
Drip coffee is a way of cooking coffee that is common in the West, especially in North America. Drip coffee (or filter coffee) can be made in appliances that have a permanent or removable filter built-in, or by manually pouring hot over ground coffee contained in the paper, metal or fabric filters. In each of these methods, water gradually pours through a coffee into a container. It’s similar, but weaker than espresso coffee. The water flowing through the coffee is not pressurized, so the aroma and texture are different. Espresso coffee is very roasted but finely ground, while the filter coffee is a little less roasted and ground more coarsely.
Therefore, the term ‘drip’ refers to the method of brewing coffee. But for every method, there are lessons to be learned about how each brewing method has a whole other bag of tricks waiting to be discovered. Let’s take a closer look at the top three brewing methods that are all drip coffee maker essentials. You can discover or at least, rediscover some of the magic of how great coffee can be made at home.
Types of Drip Coffee Makers/Methods
For each brewing method, there is a madness that follows closely behind. And since it’s getting to be a real pain to go out to coffee shops these days, you might be more inclined to make coffee at home more often. Here are three methods that all make fine coffee depending on the amount of time you want to dedicate to brewing a cup for yourself.
Drip Coffee Machines
One of the great American innovations that appeared in the early 1970s was the automatic drip, coffee maker. It’s a simple device that you fill with water, plug it in, and start to brew right away. The water itself was the big key to success because it was set to a temperature that brewed coffee tastes delicious. Later, these drip models began to add features where you could set a timer and it would start to brew before you wake up in the morning.
It was the ultimate invention that set a standard for those who like good coffee without much hassle of making it. This is where many people made the grave mistake of thinking their machine could make good coffee all the time. As you might expect, the attention to little details would prove that not every automatic drip machine would give great results for long periods. But with general care and maintenance, these mistakes could be avoided.
Pros & Cons
The biggest complaint about drip coffee machines is from limescale buildup on the heating element inside the machine. The natural minerals from tap water start to collect on this heating element and can make coffee taste awful. Regular de-scaling will keep the inside free from calcium crud and potential bacteria that can grow inside the water chamber. Most people never knew that 3-4 cups of vinegar will dissolve this calcium in a jiffy…
Pour Over
This method was born out of disgust around the turn of the century when the standard percolator would make coffee that was bitter and had a terrible taste. The very first of the pour-over models were of course the Melitta cone (see more), but since then, there are many variations of the pour-over cone, the V60 is our favorite. Many of these pour-over brewing methods all have slight variations of how hot water is poured over coffee grounds.
If you’re big on taste and getting flavors unlocked from the coffee beans you’ve never tasted before, this is a sure-fire way to discover hidden nuances that you never noticed. One thing that most people like about using a pour-over vessel is how creative they can become while brewing a fresh cup. As usual, if you aren’t careful, you can get terrible results if the water or timed intervals aren’t consistent.
Pros & Cons
Water temperature is the biggest threat to making bad pour-over coffee. Any water that’s more than 205F degrees can instantly start to burn your coffee and create a flavor that makes coffee taste bitter and undesirable. The biggest mistakes come from the coffee grind setting and the amount of time you let coffee grounds steep while the brewing takes place. It’s a science that’s not hard to figure out if you’re patient enough.
Drip Bags
The travel industry is full of surprises, but you would never expect that hotels catering to tourism would be on top of a little invention that sprang up in the early 80s. Portable coffee bags started to spring up on Tokyo hotels like crazy in the 90s and eliminated the need for automatic drip coffee machines in most hotel rooms. The best part about drip bags is they’re easy to use and make a fine cup of coffee that is very similar to the pour-over style.
These little bags were also simple enough to slip over any coffee mug and make a single cup of coffee in a couple of minutes. You don’t see them so often in the US, but thanks to the internet, they can be bought at many coffee supplier websites more readily.
Pros & Cons
Most drip bags are virtually foolproof but you will have bad results if you use water that’s too hot or you over-pour water into the bag itself resulting in coffee grounds in your cup. If you’ve tried pour-over vessels before, this method is easier and there is less fuss about measuring the coffee grounds. All coffee drip bags already come with coffee inside them so all you do is add water and wait a couple minutes.
Coffee Capsules
The next big revolution of home brewing coffee was perhaps the unsung story of the Nespresso machine. It’s a story that you wouldn’t imagine all started with a nagging dare but ends with the machine that created the coffee capsule. Most homes all around the US all have a capsule coffee machine and will produce the closest thing to espresso coffee without going to a real café or coffee shop.
Pros & Cons
It’s hard to mess up a capsule coffee but not impossible if you aren’t being careful. Tap water is the worst thing to put in a coffee capsule machine. You need to start with filtered fresh water each time. These machines also need to be cleaned more often than automatic drip machines. The biggest problem is when you start buying the copycat capsules that have terrible coffee inside. Stick to the name-brand capsules that ensure flavor and quality.
Best Drip Coffee Machines
Below is our favorite traditional drip coffee machines.
1. Cuisinart Perfect Temp Coffee Maker
This version is like the standard Mr. Coffee you might have owned years ago. It’s packed with updated button settings to customize the strength of your coffee and the amount that you brew. You can even set this machine to have 3 carafe heat settings to keep your coffee warm all day. It makes up to 14 cups of coffee and is the perfect addition to any home with coffee drinkers. Pricewise, it’s a great buy that’s not overly priced and looks stylish in any kitchen.
2. Gevi 10-Cup Automatic Coffee Maker W/ Built-in Coffee Bean Grinder
Here’s a step up to getting great brewed coffee that features many control settings. It also has a built-in burr grinder to set the type of coffee grind you prefer. This features a 24-hour timer that allows you to set this machine to brew your coffee at any time of day or night. If you’re a stickler for the freshest coffee, you can’t go wrong with this model. It’s not bad for the price considering this machine does it all.
3. Ninja 10-Cup Specialty Coffee Maker
If you’re the type that likes all sorts of coffee drinks from standard drip to iced coffee, this machine is your best bet. It’s a futuristic design that’s simple to use with settings that are easy to select. This model also allows you to brew a single cup up to a whole carafe, so you can adjust this to fill just about any kind of cup. It even features a built-in milk frothing wand to make milky froth either hot or cold! Great price on top of all these features too.
For commercial use, Bunn coffee makers are the way to go. See the rest of our favorite coffee maker machines here.
History
It is believed that the first coffee filter was made in 1908. Drip coffee first appeared in Japan in the late 1990s. In this country, drip coffee technology has gained popularity in just a few years. The Japanese have made the process of cooking drip coffee a traditional ceremony, while in Europe, this method of making coffee became known only a few years ago. Today, the number of drip coffee in the world is in the billions. More and more people are recognizing the convenience, quality, and other benefits of this method of making coffee.
Factors That Affect Flavor
- The ratio of coffee to water;
- Cooking time,
- Water temperature;
- Size of ground beans.
All these factors must be combined to create a balanced cup of coffee. When ground coffee is poured over hot water, it begins to extract (both aroma and taste) from the coffee beans. The goal is a liquid that is not too bitter or acidic. To do this, you need to extract the right ingredients from the grain at the right time. The first step to a delicious coffee is from the whole coffee bean. It is necessary to grind it directly, before cooking. For this type of preparation, coffee is usually ground to a greater extent than for espresso. The more exposed a grain is to oxygen, the faster it loses its properties. Then you need to put a certain amount of ground coffee in the filter bag and put the filter in the appliance. After that, it is necessary to pour water into the appliance and turn it on. The ideal temperature for drip is 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In a few minutes, the smell of freshly brewed coffee will spread throughout your home. To prepare one cup of drip coffee, you need to put 7g of coffee and 125 ml of water in the apparatus and cook until the extraction is complete. For coffee (drip or coffee maker), it should be soaked in water for about 5 minutes.
One last factor; be sure to clean your coffee machine and/or filter regularly.
Brewing Using A Drip Bag
Its manufacturers have embarked on an improvement to the packaging, called the drip bag. It allows you to get a serving of natural good cooking coffee, and at the same time, without any external reason in the cup. It is this version of portioned coffee that is gaining in popularity. By the name of the pack, the drink is called drip coffee.
- By boiling coffee dripping, you have to pour the water slowly, without haste.
- Approximate time per 200 ml cup is at least a minute.
- When pouring coffee with hot water, leave it for 1-2 minutes.
- Then remove the cardboard handle of the bag from the edges of the cup, tuck it in, and remove the bag with the coffee spoon.
- The bag is no longer needed, throw it in the trash and drink a cup of hot, natural, strong coffee without any sediment.
Drip coffee is portioned coffee in a special design package that allows you to brew a natural beverage by pouring and then removing the precipitate from the cup. The name refers to the way of cooking, not the type of coffee itself. You’ll find similarities when brewing Nel Drip and the popular pourover. A special filter paper is used to pack the drip coffee. It is made of natural cellulose, which is not subject to additional bleaching or other chemical influences. Therefore, the contact of such a paper with the beverage is completely secure. Turkish coffee, utilizes a similar method but dripping through a filter so that only liquid without residual ground coffee enters the cup. The result of this method is a coffee of lesser taste and no precipitate at the bottom of the cup. Also, the filter absorbs the oils contained in the coffee, so it has no foam unless a metal filter is used.
Advantages Of Using Premade Drip Bags For Brewing
- Ease of use;
- Cooking efficiency. The process takes 2 minutes;
- Quality natural drink;
- Mobility drip packages. They can be used wherever there is hot water;
- Compact packaging for every serving;
- Good taste;
- Acceptable price;
- More widespread than other types of portioned coffee;
- Usability.
Some research in Scandinavia has shown that drip coffee is healthier than espresso or homemade coffee because unfiltered coffee is rich in caffeine, a substance that has an affects on cholesterol levels. In addition to caffeine, coffee beans contain oils that can significantly increase blood cholesterol. In this sense, the coffee filter is safer than coffee prepared in the traditional, homemade way, so it is not recommended to consume unfiltered coffee in people with high blood cholesterol levels. Drinking drip coffee could reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.