May 17 2010
Coffee Machines
Many people wouldn’t know what to do without their coffee machine, or coffee maker as most people call it. It is there morning ritual that gets them motivated and ready to face the day. Many coffee makers have built-in timers that allow them to be set to brew at a certain time, insuring that the morning coffee is hot, fresh and delicious first thing in the morning.
Coffee makers are one of the most common appliances. It is not unusual to find them in homes where there are no coffee drinkers simply because guests might enjoy having a cup of coffee when they visit. Newlyweds and new homeowners often receive coffee makers as gifts at their showers, sometimes they even receive more than one.
The styles and features of coffee machines continue to grow as technology advances. Originally, the coffee maker simply heated water to a set temperature and forced it over the ground coffee contained in a filter basket, that and nothing more. Slowly, over time, coffee maker manufacturers began to respond to wish lists and add features to them.
One of the first features was the clock. Originally it was an analog clock that could be set to turn the coffee machine on at a set time. Later, this clock became a digital clock that could not only be preset to brew the coffee but would also tell the coffee maker when it was time to turn off. This feature allowed coffee to be ready at any given time and also kept the pot from overheating and burning out the heating element from being left on for too long.
As coffee drinks became more popular the features that could be found on higher priced machines began to increase. The simple coffee maker soon became a combination coffee machine that could make espresso and even froth milk for cappuccinos. Some high-end machines feature a coffee maker on one side and an espresso machine on the other. These dual machines are much higher priced than regular coffee makers but well worth the cost to some people.
Today, coffee makers can be purchased that grind coffee beans and prepare the coffee all with the adjustment of a few settings. The most recent innovation has been the one-cup coffee brewers that allow the perfect cup of coffee to be brewed every time, without ever worrying about how long the pot of coffee has been sitting on the warmer.
The original coffee machine designers probably had no idea that they had created an appliance that would revolutionize the kitchen in a new and exciting way many times over, as it was redesigned and improved. They probably also didn’t know that their new invention would be one of the most used, most loved appliances in the kitchen of millions of homes.
-Sharon Chapman