May 13 2010
Coffee Maker
The invention of the coffee maker was the advent of a new day for coffee drinkers. Before coffee makers came into being, coffee was made by steeping the coffee beans in hot or boiling water and waiting until it was ready, which was very dependent on the individual’s tastes.
Over time inventors began to create coffee makers that used a drip brewing process. Drip coffee makers are over one hundred years old and have gone through many changes over the years. The first coffee makers were simple dual chamber systems. Hot water was poured into the top chamber, which contained the coffee beans and allowed to drip into the bottom chamber.
Later the percolator was invented which forced heated water up through a tube into the filter basket containing the coffee and would then drip back into the pot. The percolator would continue this process until the coffee reached the strength that the drinker wanted. The percolator was popular for many years.
Finally, the modern drip coffee maker came into being and the coffee world has never been the same. There are many people who prefer other coffee brewing methods, such as a French Press or even instant coffee granules, but, for the most part, the electric drip coffee maker is found in most homes.
The drip coffee maker is a modern version of the dual chamber early drip coffee makers. Water is pulled from a reservoir, heated and allowed to drip through a filter basket and into the coffee pot.
The popularity of coffee and the variations of coffee that can be found have allowed inventors to become more and more creative in their designs. Coffee makers today can be found with automatic grinders, frothing machines for making espresso and timers that allow the coffee to be ready ahead of time.
The pourover coffee maker is another type of brewer that can be found in homes and businesses. These machines keep heated water in a reservoir until the machine is turned on at which point the water is heated to the boiling point. The user pours cold water into the machine, which forces the hot water up, and into the basket containing the coffee. These pourover machines tend to brew the coffee faster than electric drip coffee makers do. Offices and restaurants tend to use pourover coffee makers because of the speed of the brewing process.
A good cup of coffee is an important part of the day for many people and having a coffee maker that creates that cup of coffee is an essential tool. There are simple coffee makers that simply make a good cup of java and there are complex machines that can create gourmet cappuccinos that rival the best coffee shops.
-Sharon Chapman
Visit A1 Coffee Makers for more on different coffee maker types, tips, and more.