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Drip coffee makers are the single most popular small kitchen appliance in the US. You can buy an automatic drip coffee maker for as little as ten dollars, or go all out for one with all the bells and whistles – including its own coffee grinder – for over two hundred dollars. And despite the growing love (and resulting culture of) espresso, even espresso lovers sometimes admit that they just want a good cup of joe.
A couple of years back, I worked in an office where coffee was the lubricant that kept the wheels humming. We ran round the clock, and the coffee pot was always on and always full. It was also more often than not, barely drinkable. The standing rule of the coffee pot was “If you drink the last cup, put on another pot”. From the day that I started working there and made my first pot of coffee, there was a new rule. “If you drink the last cup of coffee, let Deb know so she can make another pot.”
Whenever I put on a fresh pot, people would drift from the far side of the building, and by the time it was finished dripping, there was a line at the coffee pot, waiting for that first cup.
There’s no big secret to making good coffee with a drip coffee maker. It’s simple and straightforward – but there are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Invest in a coffee grinder.
It’s amazing what a difference that one single thing makes. When you grind coffee, you increase the surface area of the coffee bean that is exposed to air, hastening the release of the oils that give coffee its rich flavor. If possible, grind coffee right before you use it. If you don’t have a coffee grinder, buy at a store that sells whole beans that you can grind yourself. Buy just enough for a few days at a time, and store it in an airtight container at home.
2. Buy good coffee.
The better the coffee you start with, the better the coffee you’ll end up with. Of course, good coffee is a subjective thing. The one big suggestion I have here is that you avoid those big supermarket displays with plastic bins of coffee beans – the kind where you scoop or pour out beans into a bag. The bins aren’t airtight, and you have no idea how long they’ve been sitting in those bins getting stale. Vacuum-sealed bags or cans of coffee beans are better. Even ground coffee in a vacuum sealed bag is a better choice.
3. Keep your drip coffee maker and coffee pot clean.
Coffee oils cling to everything, and once they’re deposited they start growing rancid. Wash out your pot and filter basket every time you make a fresh pot, and clean your coffee maker once a week. Descale it once a month. And do remember to clean the shower heads up under where the filter basket goes. That’s an area most people never think to clean.
4. Use a paper filter.
You’ve probably seen ads for “permanent coffee filters” in gold or nylon. They sound like a great idea, but see #3 above. Coffee residues tend to collect in hard to clean places on them. It’s better and easier to buy good quality paper coffee filters and have a fresh one for every brew.
5. Use enough coffee.
The biggest mistake that people make when making coffee in a drip coffee maker is using too little coffee. So, how much coffee for one cup of coffee? You should use a full tablespoon of ground coffee for each 8 ounces(about 227 grams) of water. Measure it out the first few times and you’ll be surprised how much coffee that actually is.
6. Use fresh, cold water.
I’ve heard people recommend using distilled water with all the minerals and impurities removed. Frankly, distilled water is good for your machine, but it makes flat tasting coffee. If your tap water is good for drinking, it will make good coffee. If it’s not, use a water filter or use spring water.
7. Avoid the temptation to use the brew pause.
The first cup or so of coffee will carry most of the coffee flavor. If you pour that off and return the pot to fill the rest of the way, the first cup of coffee will be very strong, and the rest of the pot very weak. Practice patience, grasshopper.
8. Take the coffee off the warming plate when it’s done brewing.
Coffee left on the warmer plate will continue to “cook”. Instead, pour any coffee that’s left over into a thermal pot, preferably one with a vacuum seal.
That’s all there is to it. Follow that advice, and you’ll have the entire office lining up to drink your coffee, and skipping the afternoon run to the nearest Starbucks.
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RON COLLINS/CANADA says
note we use filtered water to remove chlorine and other tastes this is important for the coffee flavor to not be masked,as for the brand do your own thing,when we go to trailer my wife is always asked to make the coffee and “tea”
RON COLLINS/CANADA says
tried lots of different brands,use maxwell house dark roast formula filtered water 10/12 cup line on pot,4 oz coffee with measurer do not forget fresh filter,we always make full pot, has heat controlfor after brew this works well,coffees good all day
May says
You can buy enamel french drip coffeepots at frenchdrip.com, a business which is, of course, located in Louisiana.
Art says
I don’t see anybody using a pinch of salt in their coffee makers… Doesn’t this take the bitterness out????
Reading all the formulas, we dicided to use one tablespoon to 8oz water…. Not bad, but it still needs something…. Salt????
Leslie says
My grandmother always used an old fashioned drip coffee pot. I think it was made of aluminum or stainless steel. It had the 3 stage concept; the bottom, the middle basket for the coffee and the top part that you pour the boiling water into. Everyone raved about the coffee made in this pot. I am trying to find one, can anyone help me out?
firespirit3 says
its a percolator
firespirit3 says
its a percolator
hamidreza says
hi,
I have bought a new coffee maker, not a expensive one, which kind of coffee should I pour in it? I tested Turky one, but it didn’t have a good result,
please guide me.
Jeff H says
For people who use electric dripmakers:
Proper brew temp is from 190 to 200 degrees when the water passes through the grinds. Only two brands achieve this as far as I know, Capresso, and Technivorm. Both will not have burner plates. I had the Capresso, and the coffee was amazing, just not hot enough. But if you heated the carafe b4 brewing with how water it was perfect. As for the other brands of electric drip coffee makers, try this: When you pour the water into the resevoir, let it sit for a full 15 minutes before you brew. I don’t know why but it makes a BIG difference. Please let me know what you think!
drew says
Try a pinch of kosher salt in a pot of coffee. You will love it.
Dprang says
The best coffee I have ever drank is from using an old fashioned perculator….
As the article states…. it is cleaned…add fresh ground coffee (perculator setting),
a touch of salt….
It is oldfashioned and wonderful.
Reiss says
RE: comment 29 from ‘E’
Yes, grinding the same coffee finer will produce a ‘stronger’ cup of coffee because you are increasing the surface area of the coffee that comes into contact with the coffee. Reiss
Brian says
Here is a suggestion for many of you.
Simply combine the method of the French Press (Coffee submerged in a glass with plunger and screen) which many of you may be aware of, and the standard automatic or manual drip method.
Using a Melita portable Drip Coffee Maker (Larger one with the carafe)
Simply plug the hole of the Cone basket from underneath with something………That can be easily removed.
Let’s use 24oz. of coffee as an example.
Make your coffee as you ordinarily would, perhaps using 1 tbsp of coffee per 6 oz. of water and heating up your own water to boiling…..pour it into a measuring cup……..let is sit for a few seconds to bring it under the boiling temp………to about 200 degrees.
Pour 24 oz. of water into the cone basket. Perhaps the full 24 oz. won’t fit.
Now, combining the french press and drip methods…….Let the hot water sit in the basket for at least 5 minutes or so……….Then pick carefully pick up the basket by the handle….carefully unplug the hole at the bottom of the basket and let the brewed coffee drip out. You can then add any of the remaining water as the water level in the basket lowers.
I actually widened the opening at the bottom so that the water will drip out much faster after having settled in the basket with the coffee for about 5 minutes.
Quick review……….Plug the bottom of your portable Melita Drip Coffee Maker…..Carafe Version (Available at Super Markets)
Add your coffee…….Boil your own water and pour it into your measuring cup…Let it sit for few seconds to slightly cool down to approx 200 degrees.
Let the coffee and the hot water sit in the basket for 5 minutes or so………Then carefully unplug the hole………and let the coffee drip into the carafe.
Pretty simple…….and makes a HUGE difference.
You can experiment with different times and quantities.
karen says
I am related to robert the bruce! small world! I too love luzanne and french market! I am looking for a stainless french press, because I like to savor my coffee and not rush the experience and I think the stainless well keep the coffee hotter longer?
golfndad says
this dscussion was interesting from a historical point of view, but im thinking that you are all missing the point. To make a quick and excellent cup pf coffee the best process is still the ‘FRENCH PRESS” IT IS FOOLPROOF AND YOU CAN END THE 1/2/3 MEASURE CONTROVERSY SIMPLY BY ADJUSTING UNTIL YOU GET THE FLAVOR/STRENGth that you like.
My french press is one ive had for years, dragging it from cape cod to cananda to florida…no wired..no batteries..no mistrakes, ever!”
I prefer chickory in my coffee..luzanne and french market are my favs of commercial blends…i also buy chickory from COMMUNiTY COFFEE online and try it mixed with various coffees as my fancy hits me…chickory is around $2.50 per 12 oz and i usually use 13 chickory to 2/3 coffee.
if you dont own a french press u should..it wll never wear out and is usually made of this pyrex like glass that is very strurdy..maybe even unbreakable (but i hate to tempt fate)
i also use amr coffee type maker for larger consumption but they only last us about a year or 2 nomatter how cheap or how expensive.
when im alone,,its the french press for me..drip goes in trash…when i have visitors i go to wally world and get a $20 drip and it usually out lasts the guests..then into the trash!
lastly, i started my love affair with chickory at cafe dumand in n’oleans..only srever perfect at 5am with half hot milk!..still the best along with a mound of benes!
robert the bruce
Lori says
I am looking for a French Drip coffee pot. I saw a couple of people on here have found them. Where did you find one? My cousin is getting married in New Orleans soon & I’d love to get one for her! Thanks!
David H says
# Sue Says:
February 5th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
I would like to know why if I use a paper filter or one I bought to set into the coffee area.
I always end up with grounds in my coffee pot.
Thanks Sue
Hi, Sue. The coffee brew is coming out of a single little hole in the bottom of the basket. This is to slow down the outgoing trickle, so most or all of the grounds will be immersed in hot water at the same time.
(This is actually the most efficient way to make coffee, which is why the water only has to pass through once, and why drip coffee has the highest caffeine content of any type of coffee.)
But if you use too fine a grind of coffee grounds in an auto-drip coffee maker, it “traps” too much water at once, slowing its trickle down too much. Then the water will tend to overflow over the sides of the paper basket, and bring some grounds into the hole with it.
Even worse, the too-fine grounds tend to form a “mud” in the basket. When this mud overflows the paper and gets down to the drain hole, it can clog it up — sending water and grounds over the sides of the brewing basket too, and onto the counter or floor!
So more is not always better. If you’re grinding your own, don’t overdo it; and if you’re buying it ground, go for medium grind rather than fine. It should be slightly grainy, rather than powdery. A powdery fine grind will compact too much. An espresso pump can push water through the compacted powder; but mere gravity and drip can’t.
One other thing can cause the brew to overflow: using the wrong size paper filter! If the machine calls for #6, don’t use #4; etc.
Cheers,
David