My Food and Drink Blog

For many people, life wouldn’t be the same without a fresh cup of coffee. It isn’t always possible or convenient to get down to your favorite coffee shop or barista, and that brings us to tools for your kitchen. Here are a few coffee brewing gadgets you can use in your own home.

The most commonly used coffee makers are the automatic drip variety, using pre ground coffee beans place in a paper filter. While these machines don’t produce gourmet quality coffee, they are an excellent way to easily brew consistent pots of coffee, and are very economical to purchase and operate.

More recent inventions include single serving coffee makers that use a measured packet of coffee grounds like a tea bag. These are purchased in different flavors and varieties, ready to use, and are popular gadgets for houses that only need one cup of coffee made at once. However, the cost per cup may be higher, and supplies may not be available everywhere.

The coffee plunger, or French Press, allows the hot water and coffee to be placed together to brew. Then, the plunger is depressed and this pushes all the grounds to the bottom, allowing the coffee to be poured out. This is another excellent way to make one or two cups of coffee.

Finally, there are espresso machines which produce a concentrated coffee ‘shot’ using hot water forced under high pressure through very fine grounds. A shot of espresso is thicker than regular coffee and has more sediment in it. Espresso is used in many other coffee drinks, such as lattes, cappuccini, and mochas. This is a much stronger drink than many are accustomed to, although some would say it is the only ‘real’ coffee.

Many people like to use a coffee grinder at home to get fresh coffee grounds. Some coffee makers come with a built in grinder. There are many affordable grinders available in most department stores. This opens the door to many gourmet coffee varieties at the supermarket, from flavored beans to organic beans.

I purchased a wonderful coffee machine with a built in coffee grinder. It also has a timer, so I put all the ingredients in the night before. About 10 minutes before I get up, the grinder kicks in. By the time I get out of bed, my coffee is ready for me. Doesn’t that beat making it in the morning?

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