Two coffee makers may be more economical than one. Standard 10-12 cup coffee makers are not very good at brewing small 1 and 2 cup batches, so for good taste you tend to make more coffee than will be consumed within the 20 minute “fresh-brew” window.

You can extend the fresh-brew window up to 60 minutes with a thermal carafe but in the long run you throw away more coffee than you drink. Single serve coffee makers use coffee pods and are a better tasting way to brew that morning cup or two. Mr. Coffee and Black & Decker are the major domestic coffeemaker manufacturers with Bunn, Krups and Cuisinart leading the European imports and the Zojirushi Fresh Brew the consumers’ choice among the Asian coffeemakers.

There are many ways to brew coffee and not all require a machine.

Making coffee with a French press allows you to control the exact temperature of the water.

Most electric coffee makers are drip coffeemakers with a few other bells and whistles.

Percolator coffee makers are old-fashioned nowadays but no other coffee maker can beat the room-filling aroma.

Vacuum coffee makers are not common in the US. Watching them work is entertaining.

Single cup coffee makers deserve their own category.

Espresso machines are reviewed separately.

Related posts:

1. French Press Coffee Makers
2. Tassimo Coffee Makers
3. Single Cup Coffee Makers