Auto Drip Brewing Method

The auto-drip is the most widely used method of brewing coffee in the United States. It has achieved this status for its "set-it and forget-it" convenience.

Many styles, varieties, and features are available on drip coffee makers; making the decision of which one to purchase very difficult and often overwhelming. The desired styles and features of a drip machine really depend on you. One important thing that is commonly overlooked is the wattage of a drip machine. It is best to buy one that has a high wattage in order to have the hottest water, which will extract the fullest flavor from the coffee.

A drip coffee maker is simple in design and function. It has four main parts: the filter basket, the water reservoir, the carafe and the heating plate.

The filter basket usually comes with a metal filter and instructions on what size paper filter to use. It typically uses 1 of 2 types of filters- a cone filter or a flat bottom filter. Cone filters require a fine grind coffee whereas a flat bottom filter only requires a medium grind. If you are not picky about your coffee and you tend to buy already ground coffee, you would be best served with a flat bottom coffee filter.

The water reservoir is the place where you add water to the coffee maker. Water is placed in the reservoir and the maker heats up the water and dispenses it through the coffee grounds which extracts the coffee's flavor. It is important to use filtered water in your coffee maker at all times. Not only will it give you the best flavor, but it will help keep sediment from building up in your maker which requires you to clean it more often.

The carafe is simply the container used to catch the brewed coffee and hold it until it is served. Usually this is a glass container, also called a "pot."

The heating plate keeps the brewed coffee hot. It is convenient because it will keep your brewed coffee warm until you turn the maker off. Beware of this element... keep in mind that the longer your coffee sits on the heating plate, the more the heat continues to cook your coffee. The sooner you drink coffee after brewing, the less bitter it will be.

For brewing instructions, see the Auto Drip How-to Page.

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