Making coffee is an art and a moment of relaxation for all of us.
There are hundreds of different methods, each with its own peculiarities and results in the cup.
So which coffee maker or machine should you choose to make coffee at home?
In this article we will answer this very question, comparing most of the existing methods and highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each!
However, I will only list the general categories, not for example all the different espresso machines that exist and their characteristics.
There will be other articles to go deeper on the various methods If you don’t want to miss them, subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
Ready to start?
Manual coffee makers
In the first paragraph we will compare all the manual coffee extraction methods including our beloved moka pot.
The coffee makers require a certain dexterity and a bit of time for their preparation.
I admit that these are my favorites, because they need our attention and care becoming a moment of relaxation, allowing us to focus on the coffee preparation ritual.
You can vary the recipe, the extraction times, the water temperature, the environmental conditions, the grinding and obviously also the coffee used, to obtain something different every time.
But let’s see them in detail now!
Mocha pot
Perfect for you if you love tradition and if one of your happiest memories is the scent of your grandmother’s house after a family lunch.
It does not require very great skills, but only a few precautions to obtain a good result.
- It’s for you if you love a concentrated and intense drink, with a higher bitterness.
- On the contrary, it’s not for you if you don’t like bitterness.
Find out how to best use it below:
Neapolitan
Always perfect for you if you are a person in love with traditions and rituals.
- It’s for you if you love a concentrated and intense drink, similar to the moka pot, but with less bitterness.
Find out how to best use it below:
French Press
This is one of the simplest filter extraction methods ever, because it doesn’t require great skill. Furthermore, the coffee maker is very versatile: it can be useful to prepare frothed milk at home or to make any type of infusion, as well as tea.
- It is for you if you are looking for a diluted and delicate drink, typical of pressureless filter methods, but still “pastey”, with a good consistency in the mouth.
- It’s not for you if you want a very fragrant and clean drink, obtainable for example with a Chemex or V60.
Find out how to best use it below:
Clever
Another fairly simple filter method, which combines the advantages of the French Press and the V60. In fact, it has a first infusion part, which simplifies the pouring phase by avoiding some possible errors. The second allows the filtering of the ground as for the V60.
It is also convenient to use in cafè because it can be extracted directly from the clients, involving them in a fun way in the preparation of the drink.
- It is for you if you are looking for a diluted and delicate drink, typical of pressureless filter methods, with a good aromatic intensity and simple to use.
- It’s not for you if you want a creamy, full-bodied drink.
Find out how to best use it below:
Hoop
To conclude with the “simplest” filter methods to use, we must mention Hoop, made up of only two cylinders: one to house the ground and the other the water.
The margin of error here is really low.
- It’s right for you if you’re looking for a diluted and delicate drink, typical of pressureless filter methods, with good aromatic intensity and simple to use.
- It’s not for you if you want a creamy, full-bodied drink.
Aeropress
This is possibly one of my all time favorite methods,Why versatile, easy to handle, perfect in any place and situation and also allows you to experiment a lot.
In short, if you want to have fun anywhere you have to buy Aeropress!
- It’s for you if you are a traveller, if you love adventure and the outdoors, but always want an excellent coffee with you!
- It’s not for you if you want a creamy and full-bodied drink like a mocha pot or espresso coffee, with even more bitterness.
Find out how to best use it below:
V60
Unmistakable, trendy, versatile, funny, famous, studied and so much more. The V60 is one of the most famous methods in the world for coffee extraction, especially for high-level ones. Used in world competitions and by all passionate of Specialty coffee. In short, the progenitor of manual filter methods.
If you are a coffee lover, you must buy it!
- It’s for you if you want to experiment more than ever with coffee and if studying the subject and acquiring manual skills fascinates you. And if you are looking for a very fragrant coffee, without bitterness and intensely aromatic, then you have found the right method for you!
- It’s not for you if you want a creamy and full-bodied drink like an espresso can be, with even more bitterness, or if you don’t want to study and prepare yourself to respect this drink.
Find out how to best use it below:
Chemex
Very similar in preparation, shape and result to the V60, but with a more elegant and impactful design. The only difference is that the obtained drink is even cleaner and more delicate.
- It’s right for you if, just like the V60, you love a scented drink and want to experiment.
- It’s not for you if you want a creamy and full-bodied drink like an espresso can be, with even more bitterness, or if you don’t want to study and prepare yourself to respect this drink.
Find out how to best use it below:
Syphon
A tool that is nothing short of spectacular, similar to a deconstructed moka pot. Watching his preparation is fascinating.
- It’s for you if you want to surprise your guests with a very peculiar maker and if you are looking for a filter coffee, a diluted and perfumed drink, but with a slight of extra bitterness.
- It’s not for you if you desires to be in control of every variable during the extraction phase or if you are looking for a sweeter and more fragrant drink, with less bitterness.
Find out how to best use it below:
Cold Brew Dripper
If in the summer you love cold, energizing and thirst-quenching at the same time, this is the best choice you can make.
- It’s for you if you love cold, diluted, intense and fragrant coffee.
- It’s not for you if you don’t have patience, because the extraction can last 12 hours. Of course, you can prepare a large quantity and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days!
Find out how to best use it below:
Brew Bottle
Brew bottle
The result is almost similar to coffee prepared with the Cold Brew Dripper, but it is also cheaper and easier to use. It also requires less waiting: 3 to 6 hours.
It’s also a very versatile tool: it prepares tea, chai, golden milk or why not experiment with alcohol?
- It’s for you if you love cold, diluted, intense and fragrant coffee.
- It’s not for you if you love scenographic tools that capture attention.
N.B. Fundamental to each method is to use the correct grind!
If the coffee is not ground in the right way, you will never, ever get a drink intense, round and enveloping.
To learn more about grinding, click below:
Electric and/or automatic coffee makers
Now let’s move on to all the electric tools, such as the espresso machine, but also all the automatic ones, which help us simplify the steps during extraction.
Espresso machine
What more can you say than what you already know? It offers an incredible cupped drink, copied, awarded and envied around the world. We couldn’t do without it, not even at home!
- It’s perfect for you if you have the opportunity to invest in equipment. Being a gem of engineering the general rule is: if it’s cheap, it’s a bad investment. It also takes up space and consumes energy.
N.B. It’s a great extraction method and I would recommend it to anyone, just say don’tunderestimate it: it’s expensive, it’s complicated and you have to keep it, along with all the other equipment accessories to buy. So you have to take it only when you are convinced to do so.
- It’s not for you if you don’t want to grind coffee, weigh it, check the grind and if necessary correct it and learn how to make the most of it with a small coffee course.
Find out how to best use it below:
Super-automatic machine
If you love espresso, but don’t feel like all the work that involves that extraction method, opt for a super-automatic instead. Of course, the result will never be identical to an espresso and will never be of very high quality, but with a good initial investment there are now really high-performance superautomatics on the market.
- It’s perfect for you if you want a “simple” espresso to prepare.
- It’s not for you if you want to experiment and be able to vary all the variables or even if you want a perfect espresso!
Pod machine
If you love espresso, but you don’t feel like preparing it and you want a less expensive machine that is also bulkier than a super-automatic, then opt for paper pods.
The result is not exactly like that of an espresso, as the paper filter retains part of the oils, making the drink slightly cleaner and less creamy, but still very close.
In addition, differently from plastic capsules, these can be thrown into the organic waste.
- It’s perfect for you if you want an “espresso” that’s simple to prepare.
- It’s not for you if you prefer to be the creator of the preparation of your coffee!
Capsule Machine
The capsule machine consumes little, is small and very simple to use. In a total of 45 seconds you can turn it on, wait for it to heat up and get your coffee.
The result, even if it seems identical to the espresso, is not, as it produces a thick cream although composed only of air, while the drink underneath is more diluted, less full-bodied and less intense.
- It’s perfect for you if you want an “espresso” that’s simple to prepare.
- It’s not for you if you prefer to be the author of the preparation of your coffee or if you also want to reduce the consumption of single-portion products.
Automatic Filter Machine
There is little to say: if you love filter coffees, scented, with a lower bitterness and more diluted, but you don’t want to buy all the equipment or spend time and expertise in their preparation, this is the best alternative!
- It’s perfect for you if you want an easy-to-make filter coffee.
- It’s not for you if you prefer to be the creator of the preparation of your coffee!
We have thus reached the end!
I have not entered any existing tool as there are infinitely many of them and it would not be possible introducing them all, but these seem to me more than enough to be able to to find the one that best suits your tastes and above all your needs.
I’d suggest not to remain stuck with one and change, try and experiment, so that making coffee may also become a really exciting game!
For more information on extraction methods, click below and open our dedicated blog!
Marketing, E-commerce e Social Media Manager
Coffee Lover
