You can visit a thousand websites and read a thousand articles about coffee and get a thousand different answers about which is the best and which one you should buy and why you should buy it. In the end, though, it isn’t about all of those other people’s opinions – it’s about your needs.

Coffee Brewing Facts

Although we all have different needs, some facts about coffee just can’t be ignored. Whenever you’re shopping for an espresso- or coffee machine, always keep the following facts in mind.

1) Ideal Coffee Brewing Temperature – 185-205 Degrees Fahrenheit

Like all of the espresso machines included on this site, any good coffee maker should heat water to somewhere between 185 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit to unlock optimal flavor and strength.

To avoid scalding your mouth if you drink it soon after brewing, we do recommend to let that coffee sit for a moment. If you don’t add milk or cream to the mix, it needs time to cool.

2) Time to Brew – 5 Minutes

The typical drip coffee maker takes about 5 minutes to brew anywhere from 8 to 12 cups. If you need something faster that doesn’t compromise quality, the espresso machines we’ve included on this site will all pass the test.

3) The First Century of Coffee – 500AD

With a history this long it’s easy to understand why so many people have coffee makers, espresso machines, and caffeine capsule machines. Your guests expect to see one when they visit, you can’t sell them “no”.

4) Average Cups a Day – 3.1

According to research conducted by Hamilton Beach, the average American consumes 3.1 cups of coffee per day. With a habit that intensive it’s important to have a good quality coffee maker to quench your thirst.

5) Coffee Consumed Outside the Home – 46%

Why put your money into someone else’s pocket by paying for expensive coffee on the run, when you could just brew it at home for a fraction of the price and pour it into a travel mug for easy transportation?

The Takeaway

So, what do you need? Do you need something to serve a few people or a whole party? Do you need a coffee maker with fancy abilities or just the basics?

Who knows, maybe you do. Or, maybe you just want them. Either way, be prepared to pay extra for extra features. In fact, special extras can often double the price tag, so try to focus on the basic considerations and mid-level enhancements first, and then consider the over-and-above extras like self-cleaning and strength control.

Reviews you might be interested in…

  • DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker

DeLonghi EC155

Sometimes I think coffee pods are taking over the world. It seems like every company is making them now even though they're much more expensive to use than grounds or beans. This machine is great for anyone, though, because it can work with either grounds or pods so you can get your espresso however you like it.

  • Gaggia 90500 Titanium

Gaggia 90500 Titanium

The Gaggia 90500 a fully automated option that does all the fun things I love in a mega powerful espresso machine, and it makes a heck of an espresso, but it doesn’t hit the highest notes for me. It does a really good job, but I want a machine that's pretty much perfect.

  • KRUPS Espresseria

KRUPS Espresseria

In my quest to find the best machine with the most going for it (and the smallest possible price tag), I have come across a lot of different options that almost work, but are just missing a little something. They’re all pretty fancy, but I think the KRUPS EA8250 takes fancy to the next level.

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