Coffee Maker suggestions

[StL FinFan]

LOL that too!

[TonyB0D]

There is a pretty big difference in types of coffe machines and how your coffee ends up.

3 major kinds:

Drip
Percolater
French Press


Drip:  Sucks.  Brews the worst of these 3, but is the easiest.  Nowadays you don't even need filters, they use special mesh.  Pros:  Easy to use, keeps cawfee warm in pot.  Cons:  Buying filters (unless you have the mesh), and you can't clean the inside of the machine, it gets buildup inside.

Percolater:  My personal fave.  Brews FAR better cup of cawfee than drip.  No additional equipment required.  Pros:  Ease of use, easy to clean, no additional materials needed.  Cons:  Can't leave sitting warm all day (will start to repercolate), but will stay warm enough in percolater for hour or 2.

French Press:  For the fancypants coffee snob.  Tricky for some people to master, but makes the best tasting cup.  Cons:  Easy, cheap, no extras required.  Cons:  Small servings, no sit and stay warm like a drip.

[bsfins]

The Brewmaster is a combo platter of a percolator,and drip...You put the water in the bottom,and it has a plate warmer in the upper chamber,then it dispenses like a soda machine....

[Dave Gray]

These coffee discs are getting popular, where it's these single serving packages that are flavored.  I had one at the bank the other day.

[fyo]

Espresso...

Seriously... It's just better coffee.

The "real" machines can be pretty expensive, but a high pressure is required to get the full flavor. I doubt there's any real difference in flavor between any reasonably competent machine, so what you're paying for is brand, style, and "features" (multiple cups, milk steamer, built-in grinder, etc).

If you don't feel like going full-bore, a macchinetta (aka moka pot, aka stove top espresso maker) produces a very good cup of coffee as well, although there's some argument as to whether the coffee produced actually constitutes espresso or not. Who cares... it's all about the flavor.

Macchinettas are easy to use and extremely cheap. Most common mistakes include packing the grinds and boiling the crap out of it. Basically, you want the steam / water to pass through the grinds at a reasonable rate and either of these make that more difficult.

French Press is also easy (and cheap), but does require some experience (and a sense of smell) to get right. The most common mistake is to leave it for too long before "pressing".

All that said:

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE COFFEE

Seriously, try out some different roasts / beans. There's a huge difference. If you can get the whole beans at a reasonable price, try grinding it to different degrees. Espresso should be relatively fine, French Press relatively coarse.

[bsfins]

It's the one thing I'm excited about the coffee maker is trying different coffee beans, roasts,etc,etc....