Coffee lovers have many options for making our favorite drink. There is not only a huge number of preparations and combinations, but also a wide variety of coffee machines. One of the simplest ways is to use capsule coffee machines, but one of the interesting steps to getting a much more delicious coffee is to opt for one of the ‘traditional’ methods.

Along with the Italian coffee maker, the electric filter coffee maker is one of the cheapest ways to prepare coffee. It is associated with a not very good taste and is a typical coffee machine in many offices, but it is experiencing a second youth as it is a very interesting way to prepare coffee when used correctly.

Other typical coffee machine. When talking about typical coffee machines, Italian mocha definitely comes to mind. The other is the device that we have seen in dozens of movies, in the pantry of an old rental apartment, in some offices, or where your grandparents continue to prepare coffee when the family gets together. The filter coffee machine became very popular before the advent of capsule coffee machines because it allowed for an extremely simple preparation that filled just a few cups.

We add water and put it in the paper filter, add the coffee, turn it on and wait for the glass carafe to fill. There are some rather expensive machines of this style, but overall they tend to be economical and, as we said, a few decades ago they were a very popular way of brewing large batches of coffee in a short time. With the advent of pods and perhaps increased awareness of specialty coffee, electric drip coffee makers have been forgotten, but with the right technique they are becoming a great option.

This is typical

Usual things to go with coffee: ingredients. The point is that even if the best technique is used in any coffee preparation, the result will not be satisfactory if a bad raw material is used. It is no use having the best technique or the best machine if our coffee is bad or our water is too hard. The important thing, as we always say, is to have the best possible ingredients and there is no need to go to Geisha coffee, but specialty coffees and having them ground just before preparation are essential.

If you have ever drank coffee in a coffee machine of this type and you do not have a good memory, there may be two reasons: a design problem in the machines themselves, which we will consider later, and, above all, the simplest thing is that the coffee used to prepare it was not the best.

Machine. However, the machine is even simpler than an Italian coffee machine (whose design has its own advantages). These devices have a water tank, a resistance system that heats the water, and a pipe through which hot water comes out and is poured onto a container containing paper and a coffee filter. The brewed coffee is poured into the glass container through a small hole. Depending on the type it will have a more or less large tank but a good calculation is a ratio of 30 grams of coffee to 500 milliliters of water.

Practically all brands specializing in cooking have electric filter coffee machines, and we also find Ufesa, Russell Hobbs, Taurus, Severin or the classic Melitta (who invented this filter coffee). Its price is around 50 euros, but there are always much more expensive examples of Moccamaster available, costing 230 euros. This is where the design comes into play, but also that the water reaches the optimum temperature (the most difficult thing to achieve for cheap machines) and the drip system is more optimal. However, the process is basically the same in all of these types.

Let’s get to the tricks. Although the operation is simple, the truth is that there are a number of tricks that can help us get better coffee extraction in this type of coffee machine. Yes, by doing what we say we are moving away from that push-the-button-and-coffee-out spirit, but that’s what’s caused something of a renaissance of these coffee machines in recent years… well… among coffee growers.

The first is to measure the temperature at which the water comes out. Of course, the heating systems of the cheapest machines will not be able to reach the ideal temperature for preparing coffee. This should be between 90 and 96 degrees, and if it doesn’t, what we can do is buy a water heater that reaches that temperature and pour pre-heated water into the tank. Or at least not cold water. Moccamaster claims their system reaches between 92 and 96 degrees.

The second trick is to stir the coffee pot a little with a spoon when the water starts to come out. If we don’t, the jet or drip will likely wet the coffee in the center and immediate surrounding area, leaving the surrounding coffee dry. While mixing the coffee, we soak all the beans. Speaking of grains, they must be ground like sand or salt. They shouldn’t be as thin as coffee espressobecause in this case the extraction will not be performed properly.

hacking the coffee machine. With these two tips we will greatly improve the taste of the coffee coming out of the electric filter coffee maker, but there is something else. One of the interesting points that companies often advertise about these machines is the presence of a ceramic or aluminum base under the jug, which keeps the coffee in the jug warm for a certain period of time. Resistors that heat that plate pass from there, and therefore the jug heats up due to contact.

The increasing trend in recent years is to make this plate directly unusable. There are three methods: placing something that will not be damaged by heat (such as a wooden stick, etc.) between the base and the jug, turning off the coffee maker after the last drop of coffee has fallen, or turning it on directly. To prevent this resistor from heating up, disable its contacts.

Why is this being done? While it’s true that it’s convenient to pour it into a cup and go back to get another that’s hot at the same time, when we heat pre-brewed coffee it’s as if it’s ‘cooking’ it. Flavors and texture are lost and may even burn. So, if you buy the best coffee and then let it reheat, it’s like you didn’t do anything.

If the coffee is good, it’s like an infusion. After all, we managed to make a good specialty coffee in such coffee machines, with a preparation that is not as simple as it was designed at the time when these machines were introduced. It is a very useful system because it allows more than one person to prepare quality coffee without spending too much time, but as you can see, there are some tips and issues to consider.

Ultimately, with this method you should get a kind of brew that does not look black and, above all, a very smooth coffee. And the good thing is that you don’t have to go for the 200 Euro machines, because with the things we mentioned, even a very simple machine of around 50 Euros will do a great job.

Pictures | Moccamaster, Elke Wetzig (Elya), Melitta

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