Brewing a pot of coffee through many years was considered quite simple. This was accomplished by taking ground roasted coffee beans, adding them to a pan of hot water. Boiling the water and sometimes going by the smell to guess when it had cooked long enough. Then a cup of coffee could be enjoyed. Campground style pot of coffee is similar to this method.

Several inventors tried there hand at creating automatic coffee brewing appliances. This was in the latter part of the 20th century. The very first automatic drip brew coffeemaker for home use became popular in 1972. Since that time many changes have been made, in the design and the materials used. Glass instead of metal came into use for the carafe or bottom pot holding the brewed coffee. The need for more decorative type appliances in the home became in demand by the homemaker. The manufactures aimed to please the public. In doing so decorative home colors in materials made from plastic were used. The area where water was poured into and the brewing basket became a part of the home decor.

The electric drip coffeemaker contains a few simple mechanisms. The operation performance is guided by a flexible hose at the base of the reservior that the water is poured into. This hose goes to a metal tube, which has the job of heating the water. The tube is usually made of aluminum. The element for heating the water surrounds the metal tube. The method of moving the heated water is called “thermosiphon principal” This creates a heated pressure along with a siphoning effect. A thermostat controls the temperature of the water. The water then passes through a special insulated hose.

A spray of water goes onto the basket of ground coffee. A filter placed below the coffee grounds in the basket prevents them from entering the brewed coffee liquid. A heating element is located under the carafe. The finished product was created by a drip coffee maker.

Drip coffee makers offer many features such as a warming plate, water reservoir, filter holder, and heat-retaining, vacuum insulated, brushed, stainless steel carafe or carafe stand. You can brew coffee directly into a thermal carafe, coffee pot or into travel mugs. Other features include:

• Single cup, 2 cup, 4 cup, 6 cup, 8 cup, 10 cup, 12 cup and even 14 cup
• 24-hour programmable clock/timer
• 1-4 cup setting
• Automatic cleaning cycle
• Advanced water filtration that eliminates chlorine and bacteria
• Audible tone to signal completion of the brew cycle
• Brew-pause feature
• Built-in coffee grinder
• Aroma button
• Removable cone filter basket
• Adjust the strength of the brew
• Front access door for pouring water or adding coffee grounds
• Removable drip tray
• Removable water reservoir
• Pressure safety valve
• Built-in espresso maker / cappuccino maker

Some popular manufacturers are:

• DeLonghi
• Hamilton Beach
• Cuisinart
• Toastmaster
• Mr. Coffee
• Sunbeam
• Black & Decker
• Braun
• Keurig
• Farberware
• Capresso
• Bunn
• Zojirushi
• Melitta
• Bodum
• Chemex

You should decide what size of drip coffee maker you need. We know that 6 cup automatic drip coffee makers are popular for people who just want to make a few cups of coffee in the morning but other people like the 14 cup size if it’s being used by several people and if it’s being used more frequently.

You will want to find a drip coffee maker that’s easy to clean. Some brands (like Mr. Coffee for instance) need to be cleaned fairly often, which can be a chore. Other brands will need to be cleaned less often. To clean a coffee maker, run a light mixture of vinegar and water through a brewing cycle and then run a cycle of water before you run a regular coffee brewing cycle.

Another important feature is the programming. You want one that’s easy to program (use a timer) without a lot of complicated menus or one that will give you confusing error messages or require you to leave it alone for 5 minutes before you can try changing a setting again. Yes, this happened to my mom with a Krups coffee maker and she took it back.

Drip coffee makers are probably the most inexpensive of all coffee makers and they are the single most popular small kitchen appliance in the US. Find the best prices in our Drip Coffee Makers Store.

Despite all of the features that you may see, automatic-drip coffee makers are relatively simple devices, all of which function in a similar manner and brew coffee. Water is first added to a reservoir, where it is heated and then dispersed over a pre-filled basket / filter of grounds. As the heated water travels through the grounds, it extracts flavor before it drips into your mug, coffee pot or carafe.

A somewhat new option with automatic drip coffee makers is the “coffee-on-demand” style machines. They brew coffee directly into an internal holding tank where the coffee is kept hot and ready for dispensing one cup at a time.

More than any other style, automatic-drip coffee makers offer many features:

• water reservoir
• filter holder
• screen filters
• built-in warming plate
• carafe
• carafe stand
• dripless carafes
• indicator lights
• cord storage
• automatic shutoff
• swing-out or lift-out filter baskets
• brew-pause feature
• digital control panels
• clocks with timers
• automatic shut-off
• water filtration systems
• flavor systems
• built-in grinding

The most popular feature on automatic-drip coffee makers is a digital clock/timer to allow you to preset a brew time – like in the morning. You can add water and ground coffee the night before and wake up to a freshly brewed pot of coffee. What a nice way to wake up!

Full-size automatic drip coffee makers can brew up to 14 cups but other, smaller machines make from a single up to four cups at a time. They work best when set to brew a full pot of coffee. A full pot is 8-14 cups of coffee and takes from 5-12 minutes for a complete brewing cycle.

Some popular brands of automatic drip coffee makers are:

• DeLonghi Drip Coffee Makers
• Saeco Coffee Makers
• Mr. Coffee Coffee Makers
• Hamilton Beach Coffee Makers
• Krups Drip Coffee Makers
• Bunn Coffee Makers
• Sunbeam Drip Coffee Makers

Online stores as well as local department stores are good places to look for the best automatic drip coffee maker.