Many people invest tremendous amounts of money in the best quality beans so they can be mesmerised by the best tasting cup of Java every morning. The coffee machine that transforms the beans into that captivating drink, deserves the same sensitivity when being purchased.
A good quality machine that is maintained according to manufacturer’s recommendations should last anywhere from four to ten years. Unfortunately, as with everything else, a coffee machine too ages and is prone to breaking down. The good news is that there are plenty of mid-sized coffee machines to replace your broken, worn out one with. Here is a list of some of the best six to eight cup coffee machines available in the market.
Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker BV1900TS:
This is a sturdy machine that is well made. It does not come with a lot of features but there is plenty here to make a great tasting cup of coffee with ease. You can select from two models, one with glass carafe and the other with a thermal carafe. Each carafe has its own good and bad points. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot and fresh longer than a glass carafe but has to be hand washed. Alternatively, the glass carafe is dishwasher safe, but the coffee becomes cold too quickly and the longer it is allowed to sit on the hot plate the more bitter it becomes.
The shower head is nice and big with the advantage that water gets distributed evenly over all the grounds. Even dispersal of water encourages uniform extraction. Concentrated water dispersal leads to uneven extraction and a weak tasting cup of coffee. There is a design difference in the grounds basket too. Most machines have a pointed filter basket; this machine comes with a flat filter basket. The larger surface area also promotes a more even extraction.
The simple design of the Bonavita Coffee Maker BV1900TS makes it easy to use. Just add the grounds of choice, fill the water reservoir and push a single button. You get a pot full of great tasting coffee in less than five minutes. One thing you miss with this machine is that it will not brew your morning cup of Joe independently; you have to get up and push the button to get it started. If that something you can live without, this is one great coffee maker.
Behmor Brazen Plus Coffee Maker:
The state-of-the-art coffee maker comes with temperature control that can be customized between the range of 190-210F. This feature was previously only found in commercial brewers. Brewing coffee at the correct temperature allows for maximum extraction of flavors from the grounds. Another element of the unit that allows you to make boutique style coffee at home, at a fraction of the cost is the pre-soak feature with time adjustment from 15 seconds to 4 minutes. The Behmor Brazen makes use of pulse brewing to pre-soak the grounds, a large shower head for even distribution of water and turbulence of the grounds basket to fully saturate the grounds. All these actions help to extract the tasteful oils, flavors and aromas from the grounds. One more exceptional quality of the Brazen Plus that is rarely found in home coffee makers is temperature calibration. This trait makes temperature corrections for altitude to accommodate the users situated at high elevations. This means your coffee will always be brewed at the perfect temperature.
The machine is equipped with a gold tone filter which eliminates the need of continuously replacing the paper filter. The gold tone filter is known to allow all the flavors to pass into the cup, unlike the paper filters which trap some key flavor providing components from the coffee as it passes through the filter.
Coffee buffs will also appreciate the clean line design of the machine and its stainless steel reservoir. The surplus capacity of the grounds basket resembling a professional machine, programmability to have the coffee ready when you wake up and a perfectly designed eight cup thermal carafe that is designed to prevent spilling.
Hamilton Beach 48274 Brew Station:
Now here is a coffee maker that maintains that just brewed fresh flavour for up to two hours. Everyone knows that coffee that is kept on a hot plate for any length of time becomes bitter due to over cooking. The secret of the Hamilton Beach BrewStation is its use of an internal tank instead of the typical carafe. This innovative technology keeps the last cup as fresh tasting as the initial cup. The internal heater is embedded deep inside the coffee maker and its job is to maintain the ideal temperature for a maximum of two hours. This way you have plenty of coffee to last you throughout the morning.
Features of the BrewStation include the ability to customize your cup of Joe just the way you like it. The brewing selection includes regular, bold and 1 to 4 cup option. Just push the dispensing bar and the machine dishes out one cup at a time into a travel mug or cup. It even has 24 hour advance programmability. The internal tank as well as the brew basket is removable for convenience of cleaning and refilling.
Conclusion:
Whether you choose to make the coffee just for yourself or entertain friends, the six to eight cup capacity coffee makers are ideal. They are efficient, have plenty of features to make the job easier and cost effective. Just choose one that best suits your style.
