Ditch K-Cups for Good with These Awesome Coffee Makers
Judging the performance of a coffee maker is harder than it sounds. You need to know what good filter coffee is and according to the Specialty Coffee AssociationThere are essential criteria for good brewing. Brewing time and water temperature are at the top of the list. Hot water should be in contact with the coffee grounds for at least four minutes and no more than eight minutes. The ideal water temperature is between 197 degrees Fahrenheit (92 degrees Celsius) and 205 degrees Fahrenheit (96 degrees Celsius).
To see how well each coffee maker meets that challenge, we record the length of their brew cycles. We also use thermocouple heat sensors connected to industrial data loggers. This allows us to record the temperature in the coffee grounds as the brewing process is underway.
We measure the temperature in the brewing chamber of every coffee maker we test.
After brewing coffee, we take sample measurements of the coffee liquid produced with a optical refractometer. Since we are taking into account the amount of water and freshly ground coffee used, we can use that data to calculate the percentage of dissolved solids for each brew. From there, we arrive at the extraction percentage. The ideal range is usually between 18% and 20%.
We also back up measured data with an old-fashioned taste test. Over-extracted coffee tastes bitter and sharp, while under-extracted coffee is usually bland or sour. To be sure, we do identical test runs at least three times to get an idea of average results.
