Auto drip coffee: explained in plain English

It might sound like a fancy term, but it’s just another way of saying regular ol’ drip coffee.

The only difference is that with auto drip coffee, your machine does all the work for you! All you have to do is fill up the reservoir with water and coffee grounds, choose your settings, and let it brew. Plus, because it’s automatic, you can walk away and not have to worry about it – perfect for those mornings when you’re in a hurry. Let’s go over some important elements of it.

We’ll share our favourite tips and tricks for making perfect auto drip coffee every time. 

How a coffee brewer with auto-drip works

We all know the drill: we wake up groggy, stumble to the kitchen, and start brewing a pot of coffee.

But have you ever stopped to think about how your coffee brewer actually works? If you’re like most people, probably not. Fortunately, we’re here to give you the scoop.Most coffee brewers use a process called “auto-drip.” Basically, hot water drips slowly over a bed of ground coffee beans. As the water passes through the beans, it extracts the coffee’s flavour and aroma.

The brewed coffee then travels through a filter and into the carafe below.

How to improve the flavour of auto-drip coffee

Luckily, there are a few simple tricks that can help to improve the taste of your brew:

Start with fresh, high-quality beans: your neighbourhood grocery store’s coffee beans are probably stale since they were exposed to too much air. Have you noticed the roasted coffee beans in open sacks on the coffee stands in the majority of supermarkets? The two options for roasting green coffee at home or purchasing coffee beans from a roaster are preferable.

Be sure to grind the beans yourself just before brewing: if you don’t grind them just before brewing, all those delicious aromas will have dissipated by the time the coffee hits your cup. And what a shame that would be! Imagine all those beautiful flavours just wafting away

The appropriate grind size will do the trick for you: investing in a quality coffee grinder and grinding your own beans can enhance the flavour of your brew because you can grind only a small amount and change the grind size to fit your preferred level of flavour and intensity.

Use filtered water: if you want to avoid adding any unwanted flavours to your coffee go for filtered water. 

Experiment: you can run a few experiments with different ratios of coffee to water until you find a ratio that suits your taste. 

What’s the right grind size for auto-drip coffee

Use a medium-coarse grind when using an auto-drip coffee maker with a reusable filter. And use a medium- to medium-fine grind when using a paper filter.

A paper filter produces clear, light-bodied coffee while a steel filter produces full-bodied coffee with significant sediment.

If you have cholesterol issues, you might want to think about using paper filters because the diterpenes (cafestol and kahweol) in coffee oils may make them worse.

What really means if an auto-drip coffee maker is certified?

Basically, it means that the coffee maker has been tested and approved by a coffee brewing certification body. This certification ensures that the coffee maker meets certain standards for quality and performance. So, if you’re looking for a new coffee maker, be sure to look for one that is certified. It might just make all the difference in your brew.

Did you know that just a small number of the hundreds of automatic drip coffee makers available today are gold cup certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)?

The SCA collaborates with the European Coffee Brewing Center, which applies the same standards for certification of golden cups in Europe. In order to certify a coffee brewer, the organisation evaluates most important the below aspects: 

Amount of brewed coffee: The coffee basket should be designed in a way to take enough ground coffee and brew the amount of coffee the manufacturer claims.

Coffee making time: The brewing time must be between 4-8 minutes.

Temperature: The brewing temperature must be between 92°C – 96°C  

Coffee/water ratio: the coffee and water ration should be as close to 55g/1l as possible.

Sediment level: coffee is tested for sediments by the SCA, and brewers that have sediment levels greater than 75 mg per 100 ml of coffee are not allowed to be accredited.

What are the differences between drip and pour over coffee? 

You’re probably familiar with drip and pour over coffee. Both methods have their fans, but there are also some key differences between the two. Let’s take a closer look:

Drip coffee is brewed using a filter, while pour over coffee does not require a filter. (Learn how to thoroughly clean an espresso filter).This means that more of the coffee’s oils and flavours are retained in the cup, making pour over coffee slightly more flavorful.

Drip coffee is brewed using hot water, while pour over coffee is brewed using cold water. This gives pour over coffee a slightly higher acidity level, which some people prefer.

Pouring over coffee requires more attention than drip coffee, as you need to slowly and evenly pour the water over the grounds. Drip coffee, on the other hand, is mostly hands-off once you’ve added the water and turned on the machine.

What are the differences between drip coffee and Americano?

Drip coffee and Americano are two popular ways to prepare coffee, but they have some key differences.

Drip coffee is made by pouring hot water over ground coffee beans that are contained in a filter. The resulting mixture drips into a pot or carafe below. Americano, on the other hand, is made by adding hot water to espresso. This creates a stronger, more concentrated cup of coffee. As a result, Americanos tend to have more caffeine than drip coffees.

So, if you’re looking for an extra boost of energy in the morning, an Americano might be the way to go. 

What are the differences between drip coffee and French Press?

Drip coffee is the most common brewing method in America. It’s quick and easy, and it produces a consistent cup of coffee. The coffee is brewed by dripping hot water over grounds that are contained in a filter. The water filters through the grounds, extracting the flavour and then dripping into the pot below. The major benefit of drip coffee is that it’s very easy to make. You can set it up before you go to bed and wake up to a fresh pot of coffee in the morning. However, some people find that drip coffee can be a bit bland.

French Press and reverse French  press on the other hand, is a more hands-on brewing method.

It requires ground coffee and hot water, but it also calls for a bit of elbow grease. To make French Press coffee with a French press (it has it pros and cons), you’ll need to put the grounds and hot water into a special carafe known as a press pot. Then, you’ll need to use a plunger to press the grounds down into the water. This process extracts more flavour from the grounds, resulting in a richer cup of coffee. However, it can be more time-consuming than drip brewing, and it’s not always easy to get the perfect results.

French Press coffee is best when it’s made with freshly ground beans (but you can also reuse coffee grounds with such a tool), so you’ll need to invest in a good grinder if you want to make this type of coffee at home.

The pros and cons of owning an auto-drip coffee maker

If you’re a coffee lover, then you’ve probably thought about getting an auto-drip coffee maker.

These devices are designed to make brewing coffee simple and straightforward, and they come in a variety of sizes and styles. But before you head to the store, it’s worth considering the pros and cons of owning an auto-drip coffee maker. If your brewer doesn’t have a coffee filter, it’s wise to look for coffee filter substitutes.

On the plus side, these devices are very easy to use, and they can produce a great cup of coffee with minimal effort. They’re also relatively affordable, which makes them a great option for budget-minded coffee lovers. 

On the flip side, for one thing, auto-drip coffee makers can be quite loud, which can be annoying if you’re trying to enjoy a quiet moment with your morning coffee. And these devices can be difficult to clean, and they often require the use of disposable filters. So if you’re looking for an easy way to brew coffee at home, an auto-drip one is worth considering. Whether you go for an auto-drip or not, it’s vital to know how to use a coffee maker and of course how many watts your coffee make uses to avoid blowing cash on coffee makers every now and again and save on electricity.

3 best auto-drip coffee brewers

Let’s talk about three top coffee brewers that are easy to use and make addictive coffee. 

• Breville: this little powerhouse is packed with features that coffee lovers will love, like a pre-infusion mode that ensures every bean is evenly saturated for full flavour extraction. Plus, the built-in water filter keeps your water tasting great, so your coffee will taste even better. The best part? The sleek, compact design takes up minimal counter space, so you can enjoy great-tasting coffee without sacrificing style.

• Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable: brewing delicious coffee has never been easier with the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker. This high-quality coffee brewer comes equipped with everything you need to make the perfect cup of joe, including a built-in water filter, 14-cup capacity, and adjustable brewing temperature. 

• Bonavita (thermal carafe – 8 cup): this 8-cup coffee brewer features a thermal carafe that keeps your coffee hot for hours. It features an 8-cup capacity carafe and  is ideal for making enough coffee for the whole family (and probably your next-door neighbours).The Bonavita Coffee Brewer also has a pre-infusion mode that helps to extract the fullest flavor from your coffee beans. With its easy-to-use controls and sleek design, the Bonavita Thermal Carafe Coffee Brewer is the perfect addition to your kitchen.

Let’s wrap it up

Auto drip coffee is one of the most popular ways to make coffee and it’s easy to see why. The process is simple, you can customise your brew, and it makes a great cup of coffee every time. If you’re looking for an easy way to make delicious auto drip coffee at home, having an auto drip brewer is the best option for you. And of course if you haven’t bought an auto-drip machine yet you can brew coffee without it.