Curious to learn the right method of using your automatic drip coffee maker? This step-by-step guide explains everything related. Read on and find out how to make drip coffee using an automatic drip coffee maker!
When it comes to making an easy cup of Joe, relying on an automatic drip coffee maker may turn out to be the best alternative. Those who think buying coffee out of the house is essential because it’s too hard to make good coffee at home, it’s time to eliminate the misconception. If you have a good automatic drip coffee maker handy, getting a good brew is just a matter of minutes.
However, to make cafe-style coffee at home using your drip coffee maker, you should be aware of the right way to use it. So, folks, we are here to help! Check out this post and find out the best hacks to make yummylicious coffee every morning using your automatic drip coffee maker.
What is Drip Coffee?
Drip brewing is a method that requires pouring hot water over coffee grounds nestled in a filter. While the manual drip coffee brewing using a cone is called pour-over brewing, using a dedicated drip-coffee machine is actually what we call drip brewing.
A functional automatic drip coffee machine helps you brew awesome cups in minutes; the best part is that it brews in larger amounts. So, if you have guests at home, making coffee will be a piece of cake. However, auto-drip leaves you with pretty limited room for tweaking. You can just play with the grind size, and that’s it.
So if you are more interested in experiencing the bliss of making a cup with intensive manual effort, you can refer to pour-over.
Drip Coffee Makers are not Pour-Overs
People always confuse pour-overs with drip coffee because of their identical mechanisms. However, a drip coffee maker won’t demand direct manual involvement for attending the brew. To keep it simple, if you are looking for a rewarding and hassle-free coffee-making experience, you should essentially stick to a drip coffee maker.
Also Read: How to make Pour-Over coffee
Why Drip Coffee Maker?
Well, a drip coffee maker is ideal for those who don’t find instant coffee as their go-to beverage, and neither do they want to involve in the elbow greasing of frothing and tamping. A drip coffee maker is simple and affordable, and it produces flavor-intensive coffee in larger quantities.
The Mandate Fact Checks before Making Coffee with a Drip Coffee Maker
To make robust and flavorful coffee using your automatic drip coffee maker, you need to take a look at a few factors, which include the following.
1. The Freshness of the Coffee Beans
Drip coffees are always better when brewed using freshly roasted coffee beans, according to Javapresse. Thus, we recommended buying coffee beans in smaller batches. Besides, you should store them in an airtight container in the freezer or a dark cupboard. This will allow you to retain the best flavors from your beans.
2. Origin of the Coffee Beans
For drip coffee, single-origin beans work the best. Don’t miss on this factor!
It’s also worth remembering that brewing with a drip coffee maker lets you highlight the nuance and complexity of your beans. It extracts coffee from the grounds with the help of gravity, allowing it to accentuate out-of-the-box tasting notes and aromas.
3. Take care of the Grind
When it comes to grinding coffee, always grind it at home using a burr grinder. Remember, preground coffee tends to produce less flavored and sour cups. This happens because of oxygen exposure. In addition, be careful about the grind size.
Too fine a grind may plug up your coffee machine, and you may struggle with the final results. On the other hand, too coarse a grind will lead to less extraction, and your coffee will taste weak. To make a perfect pot of drip coffee, you should always go for a nice medium grind.
4. Coffee to Water Ratio Matters
For drip coffee, you should use a heavy coffee to water ratio. In case you still find the results unsatisfactory, increase the amount of coffee.
How to Make Drip Coffee
Drip Coffee Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Coffee grinder (Freshly ground beans create all the magic)
- 1 Automatic drip coffee maker
- 1 Water filter (filtered water ensures a flavorful cup)
- 1 Scale (for measuring coffee and water)
Ingredients
- 56-60 Grams Coffee
- 1 Liter Water
Instructions
- Start the brewing with preparation which involves the measurement of coffee beans and water. Weigh out the whole beans and water. Always maintain a 1:17 coffee to water ratio (for 1 gram of coffee, use 17 grams of water).
- As said before, you should always grind coffee beans just before brewing and set the level of coarseness ti medium. For high-end gridners, you can also find the auto-drip setting.
- Open the brew basket and put the filter inside. Then, pour the freshly ground coffee into the filter.
- Pour the appropriate amount of water into your brewer's water reservoir.
- Switch on the brewer and wait till the entire brewing cycle finishes. Once done, discard the coffee grounds. If you leave the filter in the basket for long, the coffee will continue to drip through the grounds, and your coffee will turn bitter.
- Take out coffee into your favorite cup or mug and enjoy! It's worth remembering that you should remove the coffee carafe from the heat source within 15 minutes, as long exposure to the heat plate may ruin the flavor of the coffee.
Video
Tips to use an Automatic Drip Machine Perfectly
So, finally, you know how to use your automatic drip, coffee maker. To help you make the most of your automatic drip brewer, here comes a set of tips and tricks. Dive deeper and check them out!
1. Pick up the Right Filter
When it comes to drip brewing, the filter plays an essential role. The type of filter determines the taste and body of the cup. For automatic drip coffee brewing, we always suggest using paper filters. Unlike mesh filters, they are quite forgiving in terms of grind consistency and size.
Besides, paper filters are dense, which allows them to retain more of the soluble solids, which results in a clear cup. While using a paper filter, make sure that you rinse it with water before using it. This will help you clean the paper dust.
2. Always keep your Coffee Brewer Clean
From the water reservoirs, and pipes, to the carafe, you should always keep each component of your automatic drip brewer clean and tidy. You should also descale the machine periodically to keep it free from calcium deposits. The more maintained your machine is, the better coffee it will make.
3. Take care of the Saturation
In case your drip brewer doesn’t boast a showerhead, you should stop the dripping for the first 20 seconds. This will help you accumulate some water in your basket. Now you should stir the grinds properly. This will ensure a uniform saturation, resulting in an even and uniform tasting cup.
4. Consume your Coffee right after Brewing
When it’s drip coffee, you should serve it right after brewing. If you leave the coffee on the burner, your drink’s aroma and flavors will evaporate. As a result, you will end up with a burnt-tasting cup. Always remember, freshly brewed drip coffee defines delectability and rejuvenation.
Wrapping up
That’s all about brewing with an automatic drip coffee maker. While picking up a drip coffee maker, make sure that it’s clean-lined, compact, reliable, and functional. When you have a perfect drip coffee maker handy, and you know the right tricks to use it, you won’t regret any of your at-home coffee experiences.
How much do you put in a drip coffee maker?
The ideal coffee to water ratio for drip coffee is 1:17, i.e., 1 gram of coffee for every 17 grams of water.
What makes drip coffee different from espresso?
Drip coffee is prepared with boiling water dripping over coffee grounds. Unlike espresso, in drip coffee brewing, the hot water remains in contact with the grounds for a longer duration, and the process is slower compared to espresso.
How can I make my drip coffee stronger?
Well, typically, for regular brews, the ratio of coffee to water is 2 tablespoons of coffee for 6 ounces of water. To make your drip coffee stronger, you can simply increase the coffee quantity or choose a darker roast.
Can I use cold water for drip coffee?
Well, you shouldn’t be trying this at will leave you with under-extracted and flat coffee. The ideal water temperature for drip brewing is anywhere between 195-205 degrees F . Besides, too hot water can also lead to compromised quality.
What is the best grind for drip coffee?
With a texture like smoother sand, the medium grind is the best fit for drip coffee makers as well as siphon brewers.
How much coffee do you use for 4 cups of drip?
As a general rule of thumb, you have to use 14 grams of coffee per 8 oz of water. So for 4 cups, it’s about 56 grams of coffee. If you measure in tablespoons, it’s about 2 tablespoons for 14 grams and so for 4 cups, it’s 8 tablespoons.