A lot of people have no idea what drip coffee is, but I promise you have had it before if you are a coffee drinker. It’s quite simply just coffee made in an automatic coffee maker. The reason we call it drip coffee is because it is made in an electric coffee maker but it’s not espresso.
The How to of Drip Coffee
Its really easy, lol.
- You get your automatic coffee maker
- Put a filter in it
- Fill the reservoir with water
- It heats the water with a heating element
- Hot water flows through the coffee grounds
- Brewed coffee exits into a pot
All drip coffee does that espresso doesn’t is send the hot water down through the grounds with pressure and a little bit of gravity.
See, I told you it was simple.
When Drip Coffee Started
The first-ever electric drip coffee maker was invented in 1954 by a German named Gottlob Widmann. It replaced the percolator that tended to over-extract everyone’s coffee. The drip machine is now the most common method used to brew coffee, but is it the best? That’s up for debate.
How to Make Better Coffee in a Drip Machine
Most might argue that there are better ways to brew coffee than a drip machine. I personally prefer a French Press or the Pour Over method. But usually, at my house, we are in a rush to get kids out the door on time and make it to work without being late so a drip machine it is.
Most high-quality coffee shops use drip machines. So you should be able to brew the same result, right? Well, you might need to adjust a few things.
You Need Fresh Coffee
If you want to get the most out of your drip machine, you are going to need to make sure that you use fresh, high-quality coffee. This in my opinion is the best way to get a better-tasting cup.
I like to buy whole bean coffee each week so that I can grind my beans daily and make sure the beans are as fresh as I can get them without running myself crazy.
See one of my favorite coffee bean companies here and why I love them so much!
You Need to Grind Your Own Beans
Like I said before, grinding your own beans will help you make sure you have fresh coffee to brew every day. I prefer a burr grinder. Burr grinders tend to produce the most consistent grind of all the methods.
The Right Drip Coffee Ratio
Most experts say that you should use one to two tablespoons per 6 ounces of water. You can adjust it to suit your individual tastes. Some recommend a 1:16 or 1:17 ratio which would be 1 gram of coffee for every 16 or 17 grams of water.
Most people who are using an automatic coffee maker don’t want to fool with measuring in grams so thats why I would just use the first one I mentioned.
Drip coffee makers consider a cup to be 6 ounces even though we know a real cup in the measuring world is 8 ounces. I would say it’s so they can sell more. Wouldn’t you buy a machine that says it can make 12 cups instead of just 9? Something to think about.
Make sure your Machine is Clean
This one seems like a dumb one to mention but you would be surprised at how many people don’t ever clean their coffee machines. Think about the coffee maker at the office, do you think it’s been cleaned? Probably not.
What I do when I clean my automatic drip machine is run a 50/50 ratio of vinegar and water through it once, sometimes twice, and a few rinse cycles with just water (replacing the freshwater every time).
If you don’t rinse it good, you could end up with vinegar flavored coffee. Gross.
Tip: My husband is a firefighter and to clean the stains from the pot, they turn the heater on, fill the pot with hot water and add a scoop of powdered dish detergent (has to be powder). They let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes and then dump it out. Add ice cubes in the pot about half full and swirl for 30 seconds or so. I promise it will clean it right up.
Rinse your Filter
I will admit that for years and years I did not know about this. I thought that everything had to be bone dry before my coffee grinds could go in. But what I didn’t know is that paper filters have residual odors, dust and particles that can affect the taste of your coffee.
If you are brewing a lighter roast, you will want to especially be sure to pre-rinse your paper filter because you will be more likely to taste it.
So let’s face it, a drip machine is for those who need to have a fast, good tasting cup of coffee without all the extra work.
