Choosing The Perfect Coffee Maker

If you aren't actually awake until your first cup of coffee, it's important that you buy a good, high-quality coffee maker to perk you up and prepare you for the day. But how can you tell the difference between excellent and good enough? Here are three tips for finding that perfect coffee maker.

1: Determine Your Budget
While you can find standard, single-drip machines for under $20, the price of fancy coffee makers can quickly escalate into the hundreds. Decide right away how much you're willing to spend to make a great cup of joe.

2: Form A Shortlist of Desired Features
Unless you are prepared to shell out major bucks for a five-star coffee maker, you'll probably need to prioritize what you want most in terms of features, preferences and add-ons. For example, do you like pods or percolators? Will you be dark-roasting a lot of your beans? Do you need espresso making capabilities?

A percolator from my previous post.

3: Read The Warranty
Since coffee makers are usually turned on with bleary eyes and one hand, it isn't at all uncommon for things to go wrong. Before you commit to a purchase, make sure you've read the fine print and understood what can and can't be guaranteed, replaced or refunded.

These are just three things to consider when looking for a coffee maker. There are many more, but you won't actually fall in love with a machine until you've felt it with your own hands, so get out there and go shopping!