Single Serve Coffee Makers
From the time the Ethiopians discovered the coffee berries in the 9th Century, coffee remains as one of the most stable agricultural products and is only beaten by Oil when it comes to the most exported natural resource.
Coffee is the most popular drink throughout the world. Some argues that it is the tea. However, tea is only a favourite drink in a few parts of the world.
Tea used to be the favourite drink in the United States. However, the heavy tax imposed on the importation of tea (which eventually led to the historical “Boston Tea Party”) converted the taste buds of Americans from being tea drinkers to coffee drinkers.
Over 1.4 billion cups of coffee are drank everyday around the world. 400 million of those cups of coffee are consumed in the United States.
Coffee is the favoured drink of businessmen. Over 75% of business transactions around the world were perfected while sipping coffee.
It takes several meticulous steps to produce a cup of coffee: the hand-picking of the coffee berries from the coffee plant, the manual selection of the perfect coffee berries, the drying of the coffee berries, the roasting and grounding of the coffee beans, and finally the brewing of the coffee beans to produce coffee. These meticulous steps comprise the basic process of obtaining coffee. Extra steps may be made to produce other varieties of coffee such as decaffeination for decaffeinated coffees or the unusual method of waiting for the coffee beans to come out the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet to produce kopi luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world.
Brewing is the ultimate process in obtaining coffee, the liquid that many people crave to drink in the morning and all throughout the day (and even night) to keep them upbeat. It can be as simple as pouring hot water over coffee beans to simmer, to as complicated as using percolators, French press or electric drip coffeemakers to obtain the drink.
No matter what one utilizes to brew coffee, it consumes time. Brewing can be as short as four minutes to as long as 20 minutes, depending on the bitterness that one desires to come out of the coffee.
Nowadays however, as life becomes fast paced, people look for ways to save time. The process of producing coffee takes time. Though in general, these steps cannot be cut short in order to produce coffee of the highest quality, people find ways to cut time in at least the brewing process. Brewing may seem a short period. However, for a busy person who is on a deadline, four minutes can be crucial.
This desire to fast track the mixing of coffee is what compelled the invention of instant coffee. It was in 1901 when Japanese American Satori Kato invented the instant coffee. However, the revolution on instant coffee came about in 1938 when Nestle, a Swiss company, introduced to the market the free-dried coffee under the brand Nescafe.
Some people are content with instant coffee. There are others, however, whose cravings for coffee can only be satiated by brewed coffee.
Fans of brewed coffee find that a cup of such kind is enough to start the day. This can post a concern as most coffee makers in the market nowadays produce a minimum of 4 cups of coffee.
This desire for fast brewed coffee for one is the main reason why the single serve coffee makers were invented.
The invention of single serve coffee maker is the next best thing to the discovery of coffee berries. It is an espresso machine on a super automatic phase that can give out a delicious coffee for one.
The single serve coffee maker is not a new invention as it has been around for quite some time. However, the demand for instant espresso caused the boom to further develop this niche in the market.
Advantages Of Single Serve Coffee Maker
Unlike the typical coffee maker, a single serve coffee maker eliminates the need for a grinder. Instead, ground coffee is already placed in a container, also known as the pod. This pod is what is then inserted into the machine. Depending on the amount of water selected, the pod can produce either a long black or an espresso.
Unlike a typical espresso machine that can be heavy and bulky, the single serve coffee maker is smaller and lighter which is a perfect machine for home use as it does not take up much space and avoids clutter.
Single serve coffee makers also reduce carbon footprint as you only consume energy for one cup. With conventional coffee makers, the coffee beans or grounds are brewed for four to twenty minutes. With single serve coffee makers however, one will be able to enjoy a freshly brewed coffee in as short as two minutes.
It avoids wastage in general. As a single cup is only brewed per serving, there is left over coffee that may be wasted. Sealed coffee beans and coffee grounds can have a shelf life of six months. This shelf life is dramatically reduced by half when the coffee can or coffee bottle is opened and exposed to air. For single serve coffee makers, coffee beans are individually stored in pods, eliminating the need to open a whole can of coffee beans just to get a few teaspoons of coffee.
Single serve coffee makers also reduce purchase of coffeemaker accessories. There is no need to purchase coffee grinders or filters. All one has to do to enjoy a freshly brewed long black or espresso is to pop up a pod into the machine.
Disadvantages Of Single Serve Coffee Maker
Single serve coffee maker may be a revolutionary gadget for brewing coffee. However, it does not come cheap. For more sophisticated models, the price can be higher.
The pods are not cheap as well. The demand for comfort and convenience also demands a higher price in return.
In addition, as each brew is only for a single cup, brewing four coffee pods absolutely takes more time and energy than just brewing four cups’ worth of coffee beans in a conventional coffee maker.
If you are on the go and you are the only one in the house that craves for instant gourmet coffee, the single coffee maker is your best bet.