Busy moms deserve a good cup of coffee. One that doesn’t taste burnt, and gives us the energy to start the day, or a much-needed afternoon pick me up between children, chores, and work.
Whether coffee is your “me time,” a chemical dependence, or necessary morning fuel, you want good coffee, fast. There are ways to brew it without massive time or expense. Here are all the quick ways to make good coffee at home, without the expense of a trip to Starbucks.
Nespresso
If you’re an espresso lover, Nespresso is for you. This is a brand of single-serve coffee machines that make rich espresso-style coffee with a button. The machine heats up in about 20 seconds. Insert the pod, press a button, and you’ll have your brew in under a minute. It doesn’t get easier or faster than this.
There are two types of Nespresso machines:
- OriginalLine — Brews smaller quantities of a half cup or less.
- VertuoLine — Brews more sizes, up to a full cup of coffee.
Craft Coffee Spot has more on different machine options. The con of Nespresso machines is the relatively small sizes, and most devices lack an attached milk frother. If you can’t live without lattes of cappuccinos, you’ll need to get a separate milk-frothing device.
Dolce Gusto
If you want a more affordable option than Nespresso, Dolce Gusto could be the one for you. Dolce Gusto works on the same principle as Nespresso — insert the pod, wait a few seconds for the machine to heat up, and press the button to brew coffee.
The main thing Dolce Gusto has going for it over Nespresso is the variety of pods. You can make a range of coffee drinks, hot chocolate, tea, and even XL coffee (cups up to 10 oz), and choose between seven drink sizes.
Moreover, you don’t need a separate milk frother because Dolce Gusto uses milk pods to make milk-based drinks. You can make everything from lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, and flat whites.
Dolce Gusto is more affordable than Nespresso, and it gives you more drink options. However, the taste of coffee isn’t quite up to par with Nespresso.
Keurig
We are still in the world of single-serve coffee makers, but we’re moving on to a different brand — Keurig. Keurig works on the same principle as Nespresso and Dolce Gusto — insert the pod and press a button to brew coffee.
Keurig is more affordable than Nespresso or Dolce Gusto, and you have many more coffee machines to choose from (over 80). Moreover, Keurig has the largest selection of capsules by far. There are over 400 K-cups to choose from over 60 brands.
Keurig partnered with brands such as Starbucks, Folgers, Dunkin’ Donuts, and many more. You can get a K-cup to make drip coffee, tea, hot chocolate, lemonade, fruity drinks, and others. The only drink you can’t make with a Keurig machine is espresso.
Overall, Keurig is great if you want to make non-coffee drinks, but keep in mind the coffee quality doesn’t quite match Nespresso.
Drip Coffee
The classic drip coffee maker is another foolproof way to make excellent coffee.
These get a bad rap for coffee taste, but the key to a good drip coffee machine is temperature stability. Look for one that heats the water to 195 to 205 degrees. Also, find one with a thermal carafe that can keep your coffee at a stable temperature.
The biggest pro of drip coffee machines is that you can brew big batches without worrying about every step of the process. Add soft water and fresh coffee grounds, and press a button.
Automatic Pour-Over Machines
If you love pour-over coffee but want to have the effort taken out of the brewing process, automatic pour-over machines are a great solution. You need to turn them on, add the coffee grounds, and start the machine for a nicely brewed coffee.
The Technivorm Moccamaster is one of the best automatic pour-overs you can get. It’s not programmable, but it’s easy to use. Put the filter and grounds in the brew basket, add water, and position the carafe beneath the basket. Turn the machine on, and choose a jar size.
You’ll have freshly brewed coffee in six minutes, which is still impressively fast. Moreover, the Technivorm will switch itself off, so you can run out the door without worrying about it.
