The Friday Five: 5 Ways to Brew Coffee

How do you make your coffee? Are you loyal to one method? My coffee of choice these days is a classic latte made with my Bialetti – a stovetop espresso machine – you know, the one that just about every Italian person owns? I have multiple sizes of Bialetti machines, and I pull the appropriate one out depending on how many cups of coffee I need to make for me and my guests. I also put my Alessi espresso machine to use every once in a while, too, because it’s so beautiful.

I go in stages with my coffee, however. For a long while, I was purely a drip coffee drinker. My Cuisinart coffee maker is still serving me quite well.

In addition to my two go-to coffee options, I’m sharing a total of five ways to make coffee today. Feel free to let me know how you make your coffee in the comments below! I’d love to chat coffee with you!

1. Stovetop Espresso

Bialetti espresso maker, $43.99 CAD, Hudson’s Bay

2. Drip

Cuisinart coffee maker, $69.99 USD, Bed Bath & Beyond

3. French Press

Bodum Caffettiera, $15 CAD, Chapters Indigo

4. Pour Over

brass pour over coffee maker, $27.99 USD (on sale), World Market

5. Siphon

Grosche Heisenberg Siphon coffee maker, $71.99 CAD (on sale), Hudson’s Bay

In the Kitchen: Coffee Maker Review

A little while ago, I shared that I was in the market for a new coffee maker. I was fortunate to work with the fine folks at Bed Bath & Beyond to get the best-for-my-needs coffee machine. Here’s what happened since I shared my coffee maker options with you…

After reading about the machines online, talking to friends about their machines, I headed on over to Waterloo’s Bed Bath & Beyond one evening to make the purchase. I could have easily bought a machine online, but I thought it best to get the full Bed Bath & Beyond experience.

I had intended to buy KitchenAid’s 12-cup coffee maker (mostly because it was white, white, white!), but when I saw the options in store, the Cuisinart 12-cup coffee maker caught my eye. I hadn’t seen this one on the Canadian Bed Bath & Beyond site, so it kind of threw my whole decision off. I kept thinking about my sister’s long-lasting Cuisinart machine, and I really liked the buttons and small time display on this machine over the large, round display on the KitchenAid.

KitchenAid-coffee maker-Bed Bath BeyondKitchenAid 12-cup glass carafe coffee maker, $129.99 CAD, Bed Bath & Beyond

Cuisinart-coffee maker-Bed Bath BeyondCuisinart 12-cup programmable coffee maker, $99.99 CAD, Bed Bath & Beyond

While aesthetics are important, I wanted to be sure that the machine was of high quality, too. And this is where the manager of Bed Bath & Beyond came in.

I am still completely impressed by how knowledgeable and matter-of-fact the manager was. (This is unsolicited feedback, by the way. Nobody in the store new that I was going to be writing a review of the coffee maker on my blog.) She took the time to go over pretty much ever feature on each of the two machines so that I could make a decision. She was so patient, and she asked me really good questions about my needs.

She asked me several times if I was sure I wanted a white machine (I told you she didn’t know who she was dealing with!) because the coffee staining on white machines is more noticeable than on black or stainless. This was a good point to consider, but I assured her that I had to have white!

She also pointed out interesting features of the carafe of each of the machines. The KitchenAid’s carafe has a glass spout which could be easily knocked/chipped/broken. Plus, in her opinion, these types tended to dribble. The Cuisinart’s carafe has a plastic spout, which could result in less dribbles.

Together, we explored the various features – programming options, water filters, buttons, etc. We also looked at the price. The KitchenAid came in at $30 more than the Cuisinart, and I really didn’t know why – especially after we compared all of the features. Now, we all know I love KitchenAid (I’ve been extremely happy with my stand mixer), but I wasn’t convinced of its price tag.

So, in the end, I left Bed Bath & Beyond with a shiny new Cuisinart machine, and I’m definitely pleased! I’ve been using it for several weeks, and it’s been working out really well.

White-Cabana-Cuisinart-Coffee Maker-Bed Bath Beyond-3White-Cabana-Cuisinart-Coffee Maker-Bed Bath Beyond-5 White-Cabana-Cuisinart-Coffee Maker-Bed Bath Beyond-2

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I like that the reusable gold-ish basket, the integrated water filter, the look of the buttons, and the programmable feature. Design-wise, it sits nicely beside my Cuisinart toaster. The coffee brews quickly, and it tastes good, too! The carafe pours well and there’s no dribbling. I can see how the coffee can easily stain the white plastic, so I do take an extra minute to wipe everything down carefully (after I’ve had my first cup of coffee, of course).

Many thanks to Bed Bath & Beyond for sponsoring this post. Thanks to Leah, too! And more thanks to Waterloo’s Bed Bath & Beyond manager who was so patient with me! All opinions are my own.