Automatic Filter Drip Brewing

About 70% of the coffee consumed in the United States is brewed with paper filters, a method that produces coffee in the classic American style: clear, light-bodied, with little sediment or oil. Any other brewing method (except cold water concentrate) produces a coffee richer in oils and sediments and heavier in flavor than the typical American cup of filter coffee.
Convenience and a clear, transparent cup seem to have driven the success of the automatic filter drip brewer, which in the years since its introduction in the early 1970s has become America's favorite brewing device. The heart of the automatic filter drip system is the familiar paper filter, filter holder and decanter. The machine simply heats water to the optimum temperature for coffee brewing and automatically measures over the ground coffee in the filter. The brewed coffee drips into the decanter, while an element under the decanter keeps the coffee hot once it is brewed. You measure cold water into the top of the maker, measure coffee into the filter, press a switch, and, in from 4 to 8 minutes, obtain 2 to 12 cups of coffee.

Most of the leading makers have resolved such problems as ground coffee floating or forming a doughnut around the edge of the filter basket, variations in water temperature, and excessively slow or fast filtering.

Low-end, mass-marketed brewers perform almost as well as the expensive, high-end models. The main criteria for choice in these brewers are appearance, manufacturer's name, and, above all special features.