Depending on your lifestyle and needs, there are many coffee brewing systems to choose from. Some of the best brewers are not necessarily the most sophisticated.

Many different types of brewers make excellent coffee and come in a variety of price ranges. For instance, you can get a French press or manual drip coffee cone for around $10 and make great tasting brew. They may take a little more time to deliver a fresh cup, but it’s a great tasting cup of Joe regardless.

Coffee Percolators

Anyone remember percolators? There are two models, the one you put on the stove and the electric model that you plug in and percolate. Neither makes a really good pot of coffee by today’s standards. The electric percolator makes a better brew than the stove-top percolator, simply because it doesn’t reach the boiling point. The optimum water temperature for brewing a good pot or cup of Joe should be just below the boiling point. The biggest problem with an electric pot is that in order to maintain a constant temperature, it continues to cycle through the grounds if you don’t remove them immediately, making a stronger, more bitter brew. If you want to preserve the fresh, rich taste of your coffee, you’ll probably want to dump that old percolator and use a more modern coffee brewing system.

The French Press

While not the quickest or most convenient method of making a couple of cups of coffee, the French Press is one of the best coffee brewers that you’ll ever use. Basically, it’s a tall glass jar with a plunger that filters out grounds with a screen. Simply put the coffee grounds in the press, pour the hot water in, wait 3-4 minutes, and then slowly lower the plunger to the bottom of the press. The grounds will be trapped at the bottom of the French Press and a rich tasting, fresh cup of coffee is ready to pour. I particularly like this brew with specialty coffee beans that I grind myself.

Coffee Drip Brewers

The drip coffee makers are the most used type of coffee brewing systems. Many people have both at home and at work. They are relatively simple to operate. Just put your coffee grounds in the paper filter in the filter basket, fill with reservoir with water, and push the on button. Most models will heat the water to the appropriate temperature, which will drip over the grounds in the filter and fill the carafe with fresh brewed coffee.

There is one disadvantage of using the drip coffee brewing system. Once brewed, the coffee in the carafe sits on a heating element to maintain it’s temperature and as the coffee sits in the carafe, cooking on this heating element, it becomes more and more bitter and stale tasting. If you’re going to use a drip coffee brewing system, you should make only enough at one time to drink within 30 minutes to an hour.

Single Cup Coffee Brewers

One of the newest additions to the home coffee brewing arena is the single-cup Keurig models that utilize a pre-filled K-Cup in a variety of strengths and flavors. This type of coffee brewing system is simple to operate, clean, and delivers a fresh cup of coffee in under a minute. This new innovative coffee brewing system deserves it’s own page, and there are excellent reviews on these coffee brewers here. There are also some great coffee recipes there.

One of the most popular Keurig single-cup coffee brewing systems, the Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System is the middle of the road model. The main difference between the newest Keurig model, the Keurig B70 Gourmet Single-Cup Home Brewing System, is the size of the reservoir, the different brew sizes available, and the electronic controls.

The Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System offers three different brew sizes rather than the four that the B70 model offers. The 5.25-ounce setting will fill a cup, the 7.25-ounces fills a regular coffee mug, and the 9.25-ounces fills a regular sized travel mug.

The water reservoir has a capacity of 48-ounces (the B70 has a 60-ounce reservoir). Other features of the B60 are a led display that flashes when the water level gets too low and choice of brewing temperatures (either 192F, which is the regular temperature or a cooler 187F if you prefer a slightly cooler brew).

All of the Keurig Single-Cup Home Brewing Systems operate simply and brew a fresh cup of coffee in under a minute. From the time that the brewer is turned on, it takes only three minutes from start to finish for a cup of coffee. Once the brewer is on and primed, each batch is preheated so your next cup takes less than a minute.

Nothing could be simpler to operate. Just keep the water reservoir filled up, add your choice of K-Cup to the cup holder, and press a button. Afterwards, you simply throw away the used K-Cup and occasionally wipe the removable stainless steel drip tray clean.

It’s really that easy.

Keurig B70 Single Cup Brewer

If you’re looking for a gourmet single-cup home brewing coffee system, the Keurig B70 Gourmet Single-Cup Home Brewing System is for you. Perfect for brewing a cup of your favorite hot beverage, this coffee brewer uses pre-packed “K-cups.” Each K-cus contains the perfect amount of coffee or tea for the size of cup that you want and the strength of the beverage that you prefer.

K-cups are offered in a lot of different flavors of coffee and tea and it’s fun to experiment with the Keurig B70 Gourmet Single-Cup Home Brewing System. You can choose from four different cup sizes with this model: “robust” (5.25 oz.), “regular” (7.25 oz.), “large” (9.25 oz.) or “extra large” (11.25 oz.). The small mug is the default selection and should be used unless you want a stronger or weaker brew. If you like a weaker brew, you can try using a standard K-cup on the settings for a larger mug. “Extra Bold” K-Cups contain about 30% more coffee and are good for brewing a larger cup of coffee and still retain the flavor and strength of the smaller default setting.

When left on, the Keurig B70 Gourmet Single-Cup Home Brewing System is ready to brew at a moment’s notice. You can also program it to shut off after a certain period of time or turn on and off at preset times. It takes just 3-1/2 minutes to heat up from the “off” position, so a freshly brewed cup of coffee is just moments away.

Once the Keurig B70 Gourmet Single-Cup Home Brewing System is primed (just add water to the reservoir and turn it on), just add a K-Cup and press the “Brew” button. It takes about 45 seconds for a small mug or just under 1 minute for a tall mug. In another 15-20 seconds, it returns to the “Ready to Brew” mode.

A variety pack of 18 K-cups comes with the unit. Extra K-cups can be purchased (best price at Amazon.com. Check out this deal: Keurig Flavored Coffee Variety for Keurig Brewers, 60-Count Box, K-Cups. Cups are also sold at many retail stores nationwide.

The Keurig B70 Gourmet Single-Cup Home Brewing System is the most convenient coffee brewing system available, with simple one-touch brewing for a fresh brewed cup of coffee in under a minute. It’s a real winner.