A recent report from the Austin Herald Sun told of a funeral home in Sydney that is raffling off a high-end coffee machine.  Apparently, once you purchase a pre-paid funeral plan from Gregory and Carr Funerals, you are entered into a competition for a Jura Impressa J5 coffee machine that is valued at $2,500.  Why a coffee machine you ask?  Put simply, the General Manager of the company, Graham Stewart, says that the discussions for pre-arranged funeral planning generally take place over a couple of cups of coffee, so it seemed like a natural fit to him.  But, do you really have to set up a pre-arranged funeral in order to get your hands on a great coffee machine?  And, is it really necessary to spend $2,500 in order to get a coffee machine for your home?

Saving Money By Drinking at Home

According to Consumer Reports, making coffee at home rather than buying it at your favorite local coffeehouse can save you around $350 per year.  Of course, if you are spending $2,500 on a coffee machine, it will severely cut into your margin of savings.  Luckily, Consumer Report has also done the legwork for you and has identified several coffee makers that cost far less than $2,500, but will provide you with an excellent cup of brew.  In fact, the testers found some great coffee makers for less than $100 and also determined that some of the more costly machines are not as effective at brewing a great cup of Joe as some of the less costly options.

Finding a Great Coffee Machine

Consumer Reports tested 34 different coffeemakers in order to determine which ones were the best.  The testers considered several different factors, including the brewing temperature and the extra features included with the machine.  Interestingly, the testers found that many machines did not brew at the ideal temperature of 195 to 205 degrees, despite the fact that this temperature is considered to be the ideal temperature for extracting the best flavor from coffee beans.

So, what coffee makers did Consumer Report consider to be at the head of the pack?  When it comes to eight to twelve cup carafes, the testers put the following on top:

•  Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 ($100)
•  Michael Graves 40304 ($40)
•  Oster Counterforms 4281 ($65)

The Michael Graves 40304 also earned Consumer Report’s coveted “Best Buy” designation.  When it comes to twelve-cup brew stations, which allow you to fill up your cup of coffee directly from the machine, the Hamilton Beach Brew Station 47454 ($70) took the “Best Buy” honors, while the Mr. Coffee GBX23 ($50) received the “Best Buy” designation for eight to ten cup grind and brew coffee makers.

In an effort to help consumers save even more money, Consumer Report provided a few other pieces of advice.  First, if you are interested in a machine that will provide you with a single-serving of your favorite brew, the testers recommend staying away from the pod machines.  According to the researchers, the pods used for these machines cost about four times as much per cup of coffee as using supermarket coffee brands.  Instead, the researchers recommend purchasing the Melitta Take 2 for just $25, which is a one-cup coffee maker that can make a single cup of tasty Joe quickly. 

You can also save yourself some cash by purchasing a permanent metal filter rather than buying paper filters on a regular basis.  According to Consumer Reports, these filters generally cost just $5 to $10 and most people will recoup that cost within just one year.

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