Want to break off with your local barrista? Here’s how…
By: Beverly Allen - January 29th, 2007
Drinking coffee is a relatively harmless habit. 
But when you get your daily fix at a specialty coffee shop, it can become an expensive one. Make four such trips every working week and you can spend close to $1,000 annually. Is the solution to this pricy problem to give up caffeine? Never!
The trick is to learn how to make the perfect cup of coffee at home, where overhead costs are low. The secret to really good coffee is in the beans, says Sara Lee Spector, owner of Everyday Gourmet Coffee at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. She’s been roasting beans for coffee lovers across Canada for the past few decades. “There’s no comparison between drinking coffee made from fresh roasted beans and the stuff that comes from the supermarket,” she says.
Even with great beans, you’ll need, of course, a good coffee-maker. Here are a few to consider.
Bodum Chambord
The Bodum French coffee press is uncomplicated to use, and makes magnificent coffee. It’s the favourite of Spector, who likes the fresh flavour it produces, and the fact the coffee is steaming hot. “Some of the machines just don’t get the water hot enough for me,” she says.
The Chambord comes in models that make between 
three and twelve cups of coffee, with prices starting at about $60. The company will also soon introduce a double-walled Chambord press, which will have greater thermal properties. Bodum coffee makers are available at several kitchen retailers, including The Main Course at 1910 Avenue Road (416-787-7742) and The Green Beanery at 225 Brunswick Avenue (1-800-263-2784 ext 253).
The BrewStation
Perfect for those who are habitually late for work, 
the Hamilton Beach Deluxe 12-cup BrewStation dispenses coffee one cup at a time, making it easy to grab a cup of Joe before heading out the door. The Brew Station has four brew “modes” for normal, decaf and flavoured coffees, a programmable clock/timer to set the coffee up the night before, and a two-hour shut-off, eliminating those “did I leave the coffee maker on?” moments. Available for about $90 at Canadian Tire and other home improvement retailers.
Krups Thermal Carafe
Krups 10-cup double-walled stainless steel thermal carafe keeps coffee hot after it’s off the heating plate, which makes it a good choice for a dinner party or other event. The water reservoir flips out at the back for easy filling, and a gauge on the side of the machine indicates the water level. The filter basket, which takes paper filters, swings out at the touch of a button. Suggested retail price about $190. For a list of Toronto retailers, go to www.krups.ca.
Cuisinart Grind N Brew
The Cuisinart Grind N Brew takes you one step closer to that barrista experience by automatically grinding whole beans for up to four cups of coffee—just before the coffee is brewed. The 10-cup thermal carafe is double-wall insulated, and the grinder chamber and filter areas are separate to make clean up easier. Available at Canadian Tire, Home Depot and other retailers for about $200.
Breville Espresso Maker
If you can’t imagine life latte, but still want to make coffee at home more often, you’ll need a machine that makes espresso, which is the base of several specialty coffees. The Breville Espresso Maker makes espresso with a very respectable crema, steams milk and delivers hot water. A warming tray on the top of the machine keeps coffee hot while milk is steamed. Breville’s die cast espresso machine in brushed stainless steel sells for about $450, and is available at The Bay and Personal Edge locations. It comes with a stainless steel frothing jug, tamping spoon and cleaning tool for the steam wand attachment. For full list of retailers, go to www.breville.ca.
Miel coffee systems
At about $2300, the cost benefit to a Miele espresso maker versus daily trips to a coffee emporium is questionable. But you will get an extremely good cup of coffee. The Miele consumer-level espresso maker has an internal carousel into which fit 20 pre-packed pods of Nespresso coffee, allowing the user to choose from five different blends. One attendant caveat—the machine will only take the Nespresso capsules, which must be ordered online. You can test drive the Miele system at their showroom in Vaughan. To book an appointment, call (905) 532-2270, ext 242.
I heard about your site on Fresh Air this morning…I live in an old stone cottage in Guelph, which offers its’ own challenges. In terms of coffee makers though, Guelph has such terribly hard water that an annual change of coffee makers is often obligatory…until I found the cuisinart with the self clean light. It works!!!