5 Interesting Highlights about the History of Coffee Makers

Some of the highlights in the history of coffeemakers is that they were created for the purpose of making coffee easier, the vacuum coffeemaker was invented in the 1840's, the percolator was patented in the 1860's, the drip brewer became commercially available in the 1960's, and the drip brewer underwent several improvements years after its introduction.

Coffee makers like Keurig K-Cups are almost a mainstay in many homes and restaurants. Nowadays this phenomena holds true more than ever before - a majority of the population want their caffeine fix before tackling the tasks on the agenda for the day. To better appreciate how coffeemakers came to be, here are some highlights from their history and development:

The coffeemaker was invented to make coffee more convenient

Coffee makers were created to make the coffee making procedure easier. Before, coffee making was a somewhat complicated process that involved several utensils. With the introduction of the coffeemaker, people were able to prepare the drink without having to heat liquid in separate containers and then mix it with coffee grounds in another filter. Using this standard, various models were created, such as the vacuum, percolator and the drip coffee makers. Although these models are all made for the purpose of making coffee, they essentially use somewhat different processes.

It's been close to 200 years since the vacuum coffeemaker came into being

Although the consumption of coffee has existed for many years, it was not until the middle of the 1800's that the first coffeemaker was invented. The vacuum brewer models were first introduced in the 1840s. This model is divided into 2 reservoirs which are connected by a tube. The water is boiled in the reservoir at the bottom and bubbles up into the top reservoir, thereby brewing the coffee. When the bottom reservoir is completely empty, the pot is taken away from the source of heat, creating a vacuum effect which causes the coffee to be sucked back into the bottom reservoir.

The percolator received patent in the 1860's

The percolator, which is also the inspiration for the modern automatic drip coffeemaker, was patented in the 1860's. It works by passing boiled water through a strainer which contains the coffee grounds. Usually, this process is repeated until the coffee is made.

The drip brewer became commercially available in the 1960's

Drip style coffeemakers are the most common style, found in a majority of U.S. households. This model became commercially available in the 1960's. The drip brew coffee maker heats the water until it is nearly boiling. The bubbles make the hot water flow to a tube and into a second area where the coffee grounds brew. Then the coffee, which is the finished product, is dripped into the pot.

The drip brewer underwent several improvements years after its introduction

The drip brewer has undergone several improvements since its introduction in the market. In 1979, the newest drip brewers were configured with a timer. The coffee could now be made automatically, which allowed for ease and convenience in preparation. Later, in 1989, a coffeemaker that brewed 4 cups was introduced. Choosing different sizes for their drinks was made possible for coffee drinkers by this. Developments continue and we now see coffeemakers like the models for Keurig K-Cups which brew single cups of coffee for individual consumption.

Coffe makers continually change to meet the challenging changes and needs of people who are coffee hounds.