Oh! I missed this thread till now.
Great advice by AnupJi as always. I am a great fan of coffee. At home we do not use nescafe, Bru or any instant coffee at all. I get my coffee from three sources.
Indian Coffee I get directly from Deven's at Khanna Market. The advantage is, you can get the right blend you want. He keeps two premium Arabica variety, Peaberry and Plantation( Flatberry). Peaberry makes highly aromatic coffee while plantation produces slightly less aromatic ad slightly stronger coffee. The two can be blended to different proportions according to your taste. I get what they call the Special blend which is 50:50 blend of the two.
He can also produce Monsooned Malabar coffee but does not keep it in stock most of the time. This is one of the most loved coffees in the world. Some, especially Tamilians get a bit of chicory added to the coffee powder while grinding. One has also to specify what kind of brewing is one planning to do. For the double decker South Indian Coffee Filter ( I will post an image) you need finer grains. while the contraption that Anupji has recommended (Moka Express) or other types of Coffee Percolators and the American style Drip Coffee Maker require a little more coarse grind. The sales person there will know.
My second source is USA. My daughter works for a US company and she has to visit the Headquarters frequently. One of the items that I keep requesting her to bring or get when colleagues come is coffee powder. My favourites are Yuban, Folgers, Maxwell House and an occasional Cafe Britt from Costa Rica.
My third source is from Bangalore where Classic Pride, not very popular brand sells a mixture of Arabic and Robusta, slightly better than what Deven sells.
Now coming to Kprixie's original questio: which coffee maker to buy
It depends, as AnupJi said what your taste in coffee is and how much pains you are willing to take for your preferred type.
The easiest to make is the American electric drip type.
All online retailers sell many brands and most of them are good. Ensure that the Coffee Maker has a permanent filter and not the paper filter that Americans are very fond of. It is difficult to find filters.
The second is the Moka Express and similar stove-top percolators. Deven sells some brands. Many stores specializing in kitchen appliances in major cities would stock these type percolators.
The most difficult ( and according to me the best) is the South Indian Filter Coffee Maker. Here is a video link on how to make coffee using it.
Making the South Indian (Madras) filter coffee - YouTube
The friendly neighbourhood Madrasi store would have this type in stock or he can get it for you. For those addicted to online shopping, here is a link
Stainless Steel South Indian Filter Coffee Drip maker | eBay
There is another type of coffee maker worth a mention. This is called the French Press which has a glass pot and a fine mesh filterattached to a plunger. Put coffee powder in the glass, add boiling water and place the filter tightly on top and press the plunger down after three minutes. Makes coffee which I would not like to drink, but some of friends like it. This is very easy also.
Here is a link to those interested.
Coffee Talk: How to Use a French Press - YouTube
Oh! and there is another desi Kerala way of making coffee. Take a glass full of water pour it in a small vessel, bring to boil just once. Add one heaped spoon full of ground coffee powder and let is stand for two minutes. Strain the liquor. You get black coffee.
P.S. I prefer my coffee black. Those who want to pollute it with milk may do so, but just don't tell me that you did it!
