Coffee machines can make for great gifts, but with so many different types and models available, it can be hard to choose between them. People rarely tend to have more than one coffee machine, so if you are buying one as a gift, it is important to make sure that it is ideally suited to the needs of the recipient. Here, we shall look at a few of the different types of coffee maker that are currently available, and discuss the relative merits of each in turn.

Filter coffee makers are very easy to use. Usually, they have a heat retaining pot or thermos and a hotplate upon which it rests. Ground coffee is inserted into a cone, and cold water drips through this into the heated container. You can use either replaceable filter cones or permanent cones. Although permanent cones are a bit more cost effective, they are less hygienic than replaceable ones and require regular cleaning, which makes them a bit less convenient.

Percolators work in a different way to filter coffee makers. With a percolator, you have to put ground coffee into a basket-like holder at the top, and cold water into a heated container underneath. When the water boils, steam is forced up through the filter, and then drips back into the container infused with coffee. Usually, there will be a glass dome at the top that allows you to see how strong the brew is by looking at its colour, enabling you to vary the strength of the coffee more accurately.

An espresso machine is designed to make small, strong cups of coffee. There are two types of espresso machine – pressure driven, and pump driven. In a pressure driven espresso maker, water is boiled to create steam and pressure, and when enough pressure has built up, the boiling water forces its way through the ground coffee. Pump machines are a bit more complicated and expensive, as they have a temperature controlled boiler and a separate tank for the boiled water. This means that once the machine has heated up, you can pour a fresh cup of perfectly brewed coffee in an instant.

If you are still not sure what type of coffee maker to buy for someone as a gift, it is better to give them money or a voucher to buy their own. A voucher is more personal, but it does restrict the recipient to buying their machine from a certain outlet. In most cases, it will be more convenient to simply transfer the money from your bank account into theirs. This is very easy to do if you have a bank account with an online banking feature, as you can transfer the money with just a few clicks of a mouse. For more information about bank accounts with online banking features, visit the Santander website.