• Drip coffee makers started as boxy contraptions.Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Automatic drip coffee makers are one of the highest selling coffee making machines in the United States with a total of 14 million sold each year, according to "Consumer Watch" in 2010. Drip coffee makers use paper or mesh filters wherein hot water falls and drips through the coffee-ground filled filter. Drip coffee maker prices generally start at $20 and can soar into the hundreds depending on the programmable options available. For example, some machines include built-in bean grinders and programmable daily coffee-brewing times.
  
  

Automatic Drip

• Automatic-drip machines brew coffee with the flip of a switch. To brew a morning cup of coffee, the machine drips water through a basket-filter filled with coffee. The water drips into the pot below. Automatic drip machines keep the coffee pot heated on a hot-plate. Some models allow coffee lovers to program the machine to start making coffee at a set time each morning or evening. Other models include bean grinders.
  
  

Manual Drip

• A manual drip coffee maker is a vase-like contraption with an hour glass design. The person making a morning cup of coffee need only boil some water, add coffee grinds to a filter, and place the filter in a funnel device; the filter becomes the "drip" device. While not a common drip coffee maker, this manual technique gives individuals control over the coffee-making process. More time consuming than other models, a manual drip coffee maker is similar to a french press but with a filter feature.
  
  

Heat Phase Drip

• A heat phase coffee maker has adjustable heat controls and the coffee brews at different heat levels. During the first heating phase, water rises to a preprogrammed temperature setting. The heating phase ensures hot, steaming coffee; the six-minute heating produces full flavor extraction, so every coffee grain gets soaked at the ideal temperature, like an espresso maker. After the water is fully heated, the coffeemaker enters a four-minute heating phase in which water is released over coffee grounds.