Gourmet coffee closer to home

Single-serving coffee makers are the new rage, and several companies -- including Miami Lakes-based Applica -- are battling for dominance.

BY LAUREN FOSTER
Financial Times

Coffee lovers in the US are buzzing -- and this time not just because of their caffeine fix. A battle is looming to persuade them to adopt a new way to brew coffee at home, and in so doing, to retire the drip coffee makers that are a fixture in millions of kitchens.

The ''next big thing'' is a machine that uses prepacked single servings to make a ''cafe quality'' coffee for the home.

The makers say these machines use a low-pressure brewing system designed to infuse the water with more coffee than the conventional drip devices, producing a taste similar to coffee made by professional machines.

More...