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Let Alexa help you out on National Coffee Day with these tips and tricks

Patrick Hearn
By

September 29 is National Coffee Day. With the leaves beginning to change and the first hints of fall in the air, now is the perfect time to snuggle up with a cup of great coffee and a book. If you’re in the market for a better cup of coffee, Alexa can help. Amazon’s smart assistant is packed with Skills and knowledge that can help you brew a better cup of joe, whether you’re a Folger’s person or someone that needs a single-origin bean in a nice pour over.

If those words make no sense, don’t worry. Alexa can help you learn about coffee, too.

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Coffee-related Alexa Skills

Alexa is packed with coffee-focused skills that do everything from teaching you more about coffee facts to helping you decide what kind of coffee to make on a given day.

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One such Skill is Coffee Facts. Once enabled, you can ask Alexa to give you a fact about coffee. She will respond with interesting information about coffee, such as where it comes from or how to brew a specific cup. If you’re interested in learning about the history of coffee, this is a great skill.

Coffee Bot is another option. If you want to broaden your coffee tastes, you need to try new forms of coffee — but doing this isn’t always easy. Coffee Bot takes the guesswork out of your morning cup. Just say, “Alexa, what should I drink today?” The Skill will tell you whether to drink hot or iced, latte or Americano.

If you miss going to coffee shops and want to feel the ambiance of Starbucks in the morning, try out Coffee Shop Sounds. It’s a great option when working from home, as it gives just enough background noise to let you sink into a productive mindset.

There are dozens of other skills, including many that are focused specifically on Alexa-compatible coffee makers. If you have one of those machines, then you will want the Alexa Skill that allows you to control it with your voice.

There are also skills that help you buy coffee.

How to buy coffee via Alexa

Through Alexa voice ordering, you can do all kinds of shopping. It’s perfect for when you’re working in the kitchen and realize you are missing something vital, like trash bags. Just say, “Alexa, add (blank) to my shopping cart.” You can then pay for the item later through Amazon Prime.

This is a great way to buy coffee, too. You can ask Alexa for deals and then decide what brew you want to buy. You can also ask questions about specific products to help decide what kind of coffee maker best suits you.

Alexa-Powered coffee makers

There are numerous coffee machines that work with Alexa. In practical terms, this means you can begin brewing your morning coffee, change the strength of the brew, turn the machine off, and sometimes even order refills, all through your coffee maker. Here’s the scoop on several of these models.

Hamilton Beach 49350

This 12-cup coffee maker retails for $90 and immediately connects to Alexa when you power it on. You’re able to start the machine brewing with just your voice, and you can set up morning routines through the Alexa app. It’s also easy to load coffee and water into the machine through the front.

If you forget to turn off the coffee maker, it shuts off after two hours as a safety protocol. The Hamilton Beach 49350 is a good entry-level coffee maker without a lot of bells and whistles that is perfect for someone that just wants a cup before work.

Behmor Connected Customizable Coffee Maker

If you’re interested in a coffee maker that doesn’t look like a traditional coffee maker, check out the Behmor. This machine has a more futuristic look that will add a bit of flair to your counter, and it also allows you to choose the optimum brewing temperature for your coffee. You can control it through Alexa to begin brewing your coffee or to reorder coffee when you get low.

The Behmor app gives more precise control, which makes this $200-plus machine a better choice for those that want pinpoint customization of their joe.

Smart plugs

If you have a coffee maker you love but you want Alexa control, try a smart plug. An option like the TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug will give you the ability to control the flow of power to your coffee maker through Alexa. While it won’t give you the same level of control a dedicated coffee maker would, it’s a great compromise.

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Patrick Hearn
Patrick Hearn
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…
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