As the school term trudges on, many students will turn to coffee for respite. However, this increased consumption can put an economic strain on those who don’t have the time or equipment to make coffee at home — but it doesn’t have to be that way

We are currently living in a coffee renaissance — no longer do you have to satiate your caffeine cravings with that barely functioning drip coffee maker in your cupboard or the burnt coffee you get from Tims. Here is a quick rundown of some of the easiest and most affordable coffee-making technologies available.

French press: After automatic- drip coffee makers, the french press is one of the more common methods to make coffee. This may be due to its simplicity — all you do is add your grounds to the cylindrical pot, pour hot water into it, wait 3-5 minutes for the coffee to brew and then plunge the grounds to the bottom.

The French-press method produces a luscious, viscous and flavourful cup of joe. Standard- sized pots usually yield 4-8 cups. However, French presses do leave some residual coffee grit in your cup, so watch out for that. The Bodum Brazil French Press is one of the best-rated coffee presses on Amazon and costs $23.99.

Percolator: If you’re itching to feel like you’re straight out of a steampunk story while you make your morning java, the percolator is your best bet. Percolators are large-ish metal contraptions that use steam pressure created on your stovetop to make an espresso-style coffee shot. It takes around 5 minutes to to use. As with any espresso-like coffee, the taste is bitter and strong — so water it down if you need to. At $18.99, the Argon Tableware 6-Cup Italian Style percolator is one of the highest-rated percolators on Amazon.

Pour-over: Pour-over coffee makers employ the same mechanisms as typical drip machines to make your coffee. The grounds sit in a chamber above the pot — usually in a paper filter, although metal filters are popular, too — and after you wet the grounds, gravity does the rest.

This results in a smooth and tasty cup of coffee, with little grit. What’s more, this method is the cheapest on this list, as the Hario V60 02 Plastic Coffee Dripper from — you guessed it — Amazon costs $10.60.

AeroPress: This is perhaps the newest and trendiest coffee- making contraption on the list. The AeroPress has three components: a filter, a coffee basket and a brew chamber. Similar to the French press, this method plunges hot water through the grounds to produce your coffee. It only takes 2 minutes to make a cup of coffee this way — so the AeroPress is perfect when you need that fix in a rush.

The Aerobie 83R01 Aero- Press Coffee and Espresso Maker runs for $37.95 on Amazon, making it the priciest option on this list. However, 40 bucks is about the amount that you would spend on just a week or two’s worth of Tims coffee, or like three lattes from Starbucks, so it’s worth it in the long run. And, unlike the other options listed, an AeroPress will fit nicely in your backpack, meaning that you can make a cup of coffee wherever you go.

With any of these methods, it’s crucial that you use good beans — beans, not grounds. Grinding your own beans makes a world of difference when it comes to making coffee. I would recommend investing in a good coffee grinder as well. Krups Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder is a compact option that will only set you back $19.97. Cheers to a cheap cup of delicious coffee!

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Tanner Bayne / Culture Editor

Graphic: Laura Underwood / Layout Manager