26 percent

Increase in usage reported by owners of espresso/cappuccino coffeemakers over the past one to two years due to the recession, according to new research from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

The home-brewed approach is saving those consumers as much as $1,000 per year, says AHAM. You can do the math, but given the high price of coffeehouse concoction, the $4 you don't spend every day on a mocha-frappe-la-di-dah will add up quickly.

People who drink just a regular cup of joe stand to save less, which may explain why only 9 percent of owners of auto-drip coffeemakers say they're using their machines more often. Owners of single-serve coffeemakers reported a 21 percent increase in use since the recession began.

The Eight O'Clock Coffee 100% Colombian that topped the ratings (available to subscribers) in our latest report on coffee costs only 15 cents cup.

These are tough times for the appliance industry—year-over-year shipments of major appliances were down nearly 30 percent in June—so perhaps AHAM deserves a pass for reading too much into the tea leaves, er, coffee beans.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out our coffeemakers product page, which includes free buying advice and ratings (available to subscribers) of drip, espresso, and pod-style machines. We'll be adding new espresso machines to the mix later this year. And read this blog post about how our testers checked out the off flavors and odors they detected in the heated water that came out of some coffeemakers when they first used them.