In search of the perfect brew.

The noted English playwright John Van Druten once said, "If I were a woman, I'd wear coffee as a perfume." A novel idea, to be sure, but most of us - men and women - would be content just to drink coffee, perfectly brewed with a rich, scintillating fragrance and pure, fresh flavor. When coffee tastes like that there's nothing like d in the world.

To be that good, coffee must be made just right. To start, the coffee maker should be meticulously clean. The fight ratio of coffee to water also must be used: one standard coffee measure (two level tablespoons) to six ounces of fresh, cold water per serving. Always make coffee full strength to extract the optimum flavor of the bean. (If you prefer lighter-bodied coffee, make it full, then dilute it with boiling water.) Serve it freshly brewed, hot and at its most flavorful.

Equally important is the coffee maker you use. But with hundreds of types, styles and brands on the market how do you choose the fight one? By considering two criteria essential to good coffee: choose a coffee maker in which boiled water passes through the coffee only once and does not allow the coffee to boil.

Alas, a percolator does neither. It passes the water over coffee grinds again and again, and allows the coffee to boil, releasing caffetannic acid, which gives coffee a bitter taste. Better by far is the drip and filter coffee maker. This broad category covers dozens of varieties, but the theory is the same in all - boiled water drips through the coffee grinds and into the pot below, taking from three to six minutes to brew. The results: the ultimate cup of coffee - clear, fragrant and pure.

Melitta makes a manual drip and filter pot in. which the water is boiled separately and then poured into a filter cone, where it drips into a pot below. A six-cup manual model has a suggested retail price of $10.99 and a 10-cup costs $12.49. But, most drip and filter makers are electric. Pour cold water into the top, turn the machine, on and R does the rest. Braun has a 10-cup coffee maker, which has a suggested retail price of $34.95. Proctor Silex has a range of drip makers, from a four-cup model with auto pause-and-serve for $30.95 to a 12-cup model with the same features and two-hour automatic shut-off for $41.95. Krups, Mr. Coffee, West Bend, Black & Decker and Melitta make other popular models.

Espresso, a coffee sensation unto itself, is Italy's contribution to the world of good tastes. To make espresso you need a machine - either manual or electric - that forces a combination of steam and boiling water through dark roast coffee. The proper ratio for a cup of espresso is one-half the water used for every full measure of coffee; hence, the demitasse, or half cup of coffee. The result is a strong, rich extraction. Those who like it love it. But as with caviar, snails and raw oysters, espresso is often an acquired taste.

Because espresso is brewed under extremely high pressure, the pots are always made of metal. There are a few manual or stove-top espresso makers such as the Espresso Yourself from Melitta, which makes one cup of the brew for $26.19. But most espresso makers are electric and range from two- to 25-cup models. Prices range from $60 to $600.

If espresso sometimes requires more than one cup before it becomes a favorite, cappuccino is usually love at first sip. Cappuccino is espresso with hot steamed, frothy milk. Many of the electric espresso machines combine coffee making and milk steaming in one. The Krups Espresso Mini makes two to four cups of espresso or cappuccino and retails for $100. Other espresso makers include Salton, Braun or Melitta. Some espresso makers also "double" as regular drip coffee makers; the Cafe Combi by Delonghi ($150) is one.

The right pot, the right ratio of coffee to water and tender loving care are the secrets behind making the perfect brew. The kind of coffee that has you reaching for a second cup. The kind of coffee John Van Druten would have us wear. The kind of coffee most of us would rather drink.