The Very Best Coffee Makers You Can Buy Right Now
published about 2 hours agoWhat’s the one kitchen appliance you use every single day, no matter what? For me and my husband, it’s our coffee maker. We usually burn through an entire 10-cup pot well before lunchtime on any given weekday. Ditto on weekends, actually.
I have a feeling that a lot of you reading this are in the same boat. In fact, seven in 10 Americans drink coffee every day , with the average amount being a little more than three cups of coffee, according to the National Coffee Association . That’s a lot of joe. Which begs the question: What’s the best coffee machine to make these cups at home?
There are all sorts of ways to make coffee at home, with French presses , pour overs , Aeropresses , and more. But automatic drip coffee makers are (usually) the easiest to use and probably what you grew up with. They all work, generally, the same way: Water heats, then flows through a shower head that disperses the water over the ground coffee. The brewed coffee then drips downwards into a carafe. (Hence the name!) These kinds of coffee makers can make upwards of eight to 12 cups of coffee, with the ability to brew smaller amounts, too.
To find out which coffee maker was best, I rounded up nearly a dozen of them, focusing mainly on ones that had thermal carafes, as they keep coffee hotter longer than models with glass carafes, which also have a tendency to scorch coffee due to the hot plates beneath them. (Although I did pick a glass option, just in case, because I know it’s a matter of personal preference.) Here’s a little overview before we get deeper into the testing.
The Best Automatic Drip Coffee Makers
- Best Overall : Moccamaster by Technivorm Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
- Best Glass Carafe : Moccamaster by Technivorm KBGV Select Coffee Maker
- Best Small Coffee Maker : OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker
- Most Customizable : Breville Precision Brewer Drip Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
- Best Budget : Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Front Fill Thermal Coffee Maker
The Tests
- Make a few full pots of coffee, using the manufacturer’s recommended amount of coffee, evaluating the flavor of the brewed coffee. ( Note: To be super consistent, I made sure to use the same fresh, medium-roast coffee beans for each machine. I weighed the beans using a digital scale and ground the beans using a burr grinder , too.)
- Time how long it takes for each machine to make a full pot of coffee.
- Use an instant-read thermometer (a Thermapen !) to record the temperature of the brew basket repeatedly throughout brewing.
- Test to see how long the carafes could keep the brewed coffee hot — using an instant-read thermometer to take the temperature of the coffee initially after brewing and then every 30 minutes up for to three hours (what would be an entire morning).
- Clean each coffee maker by hand after every test.
Why You Should Trust Us
I’m the Tools Editor at Kitchn and a professional kitchen equipment tester. I previously worked at America’s Test Kitchen and my reviews on topics like stand mixers, induction burners, toaster ovens, and multicookers have been published in Cook’s Illustrated , Cook’s Country , and on the America’s Test Kitchen website. My work has also been featured on America’s Test Kitchen’s and Cook’s Country’s television programs. And again, I make (and drink) a lot of coffee!
What to Consider When Buying a Coffee Maker
How Well Does It Make Coffee?
Great coffee from a coffee maker seems like a pretty crucial requirement, right? Well, a lot of the machines struggle to do just that. The best coffee makers brew full-bodied, smooth coffee. And there are a couple of reasons some are better than others. For starters, my favorite machines (excluding my budget-friendly pick) are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) , which means they meet the SCA’s Golden Cup standard for brew strength.
The standard considers coffee-to-water ratio, time of coffee-to-water contact, temperature, and more. It can get pretty technical, but the standard is two tablespoons of ground coffee per six ounces of water. The worst coffee makers of the bunch call for about half that amount, leading to watery, weak coffee. Now, you might be wondering if you can just use the correct Golden Ratio amount to “fix” these weaker machines? Unfortunately you can not, as their brew baskets are also much smaller and this would cause them to overflow, as coffee expands when wet.
As for the other reasons why some machines do better than others: My favorite ones maintain a brewing temperature of around 200°F and make a full pot of coffee in eight minutes or less, both of which are critical for extracting proper flavor and strength from coffee beans. Of course, you also care about how well the coffee makers are able to keep the coffee hot once it’s brewed. All of the ones I tested (even the ones that didn’t make my final list), were able to keep the coffee hot, well above 135°F, which is when coffee starts to become tepid, for three hours.
How Easy Is It to Use?
Operating a coffee maker shouldn’t feel like a chore. The best models are super straightforward to use, with easy-to-understand control panels and clearly labeled buttons. I also prefer models that have easily accessible water reservoirs and clear water-level markings, which makes them a cinch to fill up. I like brew baskets with handles, too, so it’s easy to dispose of the grounds post-brewing.
Do You Want Extra Features?
If you want a coffee maker with lots of bells and whistles, you can find that. And if you want something super basic that does a fantastic job, you can get that, too. A lot of the coffee makers that I tested have different features, like programmable brewing timers and the ability to make a single cup of coffee. It’s all about what you want and think you’ll use. For more information about which machines have what, see below.
What We Look for in a Coffee Maker
I judged all of the machines on the following criteria, on a scale of one to five (one being the worst and five being the best):
- Coffee :
- Heat Retention :
- Ease of Use :
Best Overall: Moccamaster by Technivorm Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
Buy NowThis SCA-certified coffee maker brews consistently amazing coffee and is supremely easy to use. (Like, seriously amazing.) It doesn’t have fancy features: Just a switch to turn it on and off. But if you’re like me, that’s all you need. It takes this machine about 6 minutes to brew a full pot of coffee and it keeps it piping hot for much longer than 3 hours. The carafe is easy to pour from, with a wide lip, and if you want to have a cup of coffee before the machine finishes brewing, the coffee maker will automatically pause to allow you to do so. I also love the clear markings on the front of the water reservoir — which is easy to fill — and that the brew basket is simple to remove and has a handle. If you love coffee and want a coffee maker that does its job and does it well, the Moccamaster is a worthwhile investment. And it’s a favorite among a LOT of coffee pros, too.
Specifications
- SCA Certified :
- Recommend coffee-to-water ratio : 69 grams (+/- 5) for 10 cups
Rating Criteria
- Coffee : 5
- Heat retention : 5
- Ease of use : 5
Who it’s best for : works . And works incredibly well.
Good to know :
Best Glass Carafe: Moccamaster by Technivorm KBGV Select Coffee Maker
Buy NowUnlike many other coffee makers with glass carafes, this new model by Technivorm makes consistently smooth, full-bodied coffee and keeps it warm for hours — without scorching it. (Note: At about 100 minutes, this coffee maker shut off automatically, however at the 2-hour mark the coffee was still at 136°F). Like its sibling thermal carafe model, it brewed a full pot of coffee in about 6 minutes and its reservoir was a cinch to fill and had clear water level markings on the front. Its brew basket has a handle, making it super easy to insert and remove. In addition to its power switch, this coffee maker has a switch on the front that allows you to brew either a full or a half carafe of coffee to Golden Cup standards.
Specifications
- SCA Certified : Yes
- Recommend coffee-to-water ratio : 69 grams (+/- 5) for 10 cups
Rating Criteria
- Coffee : 5
- Heat retention : 4
- Ease of use : 5
Who it’s best for :
Good to know : Comes with a five-year warranty. While these aren’t the new, KBGV select model, Moccamaster also makes gorgeous, colorful glass carafe models.
Best Small Coffee Maker: OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker
Buy NowThis smaller coffee maker is seriously impressive — and reasonably priced. Its shorter stature means that it can easily get tucked away on a shelf if you need it to live somewhere that’s not on your counter. It brews consistently good, full-bodied coffee and takes about 7 minutes to make a whole carafe. It also keeps coffee hot for hours and while the water reservoir is narrow and therefore a little tough to fill, the control panel is clearly labeled and the machine is super easy to use. This coffee maker allows you to brew a single serving of coffee right into a mug and even comes with a separate brew basket for this smaller amount.
Specifications
- SCA Certified : Yes
- Recommend coffee-to-water ratio : 64 grams for 8 cups
Rating Criteria
- Coffee : 5
- Heat retention : 5
- Ease of use : 4.5
Who it’s best for :
Good to know : this coffee maker , which has an auto-brew function.
Most Customizable: Breville Precision Brewer Drip Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
Buy NowIf you want a coffee maker with a ton of features, this is the one for you. It makes consistently great, velvety coffee and brews 8 cups of coffee in less than 6 minutes. It’s also easy to use, has a fairly intuitive control panel, and keeps coffee warm for hours. I love the large handle on the brew basket, the clear markings on the front of the water reservoir, and that the reservoir has a large opening that is easy to fill. As for those extra features, here’s what this Breville model offers: Gold mode (which has been certified by the SCA), fast mode that makes 12 cups of coffee in less than 7 minutes, strong mode that brews stronger-tasting coffee, cold brew mode, and over ice mode to make stronger coffee to account for the dilution that happens with ice in iced coffee. You can also adjust bloom time, brewing temp, and flow rate, as well as brew a single serving of coffee and even buy a pour over adapter for it.
Specifications
- SCA Certified : Yes (only the Gold mode)
- Recommend coffee-to-water ratio : 64 grams for 8 cups
Raiting Criteria
- Coffee : 5
- Heat retention : 5
- Ease of use : 4.5
Who it’s best for :
Good to know : This coffee maker will tell you when it’s time to descale , flashing a notification on its screen. It comes with a two-year warranty.
Best Budget: Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Front Fill Thermal Coffee Maker
Buy NowIf you can’t or don’t want to spend a lot of money on a coffee maker, I get it. This coffee maker is the best of the budget-friendly (under $100) models I tried. Its coffee is weaker than my top picks, but significantly better than others in its price range. It takes about 10 minutes to brew a full pot of coffee, but it’s intuitive to use and I like that the brew basket is positioned at the front, which makes it easily accessible. The water reservoir, however, is located at the back and harder to see, but it is much larger than some of the other cheaper coffee makers I tried. It keeps coffee hot for hours, too, and it has an auto-brew setting.
Specifications
- SCA Certified : No
- Recommend coffee-to-water ratio :
Rating Criteria
- Coffee : 3
- Heat retention : 5
- Ease of use : 3
Who it’s best for : If you need a coffee maker, but can’t or don’t want to spend a lot of money on one.
Good to know :
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We will do our homework, going wildly in depth with our testing. But we’ll condense the info into easy, breezy summaries, so that you can see what we picked and why, and then move on your life. Because we know you’re busy!
Do you have a question about coffee makers? Let us know in the comments!
Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
Lifestyle Editor, Tools
Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the Tools Editor at The Kitchn. A professional kitchen equipment tester, she's worked for America's Test Kitchen, EatingWell, and Food52. Her goal: to find the best gear for your kitchen so you don't waste time or money on anything else. She lives in Boston, MA with her two dogs.
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Source : food
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