Making the perfect cup of coffee has been a goal that mankind has been chasing for centuries. But taste isn’t the only thing that matters. The convenience of the brewing process is also an important consideration. A high quality coffee maker will achieve both goals, bringing out the full flavor and aroma of the coffee grounds, as well as making it easy for the layperson to make café quality coffee right from the comfort of home.
After investing 26 hours into researching and analyzing 60 different coffee machines, we created this list of the eight best coffee makers, along with a buying guide and comparison chart.
Best Overall: Moccamaster KBT 10-Cup Coffee Maker
The Moccamaster KBT is rightly considered the gold standard of batch coffee makers. Even the most critical reviews of this machine all begin with “Coffee maker is awesome, but…”
This machine is not for those who want a batch of hot, flavorless coffee waiting for them in the morning. It’s for those who want to create a brew that can satisfy just about any connoisseur, and can convert people who just drink coffee occasionally into frequent drinkers. With a heating element that brews coffee at just the right temperature and a brewing cycle timed to brew it to perfection, this machine truly does justice to a quality coffee blend.
The Moccamaster KBT comes with a large 10-cup stainless steel thermal carafe that keeps your coffee warmThe thermal carafe is vacuum sealed to keep coffee piping hot until it is served. With its sharp good looks in silver and black, the Moccamaster KBT is a perfect fit for a modern kitchen. The machine also happens to come with a 5 year warranty – a testament to the confidence the manufacturer has in this machine.
Like people who experience a gourmet steak for the first time and are blown away by the fact that they do not need steak sauce, many who experience their first mug of a quality blend brewed in the Moccamaster KBT are astounded by the fact that they don’t feel the need to add sugar or creamer.
If there is one common, albeit minor, complaint about the unit, it is the fact that there is no way to set a timer and have the machine begin a brew automatically at some pre-determined point in the future. According to the manufacturer, this is because they feel the water and coffee left standing for hours would lose flavor. But the vast majority of people would agree that this is but a small price to pay for such a premium experience. Read reviews on Amazon >
Ninja CF097 Single Serve & Carafe Coffee Maker
The Ninja CF097 Coffee Bar isn’t just a coffee brewer. This state-of-the-art machine is engineered to act as a complete coffee station. The feature rich machine allows for a huge variety of coffee preparations to suit any taste.
One unique and much appreciated feature of the Ninja is how it passes water through the coffee grounds. While many coffee makers simply send a single stream of water through the grounds, resulting in one spot where all the flavor is washed out of the grounds, the Ninja saturates the grounds first and uses a part similar to a shower head that sends 12 separate streams of water through the grounds. This water flow system results in more of the coffee flavor being transferred to the finished product.
The Ninja CF097’s has a built-in milk frotherWhile anyone can make a cup of iced coffee, the Ninja is designed to serve iced coffee to several drinkers. The included glass carafe allows the coffee to be brewed directly over the ice and served from the same carafe. This dramatically cuts down on the mess and hassle of pouring coffee from one container to another when more than a single cup of iced coffee is desired.
The built-in frother allows warm milk to be frothed into a micro foam. With this feature, owners of the Ninja CF097 are able to put together their own lattes. A little thinking outside the box can see the frother being used to put together other delights as well. For instance, a little of that rich micro foam would make a decadent addition to hot chocolate (which could be brewed in the Ninja as well). The unit also comes with a built-in timer so those who desire it can have a freshly brewed batch of coffee waiting for them.
With its many features and ultra modern look, the Ninja CF097 is much more than just a coffee maker. Read reviews on Amazon >
Best “2-in-1” Espresso & Coffee Maker: Nespresso VertuoLine Evoluo Deluxe
The Nespresso VertuoLine Evoluo Deluxe is a system for those who want freshly brewed single servings of coffee OR espresso on demand.
The secret to the Nespresso is their Vertuoline Capsules, which are aluminum capsules that contain the perfect amount of coffee for a single serving. They contain a proprietary blend of coffee, and there are a variety of flavors available – 10 unique coffee blends and 4 unique espresso blends. The system comes with 12 capsules in different flavors to allow new users to find the ones that suit their taste buds.
The Nespresso VertuoLine-Evoluo uses a patented Centrifusion technology to produce consistent and optimal brewing resultsBefore use, the capsules keep the coffee fresh until brewing. Each capsule is marked with a bar code. The Nespresso A+GCC1-US-BK-NE VertuoLine reads this bar code and uses the information to determine how much water, how long it should brew and the ideal brew temperature for the coffee contained in that particular capsule.
Once the machine has determined the brewing characteristics needed, the coffee grounds are saturated by water jetted into the capsule through tiny pinholes in the capsule. While this is taking place, the capsule itself is spinning at up to 7000 RPM (rounds per minute) in a process the company calls Centrifusion extraction. The Centrifusion not only allows complete saturation of the grounds, but allows complete extraction of the liquid after brewing.
In addition to the basic brewing, the Nespresso VertuoLine Evolou comes with a milk frother to allow perfect crema to be added to espresso and coffee. If hot crema is desired, the frothing process could take as much as two minutes. Cold crema is frothed to perfection in just a few seconds.
Anyone who wants to impress and please guests with quick, on demand servings of espresso or coffee should take a good look at the Nespresso VertuoLine Evolou Deluxe. Read reviews on Amazon >
4 Cuisinart SS-15 12-Cup Coffee Machine
The Cuisinart SS-15 is a machine that blends the convenience of on demand single serve coffee with the economy of batch brewing up to 12 cups at once. With its slick black and silver styling, the SS-15 feels perfectly at home in a modern kitchen.
There are situations where a single serve coffee maker really shines. When there are only a couple of people who need a cup of java or when many different people with different favorites each want coffee, being able to make a small portion or switch quickly between coffee blends is a huge advantage. By having the ability to brew single servings directly into a mug, wasted coffee and cleanup time is vastly reduced.
What makes the Cuisinart SS-15 really stand out is the versatility to use multiple types of coffee grounds for single serve brewing. Cuisinart makes its own single serve, recyclable capsules, which you simply pop into the machine to make a single mug of perfectly brewed coffee.
The Cuisinart SS-15 utilizes a reusable filter so that you can use your own preferred coffee groundsSince Cuisinart does not have a great variety of blends in the capsules they sell, they made the SS-15 K-Cup compatible. K-Cups are single serve blends sold by Keurig, the company that sells the extremely popular Keurig K55 coffee machine. Keurig focuses more on the coffee side of things, so that have something to please the palate of just about any coffee lover.
Lastly, the SS-15 has generic single serve filters that can be used with loose grounds. This is a godsend for anyone who already has a favorite blend of grounds and wants the ability to brew it a cup at a time.
Just like there are times when a single serve is best, there are also times when being able to batch brew many cups at once is great. The carafe side of the Cuisinart SS-15 caters to these situations. With its ability to turn any loose ground coffee blend into 12 cups of gourmet coffee, the SS-15 is an excellent solution to keeping a multitude of people thoroughly caffeinated.
Whether the situation calls for a single cup of coffee or enough to fuel a small office worth of people, we feel the Cuisinart SS-15 steps up to the plate and hits a home run on both fronts. Read reviews on Amazon >
5 Bonavita BV1900TS 8-Cup Coffee Brewer
The Bonavita BV1900TS is a coffee machine designed for daily drinkers who want the process of brewing fine coffee to be as simple as possible. Setup is easy, with the filter and carafe being the only items that need to be moved. The attached clear water reservoir is marked to make it simple to ensure that there is enough water for the brew.
One unique aspect of the BV1900TS is its pre-infusion setting. The purpose of pre-infusion is to saturate the coffee grounds with water for about a minute before the actual brewing process begins. Doing so helps ensure that the flavor extracted from the grounds is pulled evenly from all the grounds instead of having “hot spots” where some grounds get more saturated and more flavor is extracted from that area.
The pre-infusion process results in a better consistency between one batch and the next. Additionally, the resulting coffee is smoother and more subtle in flavor, while being slightly weaker. Because of this, those who want to use the pre-infusion process and who love strong coffee may want to experiment with adding more coffee grounds.
If there is one recurring criticism of the Bonavita BV1900TS, it is that the pre-infusion setting can be fiddly. Since turning the pre-infusion on and off uses the same button that brewing uses, it can be easy to miss the flashing light within the button that indicates that the setting has been turned on or off. While many would prefer that the indicator be in a place that can not be covered by a finger, this really amounts to less of a problem and more of a situation where paying a little attention is in order.
The bottom line is that the Bonavita BV1900TS is aimed at daily coffee drinkers in the real world. It’s ability to make perfect coffee in as simple a process as possible makes the entire coffee brewing process an enjoyable routine that you can look forward to doing on a daily basis, instead of something that becomes a time consuming chore. Read reviews on Amazon >
6 Best Value: Cuisinart DCC-3200 Perfect Temp Programmable Coffee Maker
The Cuisinart DCC-3200 Perfect Temp is a machine with many features, but few you might consider frills. For those running down the list of things you might expect to find in a high end coffee maker will probably find themselves saying “check” at virtually every feature of this machine.
One of its best features is its large 14-cup batch brew capacity, which is one of the largest of any home-use coffee maker. But for those who need less than a full batch, there is also a setting to brew a smaller batch. This added versatility allows the Cuisinart DCC-3200 to fill the needs of a single person or a large group.
Every coffee lover who uses a batch brewer has been in the position of desperately wanting a cup immediately, but being forced to choose between waiting for the batch to finish or make a mess and waste coffee by pulling the carafe out during the brew. The DCC-3200 Perfect Temp, however, cleverly eliminates this problem through a feature called “Brew Pause”, which tells the machine to stop so that you can pour a quick cup of coffee immediately without the messes or scalded hands.
The larger a batch is brewed, the longer it could potentially be sitting on the warmer. The DCC-3200 allows the warmer to stay on for up to four hours and has a temperature control setting that helps prevent it from burning during this period. In addition, you can program the machine to have a freshly brewed batch of coffee ready and waiting for you in the morning.
Overall, the Cuisinart DCC-3200 Perfect Temp is a terrifically versatile machine that combines virtually all the features one could desire in a single batch coffee brewer into a single gadget. Read reviews on Amazon >
7 Keurig K55 Coffee Maker
The Keurig K55 is a single serve coffee brewing system that is great for regular coffee drinkers who need only a cup at a time or groups who have varying tastes.
The K55 revolves around the K-Cup system, which utilizes prepackaged capsules that keep a single cup worth of coffee grounds fresh until it is time to brew. Having the individual servings sealed this way prevents the staleness that can come from having bulk coffee sitting around in an open package, a situation that those who drink regularly, but lightly, often find themselves encountering.
The Keurig K55’s intuitive touch button controls allow you to easily program and brew your coffeeAnother great advantage of using the K-Cup system is the ability to switch flavors. Users of the Keurig K55 can brew a cup of coffee, followed by a cup of tea then a cup of cocoa – all without the need to clean anything in between to prevent flavors from mixing.
For some, the proprietary K-Cup system can feel a be a bit intimidating because they may feel that they’re locked out of using bulk coffee, and worry about the cost. Fortunately, the K55 has an available filter that enables loose coffee to be used instead of a pre-packaged K-Cup. The guarantee of fresh grounds is lost, but the added versatility of using your own coffee ground blend may be worth it.
Not everyone needs to brew an entire carafe of coffee at once. Some people drink coffee regularly, but in small quantities. The Keurig K55 is especially well suited for these types of coffee lovers, as it allows them to get a quick cup of freshly brewed coffee whenever the urge hits. Read reviews on Amazon >
8 Best Budget Model: Hamilton Beach 49980A Coffee Machine
The Hamilton Beach 49980A is a great option for coffee lovers who want the convenience of a hybrid single serve and batch brewing system, but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to get it. While most of the bells and whistles of a more expensive machine may be absent here, this affordably priced unit still performs admirably without them.
The single serve brewer is a feature almost unheard of in this price range. It uses Senseo pads, which are bio degradable coffee inserts that can be found in most grocery stores. In addition, the Hamilton Beach 49980A has a permanent filter on the single serve side that allows loose grounds to be used. A normal paper filter can also be used if desired to minimize cleanup, although some tucking and twisting may be necessary to make it fit.
The other side of the machine is a basic batch brewer for when you want to make several cups of coffee at one time. While more expensive machines may outshine the Hamilton Beach 49980A, there’s really no better option out there for those looking for an inexpensive hybrid brewing system that makes decent quality coffee. Read reviews on Amazon >
Buying Guide: How To Choose The Best Coffee Maker
- Brew Capacity
- Size
- Appearance
- Warming System
- Proprietary Grounds
- Programmability
- Special Features
Brew Capacity
How much coffee can the machine make at once? This is an especially important factor for those who drink alone and only require a cup or two at a time, as well as those who have a pack of java fiends at home or in the office who make the coffee disappear as quickly as it was brewed. For the former, a single serve machine would probably be the best option, as they’re more than adequate for people who only need a cup or two and want a fresh brewed experience on demand.
The main advantage of single cup brewing coffee machines is that they virtually eliminate wasted coffee, as it’s brewed on an as needed basis. Also, since it doesn’t sit around on a warmer, it always has that freshly brewed flavor. Additionally, for situations where a great deal of coffee is not being consumed, a single serve brewer can result in significant energy savings over a batch brew coffee maker with a warming plate that is on for hours at a time.
Those who need big quantities to fill the needs of an entire crew of people will want to go with a batch brew system that has enough capacity. One caveat when looking at this number is that batch brew coffee makers are generally listed by the number of cups they make, but there is no standard for how large a cup can be in this context. In other words, one manufacturer may market a 14 cup machine, while another brand sells a 12 cup machine that makes exactly the same amount of coffee. Because of this, when choosing the appropriate cup size, be sure to find out how many ounces that manufacturer considers a cup to help you compare apples to apples.
What about people who usually need a single cup but sometimes need a whole pot of coffee? For these coffee lovers, the best option may be a hybrid coffee maker that allows both single and batch brewing. Barring that, the only other reasonable choice is a batch brewer that has a setting that enables it to make less than a full pot at a time.
Size
By this, we mean the physical dimensions of the unit. Coffee machines tend to have small footprints, but since filling water and coffee grounds tends to take place at the top, having a machine that barely fits under a cabinet might mean pulling it out into the open with every use. While not necessarily the most crucial aspect of a coffee maker, knowing how well the machine will fit into its eventual home is a good idea.
Appearance
Unlike many appliances, coffee makers tend to find a home on a counter top somewhere, visible to anyone who walks into the room. Because of this, manufacturers of these machines tend to stick to neutral colors that do not immediately clash with the existing decor. This is especially true of high end machines where choices tend to be silver and black or silver and black in different proportions.
Cheaper models often come in several different color schemes. If multiple color options are available, pay close attention to ensure that the right color is actually ordered. Anxiously tearing into a package with your mouth watering to taste the first cup brewed with the new unit can lead to incredible frustration when it needs to be immediately repackaged and returned because you somehow ended up with a red coffee machine for your yellow kitchen.
Warming System
Batch brew systems use two methods of keeping coffee warm: hot plate warmers and thermal carafes
A hot plate warmer is essentially a heating element that the carafe sits on. This is the traditional warming system found in any situation where a ready pot of coffee will be available for anyone who walks in. The biggest advantage of the warming system is that it can keep a pot of java warm for hours at a time.
Most of the high end brewing systems use a thermal carafe. This is basically an insulated pot that keeps the coffee hot. There are a couple of advantages to this system:
Firstly, there is no additional heat added to the coffee, so it does not get over brewed. Secondly, the carafe will keep the coffee hot anywhere you take it, not just when you have it placed in the machine. This allows one to take the carafe to the table for a meal where people can get refills from where they sit.
Flavor is a matter of, well, personal taste. Some people complain that coffee that has been on a hot plate warmer loses flavor, while others see no difference at all. The only objective measure of which method is better is whether a pot of hot coffee needs to be available for hours at a time, in which case the hot plate is probably better. Otherwise, it is all personal preference.
Proprietary Grounds
This consideration is really limited to single cup brewing systems. Some of these units are only compatible with a certain brand of coffee capsules. For anyone who worries about the price of these capsules or has a favorite blend of loose grounds, this is a big deal.
Before buying, find out whether this is the case. Some coffee makers are perfectly fine with loose grounds, having filters made specifically for them. Some allow the user to work around the limitation by jumping through some hoops. Some allow nothing but the proprietary filters.
Know whether you have the freedom to use different grounds and how much effort is required to do so. If brewing a cup of java feels like work, you probably won’t enjoy doing it.
Programmability
This is an odd feature. People either do not care in the slightest or consider the lack of programming to be a deal breaker. Again, personal taste. If you are someone who insists on a pot of freshly brewed coffee waiting when you wake up in the morning, be sure the coffee maker you are looking at has that feature. If you have no problem with putting in the grounds and starting the brew manually, you can ignore it.
Special Features
These are features that would traditionally be found on a different machine altogether but have become popular enough to be incorporated into the unit itself. A prime example of such a feature is a milk frother. For anyone who only drinks lattes, having the milk frother right on the coffee maker is a huge convenience over frothing the milk separately.
If a machine has a special feature or attachment that makes your life better or easier, it is worth weighing into the decision.
For many people, the first cup of coffee is a pleasurable experience that ushers in the new day. By paying attention to a few key factors when choosing a coffee maker, any coffee lover can ensure that he or she makes that experience as perfect as possible.
Comparison Chart
Our Top Pick
$$$$$
50 oz. Carafe
Batch Brew
Thermal
No
Best Value
$$
70 oz. Carafe
Batch Brew & Single Serve
Glass
Yes
Best Budget Model
$
60 oz. Carafe; 14 oz. Tank
Batch Brew & Single Serve
Glass
Yes
Best “2-in-1” Espresso/Coff.
$$$$
54 oz. Reservoir
Single Serve
None
Yes
Top Rated
$$$$
50 oz. Carafe
Batch Brew & Single Serve
Thermal
Yes
Top Rated
$$$$
43 oz. Carafe
Batch Brew & Single Serve
Thermal
Yes
Very Good
$$$
48 oz. Carafe
Batch Brew & Single Serve
Thermal
Yes
Very Good
$$$
40 oz. Carafe
Batch Brew & Single Serve
Thermal
No
Good
$$
48 oz. Reservoir
Single Serve
None
Yes
Best Commercial Model
$$$$
60 oz. Carafe
Batch Brew
Glass
No
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