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Best Coffee Maker 2020

Can’t talk. Need coffee.

Ah. That’s one good cup of coffee!

If your morning cup of coffee doesn’t have this effect on you, you’re doing it wrong! We care about coffee and believe it should be more than just a way to kick your brain into action in the morning.

Coffee, when made well with the right coffee maker, can be a culinary delight. A gourmet adventure.

And hey, you don’t need to be a Starbucks barista to learn how to make a good cup. We reviewed coffee machines that were both practical, affordable and easy to use. Pick one of these and you’ll be a coffee connoisseur in no time.

Coffee Makers Considered – 75

Cups of Coffee Tested – 57

Reviewers Consulted – 49

Manufacturers Quizzed – 13

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How We Picked the Best Coffee Makers for 2020

There was one thing that was more important than anything else when testing these coffee makers. The flavor and quality of the coffee brewed.

To test this, we compared in a few different ways.

To differentiate the Keurigs, we tested each Keurig with the same K-Cup to see how it performed. For the pour-over coffee makers, we used the same coffee beans with the same medium-coarse grind size. And so on.

We also tried out some different beans. When we contacted manufacturers and coffee experts, some had recommendations for us on what works best with each coffee maker. While we did take this into consideration, we had to be realistic. Is a coffee maker that only works well with premium grade beans from Indonesia really a good all-round coffee maker to recommend to everyone, or is it a specialist coffee maker that can’t really be compared accurately?

Once we’d ensured that every coffee maker on our list would provide an excellent cup of coffee, we looked at these features:

  • Performance – is it smooth? Is it noisy? We looked at how it performed and kept an eye out for signs of weakness or poor reliability.
  • Ease of use – it’s not just about how many buttons you need to press. A coffee maker with complex functions can be very easy to use, depending on how the manufacturer sets up the control panel. Similarly, a simple coffee maker can be difficult to use if manufactured poorly.
  • Materials – this applies mostly to filters and carafes. Gold-tone and double layered stainless-steel mesh filters are excellent. Water filters are also good, but the effect they have on the overall coffee flavor is minimal unless you have very hard tap water. As for carafes and pitchers, vacuum walled stainless-steel and borosilicate glass are the best you can find.
  • Cost – is it worth the cost? We compared the cost of each coffee maker with the features available and similar coffee makers available in the market. We also looked at what the warranty will cover and any potential costs you could incur from paper filters, faulty parts, and manufacturer’s defects.

The Different Types of Coffee Makers

Do you know your drip from your pour-over? To judge each coffee maker fairly, we compared them to other coffee makers of the same type. Our best cold brew is the best from the cold brew category, for example.

Here are the different types available for 2019 so you can decide which will be best for you.

Pod Coffee Makers – brands like Keurig and Nespresso use pods. Coffee is pre-packaged into pods that the machine quickly pushes water through to create your cup of coffee. These are convenient and quick, but some pods can be expensive, they create a lot of waste, and the flavor will never compare to freshly ground coffee.

Pod Coffee Makers

Drip Coffee Makers – brands that make drip coffee include Cuisinart, Technivorm, and KRUPS to name a few. Hot water is dispensed over coffee grinds in a filter (coarse grinds are best) which slowly drips down into a carafe or cup. It’s slower but ensures a fuller extraction and a good flavor.

Drip Coffee Makers

Cold Brew Coffee Makers – some programmable coffee makers can produce a cold brew (look at Ninja and Keurig) but if you want the traditional, you’ll need a dedicated cold brew coffee maker. This produces a cold brew that’s low on acidity compared to hot brewed coffee. You’ll brew coarse grounds for at least 12 hours in the fridge, then dilute some of the coffee over ice, with water or milk.

Cold Brew Coffee Makers

Pour Over Coffee Makers – the traditional and best pour over is the Chemex, but there are plenty of other brands to explore. You simply place coffee in a filter, pour over water, and let it slowly extract through. It’s similar to a drip coffee but low tech and very easy to use!

Pour Over Coffee Makers

French Press Coffee Makers – CoffeeGator, Kona and Bodum are the market leaders for French Presses. You add your coffee grinds and hot water, wait 3-4 minutes, press down the filter to trap the grinds and pour into a mug. It’s very simple but can take time to master getting the right grind and water temperature.

French Press Coffee Makers

Espresso Coffee Makers – Breville, De’Longhi and Vertuo make great home espresso machines. To make espresso you need 9-bars of pressure. If a coffee maker doesn’t have a pump to provide that pressure, it can’t make a true espresso! These are very expensive and impressive machines that can take months to master even if you really love coffee.

Espresso Coffee Makers

Programmable Coffee Makers – most modern coffee machines are electronic, with the exception of the pour-over, cold brew, and French Presses. What makes a coffee maker programmable, however, is the ability to adjust the settings. Whether it’s temperature control or an auto-timer for brewing coffee at 9am every morning.

Programmable Coffee Makers

Moka Pot – stovetop coffee makers that are great for camping in particular! Fill the bottom chamber with water and the middle chamber with ground coffee. Once placed over a stove, the water turns to steam and rises through the grinds to the top chamber where your finished coffee collects. It’s low tech and easy to use but does require a stovetop or heat source.

Moka Pot

Percolator – the good ol’ traditional way of making coffee. Hot or boiling water is passed through grinds held in a filter or chamber to fill the coffee pot. Just let that water sit there until the strength is suitable for your tastes. It’s hard to be precise when brewing coffee with a percolator.

Percolator

If you’re still unsure about which type of coffee maker is right for you, get stuck in by reading our reviews! Our best coffee maker for 2019 is suitable for all kitchens and is perfect for beginners and coffee connoisseurs alike.

The 16 Best Coffee Makers of 2020

Keurig K-Elite(Best All-Round)

Best Keurig Coffee Maker

  • Single-serve coffee maker in 4 cup sizes, 2 brew strengths, over-ice option and hot water dispensing
  • Large removable 75oz water reservoir with water temperature control and auto-shut off energy saver
  • Brews Keurig K-Cups and your own choice of ground coffee for delicious tasting coffee

Our Rating: 8.6/10

Wait a minute. A Keurig in the number one spot? Can a pod coffee maker compete with the flavor from a coffee maker that uses freshly ground coffee?

It took us by surprise too, but the K-Elite has earnt its place here.

It produces single servings using either K-Cup pods or your own freshly ground coffee – you’ll need to buy the My K-Cup reusable coffee filter separately.

This is one of the few coffee makers on the market that can handle both pods and fresh coffee exceptionally well. That alone had us considering it for the best coffee maker for 2019. But it was the fantastic range of extra features that swayed us.

Brew coffee at regular or bold strengths at your desired temperature (adjustable from 187° – 192°F) in 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, 10oz or 12oz sizes. It brews a full cup in about 60 seconds. The drip tray, which holds a full 12oz if you dispense coffee by accident, is removable to fit a 7.2-inch-tall travel mug.

You can also dispense hot water for tea, hot chocolate, and even instant soup. Or if you don’t fancy a hot beverage, you can select ‘over ice’ to produce a perfect iced coffee.

It’s not just the temperature that’s controllable but also the auto-start feature (program in time for breakfast coffee) and auto-shut off. It’s set to turn off after 2 hours, but we had no trouble reprogramming it in 15-minute increments.

Finally, we found it to be a reliable and sturdy coffee maker. With the capability to brew fresh ground coffee, the quality of your cup of coffee can be exceptional. It’s blissfully easy to use whether you pick fresh ground coffee or K-Cups!

Best Keurig Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: removable 75oz reservoir
  • Filter: in-built pod filter or My K-Cup reusable coffee filter
  • Brew Strengths: regular, bold or over ice
  • Brew Pause and Timers: auto-start and auto-shut off
  • Coffee Required: K-Cups or fresh medium-coarse ground coffee
  • Serving Sizes: 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, and 12oz
  • Dishwasher Safe: no
  • Warranty: limited 1-year warranty


Technivorm Moccamaster KBG(Runner-Up Best)

Technivorm Moccamaster Best Coffee Maker

  • Includes copper boiling elements, 9-hole outlet arm for even extraction and an independent hot plate
  • Brews up to 40oz of fresh coffee with paper or permanent filters in 6 minutes into the glass carafe
  • Great design both inside and out, plus it’s available in 20 different colors

Our Rating: 8.5/10

The Moccamaster from Technivorm has a hefty price tag attached. But, in our opinion, it is certainly worth the money if you have it.

What makes the coffee so good from this drip coffee maker is the technology used. The Moccamaster doesn’t just drop water onto coffee and collect it on the other side. It uses a copper boiling element to control the water temperature at 196°-205°F. Next, that water passes through evenly distributed coffee via a 9-hole outlet arm. Like the Ninja showerhead, this is essential for the smooth extraction.

Finally, it collects in a carafe that’s heated 185°F or 175°F (your choice) for 100-minutes… without burning your coffee.

You can buy #4 paper filters for this coffee maker, but we found permanent filters were superior and are very easy to find on Amazon.

What makes the KBG model different from the KB and KBS is the automatic drip. Place the carafe in place and it will start dripping through coffee. Take it out for a quick cup, and it will automatically stop dripping.

After chatting with some coffee lovers who use the Moccamaster daily, we did experiment and put the carafe on the top rack of the dishwasher. It’s not marked as dishwasher safe (hence our hesitation at first), but if your dishwasher is relatively gentle it will be fine.

Considering that’s the only fault we could find, and the very good quality of coffee it produces, the Moccamaster nearly made it to the number 1 spot!

Technivorm Moccamaster Best Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: 40oz
  • Filter: Technivorm #4 paper coffee filters
  • Brew Strengths: no
  • Brew Pause and Timers: auto-shut off, auto drip-stop brew-basket
  • Coffee Required: fresh medium-coarse ground coffee
  • Serving Sizes: 40oz glass carafe
  • Dishwasher Safe: not recommended
  • Warranty: 5-year manufacturer’s warranty

Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200(Best Drip Coffee Maker)

Cuisinart Coffee Maker

  • 12-cup 60oz drip coffee brewer with permanent gold-tone filter and charcoal water filter
  • Adjustable warming plate with 3 temperature settings and auto-shut off
  • Dishwasher safe glass carafe for easy cleaning – this coffee maker is highly convenient!

Our Rating: 8.6/10

There are so many drip coffee makers out there. They’re without a doubt the most popular coffee makers in the market. So, why pick the Cuisinart Brew Central?

It’s highly convenient, a reasonable price, easy to use, and most importantly it creates delicious coffee. Seriously, what more could you want? The combination of charcoal and gold-tone filters with Cuisinart’s drip brew tech results in a deliciously smooth brew every time with your favorite coffee beans.

It uses a flat-based permanent filter which evens out the grinds more than a cone-shaped filter. As a result, we found that medium-fine grinds were better than medium grinds for this particular drip coffee maker. It just gives you a better extraction as the water pours through.

Programmable features include brew pause, programmable auto-start, and programmable auto-shutoff. To brew a certain number of cups, you can either fill the carafe completely and choose between a full carafe or 1-4 cup mode. Alternatively, you can partly fill the reservoir with however much you want to brew. Don’t forget to adjust the amount of coffee you use.

The only slight issue you might have with our best drip coffee maker is that there’s no brew strength selector. You can of course simply add more coffee and reduce the water in the reservoir, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to ask for a brew strength selector to be built in.

Best Cuisinart Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: 60oz
  • Filter: charcoal water filter and permanent gold-tone coffee filter
  • Brew Strengths: no
  • Brew Pause and Timers: brew pause, programmable auto-start and auto-shut off
  • Coffee Required: fresh medium-fine ground coffee
  • Serving Sizes: 60oz 12-cup carafe (5oz per cup)
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes
  • Warranty: limited 3-year warranty

Ovalware RJ3 Cold Brew Maker(Best Cold Brew)

Ovalware RJ3 Cold Brew Maker

  • Strong borosilicate glass, fridge-friendly design and a silicone seal that keeps coffee fresh for 2 weeks
  • Engineered with professional grade materials including medical-grade stainless-steel
  • Brews hot or cold coffee and tea with a permanent filter

Our Rating: 8.5/10

This cold brew coffee maker is surprisingly versatile. Cold coffee, cold tea, hot coffee, hot tea… with a stainless-steel filter and borosilicate glass pitcher, this cold brew coffee maker can handle anything.

We tested it first with coffee before moving on to our favorite herbal teas. The great thing about the high-quality materials that Ovalware use, is that they don’t hold on to the flavors and odors of whatever was in there last. Plus, with the silicone seal, you can leave your cold brew coffee in the fridge for up to 2 weeks without the flavor leaking out.

To use, fill with room temperature filtered water and add coffee grinds to the filter (as coarse a grind as possible, as it’s going to be brewing for at least 12 hours) and pop it in the fridge. The base diameter is just 4.6-inches, so it fits snuggly next to the milk carton and OJ.

If you haven’t used a cold brew maker before, you might not know that you must dilute your coffee to taste. The cold brew method always results in a very strong brew as the coffee grinds are in there for so long. But the good thing is that without hot water, your coffee beans aren’t roasted further. Cold brew made with the Ovalware is smooth and low on acidity.

It’s very hard to go wrong with this coffee maker, we highly recommend it for anyone who loves an iced coffee!

Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker Features

  • Materials: lab-tested borosilicate glass and BPA-free silicone
  • Filter: medical-grade stainless-steel dual mesh filter
  • Coffee Required: fresh coarse ground coffee
  • Serving Size: up to 34oz
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes
  • Warranty: 1-year warranty


Keurig K-Cafe (Best Single Serve)

Keurig K-Cafe

  • Single-serve coffee maker with milk frother for regular and specialty coffee beverages
  • Fits mugs and cups up to 7.2-inches tall with removable drip tray
  • Creates mock-espressos from any K-Cup of your choice

Our Rating: 8.2/10

A single serve coffee maker that doesn’t see ‘single serve’ as ‘single function’. The Keurig K-Café provides the most choice for single serve coffee drinkers who want convenient cups of coffee… fast!

Using K-Cups (eliminates the need to use paper filters if you don’t have the reusable filter), you can select a brew size from 2oz to 10oz or ‘shot’, a regular or bold brew, or specialty beverage. Next, select your milk frothing style – latte, cappuccino, or cold for iced coffee beverages.

Combine the two in a mug or travel cup and go. All in all, you can brew a coffee and froth milk in around 3-4 minutes. If the machine allowed us to do both brewing and frothing simultaneously, it would be 2-3 minutes. We can dream.

We should clarify something. To make an espresso, you need 9-bars of pressure to create a rich crema. The Keurig K-Café can’t make espresso, but it can make a very highly concentrated shot of coffee that’s ideal for making lattes, cappuccinos and other espresso-based beverages.

You can fit travel mugs up to 7.2-inches tall in the K-Café, which is plenty of space for a latte glass too. The milk frothing jug is dishwasher safe and the unit itself is simple to clean. It will flash at you when it needs descaling.

As we confirmed during our review process, K-Cups will never taste as good as freshly ground coffee. BUT. They still taste good and this is still our coffee maker of choice for single-servings. Grinding and brewing coffee freshly just takes too long to be worth it for single servings.

Best Keurig Single Serve Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: 60oz
  • Filter: Keurig My K-Cup Universal Reusable Coffee Filter
  • Brew Strengths: regular or strong brew
  • Brew Pause and Timers: energy save switch-off
  • Coffee Required: K-Cups
  • Serving Sizes: 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, and 12oz
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes
  • Warranty: 1-year limited warranty


Chemex Classic (Best Pour Over )

Chemex Pour Over Coffee Maker

  • The original way to make coffee, Chemex pour over produces 8 cups of fresh coffee from coarse grinds
  • Use paper filters or buy a permanent filter for the borosilicate glass coffee maker
  • Easy to pour and effortlessly elegant with a polished wooden collar and leather tie

Our Rating: 8.3/10

Hey, wait a minute. Haven’t we seen the Chemex somewhere before? Yep, this is such a classic coffee maker that one can be spotted in Interstellar (2014), Monica’s apartment in Friends (1994), and in the James Bond novel ‘From Russia, With Love’ (1957), just to name a few.

It’s our top pick for the best pour over coffee maker category thanks to the high quality and lovely design. The non-porous borosilicate glass locks in the heat, is very sturdy (for glass) and easy to clean. The non-porous structure prevents coffee oils clinging to the glass and turning stale over time.

Plus, it’s dishwasher proof if you untie the wooden collar and leather tie!

The 8-cup (40oz) Chemex is our size of choice. It puts each ‘cup’ at 5oz. So, if you pour out your regular 8oz cup (American standard coffee size) you’ve got 4 servings. Perfect for the whole family at breakfast! There’s also 3-cup, 6-cup and 10-cup options with the choice of a glass handle or traditional collar.

Using it is convenient but slow. Use a filter, add the coffee, slowly pour over the hot water and wait for it to flow through.

For pour over coffee, no other brand can compete.

If you decide to hunt out the best price for your Chemex, make sure you check the name of the distributor. Only specific distributors on Amazon are covered by Chemex warranty.

Chemex Pour Over Coffee Maker Features

  • Materials: non-porous borosilicate glass, wooden handle
  • Filter: paper Chemex bonded filters
  • Coffee Required: fresh medium-coarse ground coffee
  • Serving Size: 40oz (8-cup model)
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes
  • Warranty: 1-year limited warranty


Capresso CoffeeTEAM TS 465 (Best with A Grinder)

Capresso Best Coffee Maker

  • 50oz drip coffee maker with steel conical burr grinder and stainless-steel 10-cup carafe
  • Grinds fresh whole beans or pre-ground with a permanent gold-tone filter and charcoal water filter
  • Programmable with auto-shut off, brew pause, and timer

Our Rating: 7.8/10

The Capresso Coffee TEAM TS contains a truly beautiful blender without compromising on the coffee brewing capabilities, earning it the best coffee maker with a grinder title.

We personally tested the model with the stainless-steel carafe. The glass carafe model, for some bizarre reason, is a few dollars more expensive. In our opinion, thermal stainless-steel trumps glass every time. It’s better at keeping in the heat and 10x more durable.

Yes, this coffee maker has been in production for a decade now… doesn’t that just tell you everything about the quality and demand?

To finetune the taste of your coffee, you’ve got a charcoal filter to remove water impurities and a permanent gold-tone filter. You can use paper filters size 4 if needed too.

The grinder is a superior conical burr grinder with 5 different grind settings from fine to coarse, depending on the oiliness/darkness of your beans. You can also turn off the grinder function if you want to use pre-ground beans – usually to stop the grinder waking everyone up or to speed up the coffee making process.

Although it’s listed as the best coffee maker with a grinder, it’s also impressively programmable. You can program 2 different settings, 1 for when it auto-starts on the timer, and 1 for when you manually use the coffee maker.

Components are dishwasher safe and well-constructed. This coffee maker and grinder are going to stick with you for the long-term!

Capresso Best Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: solid steel conical burr blades
  • Reservoir: 6oz bean hopper, 50oz water reservoir
  • Filter: charcoal water filter, permanent gold-tone coffee filter
  • Brew Strengths: mild, medium or strong
  • Brew Pause and Timers: auto-shut off, programmable timer, brew pause
  • Coffee Required: fresh roasted whole beans or pre-ground
  • Serving Sizes: 2-10 cups, up to 50oz carafe
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes
  • Warranty: 1-year warranty


Kona French Press (Best French Press)

Kona Coffee French Press

  • 34oz borosilicate glass French press with stainless steel mesh filter
  • BPA/BPS-free plastic (no plastic comes into contact with your coffee)
  • Comfortable handle and drip-free spout for easy coffee pouring

Our Rating: 7.8/10

Hawaiian Kona coffee beans are known as the champagne of the coffee bean world. So, when you find a French press named “Kona” you know you’re in for something special!

Most French presses are either glass (easy to monitor your coffee brew and elegant to look at) or stainless-steel (near impossible to break and better at retaining heat). Both have advantages and disadvantages.

What the Kona has done is combine the pros of both. You can monitor your brew through an elegant borosilicate glass French press while feeling happy knowing the outer protector will lock heat in and protect it from bumps.

Also available as a 12oz French press, all you need to do is add coarse ground coffee (2 scoops or around 20g) and boiling water. Add the plunger and lid, but don’t press down!

You’ll need to wait 3-4 minutes before pressing down the plunger and pouring out your coffee. How long exactly will depend on the coffee you use. When the plunger seems to resist being pushed down, it’s time to press it down fully.

It’s hands down the quietest and easiest way to brew coffee. It’s not the quickest, however, and we would highly recommend you find a grinder so you can use fresh beans. It drastically improves the taste.

We had a 90-day only warranty from the seller we bought our test model from, so make sure you double check that before buying!

Best Kona Coffee French Press Features

  • Materials: thick borosilicate glass and insulated plastic outer shell
  • Filter: stainless-steel filter screen
  • Coffee Required: fresh coarse ground coffee
  • Serving Size: up to 34oz
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes
  • Warranty: 90-days


Ninja Coffee Programmable Brewer CE201 (Best Programmable)

Ninja Programmable Coffee Brewer

  • Brews up to 60oz in a glass carafe that stays toasty on the adjustable precision temp warming plate
  • Custom Brew Technology and Ninja’s Thermal Flavor Extraction Technology ensures delicious coffee
  • Completely programmable with timers, auto-start and mid-brew pause without drips.

Our Rating: 7.8/10

If you’re looking for the best programmable coffee maker, you’re looking for ease of use, convenience, and reliability. You want to make the coffee making process as smooth as possible without losing coffee quality. The Ninja Coffee Programmable Brewer CE201 does that perfectly.

It’s the baby brother of the Ninja coffee system. It doesn’t have the frothing arm or a million different brew options (just classic or rich), it focuses on quality instead. Fill the reservoir and it will brew however much is in there.

Hidden inside is an XL showerhead to perfect distribute water over the grinds, so this drip coffee maker never produces burnt, bitter, or over-extracted coffee. Plus, within the carafe, there’s a ‘flavor straw’ which basically churns those coffee oils and flavors around, so it stays fresh and delicious even when it’s sat there for hours.

The permanent filter (you’ll need to add a paper filter if using medium-fine or fine coffee grounds) and carafe are both dishwasher safe on the top rack. The reservoir is removable, but that doesn’t need anything more than a quick rinse every now and then.

All in all, it’s simple from the outside but exceptionally clever on the inside. A very good cup of coffee in terms of hotness, the speed of brew and flavor. Extremely convenient and definitely the go-to coffee maker for professionals who love coffee and smart kitchen appliances.

Best Ninja Programmable Coffee Brewer Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: removable 60oz
  • Filter: reusable gold-mesh filter
  • Brew Strengths: classic or rich
  • Brew Pause and Timers: adjustable heater plate, timer, auto-shut off, mid-brew pause
  • Coffee Required: fresh medium ground coffee
  • Serving Sizes: carafe up to 60oz
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes, top rack
  • Warranty: 1-year limited warranty


Hamilton Beach 49980A (Best Cheap Coffee Maker)

Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker

  • Simple coffee brewer with bold and regular strengths, single serve and full carafe brewing
  • The programmable timer makes it ideal for early-morning workers who need coffee to get going
  • Dishwasher safe permanent filter and carafe included

Our Rating: 7.6/10

Our favorite Hamilton Beach and the best cheap coffee maker on our list. For the price, just over $50, you’ve got all the basic functions to create a tasty cup or carafe of coffee.

It’s a very basic coffee maker to use. Fill the reservoir, add the filter and coffee, press a button and wait. It will automatically brew however much you filled in the reservoir you’ve selected. Fill the carafe reservoir with 9oz and you’ll get a 9oz pot of coffee.

As you’d expect from the best cheap coffee maker, it is limited. You’re not making a latte with this Hamilton Beach. But you can use your own travel mug or just a mug from your kitchen. The separate single serve and carafe functions almost make it feel like 2 separate machines wielded together.

Nonetheless, it’s reliable and convenient. You can program it to get started in the mornings before you get up, grab a cup mid-brew without worrying about drips everywhere, and let it sit on the warming plate for ages to stay warm before the 2-hour auto shut-off.

In trade for the low price, you have got a bit of a wait. When testing a full carafe, it took near 8 minutes to produce the full 12 cups. You’ll also need to pay for paper filters if you want to keep it in tip-top shape.

Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: 14oz single serve reservoir, separate 12-cup carafe reservoir
  • Filter: permanent single serve filter, paper filters required
  • Brew Strengths: regular or bold
  • Brew Pause and Timers: auto-pause, programmable timer, auto shut-off
  • Coffee Required: fresh medium ground coffee
  • Serving Sizes: 14oz travel cup, up to 12-cup carafe
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes
  • Warranty: 1-year warranty


Breville Barista Express BES870XL

Breville Best Espresso Coffee Maker

  • Complete espresso maker with all the accessories and grinder incorporated
  • Perfect for beginner espresso students with User Manual, special filters and pre-programmed settings
  • Allows you to calculate and extract the perfect espresso from your favorite beans

Our Rating: 7.8/10

What a machine! The Breville Barista Expresso maker features everything you’d expect on a professional barista’s espresso machine, but with the ease of use and compact size of a home coffee maker.

Included in the box is the coffee machine itself (15-bar Italian pump, burr grinder, volumetric control, pressure gauge, removable drip tray, and thermocoil heating system) plus all the extras you need, such as the stainless-steel portafilter, tamping tool, and scoop.

If that went completely over your head, don’t sweat!

The Breville Barista Express is designed to be accessible to everyone. Follow the guide to set up the maker and enjoy perfect espresso every time by using the dual-wall pressurized filters. These help you achieve a perfect extraction until you master the art of grinding, dosing, tamping and pulling an espresso shot for yourself.

Extra features just to make it a little more friendly include a cup warmer, swivel-action steam wand, cleaning set, cleaning light alert and auto-purge function.

The flavor of coffee you get from grinding fresh whole beans and making your own espresso is unbeatable. Even if you can’t afford the magnificent Breville, you should always aim to use your own fresh beans and grinder for making coffee at home!

If you’re keen on espresso and you have the budget, you should definitely think about the Breville. It’s not cheap but still a worthy investment for a wannabe coffee connoisseur.

Breville Best Espresso Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: stainless-steel conical burr grinder
  • Reservoir: removable 67oz
  • Filter: 2x dual-wall pressurized filter, 2x single-wall non-pressurized filter
  • Brew Strengths: n/a
  • Brew Pause and Timers: n/a
  • Coffee Required: fresh roasted dark whole beans
  • Serving Sizes: espresso 1oz
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes, partially
  • Warranty: 1-year limited warranty


Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System CP301

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System CP301

  • Sensational number of brew options include hot tea and coffee, iced coffee and specialty beverages
  • Frothing arm for foamy milk and glass 50oz carafe included
  • Programmable coffee maker with drip stop function, auto-start timers, and auto-off

Our Rating: 7.7/10

The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System is capable of delivering 6 different brew sizes, 5 different brew strengths, specialty beverages, milk frothing, and tea. Wow.

On top of that, you’ve also got a drip stop function that pauses the brew if you want to grab a cup from the carafe before the brew is completely finished, plus programmable extras. Set it up to auto brew for when you wake up and set the time period it should wait before auto-shutting off.

The carafe included is glass and holds 50oz on the warming plate.

Your coffee options are:

  • Classic – your regular cuppa Joe
  • Rich – a bold option that’s stronger than the Classic
  • Over Ice – a very quick brew that’s designed to go over ice for instant cold coffee
  • Cold Brew – a traditional long (10-minutes) brew that produces a sweet cold coffee
  • Specialty – creates just the right coffee for making a Latte, Cappuccino, Americano…. The list goes on.

For tea, you can select all of these brew strengths too, plus you have additional brew settings to select from. Herbal, black, oolong, white and green settings alter the brew to make a perfect tea each time.

Convenience is relatively good. Most parts are dishwasher safe, including the removable reservoir, plus your 2 filters for tea and coffee are permanent.

The best coffee machine for those that always want to try something new!

Best Ninja Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: removable 50oz
  • Filter: permanent coffee filter, permanent tea filter
  • Brew Strengths: yes
  • Brew Pause and Timers: drip stop, timer, and auto-off
  • Coffee Required: fresh medium ground coffee
  • Serving Sizes: cup (9.5oz), XL cup (11.5oz), travel (14oz), XL multi-serve (18oz), half carafe (25oz), full carafe (50oz)
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes, top rack
  • Warranty: 1-year limited warranty


KRUPS Savoy Turbo Drip Coffee Maker

KRUPS Coffee Maker

  • Auto-start programming for weekdays and weekends with ‘Keep Warm’ function up to 4 hours
  • 12-cup carafe fills 35% faster with Turbo Boost
  • The permanent gold-tone coffee filter reduces cost and waste from paper filters

Our Rating: 7.8/10

The EC414050 Savoy drip coffee maker from KRUPS is a midrange brewer with all the functions you need – and none of the excess accessories you don’t.

Brew a full carafe in an average of 5 minutes or so. The speed isn’t what attracted us to this coffee maker, obviously. We just love the features!

This is ideal for people who are fussy about coffee… but still want the convenience of a programmed coffee maker. It’s one of the best programmable coffee makers, in fact. You can set auto-start at different times for weekdays and weekends, plus adjust the water temperature and ‘Keep Warm’ timer.

Although it includes a permanent filter for your coffee (that works best with medium to coarse ground coffee) there’s also space for paper filters if desired.

You can choose to brew a full carafe in the 12-cup glass carafe, or 1-4 cups, by just hitting a button for a regular or bold coffee! You can also use the turbo function to speed up the brewing by 35%.

Although glass carafes tend to be inferior to stainless-steel thermal carafes, the box shape of this coffee maker does an excellent job at sealing in heat.

KRUPS warranty varies for accessories and electrical appliances – for this coffee maker, it’s 2 years.

The permanent filter and glass carafe are dishwasher safe on the top rack. The only thing that’s inconvenient is the reservoir, which isn’t removable. The unit is already 15.5-inches tall, so if you’re brewing in a small space it can be quite tight!

KRUPS Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: 64oz
  • Filter: permanent gold-tone coffee filter, water filter cartridge
  • Brew Strengths: yes, regular or bold
  • Brew Pause and Timers: programmable, auto shut-off timer, pause and serve
  • Coffee Required: fresh medium-fine ground coffee
  • Serving Size: 12-cup carafe (full carafe or 1-4 cup brew)
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes, top rack
  • Warranty: 2-year warranty

Coffee Gator Vacuum Insulated French Press

Gator French Press Coffee Maker

  • Large 34oz capacity is the largest on the market, plus mini coffee canister included in the box
  • Made from professional-grade 304 stainless-steel is extremely sturdy and brightly painted
  • Vacuum-layered Gator French Press seals in heat for 60 minutes longer than glass!

Our Rating: 8.2/10

French press coffee makers are known for being simple, but that hasn’t stopped CoffeeGator from refining their super-sized French press to dominate the coffee maker market! The brand has been going from strength to strength and we’re expecting great things from these quirky coffee lovers in 2019.

The 34oz vacuum insulated French press is made from high-quality materials. The stainless-steel used to create the vacuum wall and double filtration system is extremely sturdy and designed to filter out any sediment.

You could pour 4 cups of coffee from this monster French press! And hey, don’t worry about the coffee maker if you drop it… worry more about the floor. It’s a very sturdy construction that will last for years to come. So, don’t be put off by the 1-year warranty.

Unfortunately, the paintwork is not as sturdy. Available in green, gray, orange and pink, these attractive colors can chip away if broken and wear away over time if you wash it in the dishwasher after every use.

That’s not necessary though. The stainless-steel interior won’t hold on to the coffee. Just give it a quick rinse in the sink after you’ve brewed and a wipe down with a dishcloth.

Overall, we highly recommend this French press (and matching coffee canister) for anyone who loves brewing with the French press method – even with a history of smashing glass presses in the past!

Gator French Press Coffee Maker Features

  • Material: vacuum insulated 304 stainless-steel
  • Filter: spring-loaded, double-screen, stainless-steel filter
  • Coffee Required: fresh coarse ground coffee
  • Serving Size: up to 34oz
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes, but not recommended
  • Warranty: 1-year warranty


BUNN NHS Velocity Brew 10-Cup Home Coffee Brewer

BUNN NHS Velocity Brew 10-Cup Home Coffee

  • Stainless-steel water reservoir pre-heats coffee for brewing a full 10-cup carafe in 3 minutes
  • Multi-Stream Sprayhead evenly extracts coffee in the flat-bottomed paper filters
  • Includes glass carafe and ceramic warmer plate to keep your carafe toasty warm

Our Rating: 7.2/10

With a nifty stainless-steel reservoir, the BUNN NHS drip coffee maker provides one of the quickest 10-cup carafes from any coffee maker on our list. It’s beautifully simple yet very clever.

Turn this BUNN coffee maker on, and instantly it starts to heat up your water in the reservoir. By keeping your water at the perfect temperature whenever the coffee maker has power, it’s able to provide a very quick cup of coffee. You can brew a 10-cup carafe in 3 minutes, although you do need to use more coffee than normal to achieve your usual strength coffee. A sign of under extraction!

Once brewed, the coffee machine keeps that carafe at the perfect drinking temperature thanks to the ceramic plate.

When it comes to technical features, the BUNN keeps it very straightforward. You can turn off the pre-heating reservoir and the ceramic warming plate manually. Other than that, you have one option. To brew or not to brew!

A feature we weren’t expecting was the lid of the reservoir tank. Instead of flipping open like the GR model, the NHS model swivels to the side, allowing you to pour in your water. Ideal for storing this coffee maker in tight spaces and under cabinets!

The glass carafe and brew funnel are top rack dishwasher safe, adding to this highly convenient and quick everyday coffee brewer.

Best BUNN Coffee Maker Features

  • Grinder: no
  • Reservoir: 50oz
  • Filter: BUNN paper filters
  • Brew Strengths: no
  • Brew Pause and Timers: no
  • Coffee Required: medium-coarseness ground coffee
  • Serving Sizes: carafe, 20oz to 50oz (4 to 10 cups)
  • Dishwasher Safe: yes, top rack
  • Warranty: 3-year warranty


Comparison List Between Products

Coffee Maker Award Overall Rating Performance Ease of Use Cleaning Features Value for Money Reliability Aesthetics Warranty
Keurig K-Elite Best All-Round 8.6 10 10 9 10 9 9 7 5
Technivorm Moccamaster Runner-Up Best 8.5 10 8 9 8 6 9 8 10
Cuisinart Brew Central Best Drip Coffee Maker 8.6 9 10 8 8 10 7 9 8
Ovalware RJ3 Best Cold Brew 8.5 9 10 10 6 8 10 10 5
Keurig K-Cafe Best Single Serve 8.2 8 9 9 10 9 8 8 5
Chemex Classic Best Pour Over 8.3 9 10 10 6 7 10 10 5
Capresso CoffeeTEAM TS Best with A Grinder 7.8 9 9 7 8 9 7 9 5
Kona French Press Best French Press 7.8 9 10 9 6 8 10 9 2
Ninja Coffee Programmable Brewer Best Programmable 7.8 9 10 7 8 8 8 8 5
Hamilton Beach 49980A Best Cheap Coffee Maker 7.6 7 9 10 7 10 7 6 5
Breville Barista Express 7.8 10 6 8 10 6 9 9 5
Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System 7.7 9 7 5 10 9 8 9 5
KRUPS Savoy Turbo 7.8 8 9 8 8 8 6 10 6
CoffeeGator French Press 8.2 9 10 10 6 7 10 9 5
BUNN NHS Velocity Brew 7.2 7 10 7 7 6 8 7 6

3 Things You Need to Make Your Coffee Maker Shine

Does making coffee often lead you to head scratching?

You’ve followed the manual carefully and yet your coffee still tastes like dirt. Something is definitely going wrong, but what is it?

Check these 3 things before you return your coffee maker!

Are You Using the Wrong Materials?

Before you go and blame your tools (the coffee maker!) have you checked that you’re using the right coffee and water?

You should never use distilled water! The lack of minerals can dull the flavors in your coffee. Instead, use softened water. If your tap water is too hard, try Evian water which is full of minerals and perfect for making coffee.

As for the coffee you buy, choosing a good quality bean will help. Arabica beans are superior to Robusta beans, for example.

Different beans have different flavors – sometimes it’s just a case of finding one that appeals to you.

Kenya AA beans are light and bright with fruity notes. Brazilian beans on the other hand generally have rich chocolate or nutty notes.

Is Your Coffee Stale or The Wrong Grind?

As for the coffee, first check that you’re using the right grind size. As a rule, the longer the extraction time the coarser the grinds should be.

You should also be using fresh grinds. If you buy your coffee pre-ground, make sure you use it within 2 weeks of the roast date. Coffee goes stale very quickly – it’s better to buy small bags of coffee regularly than one big bag to last months!

Grinding your own coffee will definitely improve the flavor. As soon as you grind, you release coffee oils and flavors. The longer the period between grinding and brewing, the less flavor you’ll get.

Is the Coffee Maker Clean?

Sometimes brand-new coffee makers can take a while to work right. Intelligent machines can finetune themselves over a few brews, while others require a good rinse through before the first use. If the first cup tastes funky, run the machine through without adding any coffee. This will flush out any plastic flavors with hot water.

If you’ve used the coffee maker before, have you checked to see if there are old grinds lingering inside the filter or stuck in the brew basket? These stuck grinds will create a bitter flavor as they over-extract and burn.

Finally, if you’ve tried everything and it’s still not working right, contact the manufacturer! All of the coffee makers on our list come with at least 1-year warranty and there is plenty of advice online for troubleshooting.

Summary

Overall, the K-Elite is the best coffee maker.

When you look at the quality of coffee it can produce with fresh grounds, plus the convenience and reliability, it is quite impressive. It’s our overall best winner because it manages to combine the best of pods and freshly ground coffee together.

But (because there’s always a ‘but’) coffee making is diverse. We all have different tastes and our coffee makers should be fine-tuned to brew coffee the way we like it. So, if the Keurig just doesn’t have the finesse you’re looking for, which is often the case for coffee fanatics, our next best choice is the Moccamaster.

You have a lot more control over your coffee with the Moccamaster and the ability to create an extremely superb cuppa Joe by experimenting with grind size, filters, and coffee beans. It’s perfect for people who’re tired of the generic coffee maker and want to take their coffee adventures to the next level.

It just didn’t reach the top spot because we felt that it fell a little short on the convenience and ease-of-use that the Keurig offers for coffee beginners or people who are just in a rush. You can’t unpack the Moccamaster and create a perfect coffee first time like you can with the Keurig pods.

For those on a budget, the Hamilton Beach was our top pick due to its low cost and insane reliability (it lasts for years!)… but actually, nearly all of the coffee makers on our list are excellent value for money. The Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200, for example, is one of the best coffee makers under $100 and is our best drip coffee maker.

One last note.

Please, promise us you won’t feel guilty if you buy more than one coffee maker from this list! The Chemex pour over is so different from the Keurig, for example. Why not have both? If you really love your coffee, we highly recommend you try out several different methods to make 2019 the year of coffee in your kitchen!