Finding the best coffee maker can be a challenge among what seems like endless options. There are traditional drip coffee makers to single-serve coffee makers, coffee makers with grinders and many more. Those who prefer other options besides drip coffee have choices like French press, espresso machines and cold brew. You can even take your favorite coffee with you, thanks to portable coffee makers.
1 Best Overall
Breville Precision Brewer
This drip coffee maker with a thermal carafe lives up to its name as a precision brewer by brewing coffee at exactly the right temperature in the right amount of time established by the Specialty Coffee Association. It made 12 cups of hot coffee in about eight and a half minutes, which was quick compared to others we tested and the coffee it produces was among the highest scoring for taste.
The Breville Precision Brewer is highly customizable with the option to brew up to 12 cups at a time, a single cup, iced coffee, cold brew and pour-over with the purchase of a separate attachment. It also comes with two different shaped baskets (a cone-shaped basket and a flat basket which bring out different flavor notes in the coffee) to allow users to pick which they think makes a better cup of coffee. The basket fully pulls out for easy filling and even easier emptying, and the water reservoir has a wide opening and easy-to-read measurement markings.
Coffee snobs will love that the water flow and bloom time can each be adjusted. The display features a count-up timer that lets you know how long the coffee has been keeping warm. In our tests, the thermal carafe proved to be highly effective as it kept coffee hot during the entire two-hour test period. It’s relatively easy to clean as well with a moderately sized opening that you can fit your sponge into (a bottle brush makes it even easier).
- Cup capacity: 12 cups
- Type of carafe: Thermal
- Dimensions: 14″ x 9″ x 16″
2 Best Budget
Braun Pure Flavor
The Braun Pure Flavor describes the coffee it brews perfectly, delivering a full-flavored cup of coffee. In our tests, it was one of the top-scoring drip coffee machines for making extra tasty coffee. In addition to brewing delicious coffee, our experts found it exceptionally easy to use. The control panel is responsive and we like the clear markings on the water tank making it easy to see how many cups of water you’ve poured in.
There are options for “fast,” “regular” and “bold” coffee. In our tests, it brewed hot coffee in the optimal temperature range and it kept the coffee hot for our full two-hour testing period. It has three choices for keep-warm settings: low, medium and high. If you love cold coffee, it also brews “over ice” which is designed to maintain a bold cup of coffee that’s not diluted when poured over ice.
This 14-cup coffee maker brews quickly and we appreciate the smaller footprint to save some counter space. The one downside is it’s nearly 20 inches tall when fully opened, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough clearance if it’s going under your cupboards. However, this is a straightforward coffee machine that brews tasty coffee that you can grab for around $100 (or less if it’s on sale!), making it one of the most budget-friendly coffee makers we’ve tested.
- Cup capacity: 14 cups
- Type of carafe: Glass
- Dimensions: 14.8″ x 9.3″ x 8.7″
3 Best for Small Spaces
Capresso 5-Cup Mini Drip Coffee Maker
For those that don’t need a 12- or even 10-cup coffee maker, this Capresso Mini Drip coffee maker comes in handy, brewing up to five cups and saving counter space with its small design. In our tests, it brewed five cups of coffee in less than 10 minutes and kept the coffee warm for two hours with automatic shut-off. It’s also programmable so you can set it to make coffee at a later time.
It didn’t brew quite as hot as other coffee makers in our tests, but small coffee makers often have a hard time reaching high temperatures, so we weren’t surprised and it wasn’t a deal breaker. The carafe is dishwasher-safe (one of our favorite things about glass carafes) and the flip-top lid is detachable for easy cleaning.
- Cup capacity: 5 cups
- Type of carafe: Glass
- Dimensions: 8″ x 6.25″ x 10″
4 Best Splurge
Wolf Gourmet Programmable Coffee Maker
Wolf’s high-end programmable coffee maker scored a five, our highest score, for brew temperature as well as its ability to keep coffee warm, thanks to the thermal carafe that kept the coffee hot for two hours. Tasters noted the coffee was piping hot and strong.We also particularly appreciated the wide opening on the thermal carafe, which allows you to clean it more easily than other thermal carafes that typically have narrow openings.
In addition to what some might call the basics (that is, brewing a good cup of coffee and a high-performing carafe), this high-end coffee maker is loaded with features that make it among the easiest to use. Its brew basket slides out so you can fill it without fussing with lids and its water reservoir is removable. It has a digital display and an “accubrew” setting that uses a built-in scale to weigh the coffee grounds as you add them to the basket so you can make the perfect cup based on the amount of water and strength setting you select.
- Cup capacity: 10 cups
- Type of carafe: Thermal
- Dimensions: 11″ x 9″ x 14.4″
5 Best with a Grinder
Breville Grind Control Coffee Maker
Coffee makers with built-in grinders make brewing a tasty cup of coffee from whole beans easy. They have a reputation for clogging easily, but for many people it’s hard to beat the convenience of not having to grind beans separately. Pro tip: To help prevent clogging, do not grind on the super-fine setting and don’t use beans that are too oily.
This coffee maker with a built-in grinder from Breville stands out for having multiple grind settings so you can experiment with various size grinds to dial in the flavor exactly how you want it.Coffee brewed hot and stayed warm for our entire two-hour test time, and when we tested at home, it stayed hot all day.
Our pros appreciated the handy digital display that measures the amount of water you add to the reservoir located on the front of the unit, which makes the whole process a breeze. It then allows you to choose from one of eight strength settings and calculates the time of brewing. In addition to brewing a full carafe, it also allows you to brew a single cup or travel mug-size coffee.
- Cup capacity: 12 cups
- Type of carafe: Thermal
- Dimensions: 12.5″ x 18.5″ x 16.3″
