Best Coffee Makers in 2023
- Fresh Update
Here’s a look at some of the best coffee makers that made our list. We focused on overall quality and price to help you make a good choice.
What to Look for in a Coffee Maker
Everyone’s different, especially when it comes to our relationship with waking up in the morning. To find the right coffee maker, you’ll want to determine three things:
If you’re what society calls a “morning person” and really appreciate a good quality brew, it’s worth taking a look at other methods on the market. Pour over and French Press are the sort of methods you’ll find in specialty hipster coffee shops and there’s a good reason for that—they can really highlight the finer notes and complexities in finer beans. Those perks require hands-on effort and mental acuity before the sun has even fully risen, which is not something all of us can offer.
As much as a good mug of pour over is top notch, during the average weekday, it’s hard to beat the combination of ease and quality from a great machine.
Keurig is a household name, and at this point, it's probably one of the first names that popped in your head. The allure of a single-serve coffee machine is strong, but, unless you value time and convenience over the ability to make a delicious hand-crafted cup of coffee, resist the urge. Keurig is all about simplicity, and single-serve machines just aren’t going to provide you with a quality cup. Also, Keurigs require the use of k-cups, which contain pre-measured, pre-ground coffee beans. Pre-ground coffee loses its freshness quickly, so there’s no way to tell when the beans were packaged in those little plastic cylinders.
Drip Coffee Makers
Drip coffee makers are really where a great and easy morning brew intersect. The biggest differences in price will come down to the ability to customize the brew. Basically, it’s the difference between tapping a single button to get your coffee versus setting a pot to delay a strong brew until 6 am.
Consider how many cups of coffee you want to make each day and how easy your machine will be to clean. Most machines come in 4-cup, 10-cup, 12-cup, or 14-cup capacity and require only a little bit of regular maintenance to function properly.
Look to see which parts are removable; machines that allow you to remove the entire water dispensing apparatus are much easier to maintain. Something as simple as a lid that is not removable can create a frustrating hassle.
What Makes a Good Coffee Maker
Like all coffee brewing methods, better coffee results from an even distribution of water over the coffee grounds and a controlled brewing temperature.
Here are the most common differences in drip coffee makers:
Getting the Most Out of Your Coffee Maker
When using a drip coffee maker, three components will most affect how your cup of coffee tastes: quality of beans and grounds, consistency of heating, and even extraction.
Since we brought it up first, we’ll chat about grounds first. You’ll want to get whole beans and use a conical burr grinder, as we’ve chatted about before, and you’ll likely want to stick to about a medium grind. Fiddle around a bit and try a brew with medium-fine all the way up to a medium-coarse to find just the right extraction for you.
Now, that’s the part of extraction you can control. Keep in mind the general correlation for extraction: if the grinds are too coarse it’s under-extracting and it’ll be sour; if the grinds are too fine it’ll over-extract and be bitter. There’s an entire science to coffee grind size.
The other half is going to be up to the coffee machine. Single "arm" coffee makers that drip water over grounds in a line are less likely to evenly extract coffee compared to those with a shower head that distribute water evenly.
Some of the best coffee machines will even have a "pre-infusion" option that drips water over the grounds before brewing to allow them to bloom. If you’re curious, watch this video to see how drip coffee makers work…
Optimal heating components will reach 197.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but won’t exceed 204.8 degrees Fahrenheit—this is the primo slice of temperature for brewing coffee. There is no way to control temperature on a drip machine, but one of the ways you can guarantee the machine you purchase follows these golden rules for coffee brewing is to find models that are approved by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the people who speak for the beans worldwide.
Best Drip Coffee Makers in 2023 - Reviewed
Everyone’s needs are different—for some people, the simpler the better, while others want to retain the ease while still getting to customize what they can. Let’s take a look at some of the best coffee makers on the market and get you the perfect set up for your kitchen!
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The Technivorm Moccamaster 59616 KBG Coffee Brewer is a sturdy machine that uses copper heating elements for precise temperature and a glass carafe to collect your coffee. It’s on the pricier end of the scale, but it does all of the hard work for you. And, in an unusual twist, it comes in more than a dozen colors, so you can pick the style that best suits you and your kitchen!
SCA-certified, you know that it’s brewing your beans with tender, loving care. Once your carafe is full, you can choose whether you want the hot plate at 175 degrees or 185 degrees Fahrenheit depending on your preferences. If you can’t wait to have a cup, all you have to do to pause the brew and snag a pour is pull the carafe out. The Moccamaster will start again when you replace it.
Technivorm may not be a household name, but it’s definitely worthy of praise and among the best out there. Handmade in the Netherlands, these machines come with a 5-year limited warranty on the durable, recyclable parts and this energy-efficient machine has even earned the Seal of Approval from the European Coffee Brewing Center. Full review here.
Pros
Cons
Another great SCA-certified model, the OXO BREW actually uses a microprocessor-controlled brew process along with thermal heating control. That is a fancy way of saying this machine does its best to replicate a pour over brewing method, including using a rainmaker shower head and a pre-infusion to bloom the coffee grounds.
The LED interface features a freshness indicator and the single dial on the front allows you to program the number of cups, as well as a 24-hour start timer.
OXO has been specializing in kitchen and housewares since its California debut in 1990, where Sam Farber introduced more comfortable kitchen utensils for people like his wife, who suffered from arthritis. Today, OXO has brought their easy-to-use philosophy to other areas of kitchen life like the Brain Barista. Check out of our full review here.
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After Ninja debuted it’s well-received Ninja Coffee Bar, they stepped up their game and created two new coffee makers. I’m especially liking the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker.
A simple dial mechanism lets you choose from six different brew sizes (Single Cup, XL Cup, Travel Mug size, XL Multi-Serve, Half Carafe, and Full Carafe) and four different brew types (Classic, Rich, Over Ice, and Specialty). The super-rich specialty coffee concentrate option really brings out the flavor in more high-end coffee beans.
Ninja’s Specialty Coffee Brewer is also quieter than the Ninja Coffee Bar, which is Ninja’s older model. Ninja includes a high-quality reusable filter and they even added a frothing arm that swings out from the left side of the machine. Despite initial reservations about the quality of the frother, it's actually just as good (if not better) than most other hand-held milk frothers.
This coffee maker comes with either a glass carafe or thermal carafe. The thermal is a bit more expensive, but coffee will stay hotter for longer. I opted for the glass carafe, but that’s because I don’t leave coffee sitting around for a long time.
Aesthetically, this coffee maker is very modern and has a sleek, efficient look to it. Problematic if you have low cabinets.
Note: Ninja® was kind enough to send us a complimentary product but all opinions expressed are our own.
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Unlike most of the machines listed here, the Bonavita BV1900TS brewer (full review here) uses a flat head filter and large showerhead design to reach optimal saturation of the beans. There’s even an optional pre-infusion mode (which is definitely recommended) that mimics the action Barista’s take to let coffee bloom.
This attention to detail, the precise 1500-watt heater that keeps the brewing temp between 198 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, and the unique pre-infusion mode gave this the seal of approval from the Specialty Coffee Association.
Read more.
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Zojirushi has been around since 1918 and creating products inspired by everyday life. They provide a variety of kitchen products, including the Fresh Brew plus, which is a great option if you like your brew iced as much as you like it hot.
Using the Japanese method, the glass carafe, which can handle 12 cups of warm coffee and six cups of cold, has a special insert to put ice. Once brewed, it’s flash frozen as it drips into the carafe. There’s no need to worry about diluting with this beaut, though, because the machine adjusts based on the iced coffee water measure lines!
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BUNN has been a player in the coffee industry for quite a while now. Founded more than 170 years ago in Springfield, IL, BUNN is still owned by the BUNN family. The BT Velocity Brew Coffee maker is another unique model in their lineup—rather than being on or off, this machine constantly keeps the water tank heated.
Check our Bunn BT coffee makers review here.
On top of being ready whenever you want, it brews up to 10 cups in only 3 minutes. Now that’s what I call “on demand.” To keep your coffee comfortably warmed, the Velocity boasts a dual wall, vacuum-insulated thermal carafe that holds heat for 2 hours.
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Affordable and quality typically meet very well in the Hamilton Beach brand, and the Brewstation Summit Coffee Maker is no exception. While it brews 12 cups like a traditional brew station, it features a unique enclosed brewing system, benefits of which include hot coffee for up to four hours.
Check our Best Hamilton Coffee Makers Here.
Press the dispenser bar and fill your mug all morning long and, if you need more, the removable internal water reservoir makes it super easy to fill and brew more.
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While we’ll never forget about the classic Cuisinart DCC-3200, it has to be acknowledged that another Cuisinart coffeemaker has come to the forefront: this dual coffee maker and single-serve brewer. Mashed into one, this brewer really covers the bases, allowing you to start off the day with a full pot and then make individual mugs as the day wears on. Or it’s great for households with two different types of coffee drinkers.
This Cuisinart begins with a charcoal water filter that ensures water quality won’t affect the taste of your brew — regardless of whether you want a full pot or a single cup. From there, you can select your brew strength, opting for BOLD when you really need that stronger coffee flavor.
If you’re using the single-serving side of the machine, you can choose between 6, 8, and 12 oz., whatever your caffeine needs may be. Plus, you don’t even need any wasteful pods or cups — Cuisinart includes a HomeBarista Reusable Filter Cup so you can brew any coffee you like.
Pros
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Needs change multiple times of the day, right? Sometimes you need a full 12 cup and other days you’re running out the door and need a quick hit of java for the road. The Hamilton Beach FlexBrew can handle both requests with finesse.
Brew straight into your travel mug using the single-serve side, which features a removable cup rest to fit both taller vessels and squatter mugs. When you have the time to leisurely enjoy a cup or two (or 10), the full carafe will be your main squeeze. Program your machine to brew right before your alarm so you can wake up to the delightful smell of brewed coffee, use the auto pause feature to snag a mug the moment you make your way to the kitchen, and let the auto-shut off feature do it’s thang 2 hours post brew.
It’s a no-sweat sort of machine, which I think we can all appreciate.
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Conclusion
There are a lot of good systems on this list, but the Technivorm Moccamaster just takes the cake. Yes, it is on the more expensive side, but it comes with a 5-year warranty and is made of quality materials. This is the sort of machine that can easily grace your counters for years to come.
Sliding down the scale, our second and third choices are, respectively, the Ninja Coffee Bar or Hamilton Beach BrewStation, which are notable for their customizable options, quality brews, and more affordable prices ranges.
If you’re open to more hands-on models but want to stick in the brew machine family, you should also take a look at siphon coffee makers. If your jam is drinking cold coffee year-round, there are many excellent cold brew coffee makers to choose from, as well.
There’s another route you can take, too, especially if you don’t already have a conical burr grinder. It requires a bit of an upfront splurge on a single machine, but think of it as two machines in one, both a coffee machine and bean grinder, and suddenly the price becomes less objectionable: coffee makers with built-in grinders. Whatever ends up gracing your kitchen counter, we hope this list has been helpful and you enjoy your next coffee maker!
Hi, I really enjoy your coffee discussions, I learn something new from your article! ? Keep posting like this. It works well for me. Thanks again, have a beautiful day.
The Oxo On Barista Brain 9 Cup coffee maker most certainly does have a brew pause feature despite being listed under cons as not having one.