Best Overall
Cuisinart Pour-Over Coffee Brewer
AMAZON
- Ease of Use5/5
- Performance5/5
- Ease of Cleaning5/5
- Design5/5
- It brews coffee much more quickly than other models we’ve tried, so you can get your caffeine jolt and move on with your morning.
It brews coffee much more quickly than other models we’ve tried, so you can get your caffeine jolt and move on with your morning.
- The carafe is difficult to clean thanks to a narrow opening.
The carafe is difficult to clean thanks to a narrow opening.
While slow brewing has its benefits, it is not for everyone—the Cuisinart 8-Cup Coffee Brewer is great for those who want their coffee ready quickly without sacrificing quality. It’s a 24-hour programmable option with auto shut-off and self-cleaning settings.
The coffee maker is certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), which indicates that it’s the gold standard among home coffee makers. You’re able to control brewing temperature by using the hot and extra-hot settings, though you can’t dial in specific temperatures.
Judging by the 8-cup capacity, it’s a great option for one- or two-person households. There are three extraction options: mild, medium, and bold. We conducted taste tests using fresh and mass-produced coffee grounds. The result? Our cup using fresh grounds tasted much better than the mass-produced grounds, which turned out bitter.
Time was kind to the results—after letting the coffee sit in the carafe for an hour, we found the fresh ground brew tasted less acidic and more well-balanced. The machine also brewed coffee more quickly than other options.
During testing, the stainless steel carafe felt comfortable to hold, and it smoothly poured out the coffee with no mess. However, the carafe is difficult to clean thanks to the narrow opening. The coffee maker comes with a three-year limited warranty.
Product Details: Size: 13.75 x 14.5 x 9.5 inches | Brewing Capacity: 8 cups | Coffee Type: Drip
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
Key Terms to Know
- Specialty Coffee Association: A non-profit coffee organization that offers certifications to indicate a certain high standard of quality.
- Bloom cycle: A setting that soaks coffee grounds briefly (around 30 to 40 seconds) in hot water, causing the grounds to release carbon dioxide gas and produce a better-tasting brew
Best Budget
Black+Decker QuickTouch Programmable Coffeemaker
AMAZON
- Ease of Use4/5
- Performance4.3/5
- Ease of Cleaning5/5
- Design4/5
- It’s a no-frills option that makes a solid cup of brew out of mass-produced, pre-ground coffee.
It’s a no-frills option that makes a solid cup of brew out of mass-produced, pre-ground coffee.
- The machine is mostly plastic and feels a bit cheap and flimsy.
The machine is mostly plastic and feels a bit cheap and flimsy.
As long as you’re not too fussy about taste, the no-frills Black + Decker 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker offers great value for the money. It has a 12-cup capacity—good for a larger household or those who drink a high volume of coffee.
The pre-ground beans produced a very strong, bitter cup with minimal acidity. We preferred the mass-produced results to fresh grounds, which tended to be weak and watery. It’s the best automatic coffee maker for those on a budget who don’t grind coffee at home.
The coffee maker automatically pauses brewing once you lift the lid. You have 30 seconds to pour a cup and replace the carafe before it starts brewing again. The control pad is easy to navigate, consisting of five buttons to set the time, turn it on and off, and pre-set brew times.
One downside—the appliance is mostly plastic (aside from the glass carafe) and felt flimsy, which makes sense given the low price. But it comes with a two-year limited warranty if you have problems.
Product Details: Size: 8.25 x 12.25 x 11 inches | Brewing Capacity: 12 cups | Coffee Type: Drip
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
Best Splurge
Breville Precision Coffee Maker
AMAZON
- Ease of Use5/5
- Performance5/5
- Ease of Cleaning5/5
- Design5/5
- It produced a consistently good cup of coffee across settings and ground types.
It produced a consistently good cup of coffee across settings and ground types.
- The minimum capacity brew was weak.
The minimum capacity brew was weak.
The Breville Precision Brewer is the best option if you want more control over your brew. With the ability to customize brew times and bloom coffee grounds, it results in better flavor than many other options. It features a thermo-coil heating and pump system, which lets you set precise temperatures and bloom times.
The lid is also well-designed, allowing you to lock it when it’s time to brew and twist to pour the coffee out. We were easily able to pour coffee without it splashing or dripping out the sides. If you just want one cup of coffee and not the whole pot, you can brew directly into your coffee mugs instead of the carafe.
Throughout testing, the coffee we made tasted rich and well-balanced. The results were delicious, sediment-free, and neither over-extracted nor bitter (even when it sat for up to an hour). A stainless steel carafe with double walls keeps the brew hotter for longer than a glass carafe.
The coffee machine features six brewing modes, including a quick mode that makes a full pot in under seven minutes and an ice mode that’s specially designed for cold coffee drinks. We found the settings and dials very intuitive and easy to use.
Overall, the Breville delivered consistent results throughout the various tests, though the minimum capacity brew was weak compared to the others. Both the freshly ground and pre-ground beans produced a solidly delicious cup of coffee.
Product Details: Size: 9 x 14 x 16 inches | Brewing Capacity: 12 cups | Coffee Type: Drip
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
Best Smart
Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker
- Ease of Use5/5
- Performance5/5
- Ease of Cleaning5/5
- Design5/5
- It brews a great cup of freshly-ground coffee that retains distinct flavor notes even after it’s been sitting for up to 60 minutes.
It brews a great cup of freshly-ground coffee that retains distinct flavor notes even after it’s been sitting for up to 60 minutes.
- There is no automatic pause function.
There is no automatic pause function.
The SCA-certified Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker allows you to brew coffee from anywhere using Wi-Fi. With the Smart HQ app, you can manage settings like brew strength, pre-set times, temperature, and more from your phone.
Additionally, the coffee maker has a variety of programmable settings including auto-brew and a voice-to-brew function that uses Alexa and Google Home to make your cup. You can also adjust brew temperature settings from 187℉ to 205℉.
It was a favorite in terms of design during testing. The appliance makes a gorgeous addition to a home coffee station. It comes in three finishes: matte black, matte white, and stainless steel. The carafe is a thermal version made from stainless steel, which kept our coffee tasting great for an hour after it was brewed.
Plus it features a wide base, sleek exterior digital controls, and a shiny copper-colored handle. We also appreciated how comprehensive the instruction manual was; it went into detail on how to brew a great cup of coffee, as well as tips to clean and descale the unit.
During testing, we found that the coffee retained hints of orange and floral notes even when it sat for up to 60 minutes. We recommend using freshly ground coffee at a medium grind consistency for best results. Bear in mind that it doesn’t have a pause function, and we observed some dripping when we moved it from the heating element.
Product Details: Size: 7.3 x 12.5 x 14 inches | Brewing Capacity: 10 cups | Coffee Type: Drip
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
Best Large
Cuisinart Programmable Coffee Maker
AMAZON
- Ease of Use5/5
- Performance5/5
- Ease of Cleaning5/5
- Design5/5
- Heat Up Time3.5/5
- We found the taste comparable to pour over coffee when using the grounds-to-water ratio recommended by the SCA.
We found the taste comparable to pour over coffee when using the grounds-to-water ratio recommended by the SCA.
- Despite the high capacity, we felt smaller amounts brewed better coffee.
Despite the high capacity, we felt smaller amounts brewed better coffee.
If caffeine is your fuel of choice, then a large-capacity pick like the Cuisinart PerfecTemp Coffee Maker is the best automatic coffee maker to have in your home. The 14-cup capacity makes it ideal for a large household.
It features 24-hour programming and auto-shut-off functions so you can start brewing any time of day or night. First-time users will find it a breeze to use, as the manual includes detailed operating instructions as well as helpful insights on how to make a good cup of coffee.
As with other models, we tested the machine by brewing freshly ground coffee at maximum, minimum, and medium capacity. Surprisingly, the minimum brew resulted in a stronger flavor than the maximum. The medium-capacity brew had the most body.
Still, we felt the results were consistently delicious for home-brewed coffee, especially when considering the price tag. With the proper ratio of coffee to water as recommended by the SCA, the taste was comparable to a pour-over.
Mass-produced grinds resulted in a bitter flavor, but we felt it would be pretty drinkable with creamer. The machine is well designed; the carafe is easy to pour from, the components are simple to clean, and the programmable function is intuitive and accurate.
Overall, we think it’s a complete steal for the quality. It also comes with a three-year limited warranty to protect against damage.
Product Details: Size: 7.75 x 9 x 14 inches | Brewing Capacity: 14 cups | Coffee Type: Drip
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
Best Colors
Smeg Drip Coffee Maker
AMAZON
- Ease of Use4.8/5
- Performance4.8/5
- Ease of Cleaning4.8/5
- Design4.8/5
- This adorable coffee maker made an impressive cup out of inexpensive, mass-produced grounds.
This adorable coffee maker made an impressive cup out of inexpensive, mass-produced grounds.
- When the carafe is full, it’s unwieldy and feels unevenly weighted.
When the carafe is full, it’s unwieldy and feels unevenly weighted.
The egg-shaped Smeg Drip Coffee Maker goes back to the future with a retro 1950s look and the latest features, including auto-start, a clock, and impressive brew settings. There is also a special function to brew smaller amounts of coffee (1-4 cups).
The Smeg has a 10-cup capacity and comes in ten fun colors including pink, red, navy, and sky blue. Made from steel with powder-coated colored enamel and plastic chrome accents, it’s sturdy and well-constructed.
It also makes a delicious cup of coffee. The cups we brewed with fresh grounds were delicious, but the machine transformed the mass-produced grounds into a great cup of coffee. In fact, we found it to be one of the best we had during the entire test. The resulting coffee was tasty, with soft fruity notes and no unpleasant bitterness.
The warming plate keeps coffee warm for an hour after the coffee is done brewing. However, we noticed that when the carafe was full of hot coffee, the weight didn’t seem evenly distributed—it was clumsy to hold, and the handle felt like it was going to fall off the pot. The Smeg comes with a two-year warranty.
Product Details: Size: 9.75 x 10 x 14 ¼ inches | Brewing Capacity: 10 cups | Coffee Type: Drip
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY