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The right coffee maker can make your morning. We've tested hundreds of coffee brewing contraptions, from drip machines and single-serve pod options to French presses and pour-over units.
Most people should buy the Ninja 12-Cup Programmable CE251. It is incredibly easy to use, clear and has good taste at a fantastic price. If you want the absolute best taste and are willing to pay hundreds more, get the Breville Precision Brewer.
Just enough customization without being complicated
REASONS TO AVOID
Not the fastest brewing
Inconsistent timing
SPECIFICATIONS
Average Time to Brew 6 Cups of Coffee (minutes)
8.48
Average Brew Temperature
202.5 °F
Scheduled Brewing
Yes
Preinfusion
Yes, not adjustable
Footprint Dimensions (H x W x D)
14.5" x 9.5" x 8.3"
Traditional drip coffee makers are popular for a reason. They're easy to use, and many can be programmed to have a hot pot of coffee ready the moment you need it. While a simple interface may be desirable for ease of use in the morning, some also prefer a machine with a programmable feature and a higher-end flavor. The Ninja 12-Cup Programmable gives you the best of both worlds. Members of our taste test panel loved the coffee for its “balanced” flavor profile that tasted “delightful, with smooth but bold flavors perfectly blended together,” said one of our taste testers. We also feel that the Ninja's simple interface and even extraction make for a pleasant experience and a tasty cup of coffee for a reasonable price. It brews at optimal temperatures of up to 202.5 degrees Fahrenheit in our testing for the ideal flavor extraction and is one of the easiest brewers to use.
For those 5 am wake-up calls, this is especially important. When you still aren't awake enough to go through a meticulous 12-step brewing process to get your perfect morning cup, the Ninja 12-Cup has you covered with its user-friendly interface. What you see is what you get, and there is no guesswork involved. Starting a brew process is as simple as adding filter, grounds, and water, choosing your brew type, and pressing brew. If navigating buttons first thing in the morning is still too much, you can prep your basket and grounds the night before and schedule brewing to start before you even wake up. It even has an audible beep to let you know when the coffee is ready.
If you can remember to prep your grounds the night before, the Ninja 12-Cup will reward you with a quality brew first thing in the morning.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
If you can't bear to fuss with an overload of programmable features but still want a decently tasty cup of coffee, the Ninja 12-Cup offers a great balance. Impressively, it strikes this balance at a much lower price than some of its closest competitors. This machine is great for those wake-up-and-caffeinate types, as well as people who want to simplify their morning routine.
While the Ninja is a great machine, it doesn't have any brew customization beyond a Classic vs. Rich choice. Also, its brew times are a tad slow, but for the price, this brewer is unbeatable. Looking to save on a coffee maker without sacrificing acceptable taste? Check out the Black+Decker 12-Cup Programmable. For those seeking that next best thing to pour-over, and who don't mind making an investment for true customization, you might consider the Breville Precision Brewer.
While a standard cup of any liquid is 8 ounces, that's not the case with coffee. Because coffee contains nutritional components, the medical industry has defined a single serving of coffee as 6 ounces. Keep this in mind when choosing a coffee maker that proclaims a certain number of “cups” it will brew, as most coffee mugs you're likely to have at home will hold 8 to 12 ounces — which is more than one cup of coffee!
The Ninja 12-Cup consistently brews a balanced and neutral cup of coffee that makes our tastebuds sing.
Traditionally, the automated brew process of a drip coffee machine has limited your ability to control crucial factors that influence your coffee's flavor profile and texture. Not so with the Breville Precision Brewer. Its many adjustable settings let you set the water temperature and flow rate and allow you to pre-infuse the grounds, enhancing the flavor extraction process. You can even program specific brew settings for your favorite beans and let the machine work its magic with the touch of a button.
Throughout all this customization, the Breville Precision produces “one of the most consistent and high-quality brews we tasted during testing” according to our taste panel. While there are a ton of brew options to play with, you can't go wrong using this machine right out of the box. When used on default settings, the average brew basket temp was 201.5°F, hitting the industry-standard temp range of 195°F to 205°F needed for proper coffee extraction. If you find the first cup isn't exactly to your liking, the settings are precise and highly adjustable, so you can dial in the system to achieve your preferred flavor profile.
If you value variety, consistency, and quality in your brews, the Breville Precision Brewer places it all at your fingertips.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Breville is a good option if your mornings and coffee preferences vary depending on the day, and you enjoy experimenting with your coffee. If you would like to set it and forget it, the Breville can do that. If you need an extra strong cup one morning, and a lighter brew the next, the Breville can do that too. Perhaps you're in the mood for a pour-over style single cup some days and a fresh cold brew on others. If this sounds like you, the Breville might be your go-to machine.
However, all this power comes at a high price, and you have to put in time to learn how the settings work and to know which ones are right for your tastes. If you're not into it, this may not be the machine you're looking for. Still, with an option to brew anywhere from one to twelve cups at a time and a cold brew setting, it's an easy model to appreciate. If you love the taste of a properly made pour-over but don't have enough patience to perform the routine, this could be the one for you. For anyone who doesn't want to put in quite so much work to brew a fantastic cup of coffee, the Ratio Six or the Bonavita One Touch 5-Cup might be a better option, with simpler interfaces and great flavor that only pour over can beat.
The Breville includes tons of controls that help to curate your coffee to your tastes. This may be overly complicated for some, but it is a dream machine for the coffee connoisseur (and us).
If you just need one quick cup before dashing out the door during the week but like to linger over a full pot on the weekends, the Hamilton Beach 2-Way is an intriguing option. One side of the machine brews up to twelve cups of coffee. The other makes a single mug full, using either an included refillable filter or disposable coffee pods. The Hamilton Beach is our favorite of the pod options, but its coffee tastes best when we use the reusable filter. We like the taste of its coffee better than any of the other pod-based brewers we've tried from Keurig. It's easy to clean, with so many components, many of which are dishwasher safe.
While we love the simplicity of the 2-Way, the coffee it produces is of “middling quality” according to our taste testers. It was “slightly more watery and acidic than I would have liked,” said one tester. “I would akin it to coffee you'd get at a mid-tier diner,” The water tank's small opening is also annoying to use. For the cost, though, the multifaceted machine's respectable quality and impressive user-friendliness are hard to beat. If you're looking for an even less expensive option that makes coffee nearly as tasty, check out the Black+Decker 12-Cup Programmable.
The OXO Brew 8-Cup coffee maker takes the hassle out of brewing good quality coffee. It increases the consistency of the resulting brew by removing imperfect, under-caffeinated us from the equation. It is, in fact, the most consistent drip machine we've tested, resulting in an impressively high-quality cup that nicely brings out the flavors of our coffee without overdoing it. One tester noted “The coffee flavor isn't offensive because of how light and fleeting it is, not very strong or pronounced,” It doesn't hurt that the design is sleek and easy to use, offering to make a single cup for a quick pick-me-up and eight cups to please a crowd or get you through that next deadline.
While the OXO makes a dependably good cup of coffee that we always enjoy, it can't quite match the top-notch taste of higher-scoring options, many of which cost less. It also doesn't give you the option of setting a timer to brew your coffee automatically, so you can't have a cup waiting for you when you wake up. Those who enjoy the nuanced flavor of pour-over coffee will likely want to use freshly ground coffee anyway, though. If you're looking for a great-tasting brewer you can rely on, this is a solid option. If you're looking for more of a bargain and don't mind sacrificing taste just a little for a more affordable machine, the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable isn't a terrible option, though the Ninja 12-Cup offers a better taste for a comparable price.
Our expert testers describe the coffee created by the Hario V60 Dripper as sweet, clean, and evenly extracted. High praise from these flavor-fanatics and detail sticklers. This iconic ceramic pour-over holds heat while spiraling ribs promote airflow, helping to maintain a consistent temperature throughout your brew. This helps you avoid scorching the grounds and allows this elegant vessel to coax delicate flavors and nuanced notes from your favorite beans. The V60 is also easy to clean, requiring just a quick rinse between brews and a straightforward wash before storing.
Though our favorite pour over coffee makers are incredibly simple devices, taking advantage of their ability to produce excellent-tasting coffee requires knowledge and finesse. We find the instructions from Stumptown Coffee Roasters to be very helpful for brewers of all abilities. Essentially, wet the filter, add the grounds, heat the water (to between 195° and 205°F if possible), pour it slowly in a circular motion, and enjoy top-quality coffee in about 4 minutes. Some people find the flat-bottomed Kalita Stainless Wave Dripper 155 easier to use than the cone-shaped V60 in some regards, but we think the Hario is worth its short learning curve. There is a reason that specialty coffee shops use the V60 — the coffee it makes is simply exceptional. We recommend investing in a burr grinder, gooseneck kettle, and a finely-tuned kitchen scale for the best results.
Inexpensive and simple, French press coffee makers are a staple for a reason. The Secura Stainless Steel takes their reputed ease a step further by producing a consistent cup of ideally brewed coffee. It makes some of the tastiest and cleanest coffee we've had from a French press. It's also one of the most insulating, keeping our coffee piping hot longer than any other option in our tests. With a 34-ounce capacity, it brews about 5.5 6-ounce cups of coffee.
Some of the press's components seem less sturdy and durable than competing options. And when we dropped the lid during our testing process, the filter basket bent. We got it back into shape, but it makes us wonder how long this model will last. As with any French press, you'll need to follow a consistent protocol to get dependable results. If you're looking for a simple, inexpensive brewing option that produces a consistently great-tasting dose of caffeine, the Secura Stainless Steel is our favorite French press.
Known for their ease of use and rich, full-bodied brew, a French press is an inexpensive way to make your morning coffee. The Secura Stainless Steel is the best one we've tested.
Aesthetics often matter, especially when you use the object in question every morning. The Fellow Clara's sleek design makes it especially delightful to use. A unique filtration design lets you pour coffee without worrying about aligning the lid perfectly. The company touts that its enhanced filtration system minimizes the grounds, aka sludge, that makes it to your cup. We actually found the opposite to be true. But it also likely lets more sweet carbohydrates through, resulting in a consistently sweet and balanced cup of coffee, so we don't mind a little extra sludge. And it kept our brew warm enough to let us linger without the coffee getting too chilled.
A few downsides bothered us. Firstly, it's quite expensive for a French press. We're not big fans of the plastic filter cover steeping in hot water every day, which may release microplastics into your coffee. The tightly fitting silicone seal also makes it hard to depress the plunger. If you don't apply pressure slowly enough, it can spew coffee and grounds all over you and your counter. We learned to deal with it, though, and microplastics are difficult to avoid in life. Ultimately, several of our testers found that these inconveniences are worth a consistently sweet cup.
Number of Cafe Replacement Lattes to Make Up List Price
167
Lifetime Cost Per Shot
$0.83
Measured Dimensions
12.5" x 12.4" x 15.7"
Measured Cup Clearance
4"
Pre-Infusion
Yes
If you like complex, rich espresso and smooth microfoam, the Breville Barista Express delivers on all fronts. This all-in-one machine can grind, brew, and steam. It offers both manual and preset controls that allow beginners or experienced baristas to produce cafe-level lattes. Our in-house baristas noted that the espresso from the Breville “Tastes evenly extracted and has undertones of sweetness, with a viscous mouth feel.” The crema is fluffy, with some larger bubbles, which we deducted some points for. We love this machine so much for its ability to curate consistently delicious shots that several members of our team have purchased it for themselves. One of the only other machines that produced slightly better espresso than the Barista Express was the La Pavoni, but it costs hundreds more for similar espresso shots that have a slightly more silky smooth crema.
Apart from being a premium appliance with loads of customization, we really love how easy the Barista Express is to use, thanks to its easy-to-follow instructions. The manufacturer uses a third-party app, called BiltApp to offer extremely detailed user guidance. So, while grinding, tamping, brewing, and steaming sound complicated at first, this unit's straightforward interface and excellent virtual user manual significantly shorten the learning curve. However, it's not so simplified that veterans won't appreciate it. There is plenty of room to experiment and a wealth of customizable settings.
The Barista Express is excellent for any sized household because it maintains consistent pressure and heat even after making several batches. This also makes it a great option for turning your kitchen into a cafe when the company arrives. So, at-home baristas who need to brew several espresso drinks in a short amount of time will enjoy this machine the most. However, it isn't exclusively for crowds. Anyone seeking to own a high-quality, all-in-one espresso machine will be in heaven with the Barista Express — our testers agree that it “makes high quality espresso.”
This machine does have a slightly more complicated control panel, and it's more expensive than many of the products we tested. Its grinder produces quality grounds, but it runs a little slow. This machine also requires a little more coddling when it comes to cleaning and routine maintenance. However, all of these inconveniences are easily outweighed by its ability to produce quality brews at home. If you value impeccable craftsmanship and are willing to put in a little more work to produce excellent espresso, the Rancilio Silvia and the La Pavoni are also worth investigating. Both machines require some know-how but have the ability to produce the best espresso of any machine on our list.
Number of Cafe Replacement Lattes to Make Up List Price
33
Lifetime Cost Per Shot
$0.60
Measured Dimensions
5.4" x 11.8" x 12"
Measured Cup Clearance
3.75"
Pre-Infusion
Yes
The Casabrews CM5418 is a capable espresso machine that pulls smooth crema-topped shots and can steam a cup of milk to a velvety froth in our testing. Where most of the machines we bought and tested cost hundreds of dollars for cafe-quality lattes, this machine creates nearly the same quality for a bargain. Our testers reported that the shots tasted of “light acidity, some sweetness, and no harsh flavors.” We also like the small footprint of this device — it won't take up much space on your countertop, which is great, especially if you're low on space.
Aside from the relatively inexpensive price, the best part of the Casabrews Compact is how simple it is to operate and maintain. The face of the machine houses four intuitive buttons and a big, easy-to-read pressure gauge, so you can make sure it's in the correct range for espresso. A knob on the side of the machine controls the steam pressure and hot water flow rate for when you're making Americanos. And, aside from basic cleaning tasks, the only regular maintenance needed is a descaling every 500 cycles, which will likely be many months apart for most people.
Inexpensive though it may be, the Casabrews managed to pull agreeable shots with an ideal extraction yield.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The Casabrews Compact wasn't designed to make many drinks at once, so it's best for homes or offices where the drink-making will be spread out — no more than two or three at one time. And since it's so affordable, this espresso machine is ideal for those in search of a no-frills machine that makes tasty espresso drinks at a great price. If you're on a tight budget, this will get the job done.
That said, the Casabrews Compact simply can't stand toe-to-toe against the more advanced top-ranked espresso machines we tested. For example, though you can control the pressure of the steam wand, we found that even at its highest setting, the pressure was weaker than we wanted. So, when steaming milk, the process took longer even if the resulting microfoam did turn out satisfactory. Also, the machine rattles when you pull shots, and the accessories are made from cheap materials. Although it costs more, the Breville Bambino is another budget-friendly espresso machine we recommend because it produces cafe-quality drinks and is more refined than the Casabrews.
Number of Cafe Replacement Lattes to Make Up List Price
120
Lifetime Cost Per Shot
$0.75
Measured Dimensions
7.6" x 14" x 12"
Measured Cup Clearance
5"
Pre-Infusion
Yes
If you live for easily-made lattes and cappuccinos, the Breville Bambino Plus includes the best semi-automatic steam wand of any espresso machine we've tested — though our testers did say that you “can get better microfoam using the wand manually” than with the auto steam function. Learning to use a steam wand can be intimidating, but not with this model. Fill a pitcher with milk, set it under the steam wand, choose the temperature and texture you desire, and let the Bambino Plus do the work. Don't worry, it also makes great-tasting espresso, is super compact, and easy to use and maintain. If you don't need as much automatic but would like a similar model with a grinder, we recommend the Breville Barista Express.
In addition to its semi-automatic wand, we absolutely love the space-saving design of the Bambino Plus. It has one of the smallest footprints of any machine in our lineup, making it super compact and easy to store on a shelf or neatly behind a cupboard door.
Students, apartment dwellers, and even RV travelers will love this pint-sized brewer. It will also appeal to homeowners who like to keep their counter space clear of clutter. Lastly, the Bambino Plus is an excellent choice for beginners who want the convenience of enjoying espresso at home without needing to have graduate-degree barista skills. Alternatively, the De'Longhi Stilosa is also super compact and very affordable, but it doesn't produce the same quality espresso or steamed milk as the Bambino Plus. If you're looking for something that is compact and travels easily, the Flair Classic may be for you.
The convenience of the Bambino Plus will cost you, though. And, since it doesn't include a grinder, you'll have to buy one of those separately. Its drip tray is also way too small. If you want an included grinder with an ample drip tray, the Breville Barista Express is our favorite option.
If you're a one-cup-and-go kind of person, a dedicated single-serve coffee maker may be right for you, and the Nespresso by De'Longhi Vertuo is among the best. The machine automatically detects the type of pod you insert, adjusting the strength and size of the brew to match. (Here's our favorite of the compatible pods, but there are many other delicious options.) The whole process takes just a few minutes and produces a cup of coffee or expresso with a rich crema. Since Nespresso's disposable pods are made of aluminum instead of plastic, they don't leave a chemical aftertaste and are recyclable.
The Vertuo is reasonably priced, but its pods are more expensive than most, increasing its impact on your budget over time. And, while the aluminum pods are recyclable, you do need to go through the trouble of sending them back to Nespresso. This is also a big machine and will put a dent in your counter space. There are compact single-serve coffee makers (like the AeroPress listed below) that don't produce waste other than coffee grounds. We tend to prefer those. If you're set on a pod machine, though, this is the one we recommend.
If you're Keurig curious, we've found that the Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart is the best option in their lineup. It manages to offer advanced features and impressively adjustable settings while remaining user-friendly and intuitive. You can choose your water temperature, brew size, strength settings, and whether you want hot or cold coffee. Or you can just let the coffee maker follow the instructions related to each Keurig pod's integrated BrewID. (We like Bulletproof's The Original Roast Coffee.) You can also operate the machine remotely with the Keurig app to have a cup of coffee waiting for you.
While the K-Supreme is our favorite of the Keurig coffee makers, Keurigs are among our least favorite coffee makers overall. There are so many tastier, easier-to-use, and less wasteful options available. (We'd recommend the Nespresso or AeroPress options above.) K-Cups have been made of recyclable #5 plastic since 2020, but not all recycling centers accept them. This machine also suffers from a lack of dishwasher-safe components and can be a bear to set up the first time around. If you still insist on a Keurig, consider this one.
While we don't love the taste of Kuerig coffee compared to other brew methods, the K-Supreme Plus Smart still offers plenty to love. It's simple to use and has a great app that makes it a joy to operate.
If you're drawn to Keurig machines for their ease and simplicity, we'd steer you toward the K-Mini. This tiny brewer is quaint and simply designed, easily sliding into an unused corner on your counter. Simply choose how much water you want to brew with (from 6 to 12 ounces), and press the big start button. It's cheap, easy, and comes in several fun colorways.
You don't have a lot of control over how the coffee is brewed in the K-Mini, and the result is often watery, weak coffee with a slight plasticky aftertaste. There are certainly tastier and more sustainable coffee brewing options, but there aren't many that are easier.
The AeroPress is an immersion brewer that requires several easy steps to use — boil water, insert a paper filter, add grounds, pour the water into the grounds, stir, and plunge. Viola, incredible tasting coffee. Seriously, the rich flavor and inviting crema are outstanding. Follow AeroPress's more precise directions to brew coffee or espresso, which you can turn into three eight-ounce Americanos. Though there is no automatic setting (or settings of any kind), our testers never found this brew process tedious, and many enjoyed the ritual. The lightweight setup is also ideal for traveling or camping.
If you're brewing coffee for a crowd, it will take a while if this is all you have. The process can seem onerous, but once learned, we don't find it that much more involved than using a typical drip coffee machine. Though there are three pieces to clean, they wash up quickly. All told, the AeroPress is an incredibly good buy, brewing fantastic coffee at a fantastically low price.
The AeroPress looks more complicated than it feels after a few practice rounds, and it makes an undeniably delicious cup of coffee.
Credit: Joshua Hutchens
How We Test Coffee Makers
We have tested hundreds of coffee-making and coffee-related products over the years. Our in-depth testing always begins by choosing every product based on merit and purchasing each one to avoid any bias. We've spent tens of thousands of dollars buying espresso machines, drip coffee machines, electric kettles, coffee grinders, French presses, Keurig machines, other single-serve coffee machines and the pods that go with them, milk frothers, and even camping-specific coffee makers. Not to mention the hundreds of pounds of coffee grounds we've ground and brewed and all the gallons of coffee, espresso, and lattes we've consumed. We weigh our ingredients precisely, time them to the second, and measure their temperatures at key moments. We evaluate their ease of use, learning curves, versatility, and ease of being cleaned.
We've put every coffee-related product through a battery of thorough and comparative palette taste tests to find where they excel and be able to recommend the best options for your coffee brewing process.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Why Trust GearLab
This battery of testing includes expertise and input from a massive team of people, including serious coffee nerds with impressive backgrounds working and excelling in the field of coffee brewing, like Michelle Powell, Liz Nelson, and Penney Garrett. Both Liz and Penney are coffee industry veterans, spending over 20 combined years perfecting brew methods and teaching palate training. Liz now runs her own importing and roasting business based in Colorado. Michelle adds another decade of experience to the mix, having trained at several prestigious pioneering coffee institutions and twice competed in the Southwest Regional Barista Competition. These ladies helped to research, design, and carry out many of the tests for our varied coffee categories. They each added their expertise and intimate knowledge of how to brew the perfect cup to ensure each product is adequately tested for amateurs and pros alike.
Being precise with our brew testing.
Brewing coffee using a French press.
From coffee makers to their supporting appliances, we've tested a vast range of coffee accouterments.
We leave no stone unturned when testing coffee brewing methods.
The GearLab in-house team conducted even more in-depth testing, and our coffee reviews are currently spearheaded by Lesley Robinson, who has a degree in food science from California Polytechnic State University. With more than a decade of experience in the food industry and a background in quality assessment and food safety, Leslie has a keen eye for quality ingestibles. With world-class equipment and technology at their fingertips, the in-house testing team brings precision and experienced critical eyes to the testing of many of these categories of coffee accouterment.
Mixing up fancy drinks.
Taste testing everything, including Keurig pods.
Measuring brew time and temperature.
Whether you're new to brewing or an industry professional, we've tested tons of coffee gear for all kinds of brew methods.
How to Pick the Best Coffee Maker
Here's the thing about coffee makers: which type and model you choose and how you use it can have a drastic impact on how your coffee tastes, how clean it is, and how much body it has. You and your chosen coffee maker are the last link in a long, global chain of growers, pickers, distributors, and roasters — it's pretty cool that you get to decide what all that hard work renders.
Ultimately, you're looking for a machine that will help you make coffee that you love while fitting into your lifestyle. If all the choices available seem intimidating, don't worry, we're here to help.
We tested each coffee maker in our lineup side-by-side to help find the right one for your morning coffee fix.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Coffee Flavors, Taste, and Texture
Brewing coffee combines principles of physics and chemistry. You're essentially repeating a science experiment in your kitchen every morning. Some coffee makers do most of the work for you, while others rely on your ability to consistently prepare and execute a series of steps to get the flavors, textures, and taste you prefer.
You may be wondering why we're listing flavor and taste separately. It's because the taste of brewed coffee can be the culmination of many different flavors. Much like when fancy wine folk murmur things like hints of bumbleberry with a smoky oak finish, a single sip of coffee can contain multitudes.
A good place to dive into the world of coffee flavor detection is the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel, created by the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) and World Coffee Research. According to said wheel, coffee can taste sweet, floral, fruity, sour or fermented, green or vegetative, papery or musty, chemical, roasted, spicy, or nutty/chocolatey. And that's just the base layer — you can spiral all the way out to flavors like almond, anise, or “animalic.” As you may imagine, some of the flavors are more appealing than others. Here's more information about how to use this complex flavor wheel.
Intentional, ritualized coffee tasting is called cupping, where enthusiasts and professionals analyze coffee for its fragrance and aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, clean cup, uniformity, overall quality, and mouthfeel. We'll cover many of these factors in the discussion below. You can learn more about these detailed cupping protocols from the SCA.
Some brew processes, like pour-over, allow you to tweak your methods to extract more and better flavors.
Credit: Liz Nelson
Coffee Brewing
Extraction and brewing are semi-interchangeable terms that mean using water to pull soluble chemical compounds from coffee beans. Three main chemical reactions create your coffee: hydrolysis, dissolution, and diffusion through osmosis. As they unfold, they coax a series of flavors from your coffee grounds. The tastiest flavors — your fatty oils and acidic, fruity, and sweet notes — emerge first. They're followed by bitter and astringent flavors that occur when the chemical reactions go too far, prompting many of us to add waaaaay too many lumps of sugar.
If your coffee doesn't steep long enough or hot enough, you'll get weak, watery coffee that pros call under-extracted. The key is to maximize the sweet and fruity flavors while not tipping over into a pit of bitterness and despair. We're shooting for ideal extraction here. The resulting taste is a sweet balanced cup of coffee with a pleasing aftertaste and thicker, creamier consistency.
Automated coffee makers don't usually let you choose how long your let your coffee steep. Manual options, like the French press shown here give you all the control.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Brewing Steps
To make coffee, you need to grow, harvest, ship (usually several times), and roast beans, grind them, and soak them in water or filter water through them. Every step impacts your coffee's flavor, including the water type and temperature, how you brew it, and what filter you use. Let's break it down step by step.
Coffee Beans and Quality
The compounds and flavors available for you to extract will depend on your coffee beans — their quality, the quality of the roast, and their freshness. As they age, tasty aromatics and compounds that are trapped inside the beans' matrix during the roasting process will gradually escape, rendering the beans literally less full of flavor. Most hard-core coffee folks use their beans within one to two weeks of their roast date.
Bulletproof Coffee has a great guide to help you cut through the crowded coffee isle and choose beans that get you excited to climb out of bed. If you're worried about the sustainability, ethics, and worker protections in coffee supply chains, the Speciality Coffee Association offers resources that may help you make more informed decisions.
The first step to a great cup of coffee is a high quality bean.
Credit: Liz Nelson
Grind Size and Consistency
You need to match the size of your coffee grounds to your brewing method. This means buying whole beans and grinding them either at home or at the store when you purchase them.
Whatever size you need, whether fine for espresso or coarse for a French press, you also need your grind size to be consistent to get the best results. That's why coffee aficionados recommend using burr grinders. These are the best coffee grinders on the market; they use pressure to crush grounds, which avoids the many fine particles that blade grinders inevitably produce.
Coffee crema, the creamy caramel foam that can form on top of an espresso shot, is composed of tiny pockets of CO2 combined with some of the fats and oils from the coffee. Many people love including crema in their cups, others swear by scraping it off for a crisper cup with clear flavors.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Time
The amount of time coffee grounds are in contact with water determines whether your coffee is over, under, or perfectly extracted. It takes longer to extract optimal flavors from coarse grounds since they have relatively less surface area. Finely ground coffee, like that used in espresso, brews more quickly. Dark roasts tend to brew faster than light roasts, as well, which means you may find yourself brewing for different lengths of time if you change beans often.
With an automated machine like a drip model or pod machine, you often have very little control over the amount of time your coffee is brewed. We tested the length of time and consistency between drip coffee machines, to see which offers a more predictable experience.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Water Temperature
Increasing your water temperature speeds up the flavor extraction process. Temperatures between 195° and 205° F are usually ideal. Water loses heat quickly, though, especially when poured through a long gooseneck kettle spout, so you may want to overshoot a little. The MistoBox Coffee Blog recommends increasing the temperatures to 212° F when brewing light to medium roast coffees since it can be more difficult to coax out their flavor.
Water Quality
If your water tastes bad, it's not going to do your coffee any favors. Aside from taste, the acidity (pH) of your water, how many minerals it contains (also described as total dissolved solids or TDS), and its sodium, odor, and chlorine levels will all affect your coffee's taste.
According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, you want fresh-tasting water with no chlorine, total dissolved solids between 75 and 250 mg/L, calcium hardness between 17 and 85 mg/L, alkalinity near 40 mg/L, a neutral pH of 7, and 10 mg/L of sodium. To get the chlorine out of tap water, you can use a carbon filter, like a Brita. For a deep dive, we recommend checking out this video by James Hoffmann, an English barista and 2007 World Barista Championship winner.
If you're considering an automated machine, you often lose control over what temperature your coffee is brewed at — though there are some premium models that let you choose your temperature. With that in mind, it's important to know if your machine is brewing at the right temperature.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Agitation
Stirring the grounds and the water together can increase extraction speed. If you're using a manual coffee maker, this often means manually stirring the coffee, though some mixing occurs when you pour water on the grounds. Automated makers often include spray heads to help with agitation by spraying the water in different directions within the brew basket.
An electric kettle allows you to heat your water to optimal temperatures and using the pour-over method lets you stir your grounds.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Filtration
Some coffee makers give you the option of using either a paper or metal mesh filter. Paper options block more particulates, oils, and fats from ending up in your cup. The result is a cleaner, lighter coffee with more defined flavors. Pros will tell you to wet or rinse your filters before using them to keep the paper flavor out of your cup.
Metal filters like those used in a French press allow more particulars and oils through, creating a denser cup with a fuller body. Flavors are usually slightly muddled as a result. Neither option is right or wrong. It all comes down to personal preference.
If you use paper filters, there's a good chance you can also taste them in your coffee.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Brewing Machines, AKA Coffee Makers
According to an article by material chemist, Christopher Hendon, a regular cup of coffee contains 1.2 to 1.5% of total dissolved solids (TDS) from your coffee grounds. Espresso contains 8 to 10%. There are a ton of ways to extract a little over 1% of coffee. Pulling out up to 10% is more difficult. As a result, we discuss more coffee makers than espresso machines below.
If you like lattes or cappuccinos though, you'll want an espresso maker. Some come equipped with an integrated steam wand. Others do not. If you want to buy a frother separately, we've rounded up our favorite milk frothers in our dedicated review. (Spoiler, the Breville Milk Cafe is top-notch, and the Ninja Easy Frother is an easy-to-use alternative.)
Froth milk at home to create your own cafe-worthy specialty drinks like lattes and cappuccinos.
Credit: Liz Nelson
Before you dive into the list of coffee brewers, ask yourself two questions. First, do you need coffee immediately in the morning to swim to the surface of consciousness? If so, a programable machine that can have your first cup at the ready is a good bet. If you prefer a ritual that rewards patience and precision, consider manual options like a pour-over or French press. Be sure to factor clean-up into the overall time.
Second, how much coffee do you and your household need every morning? What about during weekends with company and brunch gatherings? Plan accordingly by matching your intended coffee-making process to your crowd size. We'll break down the many mechanisms you might use to make coffee and go over their strengths and weaknesses to help you figure out which method is the best option for you.
This is a decent option for those looking for programmability and machine that will turn off automatically. However, we found the brew quality lacking, with lower brewing temperatures and a watered down taste.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Drip Coffee Makers
Time to Coffee: 5-15 minutes | Capacity: 1-12 cups
REASONS TO BUY
Many can automatically brew at a certain time
Among the easiest and simplest to use
Typically offer balanced flavor
REASONS TO AVOID
You have less control and customization over the brewing process
Using automation generally means less flavor
Drip coffee makers are a standard on many kitchen countertops and are used by gas stations and diners everywhere. With good reason, they're simple, familiar, and easy to use. Our favorite drip coffee makers can be programmed to have coffee ready and waiting for you the second your alarm sounds.
They are not the most popular option among flavor-oriented coffee lovers. Automating your morning coffee ritual by setting it up the night before means that your coffee has been ground and exposed to air for 8 hours. Flavor has been quite literally escaping the entire time.
You also don't often have as much control over steps in the brewing process, like water temperature, brew time, and level of agitation. Drip machines often use a dry paper filter, slowly adding water to percolate through your grounds.
Taste: A balanced cup of medium-bodied coffee with more acidity than bitterness
Ideal Roast and Grind Size: Medium to dark roasted coffee and medium-sized grounds, about the size of table salt
All coffee makers benefit from using good a coffee grinder to make sure you're working with properly sized grounds for optimal extraction.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Pour Over
Time to Coffee: 4 minutes | Capacity: 1-2 cups
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Compact
Lots of control over the process
REASONS TO AVOID
Limited capacity
Requires the most practice
Pour over coffee makers may not have found their footing as a device that belongs in every home kitchen. But they've claimed their place in coffee shops as a delightfully simple brewer that's capable of producing consistently glorious results. The best pour over coffee makers produce great-tasting coffee quickly and with minimum waste.
The process isn't that involved once you learn it. According to Stumptown Coffee Roasters, the proper steps are 1) Rinse the filter, 2) Grind and measure your coffee, 3) Wet the grounds to let them bloom (aka release CO2 that built up during roasting), 4) Do the pour-over part: add water slowly in a spiral every 10 to 15 seconds (about 360 grams for every 21 grams of coffee if you're into that sort of thing). Make sure to add water to the light areas and avoid dark spots, and 5) Enjoy!
Taste: Clean and crisp with distinctive and sometimes subtle flavors
Ideal Roast and Grind Size: Medium grounds and light to medium roasts
Pour-over coffee makers are a simplistic, fast, and controlled brew method.
Credit: Liz Nelson
French Press
Time to Coffee: 4 minutes | Capacity: ~5 cups
REASONS TO BUY
Simple to use
Inexpensive
REASONS TO AVOID
Requires some knowledge and attention to detail
Easy to over-extract
Though the French press is a simple gadget, wielding it effectively can take some practice but offers greater control over your brewing process. It also requires owning some additional gadgets — most importantly, a good grinder. Once you have everything you need, walk through the steps with Stumptown.
After you get the basics down, a French press is a quick way to make coffee for two or a small crowd. A second round is as easy as dumping the grounds and rinsing the pitcher. Inexpensive and compact, they are a great tool to have around a coffee lover's kitchen.
Taste: Rich and full-bodied, can be quite sweet
Ideal Roast and Grind Size: Works best with light to medium roasts and coarsely ground beans
The French Press is an easy-to-use, inexpensive classic that is a great tool for customizing your brewing methods based on the beans you're enjoying that day.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Espresso Machines
Time to Coffee: 2 minutes | Capacity: 1-2 shots
REASONS TO BUY
Create cafe-quality specialty drinks
Often include a steaming wand for frothing milk
Many have an integrated grinder
Typically allow more control over your brew
REASONS TO AVOID
Far more expensive
More complicated and with a steeper learning curve
Many take up a ton of counter space
Espresso machines need little introduction. You've seen them at coffee shops, and there are smaller versions marketed to home brewers. They range in complexity and skill level required, from fully automated machines requiring little to no effort to manual espresso machines requiring honed skills and offering lots of fine control over the process (this is called “pulling” a shot, rather than brewing). While other brew methods are done at room pressure, espresso machines extract more flavor compounds from your beans by exerting around nine bars of pressure (equivalent to the pressure 90 meters underwater, or about 130 pounds per square inch).
To justify the expense of owning one of these technical machines, you really need to like espresso. You can always add hot water to turn a shot into an Americano that mimics the light body of drip coffee. But that is a lot more trouble than just using your average coffee maker. If you like top-notch lattes and cappuccinos or prefer the more intense flavors from a shot of coffee pulled under pressure, these are for you.
And if you're new to having espresso at home, once again, Stumptown will guide you through the steps to pull the perfect shot.
The right espresso machine should be able to curate rich espresso, consistent crema, and a glossy microfoam that results in beautifully and easily made latte art.
Credit: Jason Peters
Taste: Strong flavors ranging from roasted and bitter to notes of cocoa or fruit, depending on the beans
Ideal Roast and Grind Size: Use ultra-fine coffee grounds and work with a dark roast, though medium roasts will work
After our in-house baristas conducted many rounds of taste-testing and evaluated each unit's ease of use, cleaning, customization, and features, we rated each espresso machine based on their overall performance. You can find our taste test results of our award-winning machines in the chart below.
Espresso Taste
Product
Taste
Rancilio Silvia
9.5
Breville Barista Express
8
Flair Classic
8
Casabrews Compact
7
Breville Bambino Plus
6.5
Breville Bambino
6
We also steamed dozens of gallons of milk to test which espresso machines could get to the perfect glossy, velvety microfoam that is essential for making the neat and beautiful latte art. See how well our award winners steamed milk in the graph below.
When you want an espresso, regular coffee just won't cut it. A true espresso machine extracts more from finely ground beans by brewing them under high pressure. This makes them great for making rich and cozy drinks like lattes and cappuccinos.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Single-Cup Pod Machines
Time to Coffee: 1-4 minutes | Capacity: 1-2 cups
REASONS TO BUY
Exceptionally easy to use
Fast with minimal cleanup
REASONS TO AVOID
Pods are expensive
Pods are wasteful, even when recycled
Other options make better-tasting coffee
Single-serve pod machines like Nespresso and Keurig machines brew coffee quickly using preloaded pods. Nespresso uses aluminum that is more easily recycled — if you send it back to the company. Keurig favors #5 plastic pods, which negatively impacts the taste of your coffee and is widely considered detrimental to the state of your planet. People love how easy both are to use, and they make coffee quickly and require virtually no cleanup.
While we truly enjoy the flavor of several of the coffee pod options made by numerous Nespresso-style makers, we find that every other type of coffee maker produces a tastier brew. The Keurig coffee pods have a chemical aftertaste that we just can't get behind.
Taste: Nespresso coffee can taste fairly balanced with a rich crema, while Keurig coffee often has a chemical aftertaste
Nespresso makes pretty tasty coffee using recycled and recyclable aluminum pods.
Keurig cups are difficult or impossible to recycle and add a plastic taste to our cup.
Taste-testing the many pod flavors for a multitude of single-serve coffee machines.
AeroPress
Time to Coffee: 4 minutes | Capacity: 1 to 3 cups
REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight and simple to use
Great flavor with rich crema
Gives you more control over the process
REASONS TO AVOID
Small capacity
Need accessories to control variables
More involved to use
The AeroPress creates rich, full-bodied, and clean coffee quickly. You can find and follow step-by-step instructions from Stumptown Coffee Roasters to create an ideal cup of coffee with this brewer.
To do so, you'll need a thermometer, or an electric kettle, so you can make sure to get your water to the optimal temperature. You'll also need a kitchen scale, a timer, and, if you watch the video, a cool hat and a camper parked in the woods. The AeroPress comes with paper filters, though several off-brand metal filters are available online. If you use paper filters, be sure to wet them down first to remove the paper's taste.
Taste: Clean, rich, full-bodied, balanced, and often bright
Ideal Roast and Grind Size: Medium roast coffee and medium-fine grounds, a bit coarser than espresso
Brewing a great cup with a great view.
Making coffee on an early morning in Yosemite Valley.
You don't have to sacrifice good coffee while camping.
We love being able to brew an excellent cuppa with the AeroPress, both at home and in the wilderness.
Conclusion
We hope we've helped you decide which type of coffee maker works for your lifestyle and tastes. We know there are a ton of ways to brew your beans, and we applaud you for taking the time to research, improve, and perfect your brewing routine — whatever that may look like. Cheers to you and your next cup of coffee, made by and for you.
—
Michelle Powell, Lesley Robinson, Penney Garrett, and Liz Nelson
