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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 Technivorm Moccamaster KBT.
Editor's Note: We added new and exciting coffee makers to this review, including the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT and Ratio Six Series 2 on Dec 24, 2024.
The Technivorm Moccamaster KBT extends that first-sip feeling through to the very last drop of each cup it brews. “Every sip I take of this coffee is a spiritual experience,” noted taste tester Rachael Lamore. It's an exceptionally high-quality, handmade drip coffee maker. Each member of our expert team of taste testers was blown away by the rich, complex, balanced flavor and luscious weight and texture of the coffee made by the Moccamaster. Lead tester Lesley said, “I loved the coffee made by this machine. It was an eye-opening experience to see how amazing home-brewed coffee can be.” Plus, the filter basket has a drip stop switch that can be used to manually add pre-infusion or extend the brew time to your liking — a much-appreciated feature for those who like to tinker with their coffee.
With great flavor comes great brew quality. The two often go hand in hand. With a measured average maximum brew temperature of 201.7°F and an average brew temp of 193°F, the Moccamaster lands closely within the ideal brewing temperature range. It did so consistently in our testing. Likewise, when the brewing process was all said and done, the temperature in the carafe was 177°F on average across five brew cycles, which is just about as spot-on as it can get for an ideal ready-to-pour-into-a-cup temperature. And the insulated carafe with its glass-lined interior can keep the coffee hot for several hours. It even comes with an additional travel lid, which is a nice touch for when you want to take your coffee on the go to something fun like a picnic in the park.
"I love the phenomenal taste of the Moccamaster's coffee," exclaimed one taste tester.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
It's almost unbelievable how the Moccamaster can make such utterly delicious coffee so consistently, given that it also does it ridiculously fast. In our testing, this machine was able to brew a 6-cup pot of coffee in just a little over 4 minutes. That's crazy fast. And that's an especially nice trait to have in a drip brewer like the Moccamaster, which does not have programmable auto-brew. Similarly, the descaling process is incredibly quick — it only takes 18 minutes to complete the full deep clean every 100 brew cycles.
In the world of drip coffee makers, the Technivorm Moccamaster is truly an all-star machine. The marvelous coffee it makes is reason enough to put this at the top of any coffee drinker's shopping list. However, we know that some prefer the convenience of programmable features and dishwasher-safe parts (every component of the Moccamaster must be hand washed). No other machine can contend with the Moccamaster on pure flavor, but the Breville Precision Brewer still makes a great cup and is amazingly user-friendly with its digital interface and programmable options. But, if both of these machines are beyond your budget, the Ninja 12-Cup Programmable CE251 has some convenient features at a more affordable price, and most of its pieces can be tossed in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.
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. Also, some coffee tools, like the Moccamaster, use European 4-ounce cup measurements. 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!
We popped the lid off the brew basket so you can see the Technivorm Moccamaster in action. The gentle drips from the showerhead completely soak the grounds in the cone basket for even and balanced flavor extraction.
We loved the coffee brewed by the Ratio Six Series 2. One of our taste testers even wrote, “After I drank this coffee, my immediate reaction was 'Wow'.” They expounded on the flavor notes, using excited hand gestures and joyful facial expressions while dropping descriptors like “chocolatey sweetness,” "a hint of caramel," and “licorice and rye” to express the complex flavors (and emotions) they were experiencing. One of our taste testers went so far as to say the coffee was “a significant improvement over the pour-over” that they were comparing it to.
The exceptional flavor is a direct result of the excellent brew quality of the machine. The Series 2 has a beautiful showerhead that delicately and evenly soaks all of the grounds in its brew basket. Those droplets grace the grounds at just the right temperature, too. We recorded an average maximum brew temperature of 206.7°F in the brew basket, which is actually a hair over the ideal temp range. However, the overall average brew temperature was 192.5°F, which is just below that ideal range — this means that a good portion of the brew cycle lies right between these numbers, which is where that sweet spot of ideal flavor extraction lies.
The Ratio Six Series 2 is an elegant machine that makes top-quality coffee, but it has stackable components that need to be assembled and disassembled at every brew cycle.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The Ratio Six Series 2 is a great choice for coffee nerds (like us) who really enjoy the coffee-making process. It's an interestingly-designed machine. It's beautiful to look at and seems super basic to brew with, given its one-button operation. However, the unique modular stack design of the carafe, brew basket, and heat guard creates some extra steps that aren't required when operating most other brewers. When both setting up the machine to brew and then preparing to pour your first cup, there's some fiddling that must be done with this stack. Overall, it's still a pretty quick brewer — across five brew cycles, it averaged 6 minutes flat — but you can't just grab your carafe and pour your coffee when brewing is complete. It's a minor inconvenience, and those who enjoy participating in the ritual of the process won't mind it in the least.
Still, the Series 2 produces an outstanding brew. Only the Technivorm Moccamaster made coffee that our testers enjoyed more, but they are both far above the competition when it comes to flavor supremacy. The only other alternative that approaches anywhere near this echelon of flavor is the Breville Precision Brewer, which, if you want great flavor but also want the convenience of programmable auto-brew to make your mornings a little easier, is a quality pick you won't regret.
Removable water tank makes filling and cleaning easy
A solid suite of programmable features and customization options
REASONS TO AVOID
Hot plate is weak
Takes some time to brew a full pot
SPECIFICATIONS
Scheduled Brewing
Yes
Max Cup Capacity
12 cups
Average Brew Time for 6 Cups
7.8 min
Average Measured Brew Temperature
191.6 F
Descaling Time
42 min
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 soul-soothing 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 programmable features and superb flavor. The Ninja 12-Cup Programmable gives you the best of both worlds at a budget-friendly price. Members of our taste test panel loved the coffee brewed through the Ninja for its “balanced” flavor profile that tasted “delightful, with smooth but bold flavors perfectly blended together.” The coffee wasn't knock-your-socks-off levels of wow, but it was quite enjoyable to drink and could easily be your go-to morning brew. It brews at optimal max temperatures of up to 202.5°F in our testing and has an average brew temperature of 191°F; the range in between these temperatures is on the money for ideal flavor extraction.
It's also among the easiest brewers to use — the intuitive interface makes for a pleasant user experience. This is especially important for those 5 am wake-up calls 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 design. What you see is what you get, and there is no guesswork involved. Starting a brew process is as simple as adding the 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 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 overabundance 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, clocking in at 7 minutes 48 seconds on average for a 6-cup pot. But for the price, this brewer is unbeatable. If you're looking to save even more on a coffee maker but refuse to sacrifice much more on flavor and brew quality, check out the Black+Decker 12-Cup Thermal. For those seeking artisanal pour-over quality who don't mind making an investment for truly divine flavor, you might consider the Technivorm Moccamaster.
Just because a drip coffee maker has a very low price tag doesn't mean it makes bad coffee — the Black+Decker 12-Cup Thermal proves that even inexpensive drip machines can make a smooth and satisfying pot of joe. Our team of taste testers was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the java produced by the Thermal. One taste tester wrote that the coffee was “Not aggressive at all. The flavors were present but not offensive, and the mouthfeel was light and easy to drink.” Essentially, this drip brewer made coffee that was on the lighter side of the coffee spectrum. It's the type of coffee you could drink cup after cup without getting overwhelmed, much like a soothing herbal tea.
And, given its super affordable price, we were also impressed by its temperature accuracy and features. The B+D Thermal recorded an average 177.4°F brew temp and an average max brew temp of 195.4°F, which means that although it did reach ideal brew temperatures at some moments in the brewing process, it wasn't in the ideal range for the majority of it, resulting in an overall lack of flavor extraction. That said, the thermal carafe kept the coffee at a toasty 171°F, which is plenty warm for your next cup. It's rare to see an insulated thermal carafe on any budget-friendly drip coffee machine, and it's a welcome bonus.
The Black+Decker 12-Cup Thermal is quite a capable machine for its price and has nice-to-have features like an insulated carafe and programmable auto-brew.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
If your budget is already at its limits, but you really want a drip coffee maker that makes good, drinkable coffee that you'll look forward to every morning, the B+D Thermal is a good option. Plus, it even comes with handy extras like a programmable auto-brew, a freshness timer, a strong brew option, a sneak-a-cup feature, and an insulated stainless steel carafe.
That said, it's not a perfect machine. The water tank is a bit small and awkward to access, the coffee is good but it's not great, and it's a bit on the slow side, taking about 7 minutes and 6 seconds to brew a 6-cup pot. You won't find a better machine at its price, but if you can spend a few more dollars for better quality coffee and a more user-friendly experience, the Ninja 12-Cup is a noticeable improvement with its removable water tank and more well-rounded coffee flavor. However, for a top-tier experience with a programmable drip coffee maker, look to the Breville Precision Brewer for its unmatched customization options, wonderfully intuitive design, and stupendous coffee flavor.
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 K-Mini comes in cute colors and takes up very little counter space, but the Keurig pods make some of our least favorite-tasting coffee.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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. 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 Taste: Flavor, Finish, and Acidity
Brewing coffee is both an art and a science. On one hand, brewing combines principles of physics and chemistry. You're essentially repeating a science experiment in your kitchen every morning. On the other, coffee flavor is a pure expression of artistry, where the brewing device is the brush you use to paint the (hopefully) delicious result on the canvas of your tongue.
Coffee Taste Ratings
Product
Flavor
Finish
Acidity
Technivorm Moccamaster KBT
4.5
4.5
4.5
Ratio Six Series 2
4.0
4.5
5.0
Fellow Clara
5.0
4.5
4.0
Hario V60
3.5
4.0
4.0
Secura Stainless Steel
3.5
4.0
3.0
Nespresso Vertuo
3.5
3.5
3.5
Ninja 12-Cup Programmable
3.5
2.5
3.5
Keurig Mini
2.0
2.0
1.5
Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart
2.0
1.5
2.0
We found that traditional drip coffee makers brewed the best-tasting coffee across the board in our taste tasting.
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. It's like how paint-by-numbers and refined mastercraft oil paintings can both be beautiful to look at — coffee brewed through an automated drip brewer, and an expertly handled pour-over can both have astonishing flavor.
The taste of coffee is the culmination of many different flavors — a single sip can contain multitudes. Using the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel, created by the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) and World Coffee Research as a reference point, our expert team of taste testers evaluated the flavor notes and flavor strength alongside the mouthfeel, finish, and acidity levels as a vital part of reviewing each coffee brewing device we tested.
Our expert panel of taste testers scrutinized every cup of joe that was put in front of them, jotting down notes about the flavor, mouthfeel, finish, and acidity of each.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
All of our award winners make great coffee — it's too important of a metric to sacrifice. For instance, taste tester Rachael said that she was “very impressed” by the Technivorm Moccamaster and that “It might be easier getting up in the morning if I have a cup of this coffee to look forward to.” Our team savored every last drop of the floral, chocolatey goodness the machine produced. She also thoroughly enjoyed the sweet and fruity brew made with the Fellow French Press, which she said made a “bright and delightful cup of coffee. The sweet aftertaste is such a treat!” Taster Joshua Hutchens also couldn't stop talking about the coffee's “excellent texture.” Likewise, the Hario V60 made coffee that was described as “overall very enjoyable” and “quite delicious.”
Yet, the overall impression is more of an experience than taste alone; it's a combination of each element of a coffee's taste, finish, and acidity, and those are weighed against personal preferences when making assessments. That's why we had a full team of taste testers at our disposal. While one coffee expert may prefer the balanced fruity and nutty flavor of the Secura French Press with its smooth aftertaste, another connoisseur may relish the heavy, slightly acidic bitter chocolate flavor that the Ninja Coffee Maker extracts with its lingering finish (one tester was overjoyed with its "more robust flavor presentation"). But while every person may have their own preferences, our expert panel clearly aligned on which coffee makers made the best-tasting coffee of all.
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: Lesley Robinson
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: Lesley Robinson
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, Liz Nelson, and Arthur McMahon
