The Best Coffee Makers – How do You Choose?

There are many different types of coffee maker, all them serving the same purpose – to mix hot water with ground coffee, and then filter out the grinds.

Which type of coffee maker you choose will likely depend on how many of you there are in your home drinking coffee, and how often.

As a general guideline, the more you are in search of convenience, the more expensive your choice of coffee maker will be. As for the quality of the brew itself, the added cost won’t make much difference.

The best coffee makers are not necessarily the most sophisticated or expensive.

On this page we’ll look at some of the best coffee makers available – and some that are not so great.

Single Cup Coffee Brewers

It’s a bit like VHS and Betamax. These are all competing “One-cup” presentations fighting for the lion’s share of the market.

Here’s the deal. You buy a particular brand of single-serve coffee maker, and then buy these single-serve K-Cups or Pods of ground coffee. If the machine is designed for use with K Cups, you can’t use Pods, and vice versa.

Right now the most popular choice seems to be the Keurig K-Cup brewers, which you can find at the Green Mountain Coffee Site.

There’s plenty more to say on the subject, which is why we have devoted a separate page to single cup coffee brewers.

The French Press

It's one of the best coffee makers you'll ever use. In fact, if you go into a quality coffee shop and ask for a single, straight coffee – which they don’t have ready-brewed – they’ll usually use a French press to make it.

That is one of the weird and wonderful things about making coffee. More expensive brewing systems don’t make better coffee. They just make the process of making it a little more convenient.

Most kitchen stores offer a variety of fresh presses. If you can’t find one locally, try Amazon.com.

Coffee Percolators

There is some debate over whether or not percolators make a good cup of gourmet coffee.

Purists say you shouldn’t use them. Fans of percolators dismiss these objections and claim that percolated coffee is richer and better tasting than anything made with a drip brewer.

But I think everyone can agree on one thing: Don’t use an old stove-top percolator. The water boils and spoils the coffee. Use a reasonably new electric percolator. They do a much better job of controlling the water temperature.

Coffee Drip Brewers

So long as you have a good model, and the water hits the coffee grounds at the right temperature, drip brewers can make a great cup of coffee.

But they do have one disadvantage. And if you have ever poured yourself a cup of coffee an hour or two after it was made in a drip brewer, you know what that problem tastes like.

Here’s what happens...these glass carafes are on a hotplate, to keep the coffee hot. The trouble is, after a while, the heat from the hotplate starts “cooking” the coffee.

Coffee Detective Tip: If you are going to use a Drip Brewer, make just enough coffee for the amount you want to drink over the next thirty minutes or so. If you want more coffee an hour or two later, make a fresh brew.

If you are looking to buy a drip coffee maker, you can almost certainly find one locally. But it is worth researching online first, as drip brewers come in a huge variety of models, with many different features. If you find one you like, and it’s not a model you’d find in your local stores, you can probably find it at Amazon.

Final thoughts on the “best coffee makers”...

At the end of the day, everyone has different ideas about which are the best coffee makers. It has nothing much to do with expert opinions, and everything to do with your own tastes and lifestyle.

Just keep in mind that some of the simplest brewers make excellent coffee, and never break down.

That's one of the weird thing about coffee makers - the more you spend, the greater the convenience. But paying extra doesn't mean you get better coffee.

Which kind of coffee maker do YOU use?

There are so many different types and brands of coffee maker to choose from. But over time we find the type and brand that suits us best. Which coffee maker do YOU use? What do you like about it, and why?

What others have written about their coffee makers

Nespresso Lattissima
Honestly its expensive ,but it worth every cent when you taste the coffee..

It uses the coffee capsules, although it's kinda stupid cuz its restricted ...

Melitta makes the very best...coffee!
Many, many years ago I received an offer from Gevalia Kaffe that I couldn't resist: a pound of coffee and a Melitta coffeemaker for $10.00, with no further ...

Percolators get a bad rap
Even though percolators overextract grounds, what a percolator does is insulate coffee from its worst enemy, which is air. If you buy vintage, the trick ...

Still searching for a stainless coffee maker - healthier option
I've been searching everywhere for a stainless option to the percolator. I love the idea of the single cups you've reviewed, but they all have plastic ...

BUNN ... why restaurants know best!
Walk in any restaurant and the majority of Coffee Makers will be BUNN. Thus, why not buy one for home. I have had one at home since the 1980's. They are ...

I tried them all, Percolators are the best! GE Immersible 1970
I always had a hard time making a good cup of coffee at home. I grind my own beans, filtered water etc. I had many different coffee makers Bunn pour over,...

Hello Kitty coffee maker
I use Hello Kitty Coffee Maker.its pink and cute as heck.it does the job well.been using it for about 2 years.I LOVE COFFEE !!!!

West Bend 5-9 cup Percolator
Have not used lately? Any comments?

Editor's Note: The West Bend 5-9 cup Percolator seems to be an older model, and I can't find any feedback on that ...

Coffee percolator is the best way to brew coffee
Coffee Percolator makes the BEST coffee compared to the Drip coffee maker. The flavor comes out the strongest using a Percolator.

Jura Impressa
My coffee maker is a fully automatic coffee maker which is like a mini version of the huge automatic machines you see in coffee houses. Just make sure ...

Technivorm - Moccamaster
An excellent coffeemaker.

Very simple design seldom requires cleaning, which is very easily done when needed.

Brews at just the right temperature....

Eva Solo Cafe Solo
If you like the taste of french press coffee, you'll love the Eva Solo.

It's basically a glass carafe with a neoprene zippered cover to keep the coffee ...

Mr coffee
I know it's probably not the best but I'm quite happy with my mr. coffee machine mainly because I bought the model that instead of a glass pot and hot ...

Hourglass Cold Brew Coffee Maker
I suffer from acid reflux and had to stop drinking coffee for awhile until I discovered cold brew coffee. I just found a new one that is much easier to ...

We love our Cuisinart Grind & Brew coffee maker
We have always liked grinding our own beans. We buy beans so the coffee is always fresh, but also so we have a big choice of different coffees to choose ...

DeLonghi Magnifica Bean to Cup Espresso Maker Not rated yet
I purchased this model in october 2010 in London England. I had done a little research to see what was some of the better models. I liked the concept of ...

Best coffee maker Not rated yet
I have a french press I like a lot, but my favorite is a Hamilton Beach BrewStation. Makes great coffee, can make 1 to 12 cups, keeps coffee hot without ...

Siphon Coffee Maker Not rated yet
You may have never heard of siphon coffee making. Then again, you may have read about it in the New York Times and thought it was some $20,000 gizmo used ...

French Press + Great Beans + Boiling Water = Superb Cafe Not rated yet
My French Press is wonderful but the carafe is not removable (well, I cannot get it off the glue spot that Starbuck's puts in the base). Another carafe ...

Filtron Not rated yet
The Filtron cold brew coffee system is by FAR the best coffee I have ever tasted. No acid, no bitter taste. Just smooth wonderful coffee. And eight o clock ...

Stella Coffee Maker - Espresso and Cappuccino Not rated yet
I love this machine!! i picked it up as an ex-display model for £60! i need to change the washer on the steam rod because of some rather brash customers ...

Gevalia Not rated yet
Wish I could say something nice about it. I've had several different Gevalia coffee makers. When you open the lid, the condensation cascades down the ...

Toddy coffee Not rated yet
Cold brewing is the only way to go at home. Of course I like an espresso now and then out in the real world. Cold brewing lets you have the best of both ...

keurig platinum b70 Not rated yet
I really thought this was my favorite coffee maker makes prrrrrfect coffee for about 10 months then it shuts down , doesn't want to brew and if it does ...

Could do without the unprofessional tone & the misinformation? Not rated yet
The way this page is written up does not come off like a balanced evaluation of the coffee brewing options but a dated rehash of "conventional wisdom", particularly ...

Cheap Mr. Coffee v Expensive Cuisinart Question... Not rated yet
QUESTION:

Ok, I have a $100 Cuisinart at home and a cheap $17 Mr. Coffee at work.

I used the exact same Dunkin Donuts coffee (vanilla) in ...

Jura F9 is worth the money Not rated yet
This is a great super-automatic for those who don't have a lot of time or patience to make espresso drinks the way a purist would. The press of one button ...

Single Cup Coffee Brewers - Keurig No Disadvantage Not rated yet
The author suggests that you are stuck with the coffee maker's suppliers. Not True with the Keurig! Keurig provides for a separate loose grind adapter....

Keurig - You CAN use your personal grind! Not rated yet
I have to admit I love coffee! After using the typical counter top coffee drip type maker, I tried the Senseo, which uses pods. I liked it, but the pods ...

BUNN Not rated yet
VERY FAST COFFEE DONE IN LIKE 2MINUTES!!! LOVE IT! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Editor's Note: Can you tell us the model? (Use the comments function below.)

The best choice maker for an excellent brew Not rated yet
I use only the vacuum brewing method and employ the new Yama 5 or 8 cup models.

NOTE: You can get Yama vacuum coffee makers at Amazon.

Saeco! Not rated yet
My favorite coffee/espresso machine is the Saeco Giro. Not exactly inexpensive, but, wow, the coffee is great! I only wish it could be hard piped! Bed,...

Single Cup Breville Not rated yet
This is a great single cup coffee maker that comes with a single serve unit in the lid that is interchangeable with the K-Cup unit and allows you to use ...

Aerobie Aeropress Not rated yet
The Aeropress is a single cup coffee maker that uses a reservoir for the grounds, which you fill with hot water then use a plunger to force the water through ...

How to find the best coffee makers.