Buying guide for best coffee makers

Nothing sets your day up for success like that first cup of coffee. While some folks prefer to make their regular coffee run, these days it’s easier than ever to brew your own at home. Home-brewed coffee is an excellent way to save money, and you may learn to brew coffee just the way you like it.

But before you decide on a coffee maker, know that there are multiple kinds to choose from: espresso makers, drip coffee makers, and single-serving makers, for example. You also want to consider a coffee maker’s brew strength, capacity, ease of use, speed, and durability. Our reviews cover all these points, plus affordability.

We’ve recommended what we believe are the best coffee makers out there. To get fully ready to make a purchase, check out our reviews to learn about the features to consider for your next coffee maker.

If choosing a single serve machine, pick a model that offers a make-your-own pod so you can pick the coffee you use. Otherwise, you'll get stuck with that brand’s selection.

Types of coffee makers

The first thing to decide is what type of coffee maker is right for you. Let's examine the most common varieties.

Drip coffee makers

A drip coffee maker brews a standard cup of black coffee by mixing ground coffee with hot water, then dripping it through a filter.

Pros:

• Drip coffee makers can make large quantities of coffee at a time.

• You can find decent drip coffee makers for a relatively low cost, particularly when compared to the cost of espresso machines.

• Drip coffee makers are convenient and easy to use.

Cons:

• If you make a large pot of drip coffee and keep it warm on the hotplate, it will scorch and turn bitter.

• You don't always get the best flavor from a drip coffee maker.

Espresso makers

Espresso makers work by forcing pressurized water — heated to near boiling point — through densely packed ground coffee, to get a small, intensely-flavored shot of joe.

Pros:

• You can drink your espresso straight or use it to make drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, or even iced coffees and frappuccinos.

• Espresso makers can produce extremely tasty coffee.

• You can usually customize the strength of your brew.

Cons:

• A good espresso machine can be fairly costly.

• It can take some time and practice to perfect making specialty drinks.

Single serving coffee makers

Single serving coffee makers use pods or K-Cups of ground coffee (and sometimes milk powder or flavorings) to produce a varied range of drinks.

Pros:

• Single serving coffee makers are extremely convenient and easy to use.

• If you live alone, or are the only coffee-drinker at home, single-serving machines mean you won't make more coffee than you need.

• You can buy pods that produce cappuccinos, lattes, flavored coffees, tea, hot chocolate, and more.

Cons:

• Using a plastic pod for each serving of coffee isn't environmentally friendly.

• While some models let you make your own pods by adding your choice of ground coffee, many only let you use their choices of coffee, so your selection is limited.

• Coffee connoisseurs tend to criticize the flavor and quality of coffee from pods.

Manual coffee makers

Although we're not focusing on them in this guide, you can find a range of inexpensive manual coffee makers on the market. 

Sure, they involve more work from the user, but they can still produce a good cup of coffee, and there's no need to have electricity to use them either. They can be life-savers on a camping trip.

Popular examples include the French press and the Aeropress.

Factors to consider when selecting a coffee maker

Number of cups

Think about how many cups you need your coffee maker to produce in one round of coffee production. If you're the only person in your home drinking coffee, a single serving machine or a coffee maker that produces just a few cups would be ideal. On the other hand, if you have a large household of coffee-drinkers or you often entertain, look for a model that can make a larger amount of cups in one go.

For multi-cup models, our coffee expert Francois advises, "'Stop as you pour' is a great feature. The machine stops the flow of coffee when the carafe is removed, allowing you to pour a cup before the whole thing is done brewing."

Brew strength control

Some coffee makers give you little input over how your coffee turns out, whereas other let you fine-tune your cup of joe with brew strength control.

Consider whether you're fussy about how your coffee turns out, or whether you're happy to drink it however it comes. If you're particular about your java, opt for a model that allows you to control the brew strength.

Timer

Imagine waking up to a freshly brewed pot of coffee ready to drink. If you choose a coffee machine with a built-in timer, this could be your reality every day.

This feature is perfect if you don't function well before that first cup, or if you're in a hurry to get out of the house in the morning.

Built-in grinder

A bean-to-cup coffee maker includes a built-in grinder, that grinds up the right amount of beans each time, without you having to put in any extra effort.

While we agree that freshly ground coffee tastes best, you could achieve the same result with a cheap coffee grinder. Machines with built-in grinders tend to be pricey, so we'd only recommend them if you have a large budget and want to your coffee making experience to be as hands-off as possible.

Drink choice

If you take your coffee black — maybe with a bit of cream when you're feeling fancy — then a basic drip coffee maker is all you need. However, if you crave espresso or specialty drinks like cappuccinos or lattes, then consider an espresso machine with a steamer arm for heating and frothing milk.

Single serving machines also offer pods with a huge range of drink choices, ready at the press of a button. This is a great choice if you like fancy coffees, but don't want to go to the trouble of making them from scratch.

Carafe

Some coffee makers come with a thermal carafe to keep drinks warm, as an alternative to a basic glass carafe.

Here's what Francois had to say on the subject: "If you need to keep coffee hot for a few hours, go for a model with a thermal carafe. Even though models with glass carafes have a heating plate, this ends up making the coffee more and more bitter as time goes on."

When manufacturers list how many cups their coffee maker produces, they're referring to 8 oz cups. However, average mug size is 12 to 16 oz, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

Price

A decent coffee maker needn't cost an arm and a leg, but it is worth a bit of an investment, especially if you're a regular coffee-drinker.

Basic drip coffee makers

These start around $20 or $30. Most of these inexpensive models don't hold a candle to higher-end brands, but you can find a few diamonds in the rough.

Midrange and high-end drip coffee makers

These cost from $50 to $150. These include models with thermal carafes, programmable settings, and lots of other bells and whistles.

Single-serving, pod-style coffee makers

Expect to pay between $50 and $125 for these models. Cheaper models generally offer less control over factors such as cup size, and may not let you customize your own pods.

Espresso makers

These cost between about $40 and $350 for home-grade machines (professional models can run into the thousands), but you're unlikely to get a model that makes a great espresso for much less than $100.