The Best Coffee Maker of 2020

A cup of tasty coffee with a mouth-watering aroma is something you can never get enough of. Having your favorite coffee drink prepared by a professional barista is an unparalleled pleasure. However, enjoying the coffee luxuries at home whenever you want is just as possible when having a high-quality coffee maker.

If the question “What is the best coffee maker for me?” makes your head spin, our guide will turn it into an exciting adventure. Here, you will learn the basics of choosing among the different types of coffee makers, the overview of the top models, and tips on making the best choice without missing a single detail.

The number one thing you need to do when looking for your best coffee maker is making a well-thought-out decision on the coffee machine type. For you not to get lost among all the various types available, here’s a quick overview.

What is the Best Coffee Maker?


Drip coffee makers

A drip coffee maker brews coffee in a comparatively old-fashioned way: the mixture of hot water and ground coffee is dripped through a filter.

Pros:

  • The best drip coffee maker allows brewing large quantities of coffee at one go.
  • The price range of drip coffee makers includes high-quality models still cheaper than espresso machines.
  • The ease of use makes brewing coffee with drip coffee makers a pleasant and time-saving experience.

Cons:

  • Keeping large quantities of brewed coffee warm for a long time negatively influences the flavor of the drink.
  • Not all coffee varieties release all their flavor potential when brewed in a drip coffee maker.

Espresso makers

Espresso coffee machines use the force of the pressurized water. These coffee makers force very hot or almost boiling water through a “puck” of finely ground coffee, thus producing a small portion of coffee with a very intense flavor, which we call “espresso”.

Pros:

  • The taste of coffee made by an espresso maker is of a high standard.
  • Producing espresso opens doors to making a variety of popular espresso-based drinks like a macchiato, cappuccino, latte, and even cold
  • The mechanism of an espresso maker allows adjusting the brew strength.

Cons:

  • High-quality espresso coffee machines are usually quite expensive.
  • Making various espresso drinks requires the knowledge of recipes and some brewing practice.

Single serving coffee makers

Single serving coffee makers offer a modern approach to easy and quick coffee making. These machines use special capsules, pods, or cups for brewing a wide variety of coffee drinks in one-cup portions.

Pros:

  • The best single cup coffee maker offers unsurpassed ease of coffee brewing.
  • Making drinks in one-cup portions prevents wasting coffee, which is often the case when using a large coffee maker.
  • No special knowledge of making various coffee drinks is needed — you can simply buy a pod or cup that will turn into the desired drink.

Cons:

  • Many single serving coffee makers do not allow using any coffee you want. Instead, they offer their own coffee varieties, thus limiting your choice to some extent.
  • Each cup of coffee made means one more plastic pod adding to the overall plastic pollution of the environment.

Manual coffee makers

Despite this guide concentrating on automatic and electric coffee maker types, we couldn’t but mention the manual coffee makers — the French press and Aeropress coffee makers. They prove to be a nice option for those with a tight budget and simple habits.

Apart from being a good value for money, manual coffee makers are your guarantee for getting the desired cup of coffee even during a power outage or on a camping morning. According to consumer reports, coffee makers of this type require a bit of practice for brewing a decent cup of coffee. However, if you’re not a demanding coffee connoisseur, you will do perfectly fine.

Coffee Makers Reviews


Best Overall

Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker DCC-3200AMZ

Cuisinart Coffee Maker$59.95 

Amazon Customer Reviews

Pros:

  • Sound alerts for brewing finished and cleaning needed.
  • Two brew strength and warming levels.
  • Extended warranty (three years).

Cons:

  • The average duration of the brewing process.
  • May be too tall to fit under the cabinet.

Cuisinart coffee maker has won appraisal of our coffee tasting panel in regards to the flavor and strength of the brew. The quality of drink produced by this best tasting coffee maker adds to the ease of use and a number of attractive features that make this model one of the top rated coffee makers.

The 14-cup brewing capacity of this best coffee maker under 100 makes it a great choice for a big family of coffee fans. At the same time, you can adjust the amount of brewed coffee to 1-4 cups only on those days when you don’t need that much caffeine. You can also customize the brew strength, which will be of help if you too find the average coffee brew of this machine too mild. The temperature of the fresh brew earned appraisal of our coffee tasting panel. Thanks to the warming plate with adjustable heat levels, it is easy to keep your coffee warm enough for long.

Best Value

KRUPS Savoy EC314050

Krups coffee maker$55.99 

Amazon Customer Reviews

Pros:

  • Good value for money.
  • A high quality of the coffee brew.
  • Has a clean indicator light.

Cons:

  • Carafe quickly cools down on the warming plate.
  • Excessive brew strength for some people.

The quality of the coffee brewed by this best budget coffee maker is enhanced by a water filter, which lets you use your tap water without a second thought. A cone-shaped brew basket considered to extract the most of coffee flavor adds to the quality of the brew you get. This coffee machine produces the brew of the most appreciated temperature among coffee lovers, which is 176 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the coffee in carafe drops down considerably after spending half an hour on the warming plate, the drink retains the quality of flavor.

Krups coffee makers can provide 12 cups, but you can easily program this coffee maker to prepare one to four servings of the drink. Another programmable feature enables you to enjoy a freshly brewed cup of hot coffee right after you wake up. You can set the timer on different hours for weekdays and weekend.

Best for Large Quantities

Braun BrewSense KF7170S

Braun coffee maker$99.95 

Amazon Customer Reviews

Pros:

  • Easy in usage and maintenance.
  • Many options for customizing the brew.
  • Compact user-friendly design.
  • Automatic shut off.

Cons:

  • No alarm feature.
  • Water tank not easy to access.

This coffee maker can brew the 12-cup capacity of coffee at a time. What makes this model so attractive is the selection of features any coffee lover would appreciate.

First, this best automatic coffee maker ensures your coffee is made with pure water of the desired hardness. It uses a water filter and allows customizing the levels of water hardness. So that you could get the most delicious drink possible.

Next, this coffee machine lets you choose the required number of cups, the brew strength, and even the heat of the plate keeping the carafe warm. A cone-shaped brew basket guarantees that your coffee is as rich in taste and flavor as it can be.

The maintenance of the best basic coffee maker is kept simple with the functions of automatic cleaning and automatic switching off. Convenient control panel and an LCD display turn coffee making into an easy and enjoyable experience.

Best 4-Cup CoffeeMaker

Mr. Coffee Simple Brew 4-Cup DRX5-RB

Mr. Coffee DRX5 coffee maker$22.49 

Amazon Customer Reviews

Pros:

  • Easy to clean due to compact design.
  • Delay brew timer up to 24 hours.
  • Digital display with on and off indicator lights.
  • Cord storage.

Cons:

  • No sound alerts.
  • The lack of brew-strength settings.

It takes only five minutes for the Mr. Coffee Simple Brew 4-Cup DRX5-RB to prepare four cups of freshly brewed coffee, which is quicker than average.

This best inexpensive coffee maker is a model to consider by those who don’t need dozens of cups of coffee every morning. The four-cup capacity proves to be best coffee maker for one person.

According to the best single serve coffee maker consumer reports, the brew of this coffee machine is not to everyone’s taste. Although the temperature of the brew is a bit lower than that of an average coffee machine, it is still good enough to make you wake up in the morning.

A substantial advantage of this model is its price in relation to the offered list of additional functions. Just like with more expensive models, you can enjoy the benefits of a non-dripping carafe, a pause function, an automatic switching off, and preprogrammed morning brew.

Hottest Coffee Maker

Keurig K55/K-Classic Coffee Maker

Keurig K55 Coffee Maker$79.99 

Amazon Customer Reviews

Pros:

  • Comes with quite a huge water reservoir.
  • Brewing time under a minute.
  • Descaling feature, which removes calcium deposits.
  • Supports 6, 8 and 10 oz. K-cup pod sizes.

Cons:

  • Noisy.
  • No strength control.
  • Doesn’t make cappuccino or latte.

This best single serve coffee maker provides a quick brewing coffee and easy maintenance at a reasonable price. If you need to be outdoor in 5 minutes in the morning, you can make your coffee within a minute. While other best rated coffee makers need around two or more minutes to brew a flavored cup of drink.

Also we believe everyone will appreciate an eye-catching design of Keurig K55/K-Classic since it is an essential part of kitchen décor.

The K55 is perfect for those who need convenience and consistency.

Important Factors to Take Into Account


Number of Cups

The first step in your best programmable coffee maker choice journey is distinguishing the quantity of brewed coffee you would normally need at a time. Brewing more coffee than you need not only affects your budget but also a taste and quality of the drink. For a single coffee lover, it is advisable to find the best small coffee maker matching your requirements.

And if all your family is a one big coffee loving club, consider models offering bigger brewing capacities. A feature of some multi-cup coffee makers you might like is the option to stop the coffee flow in the middle of the brewing process.

Brew Strength Setting

This factor would be important for those who know exactly their preferred brew strength and want to get the most of different coffee varieties. Some best buy coffee makers have an option of selecting the coffee brew strength you need. But if you’re ok with an average coffee machine brew, this feature might be unnecessary for you.

Timer

A coffee machine with timer is a dream come true to those who love waking up to the scent of fresh coffee waiting to be drunk. This is a real life-saver to night owls who find it hard being active in the early mornings. The timer feature will be valuable for extremely busy people who know the value of time and are used to a tight schedule.

Built-in Grinder

It’s not a secret that brewing your drink with freshly ground coffee beans produces the best result possible in terms of taste and aroma. If this is the experience you are looking for, some of the best grind and brew coffee maker models are capable of turning your morning coffee routine into a real luxury.

However, avoiding the necessity to grind the beans each time you want a cup of flavored coffee adds substantially to the price tags of these coffee machines. The best coffee maker with grinder definitely won’t come cheap.

Keurig 575 coffee maker

Drink Choice

If “just coffee” is not enough for you, consider buying an espresso machine with a milk steamer. Taste the atmosphere of being a real barista and treat yourself to a cup of espresso, cappuccino, or latte depending on your mood. Of course, this will require learning how to use a coffee maker to get the best results.

A single serving coffee maker will be a nice option for people looking for a variety of tastes without the complexity of the process. Using the right type of a coffee pod is all you need.

Carafe

There are coffee lovers who need their caffeine-rich drink at hand all the time. If you are one of them, a thermal carafe could be a feature to consider. When kept in a regular glass carafe on a heating plate, your coffee gradually gets bitter.

On the other hand, brewing a fresh cup of coffee every hour might be too time-consuming. A model with a thermal carafe can prove to be the best home coffee maker for those who look for a combination of large brew capacity and taste quality.

Price

Finding the best coffee maker on the market that wouldn’t be overly expensive is absolutely possible. We do recommend evaluating the price tags with a glance to the long-lasting usage of the device.

Basic drip coffee makers

An inexpensive drip coffee maker can cost you around $20-30. To put it bluntly, not all models in this price range can boast of excellent results. All you need to take some time reading the coffee maker reviews in order to find the best cheap coffee maker.

Midrange and upscale drip coffee makers

The price range of $50-150 allows you to choose among models equipped with various additional components, customization options, thermal carafes, etc.

Single serving coffee makers

These easy-to-use coffee makers will cost you about $50-125. The more customizable options a model offers, the higher the price.

Espresso machines

The price tags for home espresso machines start at $40 and go as high as $350 (here, we do not cover professional espresso machines that cost much more). We do not recommend opting for models cheaper than $100, for they are rarely capable of producing a decent brew.

[su_animate][tds_council]Do you want your coffee to stay warm 20% longer? Just add cream into your cup and enjoy![/tds_council][/su_animate]

FAQs


1. How do I clean a coffee maker?

Minerals in water, usually calcium or lime, can clog the interior tubes that transfer water. Top rated coffee makers are just as susceptible to mineral buildup as the best cheap coffee maker. To clean the machine:

  • Take out the filter basket.
  • Fill reservoir with a 50/50 solution of equal parts vinegar and water.
  • Run a brew cycle.
  • Empty the carafe and run one or two more brew cycles with just water to rinse.

To limit future mineral buildups, use bottled purified water to make coffee instead of tap water.

The removable components of the machine are easy to wash in the sink. Some parts like the carafe and filter basket might be dishwasher safe. The manual for your coffee maker will provide specific information about cleaning and maintenance.

If you have the best coffee maker with grinder, you will occasionally need to clean coffee particles that collect in the chute that sends ground coffee into the brewing filter.

2. What causes leaking at the bottom of a coffee maker?

Water pooling at the bottom of the machine might arise from simple issues like a tilted filter or incompletely shut brew basket. Make sure that these parts are positioned correctly during operation.

Best coffee makers with removable reservoirs might also leak if the reservoir is not fully attached. The overflow hole at the top of a reservoir could also leak if you’re adding too much water.

If none of these things appear to be the issue, your appliance might have suffered internal damage, and you could look at top rated coffee makers for a replacement.

3. Can I reheat old coffee with a coffee maker?

It’s best to pour a cup and reheat the liquid in a microwave. Turning on the machine and running it without clean water place stress on the appliance.

4. Why is my coffee maker so noisy?

Some gurgling noise is normal even if you have the best coffee maker for home.

When you notice increases in noise and slow down in operation, try running vinegar water through the machine to remove internal mineral deposits.

Also clean out ground coffee residue on the one-way valve at the bottom of the brew basket to restore free flow of liquid. On the best coffee maker with grinder, you will also need to check the grinder chute for debris.

More serious problems like a failed heating coil or a broken grinding motor could cause noise and poor results. This damage cannot be repaired and it’s time to shop for top rated coffee makers that could provide many years of service.

Read more: 5 Best Hot Plates

Brenda Barnett

Brenda studied art at the University of Vermont, but while doing her art she started a cheesecake company as a way to earn extra money. Then her passion for baking was born. Now she has more than 20 years of experience of cooking and testing kitchen products.
Close