Best Coffee Maker Buying Guide

Finding The Perfect Coffee Maker

For many of us, the daily grind can't begin until we've had that first cup of piping hot coffee—so the right brewer is of utmost importance.

You can spend $200 or more for a coffee maker with interactive displays and the kind of stainless-steel detailing you'd find on pro-style ranges. But our most recent tests show that a consistently good cup can be had for half that.

Still, you might want more features than a simple on/off switch. A little more money buys conveniences such as programmability, a thermal carafe to keep coffee hot longer, settings that let you adjust brew strength, and more.

Note: Consumer Reports is currently updating its espresso maker ratings, so we are not including information about them in this buying guide.

How Do You Take Your Coffee?

Number of Cups?
If one cup is enough to jump-start your day, choose a one- or two-cup drip model or single-serve machine. Need more? Choose a larger automatic drip or one of the specialty machines, such as an electric French press. Most large models brew 10 to 12 cups, although typically a “cup” is really only five to six ounces, not eight.

How Often Do You Need a Fix?
If you space your coffee drinking throughout the day, consider a model with an insulated mug or carafe. These keep coffee hot and fresh-tasting for hours. (The warming plates that come with glass pots can cause coffee to taste stale and burnt from sitting around too long.)

Can't See Straight In the Morning?
For some people, filling the coffee machine and turning it on is too much to handle in the morning. If that's you, consider a unit with an automatic "on" switch. (You set everything up the night before). For the forgetful who rush out of the house in the morning, an automatically timed "off" feature is also important.

Size and Height Considerations
Don't forget to factor in counter space when choosing your model. All the machines in Consumer Reports' tests can fit beneath upper cabinets, but you'll still need to pull out most when it's time to fill the reservoir.

Coffee Maker Ratings

Match the Coffee Maker to Your Habits

You'll find several varieties of coffee makers in the marketplace, including manual-drip systems, coffee presses, and single-serve "pod" coffee makers that brew individual cups using ready-to-use packets of coffee. Below are the most common types.

Drip

The most popular type. With automatic-drip machines, you fill a chamber with water, load coffee into a filter basket, and flick a switch to heat the water and run it through the grounds and typically into the pot. Our top conventional drip machines reached 195° to 205° F for five to six minutes, the industry standard for optimal brewing.

Check Out Our Drip Coffee Maker Ratings

Single-Serve

These force water through a small packet, either a hard-shelled capsule or a soft “pod" resembling a teabag. Some accept an adapter that takes your favorite loose grounds. Pod machines are more expensive to operate than other types because you must also buy special coffee refills. With plastic pods, there is also a lot of unrecyclable waste.

Our Latest Single-Serve Coffee Maker Ratings

Picture of an electric French press coffee maker.

Specialty

These machines brew differently from the standard drip method. Some mimic traditional French presses, suspending the coffee grounds in hot water for a period of time before filtering. (By contrast, automatic drip machines simply spray hot water on the grounds and it then drips through.)

See Our Specialty Coffee Maker Ratings

Picture of a 1- to 2-mug to-go coffee maker.

1- to 2-Mug Drip

These are designed to produce smaller quantities and come as either drip or pod models, the latter using an adapter to hold grounds. They sometimes brew directly into an insulated mug that’s ready to take with you in the car or on the train. Others accommodate your own “World's Best Dad” mug.

Our Latest 1- to 2-Mug Drip Coffee Maker Ratings

The Lowdown on Features

Though some coffee maker features can make a machine easier and more convenient to use, there are several you won't really need. To decide which coffee maker features are right for you, consider the list below.

Person dialing the preferred coffee strength.

Brew-Strength Control

When set, it slows water flow to produce a stronger brew.

Woman pouring a cup of coffee while machine pauses brewing.

Pause and Serve

Most machines let you pull the carafe away to fill your cup without spilling coffee all over. Be aware that if you dip in after only a cup or two has brewed, the coffee can be unpleasantly strong.

Self-Serve

These models hold the brewed coffee inside—as opposed to dispensing it into a carafe or mug—and let you fill your cup right from the machine, keeping the coffee hot.

Self-Clean Cycle

A few models will prompt you to periodically add white vinegar and water to clean the brewing mechanism. Others will tell you periodically that it’s time to clean the machine.

Water Filter

This is supposed to eliminate odors and odd-tasting coffee. But you need to replace the filter after a specified number of pots to prevent bacteria buildup. If you're worried about water quality, a whole-house or faucet-mounted filter might be a better choice.

Built-In Grinder

If you like your coffee the freshest possible but have limited counter space, this can be a handy feature. The downside is that some grind-and-brew machines can be laborious to use and clean. They’re also very noisy. If you like to start with whole beans, consider getting a separate grinder.

Coffee Maker Buying Guide