We Tested More Than 30 Coffee Makers: Here are 9 Worth Waking Up For

Breville is known for its kitchen appliances, and it’s no surprise that they’ve come up with an incredible coffee maker with a carafe that keeps its contents hot for up to four hours. While we love the insulated carafe, it’s far from the only thing to like about this machine. Brew a cup or a full carafe, and choose from three modes: an SCA Gold-Certified brew, cold brew, or a custom brew. Fast mode will fill your cup in about seven minutes, and there are two different filter types you can use to bring out the various aromas and flavor notes in your favorite coffee. We relied on experienced product tester and writer, Ysolt Usigan, for her thoughts on the Breville. She says, “The coffee flavor was just right, but there are also settings to customize it to your liking. The adjustable, custom settings give you options for: bloom, temperature, and flow rate.” She adds that the stainless steel carafe is very easy to pour from and that cleanup was “super easy.” Breville’s designs are also easy to love, and the Luxe Brewer comes in several different colorways and carafe types (though we’re obviously partial to the insulated over the glass) and is sleek despite being rather tall. It comes in Pure Stainless, Sea Salt, Olive Tapenade (my personal favorite), Black Truffle, and Damson Blue. 

Though it’s far and away the most expensive coffee maker to make our list, we truly think it’s worth the splurge if coffee is your thing. The Terra Kaffe really does a bit of everything, and manages to do it all well, from drip coffee to espresso to lattes, hot and cold options and even custom combinations. It houses not only a water reservoir but an integrated burr grinder with a bean hopper and the ability to use pre-ground beans. There is also a milk frother attachment, which is compatible with all milks, and that’s a less common feature than you might think. And possibly the best part: all of this is front-side accessible, so no reaching around the machine and spilling water (or worse, milk) everywhere.

Usigan says, “The machine takes about a couple of minutes to warm up. Once warmed up, brewing one cup of coffee or pulling one shot of espresso takes just seconds. “We have been using this machine for over a year now, and we love it,” Usigan says. “We get to use our favorite varieties of coffee (in bean form). This machine grinds it, then brews coffee. No pods, even though it's single-serve! And as far as strength and weakness go, it can be calibrated using an app that customizes your preferences for each type of coffee or drink option.” She adds that the TK-02’s self-cleaning setting makes cleanup ridiculously easy, and you can force-rinse the system if needed. So while it’s a splurge, we think the technology makes this already-stylish coffee maker worth every penny. 

There is something so terribly chic about brewing coffee in a French press, and the P7 from Espro is a joy to behold as much as it is to brew with. While the process of brewing French press-style coffee can be labor-intensive, the result is a rich and velvety brew that you can titrate to your own preferences without relying on a machine or a touchscreen. Health writer and product tester Raki Swanson tested the P7 from Espro and says, “The flavor of the coffee using this method is unmatched. To me, the flavor is perfect and just right — it is on the stronger side.” She was able to make her coffee in about five to seven minutes and noted that the stainless steel carafe holds temperature well.

Unfortunately, with French press, there is inevitably a bit more cleanup required than with some other coffee makers. Swanson says, “You do need to dump the grounds somewhere and most of the time they don't all get dumped out — so you are stuck with some in your sink when you go to clean it. It is not a difficult product to clean at all, once you get the grounds out of it.” We love that it’s space-saving and requires no plug-in, meaning you can take it with you on the go for excellent coffee while traveling or camping, and it’s perfect for compact spaces. You can also use it to steep tea and other beverages, and it also comes in a 32-ounce size for larger servings. 

If you’re obsessed with specifics like getting the exact water temperature or bloom ratio but don’t want to stand over your coffee and manage a pour-over every morning, the Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker is the one for you. Not only can you adjust for roast variations, set the coffee-to-water ratio just where you want it, and even adjust the number of pulses (a method of pouring water over grounds to control extraction), but you can customize these into profiles and save your favorite drinks for future use. Whether you brew a single serving or a full 10-cup carafe, this machine is SCA-certified and meets the Specialty Coffee Association’s standards for quality coffee.

Health writer and product tester Brittany Vargas tried the Haden for us herself and says the resulting coffee was “super smooth and tasty, with a just-right strength. I've made the same coffee with another coffee maker before and it was a lot more bitter.” She also notes that the carafe is “super easy to pour from — no spilling, the spout is the perfect shape.” The carafe is also insulated, so you can enjoy your perfect brew nice and warm, without a hot plate underneath to make it burnt and bitter. At just 9 x 9 inches and just under 12 inches high, it’s also quite compact, making it a great option for apartment-dwellers who take their coffee seriously. 

You’ll get as good a cup of coffee from the Haden Programmable Coffee Maker as some of our other more expensive models, and for a price point below $100, you also get a bit of an aesthetic that you might not expect. Offered in two colorways, this coffee maker’s housing is an ivory plastic with either copper or silver accents, adding style to an otherwise simple piece of equipment. The setup also includes a multifunction display with clock, multiple program buttons, and a delay brew setting. You can adjust the brew strength as well, all with a few simple taps.

While the carafe is glass and doesn’t retain heat well, in testing I found that the heating element underneath did a great job of keeping the coffee hot, and I liked the two-hour safety automatic shut-off feature as well. My daily coffee is always drip, and I used the same beans-to-water ratio I normally do on my more expensive machine, but I got the same rich, aromatic cup I’m accustomed to. It was easy to clean, and I like that it comes with the option of a reusable filter in case you want to be more eco-friendly, or you can sub in a paper filter for easier cleanup. Overall, it’s a solid option if you want something less expensive without sacrificing flavor.

If it’s drip coffee you’re after, you can’t do better than the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select. While the machine is relatively simple compared with some of our others on this list, it's dedicated to a singular function and does it exceedingly well. Simply fill with water, add your grounds and flip the switch — you’ll be five minutes away from 40 ounces of liquid gold. The pump-free design heats water to the ideal temperature for extraction, and the heated plate keeps your coffee warm until its automatic shut off at 100 minutes. Raki Swanson tested the Moccamaster and noted how quickly it works. She says, “The interesting part of this coffee maker is that it seems to start sucking in and heating up water within 60 seconds of turning it on. In those 60 seconds, you start to see the water being bubbled up inside the reservoir and then go up into the outlet arm, over to the brew basket.”

The Moccamaster has a retro design and comes in plenty of colors, evoking an old-school feel with some new-school upgrades. The machine also takes up less space than some of our favorites, at just 6.5 inches deep, 12.75 inches wide and 14 inches tall. It’s not small, per se, but it also isn’t taking up 2 square feet either. Swanson says, “This coffee maker has changed my mind on the old school drip method.”

With all of the functions you want in a drip coffee machine, plus a built-in grinder, the GE Profile Smart Grind & Brew Coffee Maker is convenient, efficient, and brews a delicious cup of coffee. The burr grinder allows you to pop your beans into the machine and adjust the settings for how coarse or fine a grind you want. This machine can brew a full carafe or a single serving, no pod required, and it can make cold brew as well. This machine is also an SCA-certified coffee maker, and you can select the “gold brew” setting and know you’re getting the best settings possible for brewing your coffee according to the Specialty Coffee Association.

According to our tester, Mary Sauer, a freelance health writer, “It was a great cup of coffee, really balanced.” She adds that the carafe is highly functional: “It is easy to pour from. It is an insulated carafe, which I prefer to a heated bottom because the coffee doesn't burn.” The carafe keeps coffee warm for up to two hours after brewing. For cleanup, you just take out the removable basket to discard the grounds and rinse it out. Given all the technology, it couldn’t be simpler to use. 

Bruvi’s single-serve pod coffee throws out any idea that pod coffee isn’t as good or as versatile as your best drip brewer. Bruvi does rely only on B-Pods, but the juice is worth the squeeze. Bruvi makes brewing super simple yet offers a ton of options. Editor Katie Tuttle says the Bruvi “can ‘read’ the coffee pods and adjust the control panel according to what types of coffee can be made from that particular pod. For example, if you insert an espresso pod, it immediately offers that as an option.” Bruvi makes everything from espresso to drip, as well as cold brew coffee and teas. While you won’t be able to use pods from other manufacturers, the Bruvi B-Pods are biodegradable, which can help reduce the waste factor associated with pod coffee makers.

Bruvi’s design is also a combination of cute and sleek. Tuttle says, “It's compact, with wood accents and an LED touchscreen panel that gives it a very high-end feel.” While single servings might be limiting for folks who prefer to brew a whole pot, it’s a convenient little space-saver for folks who take their mornings one cup at a time.

The Ratio Eight Series 2 is the definition of thoughtful design and uses nonplastic materials where it counts. With a clean, modern aesthetic, there’s a lot to love in addition to how great the brew is. This drip coffee maker brews up to 40 ounces of coffee (with either full or half volume options) with its “showerhead” design, which distributes hot water over the grounds evenly to enable even extraction. As the water heats up, it travels from a BPA-free plastic tank, through glass water lines and through a stainless steel showerhead and over the coffee grounds. This prevents the hot water from coming into contact with the plastic components of the coffee maker.

Tuttle says, “It’s very much like an automatic pour-over. The flavor was great; there is something to the Ratio's system of distributing water. It essentially brews a cup or pot of pour-over coffee without you having to stand over it with a kettle full of water.” She also adds that she “would recommend the insulated version [of the carafe] over the glass. Since this doesn't have a warming plate, the coffee in the glass carafe has to be drunk rather quickly before it gets cold. The insulated carafe gives you a little more grace.”

The design also makes cleanup a cinch as the Ratio is outfitted with a stainless steel drip-catching plate and all the parts that require regular cleaning are glass or stainless. Tuttle tested both the glass and steel carafes and says, “The openings of both carafes are wide enough that I had no trouble reaching in to clean the interiors.”