Best Coffee Makers: Wake up to the Best Brew
The smell of freshly brewed coffee each morning is enough to get many people motivated, even if they prefer to go for a run, or take care of business before indulging. Ancient in its use, coffee has provided a great taste to many drinks and dishes, and has been used to bring people together for centuries.
Today, some make it a habit of stopping through their favorite coffee house each morning, while others prefer to brew their own to take advantage of subtle flavors and varying degrees of richness. To do so, you’ll want to have a dependable coffee maker that’s easy to clean and maintain, and provides a good brew each time it’s used. The following best coffee makers are popular choices and offer a variety of features to help you wake up to the best brew every morning.
| Rank | Product | Highlights |
| #1 |
 Secura French Press Coffee Maker |
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| #2 | 
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| #3 | 
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| #4 | 
Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Coffee Maker |
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| #5 | 
Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System |
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Benefits of Owning a Coffee Maker
If you count yourself among the millions who love their morning, afternoon or evening coffee, but feel you don’t have the time or patience to brew your own, you’re seriously missing out. Although having somebody else prepare you a steaming hot cup each morning (thanks to many order ahead technologies) can be nice from time to time, most coffee houses won’t be able to create the perfect cup for your unique taste buds.
— Decadent Smell and Less Waste
Almost all coffee makers can be pre-set to have your brew ready for you each morning, filling your living area with a rich, decadent aroma that is wonderful to wake up to. These machines often keep your carafe hot for over an hour, allowing you to go about your business without worrying about it getting cold. Once ready, all you need to do is pour, add what you need, and go. This also helps cut down on waste if you use a ceramic or travel tumbler.
— Money Saver
And topping this list is the amount of money you will save by making your own. At $4 to $6 a cup for anything other than a plain black coffee, this can add up quickly. Most bags of coffee, even more expensive ones, are rarely more than $10 a bag, and will give you weeks’ worth – depending on how much you drink each day. Add in your sugar, creamer or flavors and you’ll still only be spending pennies on the dollar.
Types of Coffee Makers
Advances in technology have created a wide array of home coffee makers and brewing stations. You can easily make your own high-dollar drink without depending on a practiced barista from the comfort of your own home. The following are the most common and popular makers, though many other features exist.
• Drip Style
This is by far the most popular option and holds your ground coffee in either a filter or single serve cup (depending on the model) to allow the slow passage of heated water. This then drips into the cup or carafe below.
• French Press Style
French press makers marinate hot water and coffee ground together in one carafe, before manually being separated via a finely meshed press. Many say that this creates the best tasting brew, as you can allow it to become as mild or flavorful as you want, depending on how long you let it sit.
• Percolators
Percolators used to be a common coffee making method that mixed the grounds and hot water together as it ‘percolated’ or mixed within the electric carafe. When finished, you were left with a flavorful cup of coffee. They have a lot of parts to clean, but are still a preferred method by many.
• Espresso Makers
Espresso makers condense finely ground coffee beans for a potent ‘shot’ of condensed coffee, called espresso. It can be enjoyed as is or mixed with milk, cream and/or sugar to create other drinks like cappuccino or lattes.
• Aero Press Style
Popular for travel, this giant syringe style press provides the means to make an espresso-style coffee quickly and efficiently. It is a manual technique and doesn’t require a machine.
• Cold Brew Style
Cold brew machines create a cold coffee concentrate, but this technique takes time and usually requires at least 12 hours of seeping to take place. However, the coffee it leaves behind is rich, less acidic, and can be used for cold coffee beverages, as well as reheated without leaving a stale flavor behind.
• Pour Over Style
This coffee maker looks like a giant carafe and allows you to place your filter in the neck before pouring water over the grounds. It’s a bit like a manual drip machine.
• Stovetop Style
Also called campfire style, this pot heats over your stove (or campfire) and produces a rich, flavorful brew. Unlike the early designs that didn’t filter out the grounds, modern models allow you to pour a rich cup that can be used as an espresso in various beverages.
• Electric Siphon Makers
Also called a vacuum pot, these makers have two glass chambers that move hot water through them to mix with coffee grounds. It works on the science of rising heat to create a vacuum effect, and leaves behind a rich, flavorful brew. These are time-consuming to use, however, and are more of a novelty item often popular for entertaining guests.
Coffee Maker Features to Consider
— Cup or Carafe Size
Some makers simply brew as much coffee as the water you pour in, while others allow you to pick how many ounces you want to make. Single-serve cups are also very popular, and many makers include a hybrid option to allow you to use a cup, or your own grounds for convenience.
— Automatic timer features
Setting a time to begin brewing is a great way to wake up to the smell of coffee. Most drip style makers have this feature built-in.
— Integrated espresso machine
Want a fast cup of coffee one day, but something a bit fancier the next? A coffee maker/espresso machine combo allows you to pick your poison from one cup to the next.
— Heat Settings
Allowing you to decide the temperature of your coffee (without burning it) helps you find your own preferences.
— Brew Time and Strength
Quick brew times mean you get your coffee faster. Adjustments to the strength, either through cup size settings or how long the coffee is allowed to be in contact with the water, are also a great way to control your cup.
— Cleaning Options
Coffee makers require cleaning, and those that have self-cleaning options make it much easier than having to take anything apart to wash separately.
— Wireless Capabilities
Yes, these do exist and can allow you to set up and control your coffee-making experience remotely. Some even work with smart home systems, such as Amazon Alexa.
Our Picks for the Best Coffee Makers
1. Editor’s Choice: Secura French Press Coffee Maker
OVERVIEW:
- Type: French Press
- Size: up to 10 cups
- Manual or electric: Manual
- Features: Various colors, all stainless steel design, double walled construction
Many argue that a French press coffee maker brews the best cup of coffee. This manual technique simply requires you to place your grounds and hot water in the carafe for 3 to 5 minutes (or longer for a stronger brew) before pressing down and serving. The filtering technique keeps grounds out of your beverage, and gives you the full flavor of the coffee bean without losing oils or health benefits.
This stainless steel option can make up to 10 cups and keeps the coffee hot for some time due to the insulating properties.
| Pros | Cons |
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2. Runner Up: CHEMEX Pour-Over Glass Coffee Maker
OVERVIEW:
- Type: Pour Over Style
- Size: up to 8 cups
- Manual or electric: Manual
Considered a perfectly filtered coffee, the pour over design is simple and just requires a few steps to make an aromatic, flavorful cup of coffee. For use with specially designed filters, all you need to do is grind your coffee beans to a medium grind, add the filter and pour your hot water over it. The company suggests a few things concerning grind type and water temperature, but the results are in your hands concerning strength.
Made from a durable, non-porous glass that won’t absorb flavor or residue, it’s hardy enough to place on a glass stove or gas flame on low. It also creates a great brew that can re-warm without a stale flavor.
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3. Best Drip: KitchenAid Drip Coffee Maker
OVERVIEW:
- Type: Drip Style
- Size: up to 12 cups
- Manual or electric: electric
- Features: transparent reservoir, easy to fill, adjustable timer and warming plate, brew strength selector
If you’re looking to avoid a plethora of features and want a simple drip style coffee maker, this is a perfect choice. With the ability to brew up to 12 cups, this sleek design has a transparent water reservoir so you can see exactly how much you’re preparing to brew – so you don’t have to measure with the carafe.
Fully programmable, you can keep your warming plate on for up to 4 hours on either a low or high heat setting, or have your coffee ready for you when you get up each morning. It also includes a brew strength selector, to ensure you get the richest cup of coffee you want.
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4. Best Duel: Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Coffee Maker
OVERVIEW:
- Type: Drip Style
- Size: 1 cup – 10 cup
- Manual or electric: electric
- Features: Carafe and single-cup brewing options, thermal carafe, strength option, programmable timer and auto turnoff
Love to brew a large pot of coffee on the weekend, but need a fast solution when on the run during the week? This machine allows you to brew up to a full carafe, and use single-serve coffee pods simultaneously to meet the needs of everyone in your house. It’s a 2-in-1 brewer and holds separate water reservoirs. Spacious and able to hold a travel-sized coffee mug, you’ll never have to have more than one coffee maker again.
You can also choose your coffee strength, and even use the single serve side with fresh grounds with the included basket. The thermal carafe also negates the need for a plate warmer, and keeps your coffee hot and fresh-tasting for hours. However, the plate warmer has an auto shut-off feature after 2 hours to ensure you get the temperature you need all day long.
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5. Best Hot and Cold: Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System
OVERVIEW:
- Type: Drip Style
- Size: single to 10 cup capability
- Manual or electric: electric
- Features: hot and cold brewing, amount and filter control, built-in frother, built-in cleaning system
Ninja is a popular kitchen appliance brand known for their quality options. This brewing system can make both hot and cold beverages, and includes separate filters for both coffee and teas. It provides the option to make single-cup servings, up to a full carafe with various sizes in between, and offers space for larger tumblers to brew directly over.
A foldaway hot and cold frother allows the ability to make coffee house style drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos. It’s also pod free, meaning you don’t have to worry about the plastic waste those create.
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Conclusion
Although there are many more coffee makers out there, these are some of the most popular with consumers due to the features they have, and the great brew they’re capable of making. No matter if you’re looking for a manual coffee maker or one that can do it all, we’ve got you covered! Let us know if you have any questions, and share which one is your favorite (especially if you’ve bought one!).
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