Best Coffee Makers

While espresso machines give you an opportunity to try your hand at barista-style brewing, drip coffee makers offer exceptional ease of use and get the job done for you. Yet, if you are real big on coffee and want a professional-tasting cup brewed with a push-of-a-button convenience, the DCC-3400P1 coffee can hit the spot.

As this is a drip brewer, you will not need to be guessing the optimal brewing time and settings or messing around compacting ground coffee into a portafilter. There's an ample filter basket that is easy to load with coffee and intuitive controls with an LED display that will let you quickly find the desired setting. So, all you really need to do is just choose between Regular and Bold coffee strength and press the Brew button.

Despite such simplicity, this Cuisinart machine is often compared to more sophisticated and advanced coffee makers. The reason for that is that the ready-made coffee tastes just like a professionally brewed cup and has a very rich and pure flavor profile. This is achieved due to the expert coffee-making technology the machine is built around. Here's how it works: the unit heats the water up to the ideal brewing temperature and a showerhead style spigot evenly pours it over the coffee ground, ensuring maximum flavor extraction. Meanwhile, a charcoal water filter along with a Gold-tone coffee filter which are incorporated in the machine as well ensures the perfect taste purity with no side flavors to it.

Another perk of this machine is that, unlike pro coffee brewers, it allows programming the time you want your coffee to be ready, thus, you can wake up to a freshly brewed cup.

Just like already legendary Ninja blenders and smoothie makers beat the best out of fruit and veg, this Ninja coffee brewer can extract the most out of coffee goodness into your cup. Nearly as good as premium drip coffee makers, this model strikes a perfect balance between a reasonable price and excellent functionality.

Despite costing less than $100, this machine is able to brew really delicious and flavorful coffee, while ensuring great flexibility and ease of use. It incorporates the Thermal Flavor Extraction® technology which combines the right brewing temperature with pre-infusion to ensure complete extraction. So, in the process of brewing, the coffee beans will be cleaned of all oils and side flavors, turning into delicious and high-quality drink time and again. What's more, the water doesn't tend to cool down fast, so you can enjoy a piping hot coffee after brewing (which is not typical of regular drip machines).

In addition to top-notch brewing performance, the Ninja CE251 impresses with its programmable functions. First off, it allows you to choose from several brew options - Classic and Rich, so you can customize the final drink flavor to your tase. Classic brew is used when you want to make a delicate dink infused with oils and having a full flavor profile with aromas at the same time. Rich setting is used for a stronger flavor with some bitterness but without burnt smell. Aside from these two settings, the Ninja CE251 has a 24-hour delay brew that allows you to set the exact time when you want your cup to be ready. And a Small batch function will come in handy when you want to brew just a cup or two. Finally, there's also a smart Keep warm function that will let you keep your beverage hot for up to 4 hours.

When they say the appliance is simple and functional, it sounds a bit dubious and many of us feel skeptical about it. Yet, this coffee machine from Mueller will prove that functional simplicity is not a mere marketing trick.

Starting off, the model features a simple design with intuitive controls. A panel with clearly marked push buttons and a blue-lit LED display is so easy to use it is very likely you will not even need to take out the included instruction manual. The visible measure marks on the water tank will show the water level, so you will be able to see how many cups there're left to brew. As for the amount of ground coffee to put into a filter basket, this totally depends on the coffee type, grind size and flavor richness you want to achieve. Hence, deciding how much coffee to put primarily comes down to your personal preferences.

Cleaning the unit is not a hassle as well since both a removable filter basket and a glass carafe are a breeze to rinse under the running water, and the body of the unit that is made of steel and plastic just needs wiping from time to time.

Coming down to the functionality, once the water reservoir is filled and the ground coffee is loaded, you can leave the rest to the machine. No pre-brew or fancy “bloom” is required, and there is no need to watch the brewing time and temperature. The coffee maker will do all that automatically. In the meantime, you can choose either Regular or Bold setting to get a milder or stronger coffee flavor accordingly. Besides, you can program the machine to brew you a cup of Joe at a certain time of the day, for example, when you wake up or return home after a jog. You are also free to pause a brewing cycle.

Following pretty much the same operating principle, drip coffee brewers still differ in brewing performance. For some machines, it takes quite a while to brew a pot of coffee while others can do it in mere minutes. So, if you want a machine that will get you set with coffee fast, the Cuisinart CHW-12 coffee maker is definitely worth your attention.

What makes this model stand out straight away is its impressive power of 1775 watts, which is considerably higher than that of many other models. Packing a powerful heating punch, this machine will brew a carafe of your favorite aromatic hot drink in less than 10 minutes. And it's 12 cups of coffee, to be precise, which is more than enough for a family breakfast or a meeting with friends. In the meantime, if necessary, you can adjust the brewer to make from 1 to 4 cups of coffee at a time, which is a great option when you don't actually need a whole pot.

As for the coffee strength, it depends on the quantity of preground coffee you add, thus you are free to experiment. With a reusable gold-tone filter, you won't need to constantly buy replacement paper filters and, made of steel, it will in no way impact the taste of your drink. Additionally, the device features a self-cleaning option that can remove calcium from the metal parts of the coffee maker, so, maintaining it won't be a hassle at all.

It is quite easy to control this coffee machine, even though it has lots of buttons and knobs. The indicator lights will let you know when the water is hot and when it’s time to refill the tank. The Adjustable Keep Warm function will keep your coffee hot for some time and will give you an opportunity to choose among low/medium/high temperatures depending on your preferences.

Not eager to invest in a top-notch coffee machine, yet still want an automatic coffee maker for your home? If so, the DLX1050B coffee maker from Black and Decker will get you covered. At a budget-friendly price, it will let you enjoy your cup of Joe, with no effort and fuss from your side.

The model is a pretty simple machine, with not so many bells and whistles to it. However, it has all the basic functions you'd normally expect from this sort of appliance. The branded QuickTouch programming technology allows you to make your morning coffee in a snap. Just set the desired start time and program auto brew. Speaking of which, the coffee maker sprays water into the pre-ground coffee only when it heats up to the optimal brewing temperature. You can be sure you drink will come out delicious and fragrant, without the burnt taste. And there is no need to fiddle with the settings. The brewer will do it all for you. You only need to remember to load the proper amount of ground coffee beans, depending on how many cups you want to get. More than that, with an auto shut-off feature, you won't need to worry if you ever forget to turn it off.

At 975 watts of power, the Black and Decker coffee maker is energy-wise and won't add too much to your electricity bills. On the other hand, it is decently fast and can brew 12 cups (a full pot) in minutes. If you don't want to wait until the full volume of coffee is brewed, you can easily pour a cup of coffee in the middle of the process. The Sneak-a-Cup option allows for a pause to avoid the spillage on a carafe plate. And the Keep warm option will maintain the temperature of the brewed coffee till the auto-off time (2 hours) is reached.