Top 12 Coffee Makers for a Better Home Brew

The Breville Precision Brew lives up to its name brewing coffee at precisely the right temperature and brew time, perfect for the coffee enthusiast. What really stands out is not only the excellent performance but also all the options such as being able to make a single cup, brew over ice, cold brew and pour-over coffee. 

This coffee maker can be adjusted for bloom time, brewing temperature and flow rate ensuring your perfect personalized cup of coffee. It also includes both cone and flat bottom filter baskets for those with a sensitive palette and want to bring out different notes in the coffee or have a preference towards one. Our tests proved that it has a fast brew time compared to others: It's able to brew 12 cups of coffee in about eight and a half minutes. It also produced a hotter and tastier cup of coffee with one of the higher taste scores in our tests. 

Unlike some other thermal carafes that won’t keep your coffee hot for a long time, this one kept the coffee hot for the entire two-hour period. We also found that because of the water tank’s extra-large opening, it was easy to fill without spilling. Breville really did not skimp on the details either with a plug that has a loop making it easy to pull out of the wall and the sleek stainless steel design won’t be an eyesore on your counter.

Not only was this coffee maker a top performer because of its brew time and temperature but it’s also one of the lowest-priced coffee makers on this list. It's programmable, brews up to 12 cups of hot coffee and kept it warm for the entire two-hour period in our tests. It’s fairly simple compared to other coffee makers but it’s one of the most user-friendly. If counter space is a concern, it has a small footprint at a little over 6 inches wide and 13.5 inches long.

It has a digital display and a 24-hour auto brew feature to wake up to steaming hot coffee. You can also quickly snag a first cup with its sneak-a-cup feature that temporarily stops the flow of coffee to pour some coffee into a cup without making a mess.

If you gravitate toward appliances with a bare-bones, fuss-free design, you'll appreciate the single switch of the Bonavita One-Touch. In our tests, it was one of the easiest coffee makers to use with a clear instruction manual and easy to access water tank and brew basket. Our Lab tests showed it brewed eight cups of coffee in under seven minutes, so you can grab some and go for mornings when you're in a rush. It has a stainless steel thermal carafe, but since it didn’t keep coffee warm for the full two hours, it’s best not to let it sit around for too long.

This coffee maker takes whole coffee beans and grinds them with a built-in steel conical burr grinder and automatically starts brewing. It has five grind settings to choose how fine you want your coffee grounds and can brew mild, regular or strong coffee. The grind controls took some getting used to because they weren’t quite as intuitive as other machines but after a few times were extremely easy to use. And if you happen to run out of whole beans, there's an option to brew pre-ground coffee as well.

This machine produced one of the highest-scoring coffee makers in our taste test, making a flavorful and very hot cup of coffee with a fast brewing time. It has a large opening on the water tank and clear-tiered measurements marking two to ten cups. One thing to note: the thermal carafe did not keep the coffee very hot after an hour, so it’s best to drink it immediately.

If you find yourself only needing to brew a few cups of coffee at a time but want more than a single-serve, this Capresso 5-cup Mini is an excellent coffee maker for someone who’s looking for a small machine that can brew a few cups and also no fuss. It’s fairly simple compared to other coffee makers with tons of features making it easy to use. It does have key features such as being programmable, keeps coffee warm for two hours and has automatic shut-off so you never have to wonder if it’s turned off after you leave the house

It didn’t brew quite as hot as other coffee makers but most small coffee makers have a hard time reaching high temps. However, the trade-off is that this coffee maker is compact and does not take up a lot of counter space and if you’re in a rush, the entire pot of coffee is ready in under 10 minutes. The carafe is dishwasher safe and the flip-top lid is detachable for easy cleaning.

For a simple and easy to use coffee maker, look no further than this Mr. Coffee model. In our tests, it was easy to prep, easy to use and made a good pot of coffee. The water tank has a large opening making it easy to fill and the color-coded measuring scoop ensured the right amount of coffee grounds were scooped into the filter based on the corresponding water level. The coffee came out hot and with a feature that tells you how long the coffee has been keeping warm, you’ll never have to wonder how long it’s been sitting there.

If you like espresso-based drinks, this Ninja gives you a ton of options. With the concentrated coffee feature and a fold-away milk frother, it can make lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos. It can also brew classic, rich and iced coffee in six sizes.

This best-selling cold brew coffee maker makes excellent java with a smooth and balanced flavor. It’s easy to use, simply add coarsely ground coffee and pour water into the “rainmaker” lid which distributes water evenly over the grounds and let sit for 12 to 24 hours. When ready, dispense the coffee in the glass carafe by pushing the lever.

This Keurig single-serve coffee maker was not only a top performer in our single-serve coffee maker test but it brewed the best tasting single-serve coffee that was full-bodied and smooth. It also doesn’t get much more convenient pre-heating in under one and half minutes or the auto-feature can be used to set a timer to turn it on exactly when you want.

Testers found the owner’s manual clear and the control panel easy to use. There are five drink sizes to choose, from four to 12 ounces and also pick from regular, strong or iced brews. Though the serving sizes aren’t numbered, we found the pictures of cups pretty intuitive. It also has a large water reservoir, holding 75 ounces so you won’t have to worry about refilling too often. 

We found that this coffee and espresso machine makes a tasty and well-rounded brew. Our taste testers were impressed by the Nespresso coffee that had a foamy yet smooth crema making the coffee seem silky smooth, in fact, one tester didn’t even need to add milk even though that’s how they normally take their coffee.

It can brew double espresso, lungo and regular coffee that ranges up to 14 ounces. The coffee is ready with one push of the button without any adjustments since the machine reads the barcode on the coffee capsule and brews it specific to the coffee. Testers thought the design was sleek and modern and easy to use. It only takes large Nespresso capsules but there are nearly 30 flavor options so you’ll never tire of the same flavor.

If you’re looking for a French press to get a bolder cup of coffee, then look no further than the Bodum Eileen French press. Not only does it have the same make-up as the popular Bodum Chambord French press that we tested and recommend, but it also has a stylish modern design that will look great on any countertop.

Besides looking great, the metal frame protects the glass carafe from breaking which is a common complaint with glass French presses. It also consistently brewed a well-rounded cup of coffee and the stainless steel filter is easy to use and well-fitted so the coffee grounds stay at the bottom and do not get into your cup. The carafe and all of its parts are dishwasher safe, making cleaning up a breeze.

This coffee maker is about the size of a travel mug, extremely lightweight and compact making it easy to take just about anywhere such as road trips or camping allowing you to brew your own coffee on-the-go. According to Aeropress, it makes a low acidity espresso-like coffee so you can even have barista-style drinks like lattes or americanos while you travel.

This unique coffee maker may look intimidating but according to our testers, it only took a few minutes to make a great tasting full-bodied cup of coffee. To use the Aeropress, simply put a filter in the cap, twist on the chamber, stand it on a sturdy cup and add coffee grounds. Then add hot water, stir for 10 seconds and press gently until all the water is extracted. It can make one to three cups of coffee in about a minute that tastes smooth and strong. Clean up is equally as fast since it only has three parts and they are top-rack dishwasher safe.