8 Best Coffee Makers, According to Expert Testing

This drip coffee maker with a thermal carafe lives up to its name as a precision brewer by brewing coffee at exactly the right temperature in the right amount of time established by the Specialty Coffee Association. It made 12 cups of hot coffee in about eight and a half minutes, which was quick compared to others we tested and the coffee it produces was among the highest scoring for taste.

The Breville Precision Brewer is highly customizable with the option to brew up to 12 cups at a time, a single cup, iced coffee, cold brew and pour-over with the purchase of a separate attachment. It also comes with two different shaped baskets (a cone-shaped basket and a flat basket) to allow users to pick which they think makes a better cup of coffee. The basket fully pulls out for easy filling and even easier emptying, and the water reservoir has a wide opening and easy-to-read measurement markings.

Coffee snobs will love that the water flow and bloom time can each be adjusted. The display features a count-up timer that lets you know how long the coffee has been keeping warm. In our tests, the thermal carafe proved to be highly effective as it kept coffee hot during the entire two-hour test period. It's relatively easy to clean as well with a moderately sized opening that you can fit your sponge into (a bottle brush makes it even easier).

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. It also has a small footprint at a little over 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. It has a digital display and a 24-hour auto-brew feature so you wake up to steaming hot coffee. You can also quickly snag the first cup with its sneak-a-cup feature that temporarily stops the flow of brewing coffee so you can pour some from the pot without making a mess.

This high-end coffee maker from Wolf makes a hot and strong cup of coffee. It scored a five, our highest score, for brew temperature as well as its ability to keep coffee warm, thanks to the thermal carafe that kept the coffee hot for two hours. We also particularly appreciated the wide opening on the thermal carafe, which allows you to clean it more easily than other thermal carafes that typically have narrow openings.

In addition to what some might call the basics (that is, brewing a good cup of coffee and a high-performing carafe), this coffee maker is loaded with features that make it among the easiest to use. Its brew basket slides out so you can fill it without fussing with lids and its water reservoir is removable. It has a digital display and an "accubrew" setting that uses a built-in scale to weigh the coffee grounds as you add them to the basket so you can make the perfect cup based on the amount of water and strength setting you select.

If you like drip coffee but want iced coffee in the summer and maybe the occasional latte or cappuccino, the Ninja Hot & Iced Coffee maker allows you to have it all. It has four strength settings, including Classic, Rich, Over Ice and Specialty Concentrated, which mimics the taste of espresso so you can make the exact type of drink you like. It also comes with a built-in milk frother that folds away for storage so you can froth already heated or cold milk. This Ninja coffee maker can brew several different sizes as well, including a full 10-cup carafe, a half carafe or a single serving directly into a cup.

It had a fast brew time and was easy to use with helpful features like a coffee scoop that stores on the side of the unit, a removable water reservoir you can bring over to the sink, an easy to read control panel and a shelf for brewing into cups and preventing splatter.

If you're looking only to serve one or two people or don't have a ton of counter space, the Capresso 5-Cup Mini is an excellent small coffee maker. It can brew up to 5 cups in less than 10 minutes, is programmable, keeps coffee warm for two hours and has an automatic shut-off so you never have to wonder if it’s turned off.

It didn’t brew quite as hot as other coffee makers, but small coffee makers typically have a hard time reaching high temperatures, so we weren't surprised at the result. The carafe is dishwasher safe (one of our favorite things about glass carafes) and the flip-top lid is detachable for easy cleaning.

Coffee makers with built-in grinders don't have the best reputation. They're known to clog and require a bit more upkeep than typical drip coffee makers. But after testing a handful, we know why people buy them: They deliver a fresh and consistent cup of coffee with little effort. This coffee maker with a built-in grinder from Breville stands out for having multiple grind settings that impact the strength of your coffee. It also has a digital display that measures the amount of water you add to the reservoir located on the front of the unit, which makes the whole process a breeze. It then allows you to choose from one of eight strength settings and calculates the time of brewing.

Coffee brewed hot and stayed warm for our entire two-hour test time, and, when we tested at home, it stayed hot all day! This coffee maker scored the highest in our taste test when compared to four other coffee makers with grinders. Plus, it allows you to easily make more coffee even if your carafe still has coffee in it.

Pod coffee makers are good when you're in a rush or just want a good cup of coffee you know you like. Out of all the pod machines we tested, this one stands out for being the most versatile and delicious.

The Nespresso Vertuo Plus Coffee is a single-serve coffee maker that uses Nespresso Vertuo capsules to work. Each capsule is equipped with a barcode that tells the machine exactly how to brew it, whether it's brewing an espresso, a double espresso, American coffee, etc. You can choose from many different capsules that vary in type (espresso, double espresso, regular coffee and more) as well as strength and even origin. The capsules can be tossed in with your recycling in some states or put in a Nespresso-supplied bag and dropped off at UPS or a Nespresso boutique to be sent back to Nespresso for recycling.

The espressos and coffees are full-bodied with a thick and creamy crema. Each one is consistent and hot, and the machine is easy to operate. The included milk frother makes this our favorite pod coffee maker option — hello, cappuccinos and lattes — but this same machine can be purchased for less money as a stand-alone option.

This best-selling cold brew coffee maker made excellent cold brew 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. Testers found this a breeze to clean, and when you’re done using it, the parts nest together for more compact storage.