In this guide, we reveal the best-rated home coffee makers on the market today. Read on and see all our choices for this year.
Is there anything better than waking up and finding the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans wafting around the house? This is what a coffee maker can do.
It gives you the most important beverage of your day on autopilot every single day unfailingly.
Yet, for newbie shoppers, it’s a confusing world out there. There are espresso machines, single-serve coffee makers, drip coffee makers, French press machines, and a bunch of others that take you from bean to cup and allow you to tinker your way to coffee glory.
On that note, we thought that this would a great time to compile a list of the best coffee makers. No gimmicks, just the straight dope!
#1 Keurig K55 Coffee Machine
There’s a reason why the Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker remains one of the most popular Keurig drip coffee makers ever.
It is minimalist, works in the blink of an eye, and most importantly, does not cost a bomb.
For this reason, it remains the most popular Keurig among budget-minded coffee seekers. (Dorms)
Oh, by the way, it is not an entry-level model by a long shot if we led you on towards that.
It looks stylish, lets you choose your brew size from three different preset settings, and can also brew tea, hot chocolate, or anything else from the K-Cup world that catches your fancy.
A closer look at the Keurig K55
The K55 looks every bit Keurig. It has the signature all-black glossy casing with a single button control panel and a bunch of LED indicator lights. It stands about 13 inches tall and would easily sneak in under the cabinets.
The lights serve a dual purpose. They alert you about the different functions including adding water, descaling the unit, if the machine overheats, when auto shut off mode kicks in, and when it shuts off.
The second purpose? They look cool. Nobody said that a coffee maker couldn’t use some style.
Like we said earlier, you can pick your beverage size. The larger the cup you choose, the more diluted the coffee becomes though.
So, if you like your poison potent, go for the smallest cup.
Thankfully, the drip tray is removable and you can tuck in your larger mugs without worrying about a potential spill.
The K55 features a 48-oz water reservoir that lets you make up to 6 cups of coffee. The reservoir is removable but you have the option to refill it without removing it completely.
Using the K55 Coffee Machine
The K55 preheats the unit when you power it on. So, by the time you flip open the lever and pop in your K-Cup, the machine is ready with steaming hot water and gives your coffee on the press of a button. The extraction is excellent and flavorful.
One of the best features of the K55 is that it lets you use your own custom ground coffee if you buy the ‘My K-Cup’ reusable coffee filter add-on. Before you scream upsell, consider the amount of money you’d end up saving on K-Cups.
#2 Cuisinart DCC-3200 14-Cup Coffeemaker
The DCC-3200 from Cuisinart elbows out a lot of higher-priced and much-hyped coffee makers to reach the #2 position in this top list.
This is an ingeniously designed package that clubs form, function, and boasts of a laundry list of features.
You can program it to brew your coffee on autopilot at a precise time each day and also choose the strength of your brew to boot.
Commercial-grade appearance
The plush all-silver casing with a hint of metal on the DCC-3200 makes it look like a commercial-grade coffee machine.
One that you’d normally find in coffee shops with Baristas tinkering with the alchemy. Yet, it stands only 14 inches tall which means that your valuable counter space shall not be encroached upon.
The control panel allows you to go into programming mode to select the brew strength, activate the auto-cleaning cycle, activate the brewing process and set the time for your automated cup of coffee down to the exact minute.
As always, Cuisinart has thoughtfully designed the DCC-3200 and it is extremely low on maintenance. You can take it apart in minutes and most parts are dishwasher safe.
Using the Cuisinart DC-3200
This is where the magic happens. Integrated into the DCC-3200 is a charcoal filter that removes any off-flavors from the water. The result is 100% pure and tasty coffee sans any impurities.
It can brew up to 14 cups of coffee at a time which is perfect for an extended household or a small office space.
The coffee is dispensed into a thermal glass carafe that retains heat for almost an hour. The spout on the carafe reduces the chances of spills while pouring the coffee into your cups.
One of the best features of the Cuisinart DCC-3200 is that you can pause the brew if you change your mind about the number of cups you need. That translates into less wastage.
Make sure you click through to read our Cuisinart DCC-3200 review. There’s also a newcomer on the horizon, the very similar Cuisinart DCC 3400
#3 Bonavita BV1900TS 8-Cup Coffee Brewer
What good is a list of top coffee makers for your home without a dedicated drip coffee maker?
Here’s our pick of the lot, the Bonavita BV1900TS, a meaty looking unit that boasts of a stainless steel casing.
While there’s nothing wrong with a PE casing which is commonly used in coffee machines, let’s face it.
We are all suckers for the feel of metal. Instantly, it feels like a heavy-duty unit as opposed to a cheaply made one.
Practical design
Once you are done drooling over the stainless steel casing, you’d love the way Bonavita has designed this. It is not flashy. Instead, it the design is very practical with minimal moving parts (fewer chances of breakdowns) and well thought out features.
There’s just one control button, (No! How’s that even possible?) a metal carafe that keeps your coffee warm for almost 3 hours and a non-heating base plate for the carafe.
The carafe bottom does not get heated. So, you can remove it from the unit and place it on a wooden table without worrying about it getting damaged.
Pre-infusion cycle of the Bonavita BV1900TS
The Bonavita BV1900TS features a pre-infusion cycle. For the uninitiated, that’s a function typically found in espresso machines. It soaks the coffee beans in water for some time before the actual extraction process begins.
This results in a more flavorful extract from every coffee granule.
Also, it has a 1500-watt heater that maintains the water temperature between 198° to 205° F. This results in consistent tasting extracts.
You can brew up to 8 cups of coffee at a time. But Bonavita also lets you limit it to 4 cups instead.
#4 SterlingPro Double Wall Stainless Steel French Coffee Press
There’s a reason why SterlingPro’s French coffee Press outsells a lot of other more popular brands like Bodum.
Despite having a very minimal design, it is incredibly durable.
Combine that with the double-walled construction and even the tiniest coffee grounds won’t be able to sneak into your cup of Joe.
In simple terms, it is a quintessential French press, simple, easy to use, and effective.
Stainless with a mirror finish
The SterlingPro is made from stainless steel with a glossy mirror finish. That may seem pale when compared to the fancy French press coffee makers that crave eyeballs these days. But this serves a dual purpose.
- It does not leech chemicals into the coffee. So, unless the water you use has chlorine or other things that can affect the flavors, you will get 100% pure coffee.
- It makes it impervious to scratches, dents or damage. How many times have you accidentally knocked the French press maker off the table?
The double-walled design helps retain heat and your beverage stays hot for a couple of hours at least. Also, this keeps the outer portion cool to the touch. You won’t scald your hands trying to pick this up.
Oh, almost forgot to mention that it has a teapot styled design with a handle which makes it very easy to pick up and pour from.
The SterlingPro Double Wall French Press is perfect for coffee guzzlers
With a 1 liter capacity (also available in a 1.5L one), the SterlingPro is a great choice for coffee guzzlers who cannot do with just 1 cup.
And the all-metal construction translates into easy maintenance. You just have to ensure that you don’t leave coffee grounds in there after use. SterlingPro also throws in two extra stainless steel screens in case the ones that come with the coffee maker wear out.
#5 Hamilton Beach 49980Z 2-Way Brewer
And the coup-de-grace in this list is a single-serve coffee maker from Hamilton Beach.
Err…never heard that name before? Neither did we, until we found out that this versatile coffee maker sells like hotcakes on Amazon and other online retailers.
That’s no mean feat considering that single-serve coffee makers have always been Keurig’s domain.
So how does this small brand (if we may call that so) manage to kaput the big guys?
Switch between single serve and full pot
The very term single-serve coffee maker makes you picture a compact unit with a spout that churns out a 4 oz cup of coffee at the press of a button.
The Hamilton Beach 49980Z, on the other hand, features an extension that allows you to brew an entire pot of coffee if need be.
The coffee is dispensed into a removable 12-cup glass carafe with detailed measurement markings. The carafe rests on a non-stick hot plate that keeps the coffee hot for two hours after which it shuts off automatically.
The single serve ‘side’ features a tiered cup rest that can be adjusted to accommodate even a large sized mug.
The extension makes this slightly bulkier than conventional coffee makers though. It stands approximately 14 inches in height and almost 16 inches in width.
It has a silver casing with black accents that looks stylish and the control panel with an LCD display makes it ridiculously simple to pre-program your coffee time up to 24 hours in advance.
2-way Brewer
For the empty nesters looking for the convenience of a single cup of coffee, the 49980Z features a 2-way brewer that lets you use your own ground coffee or attach any soft pod using the integrated pod holder attachment. It brews in just under 90 seconds too.
Also, you can choose between two brew types, a regular cup and a bold cup, which is a slightly stronger brew.
The brew time is slightly higher in the bold setting. But that’s because the water is pushed through the ground coffee a lot slower for a more refined extract.
In Conclusion
We agree that your eventual choice of a coffee maker will be a very personal decision that weighs in factors like the cost, which we have not touched upon.
But we hope that this list of the best coffee makers for your home in 2018 allows you to get some perspective about the different types of machines that you can choose from and eventually, make an informed decision.
Another method of making coffee is by the pour-over method. Take some time to check out our Hario vs Chemex buyer’s guide to learn some more.
What would the world do without coffee?
We’d have half-dazed zombies walking around in a semi-stupor like stage, without a cup of Joe to kick them out of slumberland.
No, I am not a ‘Land of the dead fan’.
Just implying the importance of coffee and the best home coffee brewer in our lives!
If only they could figure out how to deliver it to bed too. Sigh!
