Here at Epicurious, we take coffee very seriously. We’ve tested and reviewed nearly 100 machines of all styles, sizes, and prices in our quest to find the best coffee machines. From the most intricate shrewd espresso machines to the simplest styles that coffee lovers have been using in one way or another for centuries, we’ve tried them all.
The best coffee machines
Because there are so many different types of coffee machines, we’ve put together a sort of greatest hits album here. Below, you’ll find the winners from all of our different tests, along with information about the different types of coffee machines. While we can’t tell you what kind of coffee you want to drink, how much work you want to put into making it, or how much space you have for a kitchen appliance, we’ll arm you with recommendations that will allow you to utilize the answers to these questions to choose the best coffee machine for your routine.
Whether you’re looking for a standard drip coffee maker, a stunning coffee maker that will impress connoisseurs, or an espresso machine that even a complete novice can handle, read on to discover our top picks.
Is it worth buying an pricey coffee machine?
Drip coffee machines
When it comes to ease of utilize, there’s nothing better than a drip coffee maker. Just make sure the water tank is filled the night before, pour the coffee into the basket, press the button, and walk away. Drip coffee makers run the gamut from ultra-budget models found in motels and drugstores to more luxurious options like those from Technivorm, Oxo, and Café. While the number of extra features may vary, and the budget-friendly ones don’t make the best coffee, a drip coffee maker will always be the most convenient system for brewing a full pot of coffee. (For more, read our full review of the best drip coffee makers.)
Best Drip Coffee Maker: Café Specialty Grind and Brew
GE’s Café sub-brand has burst onto the scene, producing stunning machines, both compact and full-size. Its gold finishes look like something that would fit into custom-designed homes in upscale postcodes. But it turns out that Café coffee makers make damn good coffee. For most of 2022 and 2023, the Specialty Drip Coffee Maker Café has held the top spot in our tests, beating out longtime favorite Technivorm Moccamaster. But Café has outdone itself by adding a built-in burr grinder to a coffee machine that brews coffee to the Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) Golden Cup Standard, offers precise water temperature control, has options to brew exactly the amount of coffee you want, and uses Wi-Fi connectivity to let you schedule a brew from across the country or just across the house by saying, “Hey Google” or “Alexa, pamper me.”
Eyepiece
Size: 10.5″x14.5″x17.4″
Capacity: 10 cups
Carafe style: Thermal
Characteristics: Built-in grinder, Wi-Fi connectivity, adjustable brewing strength, water filter, programmable timer, SCA Golden Cup certified
Guarantee: Confined 1 year
If you’re looking to save some money and don’t need a built-in grinder, we still highly recommend the Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker . It’s a bit smaller in size, so it might be better if you already have a lot of compact appliances on your countertop.
Our favorite drip coffee maker: Ratio Six
Our coffee testers prefer drip coffee to even the very best drip coffee makers. The Ratio Six is a drip coffee maker that does a good job of mimicking the drip technique. As a company, Ratio has only been around since 2012, but in that miniature time it has created a line of machines that have vaulted to the top of the drip coffee world — and done so in style. The Ratio Six (don’t be fooled, it’s actually an 8-cup coffee maker) has earned the same Golden Cup certification that Café and Technivorm have received from SCA — and it’s a great-looking machine. But it’s also technically sound. It fully soaks the grounds at the right temperature with water and lets them bloom at the start of the brewing process. Choosing the Ratio also means there’s no need for an insulated travel mug. It comes with a thermal jug that we found kept the coffee sultry for hours and didn’t spill a drop on the caravan ride to the park. Here, it’s more of a personal choice rather than an objective winner, as the coffee machine offers more value in terms of extra features and convenience.
Machine size: 13.5″ x 6.75″ 14.25″
Coffee Capacity: 8 cups
Best Budget Drip Coffee Maker: Braun Brewsense 12-Cup Coffee Maker
In the latest update of our drip coffee maker reviews, we wanted to take a closer look at what we consider to be the budget-friendly choices—those that cost $100 or less. We added another half-dozen affordable, programmable coffee makers to the mix, and after many batches of mostly mediocre coffee, Braun’s Brewsense stood out from the competition, including Mr. Coffee and Ninja. The Braun has some nippy extra features, like the ability to brew smaller batches of coffee (from 1 to 4 cups) Or full carafes, two brewing settings, an automatic shut-off when the glass carafe is removed, and three different warming plate settings. That last feature is especially nippy, because one of the worst parts of budget-friendly drip coffee makers is that they tend to make undrinkable warm coffee that tastes increasingly burnt the longer it sits on the warming plate. We wouldn’t go so far as to say that the coffee you get from a Braun is “great tasting,” but then again, it’s not fair to expect the same results from something that costs $95 as from something that costs $350. If you want a coffee maker that’s affordable, uncomplicated to utilize, and makes a good cup of coffee, the Braun is for you.
Eyepiece
Size: 7.9”x7.9”x14.2”
Capacity: 12 cups
Carafe style: Glass
Characteristics: 1-4 cup options, adjustable brewing strength, programmable timer, water filter, adjustable hotplate temperature
Guarantee: 3 years
Coffee machines
There’s actually a lot more to consider when buying a coffee machine than just “does it make good coffee?” That’s because the price, size, and functionality of coffee machines vary so much. If you wanted to, you could pay as much for one as you would for a used car. And you usually get more for your money. Temperature control, pressure, and the quality of the steam wand (or milk frother) are all higher on more pricey machines. But for Very People find that the differences aren’t so massive that they can’t get everything they need from a cheaper coffee machine (read our full coffee machine review here).
Best Coffee Maker, Period: Lelit Mara X
The truth is, after testing almost 30 different coffee machines, the stunning Lelit Mara X machine made the most delicious espresso of them all. Its body was so full it covered your mouth, and the crema so affluent that drinking the espresso was a delightful, multi-layered experience. Now, this is a machine that could be classified as a prosumer model. For the uninitiated, it’s a term that refers to machines that are good enough to be found in a fancy coffee shop, but scaled down so that they fit into most kitchens and cost significantly less than real coffee shop machines, which can cost upwards of $10,000. And as a high-end machine, the Mara X offers a bunch of other nippy features. It’s a heat exchanger machine, meaning the water used to brew the coffee is separate from the water used to froth the milk. They have to have two drastically different temperatures, and the utilize of a heat exchanger means there’s no waiting between making your coffee and frothing your milk. Speaking of frothing the milk, the steam wand offers a very controlled experience compared to some of the other prosumer machines we’ve tested, which were so powerful that they left no room for adjustment or error because by the time you figured out what you needed to do, the milk was too warm. The Mara X also comes with a warm water dispenser for the Americano and stunning wood accents that make it a machine you’ll be proud to have permanently on your counter. It offers 4.5 inches of headroom per cup (the space between the filter holder and the base of the machine), meaning you can brew a larger cup of cappuccino or latte straight away, and the immense, easy-to-read gauge lets you know you’re pouring out the right amount of pressure and how much power the steam boiler is putting out.
