This Old House Reviews Team

Historically, coffee makers used to simply percolate steaming water over ground beans, but updated coffee makers are now equipped with single-cup servings, automatic brewing, milk frothers, and other features. While other methods for making coffee persist, the convenience of an electric coffee maker has made it a preferred brewing method for many households. To help you select a model, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best coffee makers on Amazon and created a buyer’s guide to help you make an informed purchasing decision. Here are our top appliance recommendations.

To help you select a model that best matches your morning routine, the This Old House Reviews team researched the best coffee makers on Amazon and detailed the top factors that influence the machine’s performance. Here are our top picks.

 

Buyer’s Guide

Before purchasing a coffee maker, it’s important to understand how brewing capacity, brewing method, and other factors vary from model to model.

 

Brewing Capacity

Brewing capacity refers to the amount of coffee your machine can make in one cycle. Single-serve brewers are only able to make one cup of coffee at a time. Other coffee makers come with large pots or carafes that can hold several cups of coffee for a large household. Some high-end models may give you the option to use single-serve pods or multi-cup carafes.

 

Brewing Method

The brewing method of your machine is tied to its capacity. Some coffee makers percolate water through single-serve pods that are filled with ground coffee beans to make a cup in less than a minute. Others have a funnel that’s filled with a filter and ground beans. The funnel holds enough ground beans to fill a large pot in five to 10 minutes.

 

Programmable Features

While all coffee makers brew coffee, some of them offer programmable features. Some customizable functions you may see include:

• Brew strength
• Brew temperature
• Automatic brew time
• Hot plate temperature
• Automatic shut-off time

 

How To Brew Delicious Coffee With a Coffee Maker

Using a quality machine will help you make tasty coffee from the comfort of your home. However, the model you choose is only half the battle. Read our tips below to learn about nearly every aspect that plays a role in making stellar coffee.

• Use cold, filtered water instead of lukewarm tap water. If possible, pour the chilled water into the water reservoir, and brew immediately rather than setting up the machine the night before. If the water sits overnight, it will become slightly stagnant, and you’ll lose some freshness and flavor. 
• Freshly grind whole beans. Although grinding beans takes more time than buying pre-ground beans, it’s worth it because it preserves more of the beans’ flavor. Grind your beans directly before putting them in your machine and brewing coffee.
• To avoid a burnt taste with a drip coffee maker, turn off the machine as soon as it’s done brewing. 
• Depending on your frequency of use, clean your coffee maker at least once a month using a mixture of water and vinegar. This gentle and natural cleaning solution removes any built-up residue. 
• Know your coffee maker. There isn’t a single way to brew coffee from home, but knowing what works best for your french press, pour-over, or drip coffee maker will make for the best possible result. 
• If you want a delicate but more complex flavor profile as well as a stronger concentration of caffeine, opt for lighter roasts. For a slightly less acidic but bold and smoky flavor, go with darker roasts. Medium roasts tend to be a good everyday blend. 

 

 

FAQs

• What’s the lifespan of a coffee maker?

The lifespan of a coffee maker varies, with frequency of use, frequency of maintenance, and other factors playing a role. However, if you take proper care of your coffee maker, it should last at least five years.

• How often should I replace a coffee maker’s water filter?

To remove impurities from your water, replace your coffee maker’s water filter every few months. Also descale your coffee maker at this time to ensure that it’s free of mineral buildup.

• What coffee maker is considered the easiest to use? 

If you’re just looking for a simple carafe brew and nothing more, auto-drip coffee makers are the best solution. Free from complicated controls, these coffee machines do most of the work for you. Just add water and coffee grounds, and the maker will take care of the rest.

• Will a high-end coffee maker produce good-quality coffee? 

It depends. Although fancier coffee makers have unique features to help produce the best-tasting coffee possible, the coffee you brew is only as good as the quality of the beans and water you put into your machine. However, a nicer coffee maker should put out marginally better coffee than a budget model using the same water and coffee grounds.

• What are the advantages of using a single-serve coffee maker? 

Single-serve coffee makers are ideal for those who live alone or like freshly brewed coffee. They also make it quick and easy to brew coffee, as they use pre-packaged pods as opposed to filters and beans to brew coffee in about a minute. 

 

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations. 

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

 

 

The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.