Coffee Maker Buying Guide

Hot or Cold?
Some people prefer iced coffee or cold brew over hot coffee, especially in the summer months. Certain drip and pod models offer “brew over ice” modes and cold-brew modes. You could also consider a cold-brew coffee maker if you’re a fan of the concentrated brew.

Number of Cups?
If one cup is enough to jump-start your day, choose a one- or two-cup drip model or a single-serve machine. Need more? Choose a larger automatic drip or one of the specialty machines, such as an electric French press. Most large models brew 10 to 12 cups, although typically a “cup” is really only 5 to 6 ounces, not 8.

How Often Do You Need a Fix?
If you space your coffee drinking out throughout the day, consider buying a model with an insulated mug or carafe. These keep coffee hot and fresh-tasting for hours. But thermal carafes are not perfect. Our testers say they tend to dribble and can sometimes be difficult to handle.

Can’t See Straight in the Morning?
For some people, filling the coffee machine and turning it on is too much to handle in the morning. If that’s you, consider a unit with programming that can automatically brew each morning. (You set everything up the night before.) For the forgetful who rush out of the house in the morning, an automatic shutoff feature is also important.

Size and Height Considerations
Factor in counter space when choosing your model. All the machines in Consumer Reports’ tests can fit beneath upper cabinets, but you’ll still need to pull out most when it’s time to fill the reservoir.

For drip coffee makers, we conduct a brew-performance test to measure the brew temperature and contact time (how long water stays within the sweet spot of 195° F to 205° F for brewing).

“We also measure the concentration of the brewed coffee to make sure it’s not too weak or too strong,” says Ginny Lui, CR’s test engineer for coffee makers.

For single-serve pod coffee makers, our engineers evaluate temperature consistency and size consistency of individual cups of coffee, as well as the speed of brewing. Then our expert coffee taste-tester weighs in.

For cold-brew coffee makers, our engineers judge ease of cleaning, and our expert taste-tester judges the taste of each brew.

All three types of coffee makers also undergo convenience tests to evaluate how easy it is to set timers, fill the reservoir, and generally use the machine.

For the drip and pod models, the Overall Score also incorporates brand-level data on predicted reliability and owner satisfaction from our annual survey of CR members. You’ll find all this in our coffee maker ratings of more than 150 models.