The Best Coffee Makers We’re Buzzing About Right Now

People have been brewing roasted coffee since at least the 13th century, yet more than 700 years later, we still seem to be chasing after the perfect cup. There are different techniques that experts swear will help you get the most bang out of your bean and endless small appliances that promise to make a killer cup with zero effort on your part. For such a simple drink, it’s all gotten very complicated. Should you get an inexpensive pod machine that requires no planning, effort or clean up, or splurge on an expensive espresso machine that crafts specialty sips like a professional barista? Does that cold brew maker really deliver café quality? And which French presses and pour overs are really worth your time?

If all of this coffee talk has you feeling jittery, relax, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up some of the best coffee makers that we’ve tested across brewing methods of all types—including drip coffee makers, espresso machines, pour-overs, single-serve coffee makers, French presses, and cold brew makers—and we’re spilling the tea on what makes each one so great and what could make it better. We’ve also provided an explainer about the different types of coffee makers on the market to help you decide which is best for you. Whether you want a simple shot of espresso or a chilled glass of velvety nitro coffee, we found the best coffee makers to suit your needs and budget.

Types of coffee makers

Drip coffee maker

Drip coffee machines, which typically require little effort, mainly consist of three parts: a water tank, a basket for coffee grounds, and a thermal or glass carafe. Though drip coffee makers come in simple and high-tech versions, their basic functions are the same: The machine heats water, which rains down from a showerhead, saturates the coffee grounds, and drips coffee into a carafe or cup. The best drip coffee makers take into account factors that can extract the best flavor, like water temperature, flow rate, and the bloom time, when carbon dioxide, which can make coffee taste bitter, is released from the grounds.

Espresso machine

Espresso machines come in a wide variety of prices and an even wider variety of models. Semi-automatic machines have the same basic layout—a portafilter basket for pulling a single or double shot, a steam wand for frothing milk and a hot water dispenser—but differ in the quality of their build, their heating mechanisms, and their pumps.

Superautomatic machines can make espressos, macchiatos, Americanos, and more specialty drinks with the touch of a button. They grind, tamp and brew for you automatically.

Whether you opt for a manual machine or one that does all the work for you, keep in mind that the best espresso machines should always produce a hot, flavorful shot topped with a rich layer of crema.

Pour-over coffee maker

Pour-over coffee makers, usually cones that sit atop cups or carafes à la Chemex, utilize a precise pouring technique (ideally from a gooseneck kettle) that blooms the grounds and extracts the best flavors as the coffee drips into the vessel below. Making pour over coffee manually isn’t the fastest, but it is the best if you care about customizing the flavor of your coffee just so.

Single-serve coffee maker

Pod machines are one of the most popular forms of single-serve coffee makers, but more and more drip machines also offer single-serve capabilities. Pod machines typically offer more drink choices than drip machines, letting you make coffee in different strengths and flavors, espresso(ish), iced coffee, cold brew, and even matcha. Whatever beverage you fancy, the best single-serve coffee makers should make it effortless to prepare and full of flavor.

French press

French presses are an easy and economical method for brewing bold, rich coffee. All you need to do is steep coffee grounds in just-under boiling water (usually 195° to 200ºF) for a few minutes, then plunge a filter down from the lid to separate the grounds from the brew. The best French presses are made from durable materials and have reusable stainless steel mesh filters that allow the bean’s oils and dissolved solids to come through for a more robust flavor.

Cold brew coffee maker

Cold brew differs from iced coffee in that the latter is simply hot coffee cooled down with ice. Cold brew is prepared with room-temperature water, and extraction can take up to two days to complete. The result is a smooth, more concentrated coffee that can be watered down or mixed with milk. The most common cold brew coffee makers are immersion brewers, that have you dunk a mesh container of coffee in a large water pitcher of some sort. None is especially difficult, but the best cold brew makers usually take their time to produce a creamy, less acidic chilled cup of coffee.

Best Drip Coffee Makers

Best drip coffee maker overall: Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker

Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker

Fellow is known for its beautiful, specialty coffee equipment, and the Aiden Precision Coffee Maker is no exception. The brand’s first automatic drip coffee maker is practically perfect in every way, boasting profiles with different water temperatures and brewing times for light, medium, and dark roasts, and even providing guidance on how much ground coffee to use in both grams and tablespoons for a truly flavorful cup. Best of all, it has a simple interface that makes it easy to create a perfect brew, whether you’re a novice or a coffee connoisseur. It’s as close as you’ll get to pour-over coffee, without any effort.

What we love: Though it has a push-to-brew Instant Brew feature and three presets for light, medium, and dark roasts, the Aiden is completely customizable. You can adjust the coffee’s flavor by choosing the water temperature (anywhere between 122℉ and 210℉); the time and number of water pulses (similar to individual water pours when making pour-over coffee); and the bloom cycle, which releases carbon dioxide from the grounds and eliminates sourness. You also have the option to brew anywhere from a single cup (right into a travel mug) up to a 10-cup carafe. And you’re not just limited to hot coffee: The Aiden also makes smooth cold brew by slowly dripping water over the course of several hours.

Yes, there are a lot of options to wade through on this machine, but great coffee from the Aiden is surprisingly easy to make. The sleek machine has just a single dial and button, plus an easy-to-read LCD screen with clear instructions. It also has multiple features that make the brewing process better: The two filter baskets—a cone basket for up to three cups and a flat-bottom basket for more than three cups—have spring-loaded seals to prevent drips when you remove them; the stainless steel thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for up to two hours; and the water reservoir is removable, so you can fill it at the sink and avoid spills.

What we’d leave: At $400, the Fellow Aiden Precision is definitely expensive and may not be worth the investment for those who aren’t serious coffee drinkers. Swapping out the two brew baskets can also feel like extra work, because you also have to adjust the lid’s showerhead dial according to the basket you’re using.

Best budget drip coffee maker: Braun BrewSense

Cheap machines will never be as exact as the pricey coffee brewers that more precisely regulate water temperature and flow rate, but that doesn’t mean they can’t brew good coffee. In fact, the Braun BrewSense Programmable Coffee Maker did a fantastic job in our tests, which is why we think it’s the best budget coffee maker on the market. We found the coffee to be flavorful and not at all stale or watery. For a machine that retails for $130—and is frequently on sale—it’s a solid wallet-friendly option that’s worthy of a spot on your countertop.

What we love: The BrewSense has an easy-to-use interface with buttons that are specific to its special features. Use the Auto On and Auto Off buttons to program when you want the machine to start and stop brewing; the 1-4 button to prepare smaller amounts of coffee instead of an entire 12-cup carafe (the setting changes how the water pulses out); and the Strength and Temp buttons to adjust the boldness of the coffee and the temperature of the warming plate. The BrewSense comes with a gold-tone permanent filter that allows the coffee’s natural oils to pass through for better flavor, and the machine’s anti-drip system stops the flow of coffee when the carafe is removed. In other words, you can sneak in a cup of coffee before a full pot is finished without making a splash.

What we’d leave: The glass carafe flipped open a little too easily and seemed like it might cause spills. We also would have preferred a thermal carafe, since some other budget coffee makers have them.

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Best Espresso Machines

Best espresso machine overall: Lelit MaraX Espresso Machine

Lelit MaraX Manual Espresso Machine

Lelit is an Italian company that has been crafting premium-grade espresso machines since 1986. The MaraX has been our absolute favorite in testing, thanks to its stylish appearance and superior performance. It’s user-friendly, offers three temperature settings for your preferred extraction, and steams milk to a frothy perfection. While it is a bit pricey at $1,700, it’s also less expensive than some of the other professional-quality (aka prosumer) models we tested.

What we love: For starters, the MaraX is a beauty. Available in black, white, and brushed stainless steel, it has a less-industrial appearance than many other high-end espresso machines, thanks to its soft wooden accents. It also has plenty of clearance (4.5”) to fit your favorite coffee cup under the nozzle—a surprisingly rare feature across the prosumer models we tested.

The MaraX is a heat exchanger machine that can efficiently switch between brewing espresso and steaming milk, and has two different settings based on whether you’re more likely to make milk drinks or just pull shots. It runs brewing water through a copper tube that heats it to its proper temperature; however, it doesn’t have a digital PID (which is like a super-accurate thermostat) to regulate the temperature, so you’ll have to rely on the machine’s warm (197℉), hot (201℉), or very hot (205℉) settings.

The MaraX’s steam wand is powerful without being unwieldy, and our testers felt in control when texturing both dairy and oat milk. The MaraX did take a little longer to steam than some other espresso makers we tested, but the frothy, full-bodied milk, which is perfect for latte art, made it worth the wait.

What we’d leave: We do wish the MaraX included a digital PID or shot timer, but the espresso was so good that our testers didn’t miss these features. And if you need a shot of caffeine immediately after getting out of bed, be aware that the MaraX takes just under 20 minutes to warm up.

Best budget espresso machine: Breville Bambino Plus

Food director Chris Morocco and contributor Emily Johnson are both fans of the Breville Bambino Plus because it’s perfect for people who are new to making espresso. “It has a few hands-off features that allow even beginners (or, in my case, lazy people) to pull robust, crema-topped shots,” says Johnson. Indeed, making espresso is as easy as loading the portafilter basket with ground coffee and pushing a button. No tinkering or guesswork required.

What we love: “If you’re new to making espresso, the Breville Bambino Plus is the perfect machine for learning the ropes,” says Johnson. For starters, the machine is calibrated to pull a single or double shot at the right pressure and time for you. It also includes a double-walled filter basket, which forces coffee out through a small hole and guarantees a shot with a nice layer of crema on top every time.

But what really sets the Bambino Plus apart is its automatic milk frother. Just fill the included stainless steel jug with milk, place it under the steam wand, set the level of foam you want, and push the steam button. The machine does all the rest. Breville has rolled out this feature on many of its espresso machines now, but the Bambino Plus is, by leaps and bounds, the most affordable.

Want to take a more hands-on approach? The Bambino Plus, which heats up in about 5 seconds, lets you adjust the brew temperature between low, medium, and high; set your own brewing time; and switch the milk steaming to manual mode.

What we’d leave: You may want to get another tamper, because the one that comes with the machine isn’t particularly high quality. Also, while the semi-automatic machine brewed consistently we wish it had a pressure gauge (aka manometer) to ensure shots are pulled with the right specifications.

Best do-it-all espresso machine: Terra Kaffe TK-02

Terra Kaffe’s TK-02 is the Rolls Royce of espresso machines, with everything you need to become an at-home barista. It has a built-in coffee grinder, a milk-frothing system, and a touch-screen panel for prepping more than 100,000 custom drinks, including espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, cortados, macchiatos, and flat whites. You can adjust the grind size of your beans, the water volume and temperature for each drink, and the amount of grounds used for each espresso shot. Prefer milk in your coffee? A knob on the side of the machine lets you take it from hot to decadently frothy.

What we love: The TK-02 is a super-versatile machine that preps bold, piping-hot espresso shots — plus more coffee drinks — at the touch of a button. You can customize the espresso shot to your liking, then save it to the machine’s touchscreen menu via app so that you’ll get consistent results every time. The intuitive LCD touchscreen is actually one of the best perks about the machine, since it makes brewing any beverage a breeze. You just need to indicate whether you’re using whole or pre-ground beans, then select your drink choice from the menu. It’s all very low-effort, considering how much the TK-02 is capable of.

Clearly, ease-of-use was top of mind when Terra Kaffe designed the TK-02: Both the water tank and the grounds container are located in the front of the machine, making them much easier to fill, clean, and empty.

What we’d leave: The machine is also rather tall and wide, so be sure you have space for it. It’s important to note that you must indicate whether you’re using whole or pre-ground coffee before selecting your drink on the touchscreen. Whole is the default setting, so if you poured pre-ground coffee in the machine’s chute and forgot to press “pre-ground,” it’ll bypass the grounds, dispense a mug of clear water, and spit the unused grounds into the waste container. The machine also initiates cleaning cycles before it goes to sleep and when it wakes up, so you need to keep a mug under it at all times to catch the liquid. Lastly, the drip tray can get surprisingly messy and be challenging to clean.

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Best Pour Over Coffee Makers

Best overall pour over coffee maker: Chemex Classic Series

The Chemex system was invented in 1941 as a simple and aesthetically pleasing way to make coffee, and it’s become the preferred technique for coffee connoisseurs ever since. The process is relatively simple yet also precise and produces a pure, light-bodied brew. Besides the hourglass-shaped carafe, you’ll need Chemex’s proprietary filters, medium-coarse coffee, and a gooseneck kettle for the best results.

What we love: Making coffee in a Chemex feels almost like a ritual because of how much care is put into it. The process takes some intention, slowly pouring hot water in a spiral to saturate the grounds, letting them bloom for 30 seconds, then continuing the slow spiral pour until the kettle is empty. The entire process takes about four minutes and you end up with a carafe of clean coffee that highlights the flavors and aromas of your beans.

You can also experiment with flavors by mixing up the coffee-to-water ratio, grind size of the beans, and even the pouring technique. The Chemex is also great for making tea, cold brew, and Japanese iced coffee.

What we’d leave: Using a Chemex can feel finicky and time consuming, so it’s not the best choice for people who don’t want to put much thought or effort into making a cup of coffee.

A beautiful paper-free pour over coffee maker: Pure Over Brew Kit XL

The entire Pure Over system, which includes a carafe, a dripper with a built-in filter, a “showerhead” diffuser lid, and a stir stick, is made from durable Borosilicate glass. No paper, nylon mesh, or stainless steel filters are required. The nontoxic system also includes two ceramic coasters for resting the carafe and dripper.

What we love: Each of the glass pieces feels sturdy and well made, and the brewing system is simple: Add coffee grounds to the dripper, cap it with the diffuser lid, and place the dripper on the carafe. Slowly pour hot water around the diffuser, let it saturate the grounds for a few seconds, and add the rest of the hot water. Unlike the Chemex it will slowly drip water for you, so you don’t need to pour and re-pour. It takes around 5 minutes for all of the coffee to drain into the carafe, and the result is a rich, full-bodied brew with no sediment or grit.

Cleaning the Pure Over is also simple: After discarding the spent grounds, the pieces can go in the dishwasher or washed by hand in warm soapy water.

What we’d leave: The Pure Over brewing system has a lot of small, separate parts, so storing it can be a bit clunky.

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Best Single Serve Coffee Maker

Best overall single-serve coffee maker: Ratio 4

When it comes to coffee makers, Ratio consistently knocks it out of the park. We’ve already sung the praises of the Ratio Six and the newer, larger Ratio Eight S2, and now it’s time that the Ratio Four had its due. Like the other models, the brand’s smallest machine produces a nearly flawless pour-over-style brew, but in batches of one to two cups. The space-saving machine also has a removable water canister that can be placed to the left, right, or back of the base to help keep things compact.

What we love: The Ratio Four takes everything we love about the brand’s larger models and packs it into one mini machine. The Four is very basic, with no bells and whistles, and requires just a single button to operate. Press it once if you’re brewing more than 12 oz. of coffee or press and hold it if you’re brewing less. The Ratio Four’s wide showerhead then saturates the grounds and pauses to let them bloom for 30 seconds. More water is then dispensed in small pulses for an even better extraction before switching to a continuous flow to finish the job. It’s almost too easy to make a perfect cup of coffee, and that’s what makes the Ratio Four so great.

What we’d leave: There’s really nothing negative to say about the Ratio Four, except maybe that it’s made with a lot of plastic for the price. We should also note for anyone expecting a Keurig-like experience: This is not a pod machine. You will need to grind your own coffee for this one.

Best budget single-serve coffee maker: Nespresso Vertuo Pop+

Nespresso makes a number of top-notch pod machines, but the Vertuo Pop+ easily earned our best budget title. This oh-so-simple pod machine quickly brews coffee, espresso, and cold brew that is nuanced and full of flavor. The brand’s smallest machine is also one of its most stylish, available in more than a dozen colors that’ll instantly brighten up your kitchen.

What we love: The Vertuo Pop+ makes it a snap to brew coffee, espresso, and iced drinks in minutes. Insert a capsule, press a button, and the machine scans the barcode and adjusts its settings to the perfect temperature, brew time, and pressure setting for that drink. The result is a hot cup of coffee or espresso with a beautiful layer of crema on top. We especially love that if you’re making iced drinks, you can double click the brew button for a more concentrated pour. And yes, the cold brew is really good!

The surprisingly versatile Vertuo Pop+ lets you brew hot or iced coffee in 5-, 8-, and 12-oz. sizes as well as single and double shots of espresso. It has an adjustable drip tray to accommodate cups of different sizes, and a removable water reservoir on the side of the machine for easy access when it’s time for a refill.

What we’d leave: We wish there was an easier way to recycle the aluminum pods. They can go in residential recycling bins in New York City and Jersey City, but if you live outside of those areas, you’ll need to drop them off at select Nespresso boutiques or mail them to a Nespresso facility via a prepaid recycling bag.

Best non-Nespresso pod machine: Bruvi Single-Serve Coffee System

Bruvi Single-Serve Coffee System

The effort involved in recycling Nespresso pods for most of America is real and Bruvi, and its compostable B-pods, are one solve for that.

It’s not just the pods (which are treated with polypropylene to help them break down more quickly) that created buzz around the Bruvi Single-Serve Coffee System though. And after testing it, we can assure you that the hype is real. This touchscreen pod machine has a lot to offer, including rich, balanced, coffee; a whopping eight brewing sizes; one-touch presets for low-acid, Americano, iced coffee, and cold brew; plus customizable temperature control and brew strength.

What we love: The Bruvi offers a lot of drink and customization options, without being overwhelming. We love that the touchscreen is easy to navigate, and, more importantly, the machine does all the thinking for you. When you insert a B-pod into the unit (it goes in sideways, FYI), the Bruvi scans the pod and automatically adjusts the brew parameters. You do, however, have the option to make adjustments to the cup size, strength, temperature, and even style of coffee (hot, iced, or cold brew). But if you don’t want to have to think about how best to do your brew, the Bruvi has your back.