Best Coffee Maker Reviews – Coffee Maker Buying Guide
What is the secret to make the best coffee? Is it the coffee beans, or the coffee grind, or the type of milk, or the crema on the top? Not necessarily! (although using the best coffee ingredients sure does help!)
So what does make the best coffee?
Is it the coffee maker? Is the only way to make the best coffee to use the best coffee maker? Not necessarily – although we are getting closer!
The secret is the water temperature!
The best coffee maker needs to get the water temperature just right – that is the secret behind making the best coffee. But how do you know if the water temperature is right or wrong, and what is the best temperature anyway?
The proof is in the flavour!
Many of us start the day with a steaming mug of nice hot coffee. And we rely on that first cup of the day for many reasons, not the least of which;
- The divine aroma of fresh coffee
- A nice heart starter each morning
- Gets the day off to the best start
- A quiet moment to reflect on the day ahead
- A calming effect during the morning commute
- A social chat around the coffee maker at home or work
So there are many associations with starting the day with the best coffee. But have you ever been faced with a bad cup of coffee in the morning? Come on – be honest, it is not the best way to start the day! Too bitter, too weak, too cold.
When the coffee is not up to scratch, we just know, and we know because the flavour is not right. This can be caused by getting something wrong in the brewing process, even when we use the best coffee ingredients.
What do we need to watch out for?
Most people think coffee is made from boiling water. But this is not necessarily true. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, which is well above 200 Fahrenheit. In actual fact, the best coffee is brewed at just below 200 Fahrenheit.
If the water temperature is too hot, the coffee extraction can be too extreme and the coffee grounds can be scorched, leading to excessive bitterness (mouth pucker). Not hot enough and you will find that the flavour is left behind in the coffee grounds (blurgghhh). If the coffee brewing is too fast, the flavour is left behind, too slow and the bitterness rises. If we accidentally scorch the milk, then this causes problems, if we forget the sugar then it is not right, and the list of potential problems goes on and on.
Apologies – just the thought of a bad coffee is making me come over all strange.
So how do we make the best coffee?
If you love your coffee like I do, then we agree that enjoying the best coffee is one of our few remaining guilty pleasures. So let’s make sure we make the best coffee. What you need to know is which coffee maker can reliably pump out the best coffee, and which coffee maker you can trust to get the day off to the best start.
The best coffee maker heats the water to around the 200 Fahrenheit mark, but not to boiling temperature! The best coffee maker needs to heat the water evenly, because if the brew starts before the temperature is correct, or finishes at boiling point, then the coffee will just not taste right. There needs to be just the right balance of water temperature and brewing time, so which coffee makers get it right?
The best coffee maker reviews
If the traditional coffee maker is your weapon of choice, then we have checked out a wide range of the best coffee makers on the market. There is wide range of features that may or may not be important to you. But all that we coffee lovers really care about is making the best coffee, so with that in mind, we can present a range of the best coffee maker reviews for you to choose from.
1. Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker
Let’s begin with an oldie, but a goodie – the Mr Coffee automatic coffee maker. Because this brand has been around for long time, most people associate it with the old style coffee, which was more about functionality rather than taste. Well, that perception is not necessarily true, as we found that it is possible to use a simple and easy drip filter coffee maker and still make the best coffee.
Making the best coffee does not have to be complicated when the basics come together, and the Mr Coffee programmable coffee maker offers a quick and easy way to make the best coffee. Obviously the Mr Coffee brand have paid close attention to water temperature control, because the coffee is brewed at a steady pace, with a nice even flow rate through the coffee filter.
Best Coffee Maker
The feature that we really liked about this best coffee maker is that if you you’re your morning coffee a little stronger, you can select a higher strength setting. This will effectively slow down the extraction time, so that you get more flavour from the coffee grinds. Obviously the opposite is true, if you don’t want to be flying too high too early, then you can easily dial back the strength a little.
Another handy feature is the brew timer. All this does is keep track of when the pot of coffee was actually made, and how long it has been waiting on the heater element. As we have been saying, it is all about temperature, and if the coffee has been warming on the heater element for too long, it will eventually lose its peak flavour, so you will be able to judge when to toss it out and brew another fresh coffee.
The Verdict: Mr Coffee 12 cup coffee maker
We found that the Mr Coffee 12 cup coffee maker is a perfectly acceptable maker of great coffee, except for people’s perceptions. If we look at the reviews on Amazon, it seems people are divided as to whether they love this coffee maker, or hate it! Because Mr Coffee is synonymous with cheap coffee, perhaps that perception is no longer compatible with today’s coffee snobbery. Either way this model is still one of the best coffee makers on the market.
No matter what the perception, we found the Mr Coffee 12 cup coffee maker is a very affordable way to make the best coffee each morning, and deserves its place on our best coffee maker reviews.
Check out the price on the Mr Coffee 12 cup Coffee Maker at Amazon.
2. Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffee maker
Cuisinart understand the art behind making the best coffee, and that is why they are at the top of our list of the best coffee maker reviews. Not only do they understand how to make the best coffee, but they use the same fundamentals for heating water to the perfect temperature for tea making also. Check out the Cuisinart perfect temperature stainless steel kettle.
The Cuisinart programmable coffee maker is on our list of best coffee maker reviews because the Cuisinart 14 cup coffee maker is a reliable and dependable coffee maker that just keeps churning out the best coffee, and lots of it. With the programmable settings on the Cuisinart coffee maker, you can choose to make the best coffee just how you like it.
Cuisinart Perfect Temp coffee maker – Perfect water temperature
The water temperature is perfect for making the best coffee, right at the point where the water is delivered through the coffee grounds. As the water is allowed to filter gently through the coffee, the extraction process is gravity fed, and filters the right amount of coffee flavour and aroma.
The Cuisinart coffee maker costs a little more than the budget range of best coffee makers, but these drip filter style of coffee makers are still much more affordable than most other coffee makers on the market.
The Verdict: Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffee maker
In the end, the Cuisinart perfect temp coffee maker tops our list of best coffee maker reviews simply because the 14 cup carafe offers the flexibility to make as much or as little great tasting coffee as you need. Choose the Cuisinart Perfect Temp Coffee maker for when you want to make the best coffee.
Check out the price on the Cuisinart 14 cup Coffee Maker at Amazon.
3. Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker
The Hamilton Beach coffee maker is high on our list of best coffee maker reviews because it solves the problem around whether you need to make enough coffee for several people, or whether you just need a single serve of the best coffee.
At the flick of the switch right on the front of the coffee maker, this best coffee maker will change from a 12 cup coffee brewer to a single shot of coffee directly into the cup. Now that is the versatility we need, instead of having two different coffee machines, we can now use a single best coffee maker in the kitchen, office, or anywhere we need to make coffee.
Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker – Full Pot or Single Serve Brewer
The Hamilton Beach coffee maker is functionally divided into two sides, with the carafe thermal stand on one side, and the single serve delivery on the other side. Both modes deliver the best drip filter coffee through separate filter systems, which are calibrated for exactly the right strength coffee. The single serve coffee maker can accept coffee pods, and can even be used for tea making pods. This best coffee maker is extremely versatile. Each filter can be removed for individual filling and cleaning, without impacting on the other side function.
The Verdict: Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker
The Hamilton Beach is one of the most versatile coffee makers on our list of best coffee maker reviews. The 12 cup coffee maker uses a removable filtration basket, and the single serve features a reusable mesh filter that is compatible with coffee, pods, and even tea bags. It is hard to beat in terms of flexibility and versatility.
Check out the price on the Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker at Amazon.
4. Bunn 10 Cup Home Coffee Maker
The single most noticeable feature about the Bunn 10 cup coffee maker is how fast it brews the coffee. For many people, this is definitely an attractive feature for when you are in a hurry to make coffee in the morning. For it rapid brew time of just 3 – 4 minutes, we have listed the Bunn home coffee maker in out list of best coffee maker reviews.
Be wary of fast brew time
However, we need to be wary with regard to the optimal conditions for making the best coffee. If the water temperature is too hot, or not hot enough, then we should not try to compensate for incorrect temperature by speeding up or slowing down the extraction speed. So whilst it is convenient to have a fast coffee brewing time, it would be a concern if the coffee tastes too bitter, or lacking flavour, or some other indication that something is not quite right.
Water temperature is always the key to the best coffee maker
The secret behind the Bunn coffee makers fast brew time is that is maintains a constant supply of hot water so that it can brew a pot of coffee at the touch of a button. The problem here is that when the machine is cold, it still takes 10 to 15 minutes to heat up the water to correct temperature first. Then it still takes 3 – 4 minutes after that to pour the coffee.
The Verdict: Bunn 10 Cup Home Coffee Maker
The Bunn home coffee maker can definitely take a little time to get used to, because if the water temperature is not up to brewing temperature, then you simply do not get hot coffee straight away, as advertised. It is only once the water is ready for brewing that you can get that instant gratification of making the best coffee, and smelling that wonderful aroma of fresh coffee.
Check out the price on the Bunn 10 Cup Home Coffee Maker with thermal carafe – at Amazon.
5. Keurig K55 Coffee Maker
If you are a lover of the best coffee, then we felt the need to include the Keurig K55 on our list of the best coffee maker reviews. Without doubt, this coffee maker is one of the most popular coffee makers on the market, and it is the best seller at Amazon.
It is worthy of discussion in our review of best coffee makers because most of us are interested only in ourselves, and our own desire to make a simple and easy cup of the best coffee to satisfy our own personal desire. As long as our pressing need for the best coffee is urgently satisfied in the shortest possible time, there really is no need to make or share coffee with anyone else.
To meet that personal need for caffeine, the Keurig K55 coffee maker could be considered a life saver. Never mind that it is strictly limited to a single cup at any time, most coffee lovers think no further than the next coffee fix. Immediately.
What are the features of the Keurig coffee maker?
Now that our urgent need for coffee has subsided, maybe you would like to here about the remaining features of the Keurig pod coffee maker! Without a doubt, the features that users most love about the Keurig pod coffee maker is that the coffee is predictable and of the same quality each and every time we make a brew. This is because the coffee pods that come with the Keurig coffee maker are always of the same high standard, and the extraction process always brews under exactly the same conditions, which means you can always rely on the Keurig to make the best coffee – every time.
And you will never get bored with the flavour. The coffee pods that come with the Keurig coffee maker come in a wide variety of flavors and strengths, so you can vary your choice of coffee depending on the time of day, the change of seasons, or whatever mood you happen to feel today!
Easy to use – simplest way to make the best coffee
The Keurig K55 coffee makers are renowned for being simple and easy to use. In essence, there is a switch to turn it on, and a button to make coffee. Okay, got it so far! The only other choice you have to make is the size of the cup of coffee, from small, to medium to large. That’s it! There is no need to choose the strength of the coffee, because you choose a coffee pod that will deliver the strength that you need.
The predictable nature of the Keurig brewing system seems to be what people love most about the system. Because the coffee pods make the same tasting coffee day in day out, you always know that you will get the best tasting coffee. No guesswork, no fiddling with settings or buttons, and no need to worry about water temperature and pressure settings, everything is done for you. Better still, the Keurig K55 makes the best coffee in a hurry, so you can get on with your day!
The Verdict: Keurig is one of the best coffee makers
The Keurig K55 is the best coffee maker for making the most reliable and best cup of coffee, and no matter what type of coffee you feel like, or how strong you like your coffee, the Keurig K55 deserves its place on our list of best coffee maker reviews. For under $100, this is one of the best value coffee makers, and you can’t beat the convenience of the Keurig K55 Coffee Maker. Click here to buy the Keurig K55 at Amazon.
Conclusion: These is the list of Best Coffee maker Reviews
As we found during the process of finding the best coffee maker reviews, the secret to making the best coffee was in the water temperature during the coffee making process. The best coffee maker was without a doubt the Cuisinart Perfect temp Coffee Maker, because they pay close attention to controlling the perfect water temperature during the coffee making process. The Keurig gets a special mention on our list of best coffee maker reviews for the most reliable and fast cup of coffee.
If you are interested in the brewing that perfect cup of coffee using one of the best espresso machines on the market, then check out our complete review of the best home espresso machine.