For some, the best coffee maker is just the way to a caffeinated morning. However, those who are fussier about their espresso or americano will be willing to sacrifice a bit more time for something that can achieve a smooth, Italian-style crema. We find that these coffee makers will require a bit more maintenance, but they can make a great morning ritual that offers an easy way to indulge at any time of the day.
Depending on how you like to prepare your coffee, from barista-quality espresso machines to unfussy drip coffee makers that deliver great-tasting coffee fast, we've evaluated the best coffee makers across a variety of types. Our clever price widgets constantly update to serve you the best price, and for the holiday season, most of our favorite models are on sale.
We have been careful to feature machines of all shapes, sizes, and prices, but if you know exactly what type of coffee machine you're looking for, we also have more curated guides for the best drip coffee makers, best espresso machines, best single-serve coffee makers, and other expert coffee makers, complete with hands-on reviews.
The best coffee makers of 2023
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The Philips 3200 Series LatteGo makes any type of coffee you could wish for with just the touch of a button. It has an in-built milk dispenser that takes the effort out of making your own latte or cappuccino, and the bean-to-cup design means you'll end up with the perfect dose of fresh ground coffee every time.
It's truly luxurious, with the ability to make effortless, barista-worthy brews. We loved the LatteGo milk frothing system, which has markings to show you how much milk to add for different types of coffee. This cuts down on waste, and you can put it through the dishwasher to keep it perfectly clean.
It's modern and understated, and while no bean-to-cup machine is small, this one is easy enough to store. It sits perfectly under cabinets with some extra clearance that makes it easy to top up on coffee beans.
You can change the temperature, strength, and quantity of your drinks using the smart touchscreen control panel. It's quick to warm up and automatically flushes any water that may have been sitting in the system overnight.
Our Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine review has more information
True coffee lovers who want to experiment with their coffee will have their routines transformed with Breville's Precision Thermal Brewer. The coffee maker has six pre-set brewing modes, including Strong, Gold (meets SCA requirements for a Golden Cup Standard), Fast, Over Ice, and Cold Brew, but the real magic is you can even customize (and save) settings for temperature, bloom speed, and flow rate.
These settings are easy to operate with the LCD screen and control dial. It’s programmable too, so you can set it to start brewing before you wake up.
The machine itself is made with quality stainless steel parts for added durability. It uses a Thermo Coil Heating System that delivers water that is purer than typical brewing systems that use aluminum.
In addition, the thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for a longer time. Depending on the amount of coffee you choose to brew (up to 12 cups), there are also two filter baskets: a cone-shape and a flat-bottom filter, which is recommended to use when brewing more than 8 cups.
Our Breville Precision Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker review has more information
If you love a cappuccino over breakfast, filter coffee during the day, and an espresso mid-afternoon, the De'Longhi All in One Combination Coffee Maker is your perfect machine.
It comes with attachments that allow you to brew up to 10 cups of filter coffee, as well as a portafilter for single and double shots of espresso. Even better, you can accomplish both at the same time. Recent additions to the latest edition include a digital touchscreen control, a Bold brew setting, an updated front-loading water tank, and a spillproof glass carafe.
The De'Longhi All in One Combination Coffee Maker conveniently replaces the need for you to invest in both an espresso maker with an advanced milk frothing steam wand and a drip coffee machine. However, the trade-off for three machines in one is that this machine takes up a lot of countertop real estate.
Our De’Longhi All-in-One Combination Coffee Maker and Espresso Machine review has more information
With its 8-cup coffee maker, OXO forgoes complicated settings, and instead focuses solely on the coffee. It still is one of a handful of home coffee makers that meet the Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup Standard and can brew a whole pot in less than six minutes.
Brewing is extraordinarily simple, just indicate brew size and power on, and you'll have one of the best cups of drip coffee you've ever tasted. And if you want just a single cup, OXO incorporates an attachment that makes it simple to make single-serve coffee without pods. OXO's BetterBrew precision brewing system does all the magic, with automatic controls for water temperature, volume, and brewing time, all of which contributed to its Golden Cup Standard rating Finally, a rainmaker showerhead evenly distributes water over the grounds.
Once brewing is complete, OXO nixes the hot plate for a leak-proof double-wall, vacuum-insulated thermal carafe that keeps your coffee's temperature for hours.
The Dutch-made Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select is the best coffee maker for true coffee lovers. What it lacks in a multitude of extra features, it more-than makes up for with smooth and speedy brewing, and a quality design that is backed by a five year warranty.
This coffee maker is certainly easy on the eyes, with a large and striking build that puts function first. It's available in a selection of colors though, so you will be able to fit it into any kitchen design you wish. You'll find this coffee maker in our guide to the best drip coffee makers, where we noted that it's as close as you'll get to a pour-over coffee from a home machine.
The Moccamaster has a cone-shaped coffee filter to allow a full flavor profile to develop when you brew. It has a shower-style pour-over design that automatically works, and takes only a minute to come to the right temperature. This uses copper brewing technology to reach 196°F - 205°F, the ideal temperature range for the full extraction of ground coffee. We found that the entire process took around four minutes, and was whisper-quiet throughout.
Our Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select review has more details
For when you quickly want the perfect cup of espresso or coffee for one, without the fuss, and at the touch of a button, Nespresso is the way to go. With 16 standard coffee blends and dozens of specialty recipes, plus the countless third-party pods now available, Nespresso remains one of the best pod coffee brands, and Nespresso's latest iteration of its Vertuo line is slimmer and has more options than ever. That's why it takes the top spot in our best single-serve coffee makers guide.
The 37oz. water tank capacity is enough to get you through a few espressos before having to refill, but the pod capacity is 8, which is less than most Vertuo models. Unlike other Nespresso models, the Next can also brew an 18oz. carafe for when one cup isn't enough, as well as the standard 5oz., 8oz., and 14oz. options and single and double espresso shots.
The magic of the Vertuo system and its one-touch brewing technology is how the machine is able to scan a capsule-specific barcode to deliver the optimal in-cup, taking into account cup size, pressure, brewing time, and temperature. Rather than utilizing bar pump pressure, the Nespresso Vertuo uses a Centrifusion brewing system to extract its flavor. Together, this technology helps develop a perfect, silky crema.
Our Nespresso Vertuo Next review has more details
The Jura ENA 8 brings coffee consumption to a whole other level. The fully-automatic machine can whip up 10 coffee beverages at the press of a button and has a sleek, sophisticated design with a full-color LCD display screen that only adds to its premium nature.
'Never sour, never bitter, always quietly ground and luxuriously poured into my mug,' is how our Head of Reviews Millie described her overall experience with this premium machine.
The ENA 8 has a slightly smaller footprint than other Jura machines, making it more friendly for home use without compromising on any features. It can hold up to 37 oz. of water, and 4.4 oz of beans. Once you select your drink, the coffee quietly grinds before brewing. The milk frother feature incorporates a tube design that can be dipped into a glass of milk or a Jura milk jug (sold separately) that then froths directly into your mug. Depending on your chosen drink, the milk froths either before or after the espresso. It's all very fool-proof while creating amazing-tasting coffee.
Our full Jura ENA 8 review goes into more detail.
The Café Affetto Automatic Espresso Machine achieves barista brilliance with a chic and relatively compact frame that's perfect for brewing single-serve espresso-based drinks. It's a treat to look at, with white, black or silver finishes and those bold rose gold accents that bring a uniquely modern take to the traditional espresso machine.
With a built-in grinder, the Café Affetto Automatic Espresso Machine has five different settings to allow you to adjust based on the specific beans. Note that espresso should be made with much more finely ground beans than pour-over coffee, so limiting you to five settings makes sense for the range of ground sizes you could need to make espresso in this machine.
The controls are simply laid out on the top of the machine, with a pre-set mode for espresso, americano, steam, and hot water, as well as a custom 'my cup' setting that can be set up in the paired app.
Our Café Affetto Automatic Espresso Machine review has more details
For those all about exploring craft brewing methods, the Espro P7 makes a delicious cup of coffee and is truly one of the most luxurious French Presses you can buy.
How so? Well, with expert attention to detail, ESPRO's unique brewing system uses a two-stage filter with an extra tight seal that will leave you with a smooth sipping experience, you may have thought you're drinking pour-over.
The durable stainless steel body is shatterproof and can also keep beverages hot for longer periods of time, compared to glass. The brewing vessel is hefty, yet sturdy, with a handle that is comfortable to pour from, and a spout that doesn't dribble.
The Morning machine is a dream to use. It's a single-serve machine with 10 presets, but you can also precisely tailor the length and temperature of your coffee to the exact degree you want. You can even change the pour profile to play with the flavour of your coffee.
Morning also has partnerships with a range of roasters from around the world, so you can buy your pods from them through the app. The app also has customized coffee profiles from every roaster, so you can drink their coffee exactly as intended.
When it comes to the coffee, our tester Alex found that 'compared to the mediocre coffee from other, cheaper machines, the short black espresso produced by the Morning was simply in a different league'. No matter the pods you use, you'll get delicious coffee out of this machine.
The Morning is a relatively quiet machine, which is a particularly welcome feature at 6am. It has a good countertop footprint too, fitting snugly between cereal boxes or other appliances, so this is a good option if you're short on counter space. While we love the modern Scandi look, it might be too space-age in country kitchens.
Alex's full Morning Coffee Machine review has more detail.
How we tested the best coffee makers
We put a lot of thought into how we test the best coffee makers before featuring them in our guide and have included a range of coffee makers from top brands like Breville, Nespresso and Technivorm to make sure that there is a coffee maker for everyone in our roundup.
Each and every one of the best coffee makers in our guide has been tested by a member of the Homes & Gardens team. You can also click through to read more thorough reviews of coffee makers, including how easy they are to set up, our thoughts on the user experience, and that all-important cleaning process.
Jaclyn is H&G's eCommerce editor and oversees all things shopping, testing the coffee makers in the guide. She regularly scouts out the best of the best for buying guides to help you fill your home.
Millie Fender is Head of Reviews on the Homes and Gardens Ecommerce team. She specializes in cooking appliances like the best coffee makers, and also reviews outdoor grills and pizza ovens.
Alex is Head of eCommerce at Homes & Gardens. He has several years' experience as a product tester in the homes and gardening industries, especially with kitchen appliances like coffee makers.
How to choose the best coffee maker for you
Before you buy, consider which sort of coffee you and your family enjoy drinking.
A comprehensive bean-to-cup model will grind fresh beans from scratch for example, and we promise you’ll notice the difference in freshness in the flavor.
Machines that only use ground coffee are generally less expensive, yet still, produce delicious results. You may, however, want to keep a coffee grinder on hand, if you're partial to buying whole beans.
Compared to the more expensive automatic espresso maker designs, manual espresso makers take practice but offer more precision and control.
If however, you prefer classic filter coffee rather than espresso or lattes, an affordable carafe design will make fresh coffee, and keep it warm with the minimum of fuss.
Single-serve or pod machines promise mess-free real coffee in convenient single-cup servings, and while they generally produce quality espresso, they generate create quite a lot of waste compared to buying a simple bag of coffee. Additionally, you can look into reusable pods that you pour your own coffee grounds into.
Finally, true coffee aficionados who want complete control over their coffees, from brew time to water temperature, will want to try the French Press or Pour-Over methods for an experience, that is best described as truly gourmet.
How much does a coffee maker cost?
We’ve found excellent coffee machines costing anywhere from $100 and $3000, but as a general rule, the more you spend the better the machine will be, especially in terms of longevity, quality of parts – especially if it has a built-in grinder – and ease of cleaning.
Pod coffee machines are generally quite affordable, but the pods themselves tend to cost more per serving than using typical grinds.
If you want to make quality coffee at home, we think you should aim to spend at least $200, but given how much a flat white in a café costs, your machine could easily pay for itself in just a few months.
If you love real coffee, you’re going to need a quality coffee machine. If you love instant coffee or tea all you need is a spoon and a kettle, but for specialty coffees with Barista flair, a model that has a high-pressure boiler that can extract espresso with a lovely crema layer on top is a must.
Bean-to-cup designs offer the freshest brews. By grinding exactly the right amount of beans for your chosen drink you’ll extract more flavor from your favorite roasts.
How easy is a coffee maker to clean?
Cleaning a coffee machine that uses ground coffee is a messy, unavoidable chore. As well as regularly emptying the grounds and drip-tray, you’ll need to clean the milk wand and jug, plus it’s advised to have regular deep cleans using specific coffee machine cleaning products and de-scale to avoid any problems from hard water.
What is the best coffee maker?
For those looking for a customizable cup of coffee, the Breville Precision Brewer is a beautiful machine with six brewing modes, including Strong, Gold (meets SCA requirements for a Golden Cup Standard), Fast, Over Ice, and Cold Brew, plus the ability to tinker with settings for temperature, bloom speed, and flow rate.
For the perfect cup of coffee every time, machines like the OXO Brew 8 Cup (opens in new tab) and the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select (opens in new tab) pre-set to deliver consistent results every single time. OXO's version utilizes a thermal carafe and comes with an attachment to brew 1-4 cups as opposed to a whole carafe while Moccamaster with its striking design and numerous color options uses a glass design and hot plate that shuts off automatically after 100 minutes.
What is the best espresso machine?
The Philips 3200 Series (opens in new tab)currently holds our top spot, combining our favorite qualities of espresso and coffee into one easy-to-use single-serve machine, at a very competitive price. Plus, it essentially froths the milk for you. For those looking for a splurge, we admire the Jura ENA 8 (opens in new tab)for its quiet grinding and ability to make 10 coffee beverages at the press of a button, though the milk frother is sold separately. The Café Affetto Automatic Espresso Machine (opens in new tab) also impressed with its outstanding 20-bar pump pressure, and sleek looks on the countertop, and uses a more traditional steam wand for frothing your own milk.
Which coffee maker makes the hottest coffee?
According to the Specialty Coffee Association, the optimal temperature for brewing a great cup of coffee is 197.6ºF – 204.8 ºF, while most coffee makers will brew a range of 195ºF- 205ºF. The machines approved by the SCA, many of which feature on our list, would fall within that optimal range.
Coffee brewed at too high of a temperature runs the risk of losing some of its flavors and tasting bitter or burned, just as coffee that is not hot enough comes out watery and weak.
For those that want extra hot coffee, look for machines that offer the ability to change settings and vary temperatures, such as the Philips 3200 Series (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) or the Breville Precision Coffee Maker (opens in new tab), while machines like the OXO Brew 8 Cup (opens in new tab) and the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select (opens in new tab)are designed to deliver the best tasting cup of coffee and are optimized to do so within the ranges set by the SCA.
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