The Best Coffee Makers, According to Baristas and Roasters

According to our research, the Bonavita Connoisseur is respected industry-wide, with four experts recommending the model specifically by name, and two others naming Bonavita as generally the best brand of coffee maker. A key feature of the Connoisseur, cited by everyone who recommended it, is the machine’s ability to brew at the proper water temperature. According to Ken Nye, the owner and founder of Ninth Street Espresso, one of the “parameters that most machines don’t achieve is temperature. Very few consistently bring water to that 198-202 degree range,” which he calls the “broadly agreed upon standard.” As Nye puts it, the Connoisseur is made to heat the water to the correct temperature and “maintains that temp throughout the brewing process.” Furthermore, Nye adds, it brews directly into an insulated thermal carafe so you can keep your coffee warm without heating it from below (where you risk burning the coffee).

Another important factor, mentioned by multiple sources, is that it evenly distributes the water over the coffee grounds while brewing. It does this with the help of a showerhead-like spout above the filter basket that “showers all of the coffee evenly so it all brews at the same time,” according to Joanna Larue, general manager at Blue Bottle Park Slope. The machine also has a flat-bottomed brew basket that Nye and George Howell, the owner and founder of George Howell Coffee, both cite as essential to ensuring an even brew. “The flat bottom spreads the grounds out evenly on the bed,” explains Howell, so it’s easier to distribute the water and ensure an “even extraction.” This model might not be as full-featured as some of the other options on this list — or on the market in general — but the experts recommend it over all the others due to its more approachable price point, ease of use, and most of all, its reliability. “It’s consistent from start to finish,” says Howell.

Cited by three experts, the Technivorm Moccamaster was the second most-recommended coffee maker. It’s pricey, but the experts who use it said that it’s worth the premium if you’re interested in investing in the best equipment out there. Like the Bonavita Connoisseur, the Moccamaster received high marks on its temperature-control ability and even brewing. One of the areas where it really stands out from the crowd, however, is its quality construction. “You want something that’s well-made and has good temperature control,” says Jim Munson, the founder and president of Brooklyn Roasting Company, who highlights the fact that the Moccamaster is handmade in the Netherlands. Suyog Mody, the founder of Driftaway Coffee, is another fan. He says that while the “brewing mechanics” are similar to those used in less-expensive drip coffee makers, the Moccamaster is “is made with better parts and with solid construction. I’ve been using it daily for the past three-plus years with zero issues. It’s just no fuss.” He adds, “And honestly, it looks good on the kitchen counter.” While the design is certainly appealing and the construction quality means it should last for a long time, the experts wouldn’t recommend this coffee maker if it didn’t also … make great coffee. “I taste coffee from all types of brewers, and this one gives a consistently better cup,” says Munson. [Editor’s note: To get the sale price, you must click the box to apply a coupon on Amazon, which will show the discount when you check out.]

Mud Coffee co-owner Yasmina Palumbo says this coffee maker from Motif makes a nice alternative to the “better known and much more expensive” Moccamaster. “It heats up water very fast, and its dispersion system soaks the grinds evenly, making a fuller-flavored brew,” she says.

Many home brewers like having a programmable coffee machine that can be set to turn on automatically at a certain time. If you’re looking for one of those, two of the experts recommend this model, which has the same brewing mechanics as the top pick but comes with a digital clock and timer with the ability to schedule automatic brewing. “It’s a great option for coffee lovers who want to brew at the touch of a button without sacrificing quality,” says Connie Blumhardt of Roast Magazine. Michael Bonavita (no relation to the company), the owner and founder of Goodlife Coffee Company, says this is the machine he uses at home because he loves how simple it is to program.

If you want to take the convenience factor beyond programmable timing, you can get a coffee maker with a built-in grinder so you truly have everything you need in one machine. “On mornings when I don’t make a pour-over (weigh out the water, the beans, all that fun stuff), the Capresso drip machine yields the cleanest-tasting cup,” says Kat Odell, the author of Day Drinking. The built-in burr grinder “saves you from having to buy a separate gadget, too,” she adds. (Burr grinders, it should be noted, are also the style favored by every expert we consulted for our roundup on the best coffee grinders.)

Anyone who can’t start their day without a sip of coffee knows that another important quality to consider is brewtime. That’s where this coffee maker excels, according to Bonavita, who describes it as “very fast, consistent, and user-friendly.” He adds that Bunn has a great reputation in the commercial space, and that this model is a “great at-home version” of those higher-volume machines the company is known for.

Jamie McCormick, the co-owner of East Village coffee shop Abraço, told us that he prefers to keep things as simple as possible when it comes to coffee machines. “People make a big ‘to do’ over a lot of nothing” when it comes to brewing equipment, he says, and although he admits that he doesn’t quite know why, he thinks a plain old Mr. Coffee is a great choice for any “amateur coffee roaster who wants to flatter their grounds.” Since this doesn’t have a high-tech mechanism for distributing the water evenly like some of the other models on this list, he offers one key tip: Open the machine up while it’s brewing and “stir the grounds. Make sure all the grounds get hydrated.”