1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall: Breville Barista Express Impress
3. Best single serve coffee maker: Keurig K-Supreme SMART Coffee Maker
4. Best pour over coffee maker: Moccamaster KBGV Select
5. Best premium: Breville Barista Touch Impress
6. Best combination: Ninja Dual Brew Pro
7. Best Nespresso Vertuo: Nespresso Vertuo Creatista
8. Best large capacity: KitchenAid 12-Cup Drip Coffee Maker
9. Best value coffee maker: Hamilton Beach 49980A
10. Best retro: Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Maker
11. Best compact coffee maker: Keurig K-Mini Plus
12. How we test
13. How to choose
14. FAQs
The best coffee makers are miraculous machines capable of turning bleary-eyed bedheads into ultra-efficient productivity powerhouses with nothing but the power of coffee. And whether you crave a morning caffeine fix or prefer your coffee decaf, there's never been a better time to buy: today's best machines deliver barista-quality coffee at home for a fraction of what you'd pay in a coffee shop.
This guide will focus mainly on all-rounders that do all the complex stuff for you. If you fancy unleashing your inner barista, we'd recommend checking out the best espresso machines, too: they're great for anyone who wants total control over their coffee, and some of the best are as good as the pros use.
Before picking one of the best coffee makers, it's a good idea to ask yourself a few key questions. Do you want your coffee maker to wake when you do? A timer is essential for that. How many people are you going to be making coffee for? If it's for you and a partner or colleague, you may not need something with enough capacity to caffeinate an entire company. Do you want your coffee kept warm after it brews, or would you rather have a super-fresh shot in every cup?
Knowing the answers to these questions will help guide you to the perfect coffee companion – with a little help from us. We've reviewed coffee machines of all kinds from all the big brands, and we're here to help you find the very best coffee maker for you.
The quick list
The best coffee maker overall
The Barista Express Impress is an easy-to-use espresso machine with good automation and customization features.
The best single serve coffee maker
The Keurig K-Supreme SMART Coffee Maker is a versatile pod coffee maker that produces a great-quality single serve.
The best pour over coffee maker
The Moccamaster KBVG is a simple coffee machine consistently delivering incredible coffee.
The best combination coffee maker
The Ninja Dual Brew Pro is a high-tech machine with an LCD dial and control panel, a milk frother, and a warming plate.
The best premium coffee maker
The Breville Barista Touch Impress is truly exceptional, and it'll have you making five-star coffees in three seconds flat.
The best large-capacity coffee maker
This filter coffee machine is beautifully designed and has smart features like a 'pour and pause' function.
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The best Nespresso Vertuo coffee maker
This coffee maker is intuitive and effortless to use and delivers one-touch brewing and automatic milk frothing.
The best value coffee maker
Brew a cup or a whole pot of great-tasting coffee with the Hamilton Beach 49980A, an affordable option for families.
The best retro coffee maker
This coffee machine looks great on any countertop and produces good quality coffee without mess or noise.
The best compact coffee maker
This coffee machine can easily fit in your home even if you're short on space, and it delivers great coffee, too.
The best coffee makers we recommend in 2023
Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The best coffee maker overall
✅ You're a beginner: while it's got all the bells and whistles, this machine is easy to use.
✅ You're a latte fan: this machine has a steam wand for frothing milk.
✅ You want a good-looking machine: this one looks like a professional espresso machine.
❌ You're on a budget: this machine is on the expensive side, and it burns through a lot of beans.
❌ You want a faff-free machine: making espresso can be a process.
❌ You're short on space: this machine takes up a lot of space on countertops.
🔎 The Barista Express Impress is a great espresso machine for coffee pros who like a milky drink, but it's also easy to use for beginners.
The Breville Barista Express Impress is a professional-standard espresso-making machine that can make a wide range of drinks thanks to the steam wand.
Price: There's no doubt that this machine is on the expensive end, but you get your money's worth. It delivers professional-grade espressos and milk drinks so the high price will be worth it.
Design: It's not just the drinks it makes that are professional-quality; the machine looks like a smaller version of what you'd find in a coffee shop. As well as looking good, the design is also very thoughtfully done so that the coffee-making process is intuitive and moves from left to right across the machine from grinding and tamping to brewing and, finally, milk frothing.
The components have a nice feel – for example, the tamper arm moves smoothly and feels high quality. Even the buttons are nice to press, with a reassuring click, and the LEDs are bright even in strong sunlight. It's worth noting that this machine is quite large, however, so it won't suit you if you've got limited countertop space.
Performance: The Express Impress is a semi-automatic machine that suits coffee amateurs and novices. Using the machine is impressively easy, and it has all the features of professional espresso machines, like a tamper, steam wand, and more. There are a few issues when switching between one and two-cup filter baskets, but otherwise, the experience is seamless, and the resulting coffee is incredible.
Read our full Breville Barista Express Impress review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pricey, but worth every penny. | ★★★★★ |
| Design | Beautiful, professional design and smooth handling experience. | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Once you set up, you get great coffee every time. | ★★★★★ |
The best single serve coffee maker
✅ You’re short on space: With a water tank that can be placed either on the back or the side, the Keurig K-Supreme Smart Coffee Maker doesn’t take up much room.
✅ You’re particular about temperature or taste: This coffee maker has five strengths and six temperature settings, making it easy to get your brew exactly how you like it.
✅You want your machine to deal with the guesswork: The BrewID feature automatically recognizes K-cups and adjusts the settings to ensure you get the optimal brew.
❌ You don’t want to connect it to the Wi-Fi: The app won’t work if you don’t hook the coffee machine to your home’s Wi-Fi connection.
❌ You need more than a single serve: This Keurig model can only deal with one hot cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at a time, so if you have plans to make two or more at once, this won’t be a match.
❌ You want it to look premium: This coffee maker has a plastic exterior and comes in black, white, and gray.
🔎 The Keurig K-Supreme Smart Coffee Maker is quick to brew a drink and makes it easy to adjust the temperature and strength of your coffee, but it must be connected to Wi-Fi for the smart features to work. ★★★★
Check out the Keurig K-Supreme Smart Coffee Maker if you want a highly customizable brew. This newcomer is quite impressive because it follows a line of very basic Keurig models. You can fiddle with the settings for brew strength and water temperature and even connect to your Wi-Fi network to adjust your coffee settings from the sofa.
Price: At $180, this Keurig model is one of the most expensive single-serve machines made by the brand. However, it offers far more than those that came before it, and it performs very well, even if the app leaves a little to be desired.
Design: This coffee maker is a single-serve design with a dual-position water tank and raised screen, which makes it quite compact and worthy of even a cramped kitchen. It’s also lightweight, making it easy to transport around. We also found it easy to use, as there's a handle attached to the 66-ounce plastic water tank and a detailed digital control panel and menu.
This menu will let you select from five strength and six temperature settings, making it highly customizable. For those who take their coffee over ice, there’s an option for that, too. Needless to say, it recognizes K-Cups.
Our reviewer found that the app is a little limited, as it would be just as quick to insert a pod yourself and press start rather than pre-loading the pod. The coffee maker must also be connected to Wi-Fi.
Performance: During our tests, the Keurig K-Supreme Smart Coffee Maker quickly selected the best settings using its BrewID feature and delivered hot, flavorful coffee, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and chai lattes. It's hard to fault its performance, although the app was lackluster.
Read our full Keurig K-Supreme SMART Coffee Maker review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Expensive for a Keurig model but good compared to others. | ★★★★★ |
| Design | A great bunch of features and adjustable settings. | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Performs well but the app is just as quick as pressing start. | ★★★★ |
The best pour over coffee maker
✅ You're serious about your coffee: this machine produces great coffee.
✅ You want a simple machine: this one is super simple to set up.
✅ You want a mess-free machine: paper filters make it easy to clean up after use.
❌ You want lots of features: this machine is simple and has no functions or alerts.
❌ You want a sturdy machine: the quality of the build is lackluster.
❌ You want a timeless machine: the design is a bit trendy.
🔎 The Moccamaster KGBV is a unique-looking machine that produces barista-standard coffee. It's simple to use but comes with a high price tag.
It stands out with its retro look, but it also makes a very decent cup of coffee. The Moccamaster KBGV is a premium, trendy coffee maker that comes with everything you need to make a carafe of coffee.
Price: The Moccamaster comes with quite a high price tag for the lack of features, but it does produce excellent coffee.
Design: The Moccamaster KBGV Select coffee machine is a great choice for those who prefer a simple and classic design without compromising on the quality of the coffee produced. While the build quality may not be impressive, the machine's brushed brass finish is trendy and can complement warm metallic kitchen decor.
The machine's paper filters make it more convenient and less messy than reusable filters. The Moccamaster KBGV Select has two buttons for on/off and half/full jug settings and is incredibly quiet. The anti-drip mechanism works flawlessly, preventing any spills or messes. However, the machine lacks a timer or audible alert, which may be a turn-off for some users.
Performance: The machine's temperature control ensures that the coffee is brewed at the optimal temperature, and the hotplate keeps the coffee warm without altering its taste. Despite the lack of advanced features, the machine is easy to set up and use, producing coffee that can rival that of a professional barista.
A feature that the impatient and neat-freaks alike will love is the anti-drip mechanism, which shuts off the filter basket whenever you grab the carafe off of the hotplate. This means you don't get that sizzling burn/bubbling effect when the coffee drips hit the hotplate, and you can pour your first cup without having to wait for a full brew.
Read our full Moccamaster KBGV Select review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pricey for the lack of features | ★★★ |
| Design | Sleek design,but perhaps too trendy | ★★★★ |
| Performance | Easy to use, quality coffee produced | ★★★★ |
The best combination coffee maker
✅ You like options: this machine lets you brew many different sizes and styles.
✅ You want a sleek machine: the LCD panel and dial are impressive.
✅ You use coffee pods: there's an easy-to-install adapter.
❌ You're on a budget: this machine is much pricier than basic ones.
❌ You want specialty coffee: rich brew styles are underwhelming.
❌ You want a small machine: this one is a bit bulky.
🔎 The Ninja Dual Brew Pro makes a rich, flavorful cup of coffee with plenty of variety in how you brew it, and it comes with a milk frother.
The Ninja DualBrew Pro is a versatile coffee machine with a pleasing design and sleek features.
Price: The Ninja DualBrew Pro coffee maker is an excellent investment for coffee lovers who like to have options for brewing styles.
Design: The LCD dial and control panel make it easy to select the size and style of your brew, and the machine also comes with a separate hot water line and a warming plate. The machine is slightly bulkier than basic coffee machines, but it still fits well in most kitchens.
The movable water reservoir base is a unique feature that allows you to place the machine depending on the space on your countertop. We found that the Ninja Dual Brew Pro coffee maker is also easy to clean, with many parts being removable for an easier process.
Performance: The machine offers various brewing options, such as classic, rich, over-ice, and specialty, with the added convenience of a K-cup pod adapter and a milk frother. The over-ice brew style was the most impressive, always delivering a rich, refreshing cup of iced coffee. However, the specialty brew was less robust than espresso and tasted to us just like a slightly stronger coffee.
Read our full Ninja Dual Brew Pro review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pricey but has good features | ★★★★ |
| Design | Sleek design and good ergonomics | ★★★★ |
| Performance | Great range of styles and drink styles | ★★★★★ |
The best premium coffee maker
✅ You want barista-quality coffee: You'll never need to pop into your local coffee shop again.
✅ You want some expert guidance: If you're not totally confident with what goes into the perfect brew, the guided menu and advice here will be a delight
✅ You don't drink dairy: The Breville machine does a great job of getting creamy results from alternative plant-based milk.
❌ You already have a decent coffee maker: It's too expensive to justify the cost of upgrading from something pretty good already.
❌ You're on a budget: There are other options at a cheaper price, but with only slightly fewer features.
🔎 The Breville Barista Touch Impress is a stunning coffee machine that stands out for its touch screen and ability to froth different types of milk. But it was very expensive.
The Breville (Sage in the UK) Barista Touch Impress aims to simplify the process of creating that flawless coffee, starting with its puck system. Intelligent dosing, assisted tamping, and auto-correction of the next dose help users achieve a more precise grind, and auto MilQ has three new alternative milk settings. These calibrate pressure, temperature, and timing to suit more kinds of milk.
Price: The Breville Barista Touch Impress is priced at $1,499.95 in the US and is currently available to purchase from major retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy. It is also available in the UK for £1,199.95. That makes it one of the more expensive coffee machines here, but if money's no object, it'll delight you every day.
Design: The Breville Barista Touch Impress is shockingly compact, considering how much it can do. It looks gorgeous, although we prefer the black and white models to the stainless steel: as with any stainless steel appliance, it shows up every drip, fingerprint, and scratch, so to retain those good looks, you'll need to wipe it down after every use.
Performance: The Breville Barista Touch Impress is absolutely stuffed with features that any coffee lover will appreciate, and be assured that at the end of it, you'll perhaps get the best coffee you've ever brewed at home.
Read our full Breville Barista Touch review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price and availability | Very expensive | 4/5 |
| Design | Compact and well designed, but steel gets mucky easily | 4.5/5 |
| Performance | Touch-screen, amazing customization, delicious coffee | 5/5 |
The best Nespresso Vertuo coffee maker
✅ You want a sturdy machine: this one is very well built.
✅ You're a beginner: this machine is straightforward.
✅ You want a milky drink: this model has an integrated milk frother.
❌ You're serious about your coffee: the quality can't rival an espresso machine.
❌ You're on a budget: this one is very expensive.
❌ You're short on space: this machine is bulky.
🔎 The Nespresso Vertuo Creatista offers intuitive one-touch brewing and automatic milk frothing, but it’s expensive and bulky.
If you're a fan of capsule coffee machines, you can't do much better than the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista.
Price: The Nespresso Vertuo Creatista is the newest and the most expensive Nespresso Vertuo machine. Capsules start at $0.98/£0.48 each, which adds to the overall cost.
Design: The Vertuo Creatista has a sleek, modern design, but it's worth noting it takes up a significant amount of space on your countertops - almost as much as bean-to-cup espresso machines, which says something. The stainless steel finish makes it seem premium and professional, as does the barista-style steam wand.
It's immediately apparent that there has been plenty of attention to detail in the design, from the generous finger loop that allows the steam wand to be tilted upwards to the indent for your hand at the base of the removable water container. Nothing is clunky - everything is smooth, sleek, and well-considered.
Performance: Using the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista is really effortless. The hardest part of brewing a coffee is choosing your capsule, but then, by sliding the lever on top to the right, the brew head unlocks and lifts. Put a capsule in the slot, push the brew head down on top of it, and slide the lever back into the lock position. All you have to do then is press the button with a cup symbol, and it'll make your coffee. The initial heat-up takes around one minute. After this, it's ready to brew, and it'll make a single espresso in 55 seconds or a double in 75 seconds.
Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Creatista review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Very expensive, premium product | ★★★ |
| Design | Sleek design and good features | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Good quality coffee but can't rival an espresso machine | ★★★★ |
The best large capacity coffee maker
✅ You want a stylish machine: the retro look is very pleasing.
✅ You want good features: this machine comes with a 'pour and pause' function.
✅ You want to make large quantities of coffee: you can make up to 12 cups in this machine.
❌ You want coffee fast: the brewing process is a bit slow.
❌ You're short on space: the machine is large and tall.
❌ You're a beginner: the digital display can be a bit daunting.
🔎 The KitchenAid KCM1208 is stylish, sturdy, and produces vast quantities of quality coffee.
The KitchenAid Drip Coffee Maker delivers great coffee and a sleek, classic KitchenAid design.
Price: For the high-end brand name and quality of the machine, it's surprisingly good value at just over $100.
Design: The KitchenAid Drip Coffee Maker is great for those who prefer filter coffee over espresso. It is robustly constructed and easy on the eye, with several smart features that make it stand out from other models. The ‘pour and pause’ option is particularly convenient, allowing you to fill a mug the second it’s poured.
The machine is also beautifully packaged and comes with a reusable filter, a built-in dosing gauge, and an instruction manual. The KitchenAid Drip Coffee Maker has a retro/vintage look and feels strong and durable. It is big for a drip filter, especially height-wise, so measure before purchasing.
Performance: The machine has a digital display and control panel that can be a little daunting at first, but it is easy to use once you get the hang of it. The brewing process is slow and deliberate and ensures full flavor extraction. The 29-hole spiral showerhead ensures even saturation of the grounds, mimicking an artisan hand-poured brew. The machine has a removable tank, making it easy to fill, and a ‘pause and pour’ feature that allows you to grab a quick mug of coffee before the full cycle has been completed.
Read our full KitchenAid 12 Cup Drip Coffee Maker review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Decent value for the quality | ★★★★★ |
| Design | Sleek design and good features | ★★★★ |
| Performance | Slow brewing process but great coffee | ★★★★ |
The best value coffee maker
✅ You want great-tasting coffee: While our taste panel decided that the Hamilton Beach 49980A coffee came out strong, the general consensus is that this machine produces great-tasting coffee.
✅ You want coffee to go: There’s space to dispense coffee into a 14-ounce travel mug, making this coffee maker a great choice if you regularly take your coffee on the go.
✅You have a large family or group: The Keurig K-Supreme Smart Coffee Maker can make up a 12-cup pot of coffee, perfect if you have a family or a group of coffee lovers to cater to.
❌ You want lots of features: This coffee maker doesn’t have an endless list of features like some, although it does have a convenient warming plate.
❌ You’re after something premium: This is an affordable coffee maker costing only $109.99, so if it’s premium features you’re after, you might want to look elsewhere.
❌ You’re looking for a smart appliance: The Keurig K-Supreme does not have any smart or Wi-Fi features if you’re looking to control your coffee strength from your smartphone.
🔎 The Hamilton Beach 49980A 2-Way Brewer will brew you a pot or a cup of coffee with no problem, making it a great option for families or groups of coffee lovers. ★★★★
Hamilton Beach 49980A 2-Way Brewer can brew you one of two things, or both if you wish: a 12-cup pot of coffee or a single cup. This makes it a particularly excellent pick for a family or group of coffee aficionados or, indeed, someone who can easily make their way through a pot in one sitting.
Price: Available around the $70 mark, this coffee maker is not at all expensive when you consider that it can deliver both a single serve and a pot of coffee and lets you schedule the pot 24 hours in advance. Still, it does lack smart features. In fact, features in general are limited aside from the handy warming plate.
Design: When it comes to single-serve coffees, the machine provides a mesh filter or the option to use your own pre-packaged soft pods of ground coffee. The mesh brew basket filter handily doubles up as a measuring scoop, and the area for pouring the coffee is also large enough for a 14-ounce travel mug of your own, making it great for coffee on the go.
The carafe side, on the other hand, has paper coffee filters and can brew a pot of drip coffee at a set time 24 hours in the future (regular or bold-strength). It's backed by a handy two-hour shut-off function for safety.
We also liked the machine’s other features, which, although limited, include a warming plate to keep drinks at a hot temperature for longer.
Performance: Our taste testing panel approved of the taste of the Hamilton Beach 49980A 2-Way Brewer’s coffee, although two found the flavor a little too strong or ‘bitter’. It produced hot coffee at a good 171 degrees Fahrenheit, only cooling by four degrees after 30 minutes on the warming plate.
Read our full Hamilton Beach 49980A 2-Way Brewer review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Decent value for money but lacks features. | ★★★★ |
| Design | Lacks features but has a handy warming plate. | ★★★★ |
| Performance | Delivers hot, good-tasting coffee with no issues. | ★★★★★ |
The best retro coffee maker
✅ You want a stylish machine: the classic Smeg design is very pleasing.
✅ You want to control your coffee: there's good intensity control and an automatic timer.
✅ You want a simple machine: this one is super easy to set up and use.
❌ You want convenience: the placement of the tank at the back is not the easiest.
❌ You want clear instructions: the ratio of coffee to water takes a little bit of experimentation.
❌ You want all the bells and whistles: this machine doesn't have as many advanced features as others.
🔎 The Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Maker will look good on your countertops and produce decent-tasting coffee quietly and without mess or stress.
If you care about the looks, the Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Maker has that classic, retro design that all Smeg appliances boast - and it makes a decent cup of coffee, too.
Price: The Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Maker is a premium product that commands quite a high price tag for a drip filter machine without too many features.
Design: The Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Maker is a traditional filter appliance with useful features like intensity control and an automatic timer, perfect for old-school filter coffee fans. It also looks very aesthetically pleasing on countertops.
The water tank, which holds 1.4L, is located at the back under the lid, which can be inconvenient, but the gauge on the outside ensures that you won't overfill. The coffee maker is undeniably good-looking and coordinates well with other steel kitchen appliances. The packaging is nicely done, with no plastic, and the set-up process is simple.
Performance: It takes some experimentation to determine the best ratio of coffee scoops to water volume, but once you've got it, the coffee is consistently good. The machine is also nice and quiet, emitting only the relaxing burble of percolating water. The reusable coffee filter makes it easy to empty the coffee grounds, and the machine is far more hygienic than some fancier coffee machines.
Read our full Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Maker review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | For a drip filter, it's a bit expensive | ★★★ |
| Design | Boasting the classic Smeg style, this is well-designed | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Produces good coffee, and lots of it | ★★★★★ |