Top 6 Best Drip Coffee Makers for Making Coffee at Home (2023 Buyer’s Guide)

Drip coffee makers have been the preferred way for millions of Americans and coffee drinkers around the world to get their caffeine fix at home for decades. The process is super fast and simple, so it’s exactly what most people rushing off to work need in the morning. Plus, the process is hands-off and can be programmed to start automatically. It can’t get much more convenient.

In this guide, I’ll be giving you my top picks for drip coffee makers. I’ve personally used all of these and have…let’s say, strong opinions about these machines. I’ll explain why I recommend these and what you should look for when shopping for one for your coffee setup. Let’s dive in.

Top 6 Drip Coffee Makers for Home Use

1. The Breville Precision Brewer Thermal — Best Overall
2. Technivorm Moccamaster 79112 KBT Coffee Brewer — Runner Up
3. Cuisinart CPO-800P1 PurePrecision Coffee Maker — Best Value
4. Ninja CM401 Specialty Coffee Maker — Best Functionality
5. Black + Decker CM1160B 12-Cup Coffee Maker — Most Affordable
6. Elite Gourmet EHC112 Single-Serve Coffee Maker — Best for Single-Serve Coffee

1. The Breville Precision Brewer Thermal — Best Overall

The Breville Precision Brewer is my all-around favorite drip machine, and it’s one of the only ones that I’ve used consistently. Drip coffee is very often not particularly flavorful for a few reasons, and this brewer fixes those handily.

First off, it has a powerful heating element that actually gets your water up to over 200 degrees (F). This is crucial for extracting caffeine and flavor from your coffee, and most drip makers I’ve tried are unable to reach these temperatures.

This brewer includes both a flat-bottom and a cone shaped-basket, which gives you options for how your coffee will taste. That’s right: a cone-shaped basket brings out deeper, more developed flavors like cocoa and smokiness, and a flat-bottom basket will deliver sweet notes, including honey, fruitiness, and acidity. The fact that Breville provides both options just further establishes this brand’s authority in coffee, in my opinion.

The brewer has a handful of presets you can use to brew coffee instantly, and you can tinker with all of the settings and create custom presets to dial in your ideal cup. This option makes it a good brewer for beginners and experienced coffee lovers alike.

The customization options for brewing include precise brew temperature, bloom time, and extraction time.

It includes a thermal carafe, which is far better than a glass one coupled with a heating element. Keeping coffee hot with an external heat source will burn it, which is why a cup from a drip coffee maker that has been sitting for a while often tastes rubbery, overly smokey, and unenjoyable.

This brewer is pretty darn expensive, but in my opinion, it’s well worth the investment to step up your coffee game.

2. Technivorm Moccamaster 79112 KBT Coffee Brewer — Runner Up

The Moccamaster is a favorite within the coffee community for a few reasons.

First off, it uses pre-infusion and an extended brew time to make coffee. Most run-of-the-mill drip coffee makers can “brew” coffee in a minute for convenience and expediency. While that’s great, it also means your coffee will be under-extracted and lacking flavor. This brewer brews for between four and six minutes, which is optimal for caffeine content and taste.

The Moccamaster brews up to ten cups at a time, and it comes with a stainless steel carafe that keeps it warm while you sip away. The carafe includes two tops, one of which is designed for travel. I’m not really sure this carafe is sized appropriately for a travel “mug,” but it might be good for families that are traveling together and want coffee on the go.

The brewer comes with a five-year warranty and is sturdy as anything. I’m pretty confident this thing will last for a decade or more, even if you use it every day — which I don’t.

It only includes a cone-shaped filter basket, which most coffee connoisseurs prefer, but it would be nice to get that and a flat-bottom basket like you do with the Breville.

This coffee maker is expensive, but if you’re looking for high-quality drip coffee day after day, then I think the price tag is justified.

3. Cuisinart CPO-800P1 PurePrecision Coffee Maker — Best Value

This drip coffee maker from Cuisinart is a great middle-of-the-road option in terms of price. It’s about half as expensive as my first two picks, and it still delivers great-tasting coffee, especially for a drip machine.

The brewer can bring the water temperature up to around 200 degrees, although during testing — yes, I literally tested the temperature of the water coming out — I found that the temp didn’t quite reach the optimal 205-degree (F) mark. The temperature also isn’t programmable. Well, it IS, but you only get “hot” and “extra hot” as options.

There’s also limited tinkering you can do with this machine, as you can’t adjust the brew much beyond choosing bold, mild, or medium brews, whatever those mean. The settings all had about the same brew time, so I’m guessing the difference is in how the water is added to the grounds. The manufacturer doesn’t specify what these settings mean.

The machine comes with a 3-year warranty, which is pretty good, and I have to say the brewer feels solid. I’d expect this to last you for years, and you’ll likely get great value out of this brewer.

4. Ninja CM401 Specialty Coffee Maker — Best Functionality

If you know you like drip coffee but are also interested in other brewing methods, I’d recommend checking out this coffee maker from Ninja.

As far as drip coffee goes, this machine can brew up to ten cups at a time into the included glass carafe — you can upgrade to a thermal stainless steel carafe for a little extra money.

It blooms the coffee and brews for between four and ten minutes, depending on the batch size and settings. This might seem like a long time, but this is standard on coffee makers that actually brew your coffee instead of just staining it brown (kidding, but also not really kidding).

It doesn’t offer much in the way of brew customization, but it does have a few different brew modes that you can use to get marginally different coffee styles.

It does your standard hot drip coffee, it brews extra-strong coffee that won’t get terribly diluted by ice, and it makes a super-strong coffee concentrate that…kind of simulates espresso — but not really — that you can use for mixed drinks, like lattes and cappuccinos. It even includes a milk frother for helping to nail down those coffee concoctions.

This machine is sturdy and comes backed by a solid brand name and a 1-year warranty.

5. Black + Decker CM1160B 12-Cup Coffee Maker — Most Affordable

If you’re looking for simplicity and have scoffed at the price tags of my picks thus far, then this Black + Decker drip maker is for you.

It doesn’t have any bells and whistles, offers little to no brewing customization, and brews coffee too quickly for my taste. However, it gets the job done quickly, and it’s a great high-volume option for serving company.

You can brew coffee with a single button press, and there are no options you have to choose other than “bold” or “regular.” Spoiler alert: there’s seemingly no difference between the two.

The temperature of the water is lacking and rarely hit over 190 degrees during testing, but again, this will be fine for a lot of coffee drinkers. If you’re used to drip coffee and just want something quick and easy to use, this is a great option. It’s also programmable, so you can have your coffee waiting for you when you wake up for ultimate expediency.

It includes a standard glass carafe that gets heated externally — not ideal, but some people love this feature for continuously hot coffee.

Best of all, this coffee maker is super affordable, and it should last you for at least a few years.

6. Elite Gourmet EHC112 Single-Serve Coffee Maker — Best for Single-Serve Coffee

Finally, if you’re looking for a cheap option for single-serve brewing, I’d recommend taking a look at this coffee maker from Elite Gourmet. It’s similar to the Black + Decker brewer in that it doesn’t have many features, but it’s simple to use and very affordable.

This brewer includes a reusable filter, which can cut costs for filters. You can also use coffee pads or cupless coffee pods to brew, although I’d recommend the mesh filter over these options for flavor and freshness.

This little machine is programmable, so you can set it to have your coffee ready when you wake up. It offers nothing in the way of brew customization, though, so don’t expect to be able to adjust brew time, boldness, or overall flavor.

It also doesn’t get water up to the ideal temperature for brewing, and it “brews” in just over a minute. While that’s convenient, it also means your grounds aren’t in contact with the water for as long as they should be. The coffee from this machine isn’t terribly flavorful or robust, but it is fast!

This brewer includes a stainless steel travel mug, making it a great option for anyone looking for a quick cup to go.

Buyer’s Guide — What to Look for in a Drip Coffee Maker

While I’ve shared my picks for the top drip coffee makers above, these might not be the best ones for you. There are a handful of things you should consider before choosing one of these machines, which I’ll discuss briefly below.

Filter Basket Shape

One thing most people never consider is the shape of the filter basket that’s included with a drip brewer.

Many of the run-of-the-mill drip machines include a flat-bottom basket, which is fine, but it tends to highlight the darker side of the coffee flavor wheel — dark chocolate, molasses, rubber, and smokiness. Generally speaking, this shape is best for bringing out the flavors introduced during the roasting process.

Americans do tend to enjoy darker coffee flavors, but there has been a trend in recent years toward lighter, fruitier, and more acidic notes. A conical filter basket is a better option for highlighting flavors related to the origin of the bean rather than the roasting process.

It boils down — see what I did there? — to personal preference. The Breville is a great option because it offers both a flat and conical filter basket.

Water Temperature

One of the most important factors for fully extracting the caffeine and flavors from your coffee is water temperature. Brewing at between 200 and 205 degrees (F) is usually considered optimal, but only expensive drip machines will typically get there.

In most cases, the water temperature will hit between 185 and 195 degrees (F). Brewing at 185 will yield under-flavored, under-extracted coffee. If you have a drip machine that brews sour, overly acidic, or weak-tasting coffee, water temperature could be the issue.

Brew Time

Full extraction of flavor requires a brew time between four and six minutes in most cases, with larger batch sizes needing even more. When you see drip machines start dripping within a minute or two, that’s a sign that the coffee is under-extracted — which tastes sour, acidic, weak, flavorless, or watery.

Ideally, you want a machine that will steep for at least four minutes. Again, most drip machines don’t do this, and you’ll more than likely pay a pretty penny for the ones that do.

Brew Customization Options

As you fall more and more in love with good coffee, you’ll undoubtedly want the ability to tinker with brewing settings. Some drip machines, like the Breville, give you full control over your brew, including:

• Brew time,
• Bloom time,
• Water temperature, and
• Drip speed.

The more customization options your brewer affords you, the more it will be able to serve you as you learn about coffee. You’ll pay more for a machine that gives you more control, but you’ll be less likely to have to buy another machine and spend even more when you outgrow the first one.

Price

Of course, price is an important consideration to make, especially when some of the machines on my list of the best drip coffee makers top $300. If you’re just looking for run-of-the-mill coffee, aim for around $40 for good functionality and quality. If you’re looking for the best of the best, be prepared to spend between $300 and $350.

There are plenty of options that fall between those extremes, so I recommend you find the best brewing customization options for what you can afford.

Batch Size

Finally, you should consider the maximum batch size a coffee maker can handle. If you live by yourself and rarely have company over for coffee, then a single-serve maker might be fine for you. If you’re a part of a big family that has multiple people who drink coffee, you can save yourself some time by getting a drip brewer that can handle eight or more cups at a time.