Another cool feature lets you select your water hardness (there are three levels to choose from) and this then informs a timing function that tells you when it’s time to descale the machine. Apart from that, the features are fairly standard, allowing you to set a timer for when to start brewing, selecting the number of cups (from 2–12), and a keep warm function that automatically switches off after 30 minutes.
Chemex Ottomatic 2.0
As fans of pour-over, we had expectations for the Chemex Ottomatic 2.0. Chemex, to many, is synonymous with the fussy brewing technique that snooty coffee connoisseurs (us included) prize over most other methods. So it was a little bit disappointing that this machine didn’t brew coffee quite to the same standard as the Café, Technivorm, and Ratio machines. The flavor extraction was pretty close to what you get brewing pour-over manually using the same coffee beans and grind size but, again, not as complex and full-flavored as the winning machines. The Ottomatic 2.0 looks sort of like a miniature outdoor shower, like you’d see at a beach, but if it were in a sci-fi movie. The showerhead does a great job of saturating the grounds, and the machine even starts and stops throughout the brewing process, helping to agitate the grounds, to mimic the pour-over process. Like the Moccamaster, it allows for a bloom period after the initial saturation. There are two modes on this machine, one that simply brews coffee, and one that brews while keeping the hot plate active so your coffee stays warm. The hot plate was great—as advertised, it kept the coffee warm but not so hot that the flavor changed over time. It also has an auto shutoff that kicks in after 90 minutes. This machine is compatible with the 3-, 6-, and 8-cup models of Chemex carafe, as well as the 3- and 5-cup handblown models. If you don’t already have a carafe, Chemex offers a few bundles with different sizes.
Oxo Barista Brain
Oxo’s Barista Brain is likely what most coffee drinkers think they are looking for in a drip coffee maker. Setting it up and using it is seamless compared to the Moccamaster, where the lids to the water reservoir and filter holder don’t connect to the machine. On this one both lids are connected and can easily be flipped open and shut. The Oxo has precise, temperature-controlled brewing—it keeps the water between 197.6°–204.8°F—and had about a 5-minute brewing time for a full pot of coffee. At the end of brewing, the Oxo had evenly distributed hot water over the coffee grounds. Its double-walled carafe keeps coffee warm for hours, although the opening is too narrow to fit your hand inside to clean, so you’ll need a bottle brush or similar solution to clean it properly. The bottom line: Can the Oxo brew good coffee? Yes, just not quite as good as the Golden Cup machines.
Bonavita One-Touch
The Bonavita One-Touch brews a nice cup of coffee, but there are some details that made it more awkward to use than other options. Instead of sliding the filter basket into a holder on the machine, you have to balance the filter basket on top of the thermal carafe before sliding the stacked parts under the showerhead. Then, after brewing is done, you have to remove the filter basket from the carafe in order to screw on the lid. Meanwhile, there’s no spot to set the filter basket on the machine while you’re pouring. None of this is what you want when you’re groggy in the morning or hurrying to run out the door.
Cuisinart Perfectemp
We tested two Cuisinart coffee makers. The Perfectemp brews a large quantity (14 cups) with little fanfare, but if you don’t usually make that much coffee at once, experts recommend smaller batches for the best flavor.
Cuisinart Classic Thermal
We found the Classic Thermal totally adequate—the coffee’s flavor was weaker and less developed than our top-ranking models, but the machine is fine if you’re looking for something to use occasionally.
Breville Precision
The Breville Precision Brewer had the most parts to deal with during the unboxing. It has all the added features you’d expect from a Breville—for example, it works as a cold-brew coffee maker too—but we didn’t love the design—the filter basket is rather bulky and the lid to the water tank doesn’t connect to the machine. Additionally, the water reservoir doesn’t drain all the water, leaving about a half-ounce of liquid in the tank at the end of a cycle. This is a small quirk but not one you expect on a $300 machine.
Hamilton Beach BrewStation
In the budget category, we tested the Hamilton Beach BrewStation, which brews coffee in an internal reservoir and dispenses it like a fountain soda. A strange feature, and not worth experimenting with given that the coffee was subpar.
Calphalon 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
Calphalon’s coffee maker offers the same features as the Braun minus the water filter and the water hardness settings, and the coffee was right on par with it as well. For all the reasons we recommend the Braun as a budget pick we also recommend the Calphalon without reservation. The Braun cost a bit less and we preferred its interface though, so it snagged the top spot.
Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Brewer
Ninja had been a previous winner in the budget category and came with a few nice features that the Braun and Calphalon both have, like two different brew strengths and the ability to brew smaller batches of coffee. But the coffee it made, even on the “bold” setting, was just less flavorful than its competitors.
Amazon Basics 12-Cup Digital Coffee Maker
Basic is the right word here. Amazon’s entry to the drip coffee maker field delivers exactly what you’d expect of a coffee maker that costs $50, which is to say, forgettable but drinkable coffee. The only feature it comes with is a delay timer so you can set it to brew coffee ahead of time. The cost of all our budget picks only varies by about $30 or so, and we thought the results we got from several others made them better picks.
Mr. Coffee 10-Cup Programmable Coffee Machine
Mr. Coffee machines get a bad rap, but if you step up from the most basic models you can get an adequate coffee maker. The coffee from this 10-cup model wasn’t great because it was a bit watery, but for the utilitarian coffee drinker it could get the job done. It also came with a thermal carafe that kept the coffee warm on the table for a couple hours. The last nice feature on the Mr. Coffee was a detachable water reservoir that was much cleaner to fill than the normal “pour the water in the back of the machine” method most inexpensive coffee makers rely on. Ultimately, the coffee was just better from the Braun and Calphalon machines, though. This was also the only budget machine we tested that didn’t come with a reusable filter.
Black & Decker 12-Cup Coffee Maker
The Black & Decker machine came with a nice thermal carafe, but that wasn’t enough to offset the fact that the coffee it made tasted dirty—as in, had the flavors of dirt. We wouldn’t rule out that there are people out there who like that kind of earthy coffee in the morning, but we didn’t consider it a winner in our tests.
The takeaway
If you’re a tech nerd or just want supreme convenience along with quality coffee in your home, the Café Specialty Grind and Brew is the way to go. If you just need something simple and affordable the Braun Brewsense will make better coffee than something in that price range has any business doing.
How to pick coffee beans for your drip coffee maker
The coffee brewer itself is just one part of the process. And while a drip coffee maker requires far less gear than, say, an espresso machine—a good set of paper filters is really all you need to get started—fresh beans are still a must. Epi contributor and longtime coffee educator and journalist Ever Meister has a good rundown of what to look for on a bag of coffee beans to know what exactly you’re getting.
Opt for whole coffee beans and a good coffee grinder.
First things first: Buy whole beans. Grinding coffee right before you brew is the key to a great cup, and so is having a good burr coffee grinder to do it. Of course, if you go with the Café Grind and Brew that’s taken care of for you.
Buy directly from the roaster whenever possible.
There’s no shortage of coffee at the supermarket, but it’ll be up to you suss out the quality from the swill. When you buy directly from a roaster, you get knowledgeable staff and tasting opportunities. The coffee is probably fresher too. There are companies like Trade Coffee that have relationships with various roasters around the country and a quietly growing “roasted at the source” movement from companies like Quintal that offers even fresher beans that were never shipped green or unroasted and left to sit.
Check the roast date.
Pay attention to the roast date, which ideally should be marked on the bag, and buy it as close to the date as possible. The flavor flattens out quickly once you open it. “Coffee that’s of high quality, that’s been processed well, and is relatively fresh compared to when it was harvested, that coffee should taste really good within the first 30 days after roasting,” Jesse Kahn, who is in charge of training center development for Counter Culture coffee says. Beans from a roaster might have been roasted that same week. At the grocery store, roast dates of two or three months out are more likely.
Note the roast level and country of origin.
Roast levels reflect how long and at what temperature the beans are roasted. There’s a prevailing theory that dark roasts mask lesser-quality coffee. Ultimately, the darker the roast, the smokier the flavor, which might or might not be your cup of, uh, tea. “When you roast, you’re eliminating moisture and caramelizing some of the sugars inherent in the coffee,” Kahn said.
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