News

Oct 24, 2024

The best coffee maker in 2024 | Tom's Guide

Find the best coffee maker for your budget, whether you're making a cup for yourself or brewing for a crowd. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s

Find the best coffee maker for your budget, whether you're making a cup for yourself or brewing for a crowd.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

What's the best coffee maker? That's a tricky question for me to give a straight answer to. I've tested kitchen appliances for 5 years, but coffee occupies a uniquely tricky position in the market, because while we can all agree that it's imperative we get a good cup of Joe to start the day right, we all drink coffee very differently. So, in testing the machines for this guide, I've instead focussed on helping you decide what the best coffee maker is for you and your preferences.

When most people think of a coffee maker, they'll probably think of a drip machine like the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select which, incidentally, is my #1 pick. It's hard to get a bad brew out of this quality machine. It gets the basics right.

If you're not looking for the basics though, a drip coffee maker right not be the best machine for you. For people who prefer espresso-based drinks, I have two top recommendations. If you're looking for a single-serve, I'd suggest the Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima, which is versatile and easy to use. Alternatively, level-up your coffee with a true espresso machine, such as the Ninja Luxe Café, which is one of the most exciting coffee releases of 2024 and, according to our testing, lives up to the hype.

Read more...

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

I'm Millie, Tom's Guide's Senior Home Editor, and I've been testing the top coffee makers from all the major brands for over five years (and using them in my person life for much, much longer!)

I've recently completed a Specialty Coffee Association foundation-level Barista Skills qualification, meaning I could probably get a job in a coffee shop if testing coffee makers ever gets old, and I'm also pretty good at knowing what's required from a machine to make a good brew.

I'm far from a professional, but I've got an above-average ability and knowledge of what makes a great brew at home. I love great-tasting coffee, but I don't want to have to work too hard for it. That's what the best coffee makers are for — delivering your favorite brew just as you like it, while saving you time and making your life easier.

Compiling this buying guide has required a lot of evaluation and comparison between completely unrelated methods of brewing, as well as machines that span from $50 to well over $2,000. How, you might wonder, can we rank these machines if they're being tested against completely different criteria?

It's true, I'd never tell you to buy a drip coffee maker if you love espresso, and we'd never tell you to buy the most premium Breville machine if you're on a budget, so before you buy, you need to have a rough idea of what kind of coffee you actually want to make at home. In this guide, I've included drip coffee makers, as well as a range of single-serve machines and espresso machines. And when ranking these products, I've considered what's right for most people. I know a lot more about coffee than the majority of buyers, so I had to go back to basics when writing this guide to make it accessible to everyone.

Even within the TG team there is a huge range of coffee preferences. There are some people who would turn their nose up at a cup of pod coffee, and would never consider straying from their carefully evaluated coffee setup. For others, coffee is simply a tool for waking up in the morning and you just want a reliable and space-efficient gadget to fill your cup with something cheaper and better than the stuff you'd get from a chain coffee shop. That's ok too, because you know your budget, and you know what you're looking for. And no matter what it is that you're seeking, I'm confident that I've included it in this guide.

Each and every machine has been hand-selected and tested by myself or one of Tom's Guide's expert testers, so you can click through to read full, detailed reviews before you make your mind up.

Best overall

The Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select offers consistent brewing, looks fantastic, and is designed to last a lifetime. It's a great option for those who want a reliable but high quality drip coffee maker, but there are cheaper options out there if you're on a budget.

Read more below

Best single serve

The Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima can do it all. With a smart and convenient milk dispenser and all the flexibility of a Nespresso Vertuo machine, it's my favorite single-serve coffee maker on the market for those who want the option to make just about any coffee-based drink.

Read more below

Best espresso machine

The latest addition to our best coffee maker roundup, it's hard to argue with the value for money you'll get with the Ninja Luxe Café. While it specializes in espresso-based drinks, it can also make drip and cold brew coffee, making it a super versatile option.

Read more below

Best budget drip

If you want a good old-fashioned drip coffee maker that looks good, works well, and can be relied upon to keep you caffeinated all day long, look no further than the Braun Brew Sense. It's featured in this guide for years, and we still love it.

Read more below

Best for latte art

The KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine was tested by our resident (ex) barista, Erin, who said it's the closest she's come to a commercial machine at home. Great for latte art and capable of extracting beautiful espresso, it's got a lot to offer for the money.

Read more below

Best superautomatic

With superautomatic coffee makers, all of the grinding, tamping, brewing and milk steaming happens automatically, leaving you with a great drink, no effort required. There are many machines that offer this, but the Philips 3200 does it for a reasonable price, and with a strong range of options.

Read more below

Click to view more products...

Compact espresso

The Breville Bambino Plus offers a premium design and an impressive performance. It’s easy to operate and consistently brews a top-notch espresso. The major drawback is that it doesn't have an in-built grinder, but some people prefer the option of pairing it with their own grinder of choice.

Read more below

Strong shots

The Keurig K-Cafe is the best Keurig coffee maker we've tried. It produced a rich flavor in testing and comes with a milk frother to make milk-based drinks. There's the option to make your shot extra-strong, and you can brew drinks of up to 12-oz.

Read more below

Smart drip

This highly adjustable drip coffee maker will be too much hassle for some shoppers, but if you really love your drip coffee and want as much customization as possible, it doesn't get much better. We love the smart control dial and sleek brushed finish, which has the style we love from Breville without the high price.

Read more below

Bells and whistles

The La Specialista Maestro is a brilliant espresso machine, but only if you'll make use of all its features. This machine offers cold brew, cold espresso, long coffee, automatic and manual steaming, as well as an in-built grinder and tamper. Really, if you've got $1k to play with, what more could you want?

Read more below

On the go

Coffee lovers will tell you that the AeroPress is the best you can get to a really good coffee without any electrical equipment. All you need is some filters, some hot water, and one of these handy brewers to make coffee on trips, in the office, or when you're out camping. It's not the best for home use, but it's delicious.

Read more below

Our expert review:

The Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select is the company's latest model, first released in late 2019 as the Moccamaster KBG Select in Europe. The new release continues the Moccamaster's highly respected name as the highest quality and most widely praised coffee maker in this list. It’s been engineered for optimal brew temperatures and water dispersal, with innovative features that have earned it recognition from the Specialty Coffee Association. What’s more, it does all of this while operating exceedingly quickly, which I found out when we tried it out for myself.

Handmade in the Netherlands, this pricey coffee maker has a unique industrial aesthetic that some people love and others hate. This, however, is one for the enthusiasts, and lacks a few of the convenience features you might find in cheaper models. The water tank is fixed onto the system, and you won't find any auto-brew features baked in here. However, what it lacks in the amenities that are typical of today' at-home brewers, it makes up for in producing smooth, balanced coffee, which is why it's one of the best coffee makers in my opinion.

There’s technical brilliance under the hood, however. This machine can reach industry standard temperatures (196°F – 205°F) in under a minute and stay there. The water then moves up a glass tube and into a 9-hole spray arm, where it's evenly dispersed over ground coffee in a cone-shaped basket. Not only that, but the KBGV Select can do all of this in four to six minutes, depending on brew size. It comes at a steep cost, but the superior performance and build quality make it worth it for coffee enthusiasts.

Read our full Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select review.

Our expert review:

If you want a single-serve coffee maker that can truly do it all, you should look no further than the Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima. Featuring a separate milk dispenser that offers milk-only drinks and two lengths of milk add-ins to any coffee size you opt for, the beauty of this machine is in its simplicity. You can simply store the milk dispenser in the refrigerator when it's not in use, and you'll get the joys of the entirety of Nespresso's six-size Vertuo system if you prefer a long black coffee or an espresso to start the day.

We enjoyed the thoughtful touches such as an adjustable cup holder to work with any beverage size, and the ability to rinse out the milk dispenser after each use. We did wish that there were more than one milk froth levels available, because if you prefer a more firm layer to make an espresso or a softer latte-style steamed milk, you won't be able to adjust this using the Nespresso.

Because this machine is part of the Vertuo line it will automatically brew the optimum drink length for each drink and you can enjoy an ever-evolving list of capsules to mix up your routine. We even tried a cold-brew capsule, which was impressively realistic.

Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima review

Our expert review:

Released in September 2024, Ninja proved it can hold its own in the espresso machine market with the Ninja Luxe Café. This espresso machine isn't cheap, but for a model of its caliber, it's pretty reasonably priced. For under $600, you'll get the ability to make double espressos (no singles, for some reason), cold espresso, cold brew, drip coffee, and a whole host of assisted milk steaming settings.

This machine does a lot of the hard work for you, including suggesting your grind settings, and steaming the milk for you using a whisk built into the base of its jug. In other words, while it looks like several iconic bean-to-cup coffee makers, its assisted features make it more suited to beginners, and could run the risk of being annoying to those who actually prefer to hand-steam their milk and adjust their bean settings based on taste or pressure. There's no pressure gauge, limiting users from getting too technical, but some people don't want that. What you really want is a great-tasting coffee, and there's no denying that the Ninja can deliver on this front.

Our tester reported that this is the most user-friendly machine she's ever tried, and she's tried a lot. Her espresso was rich and evenly extracted, milk never burnt (even plant milk, thanks to the pre-set options), and drip coffee fruity and fuss-free. We're continuing to test this one, but suffice to say, we're impressed.

Read our full Ninja Luxe Café review.

Our expert review:

The Braun BrewSense used to sit at the top of this guide, but when we re-evaluated in early 2024, we found that if you're willing to spend a bit more, you'll have a better-tasting brew with the Moccamaster machine we put in first place. Regardless though, we still think the Brew Sense KF6050 deserves serious kudos for delivering quality fuss-free coffee without a high price tag. You can enjoy the perks of a programmable timer, brew pause settings, and a mode for smaller brews if you want to make 1-4 cups of coffee at a time.

Our biggest issue with this machine was that its water tank cannot be removed, which means you'll have to use a carafe to refill it. That aside though, this machine does offer a lot of convenience features you won't usually find at this price. That includes a charcoal water filter to keep your machine in good running order, and a permanent gold-tone filter for good measure.

Another thing that impressed us with this coffee maker was its hot plate. The Braun Brew Sense had some of the best temperature retention of the drip coffee makers we tested.

Read our full Braun Brew Sense review.

Our expert review:

When our resident ex-barista product tester Erin put the KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine to the test, she was wowed by how easy it was to use, and the quality of the coffee she was able to extract. In fact, she said it's the closest she's come to a commercial-quality machine since her time working in Starbucks.

The only real issue Erin encountered was the in-built grinder, which performed wonderfully, but did have some strange dose guidance. Once you've figured out the right amount for the 58 mm portafilter though, you'll be rewarded by luscious velvety espresso with the perfect amount of body to pair with your milk, or enjoy alone.

Another real plus was that this machine makes it relatively painless (for a machine that's not dual-boiler) to switch between steaming and brewing. This meant Erin was able to enjoy flat whites and lattes (complete with effortless latte art which she assures me is a credit to the machine, as well as her years of practice!) within minutes of turning the machine on. It's not the most affordable option in this guide, but when you look at the espresso machines on the market, its really holds its own at this price point.

Read our full KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine review.

Our expert review:

The Philips 3200 is what many call a 'superautomatic' espresso machine. Others may call it a bean-to-cup. What this means is you simply add beans, water and milk to your machine and it will do all the grinding, tamping, brewing and steaming for you. It literally couldn't be easier to get a latte or cappuccino from scratch, making this is a great choice for lovers of milky drinks.

This machine comes with a setting for espresso, hot water, cappuccino, coffee, latte macchiato and americano, and you can customize your settings depending on your strength and size preferences. When we tested it, we thought it tasted a great tasting brew that had balance and wasn't too bitter. It could've been stronger, even when we used the finest grind setting, so if you really care about getting the most out of every single bean you add to your machine, you may miss the ability to be involved in the process.

The milk steaming was much the same, a great convenience setting for those who don't care for hand-steaming, but who want a frothy latte or macchiato without the faff. However, if you enjoy getting hands-on, this machine isn't for you. Cleaning is easy, as is maintenance, so if you love the idea of a one-touch option that can deliver just about any drink, we recommend the Philips 3200.

Read our full Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine w/ LatteGo review.

Our expert review:

The Breville Bambino Plus is the best espresso machine for anyone who wants both the convenience of an easy-to-use system and the space to experiment and explore on a more sophisticated level. I found excellent consistency between brews here, and a well balanced shot thanks to the customizable pre-infusion techniques.

Although there are some significant advantages to buying a fully-fledged espresso machine with a grinder included, coffee enthusiasts will often opt for a separate grinder and brewing unit. This allows them to experiment with speciality beans and upgrade your setup over time. Plus, unlike all of the other models mentioned so far, the Breville Bambino Plus comes with a built-in steam wand, which makes it a great choice for milky drinks. Being compact, it is a lightweight design though, which means the portafilter can be fiddly to insert and remove at times.

It only takes three seconds to warm this machine up, an impressive feat considering it can be minutes before a cheaper device is ready to start brewing. While you're certainly paying a little extra for this model than you would an entry level device, aforementioned features like customizable pre-infusion times and the array of baskets included with the machine mean you're actually getting some top tier specs at a great price here. Although there's no built-in grinder, so you will need one of the best coffee grinders for a fresh brew.

Read our full Breville Bambino Plus review.

Our expert review:

The K-Cafe is our number one pick in our guide to the best Keurig coffee makers. It's one of the brand's more expensive options, but delivered the richest flavor of the machines we tested from the iconic coffee brand, and thanks to the "shot" button it can also brew a very authentic-tasting espresso despite its unconventional brewing methods.

The included milk frother is a big plus for this single-serve coffee maker. Combined with your 2-ounce coffee shot you can make espresso, oat milk latte, even hot chocolates in this hands-free frother. It's an expensive machine, but we do think you get a lot for your money with this multifunctional brewer, which is as close to barista-quality as it gets from a Keurig machine.

To get specific, the K-Cafe takes 36 seconds to brew a shot, making it one of the faster machines we tried, and the frother takes 1 minute and 35 seconds on average to make fresh steamed milk, meaning you'll be left with a delicious milky coffee in under two minutes.

Read our full Keurig K-Cafe review.

Our expert review:

The Breville Precision Brewer isn't your every day coffee maker. It's a powerful machine capable of brewing your perfect cup of coffee, if you're willing to put the work in and have a tinker with all its impressive controls. I found initial setup to be a little overwhelming during testing, but the easy to follow instructions (and Gold standard presets for everyday use) helped me gather confidence in tweaking individual settings to match the brew flavors I was after.

While I did find a few issues with the volume of the machine, it was nothing compared to the high quality coffee coming out. You'll be able to experiment with brew times and temperatures, but you'll also have access to the flow rate and bloom time. A pour over dripper is also available for additional controls as well.

There's a lot of tech packed in here, and while it may take a little while to figure it all out, it was well worth it in the end of my testing. Nevertheless, this really is one for those who view coffee as a science.

Read our full Breville Precision Brewer review.

Our expert review:

If you want a high-end semi-automatic coffee maker, the De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro is a brilliant choice. Featuring cold brew technology to make fresh and uplifting cool espresso or long black cold brews in a matter of minutes, this summer-ready machine wowed our homes editor when she put it to the test for a month at home.

This machine may look manual, but it has a number of automatic features designed to shortcut the brewing process and create as few margins for error as possible. It has a tidy in-built tamping arm that applies even pressure to your puck for a more balanced extraction, and you can choose between an automatic milk disenser or manual steaming with a wand to the right side of the machine.

We did think this machine could have used some more finesse in testing. For one, the automatic milk dispenser didn't make the smoothest milk we've ever tested, and we found it fiddly to add more grounds to our portafilter if we wanted to create a bit more pressure when brewing. Overall though, it can't be denied that you get a lot of machine for your money with this semi-automatic machine.

Read our full De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro review.

Our expert review:

The AeroPress has been on the market for over 10 years now, and it's become a firm favorite of true coffee lovers who simply can't stand hotel or office coffee. And we'd know, because several members of the Tom's Guide team never come into the office without one. It's unlikely that this will be your sole coffee maker. Some people buy it as a backup to take with them when they don't have access to their cherished home setup. There's no reason why you can't make this your home coffee maker though, because its makes a brilliant cup of Joe if you know how to use it.

To make a coffee in the AeroPress you'll need to research recipes and carefully select your grounds. Some even use a hand grinder to get the most complexity from this unique brewing method. The flavor is somewhere between a drip coffee and a French press, with the brewing process creating a good amount of pressure to extract as much taste as possible from each brew.

You'll need to make a cup at a time with this gadget, which means it's not ideal for doing a round of brews, or quickly pouring yourself a fresh cup between meetings. If you want a to-go option to use on vacation, in the office, or in an RV, you can't do much better. Plus, it's super affordable at under $50, and the ongoing cost is also incredibly reasonable.

Read our full AeroPress review.

Millie has been reviewing coffee makers for nearly five years and a range of leading review publications including TopTenReviews, Homes&Gardens, Real Homes, Livingetc, and Ideal Home.

Her interest in coffee first started when she worked as a barista at university, but she has since learned all about the art of a good cup of joe through a lot of taste testing and trips to the De'Longhi factory in Treviso, Italy, and a coffee tour of Naples with Sage.

Erin joined Tom's Guide in 2024 on our product reviews team. She tests everything from keyboards to vacuum cleaners, but as a former barista with years and years of experience, she's our go-to coffee maker tester.

Erin has tested a number of leading espresso machines from Smeg and KitchenAid, as well as other brewing methods such as the AeroPress. She's also great at latte art.

Kevin Cortez has been a culture and product journalist for over nine years. He also has seven years of professional hands-on experience with coffee roasting, tasting, and brewing, as well as hand-crafting espresso drinks, and has tested a wide range of capsule coffee makers for Tom's Guide.

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site, and has a particular interest in home cooking and coffee. Mike has tested a number of espresso machines for Tom's Guide, including models from Philps and De'Longhi.

Linda Clayton is an award-winning freelance interiors journalist with nearly 20 years of experience. She has reviewed countless coffee makers for Tom's Guide and our sister sites Homes&Gardens, Ideal Home and Real Homes. Most recently she tested the Cuisinart single-serve grind and brew coffee maker, but she has also tested an assortment of drip coffee makers and Nespresso machines.

At the end of the day, the most important sign of a good coffee maker is in that all-important taste test. So it goes without saying that we taste a lot of coffee when putting together our coffee maker reviews. However, there are endless factors that can determine the flavor of your finished coffee, so there are some metrics we need to consider (and keep consistent) when testing coffee makers.

Unboxing

The most sustainable choice you can make when buying a new coffee maker is opting for a machine that will last for years and years. That said, it's a good sign when a coffee maker comes in recyclable, sustainable packaging that still keeps it secure during shipping, so we're always looking out for this when evaluating our first impressions of a product.

Setup

In our experience, a more drawn-out setup process can be worth the extra hassle. Some coffee makers have a water hardness strip included to input the limescale level in your water. This test takes a few extra minutes, but inputting this information will ensure the machine reminds you to descale it as and when needed to prolong its lifespan.

If a coffee maker comes with an app or any bespoke programming such as personalized profiles or pre-set timers, we troubleshoot this in testing to make sure you're getting an easy-to-use machine from the very first use.

Price

Coffee makers don't have to be expensive — especially if you're buying a single-serve or drip coffee maker, but it's often the case that you get what you pay for with coffee makers. When testing we evaluate if this is the case. Does a $1,000+ coffee maker really warrant the price tag, and most importantly, would we recommend it to a friend or family member who was shopping for a new machine?

Flavor

Your cup of coffee can only be as good as the grounds you use, so when testing, we try and opt for an accessible consumer blend and stick to this brand across models to ensure that the differences we taste in our coffee come from the quality of the machine, and not the beans.

Right now, we're using Lavazza beans and grounds when reviewing our machines, as this accessible brand is a good quality without being too expensive for most users. We expect this is the type of bean most coffee users will be purchasing, so it helps us to recreate your home experience when we're testing.

Temperature

This is particularly important for drip coffee makers. We test the temperature of each carafe we make when it's first been brewed, and then after one hour, to test the quality of the heating plate on each machine.

If freshly brewed coffee comes out too hot, it's a sign that the machine has scorched the grounds in testing, which will result in a more bitter flavor and is a sign of a poorly-made machine. Likewise, if the coffee is not hot enough, you won't get a fully developed flavor and your coffee will be weak and acidic.

Coffee grinders

Some coffee makers come with in-built grinders, so we put them through a similar process to our standalone reviews for the best coffee grinders. This involves testing the variety of grind sizes available, and how suitable this is for the type of coffee maker you're using. If your espresso maker's grinder creates great grounds for filter coffee, that's not much help!

We use a coffee sifter called Kruve to see how consistent the coffee grounds are in size and texture, and we also test coffee grinders for static created.

Milk steaming

If an espresso machine comes with a hand milk steamer, there is an inevitable margin for user error when testing. Fortunately, we have a team of expert testers on-hand who have steamed more than a few lattes in their time, so if we find fault with a steamer, we can confidently say it's a flaw in design.

When steaming milk we look for a smooth and fine micro-foam that doesn't burn our milk before we're able to get the consistency we want.

Some machines come with automatic frothers, and while it's hard for these to recreate a hand-steaming effect, we look for how easy they are to use and how close they come to the real thing.

Which type of coffee maker should you buy? Check out our guide if you're unsure.

At Tom's Guide, we test a lot of coffee makers. It feels like there's always a new innovation to put through its paces, so our testing team can be found reliably caffeinated on any given day. We return most of the coffee makers we test due to the high value of these machines, but on the occasion that we're allowed to keep one, we continue to test them from home in order to evaluate the value for money over time, and compare our old faithfuls to recent releases. Not every coffee maker can make the list though. Here are some of the models we've recently tried.

Philips Barista Brew Espresso Machine (★★★☆☆)

The Philips Barista Brew is the brand's latest innovation: a semi-automatic machine that features a separate grinder and brewing unit. In testing we were very impressed with the espresso we made in this machine, but the milk steaming was lacking.

Read the full Philips Barista Brew Espresso Machine review

Terra Kaffe TK-02 (★★★★☆)

This super-smart coffee makers is one of the niftiest and quietest machines we've tested, but the eye-watering price tag means we'd struggle to recommend it to most people. It's certainly one of the most premium appliances we've tested in some time, and ideal for those on a large budget who enjoy a high-tech setup.

Read the full Terra Kaffe TK-02 review

Cuisinart Grind and Brew Single Serve (★★★★☆)

This Cuisinart single-serve coffee maker comes with a K-cup sized filter and a grinder that can refill your reusable filter with freshly ground beans for each use. It's a great, sustainable idea, but in practice a bit fiddly. If you're committed to single-serve but want to keep things sustainable, it's a good option.

Read the full Cuisinart Grind and Brew Single Serve review

There’s nothing like a great cup of coffee to wake you up in the morning, so if you’re looking to invest in a new coffee maker, you’ll want one that makes the ideal brew, provides the functionality and practicality you desire and comes in on budget. Here are a few things you’ll need to think about.

Will it fit?A coffee maker sits on the countertop, so measure the space where you plan to keep the machine before you buy one. Be sure to determine the clearance between the countertop and the bottom of your cabinets. Most, but not all coffee makers will fit under a cabinet.

Coffee qualityIf you're passionate about coffee, look for a brewer that says it meets the Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup Standard. This means the coffee brews at what is regarded as the perfect time and temperature for the best cup of Joe. But be aware that this standard calls for using 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for each 5-ounce cup, which produces a very full-bodied, strong cup of coffee that is not to everyone's taste.

Check out 7 surprising ways you can reuse old coffee grounds.

Cup sizeKeep in mind that coffee-maker cups are the equivalent of 5 ounces, or an old-fashioned teacup that isn't filled to the brim, leaving room for milk. Most coffee mugs in use today hold upward of 8 ounces. Therefore, a typical 12-cup coffee maker brews enough coffee for about seven mugs at the most.

What kind of carafe?Models with thermal carafes tend to be more expensive than those with glass carafes. You can bring thermal carafes to the table, where they'll keep coffee hot for refills. However, these carafes have narrow openings that are difficult to hand-wash, and most can't be cleaned in the dishwasher. However, thermal carafes are beneficial if you drink coffee throughout the day.

Milk frotherIf you prefer your coffee straight, you won’t be concerned about the milk frother option, although do consider that other household members or guests may prefer their coffee served with a smooth froth. Having a milk frother combined will also save you the issue of having a separate appliance on the countertop, taking up space.

Paper or permanent filters? Decide if you want to use a permanent filter or paper, disposable ones. Permanent filters are better for the environment, and you don't have to constantly replace them, but they do need to be thoroughly washed by hand and they tend to stain. Also, it's easier to toss paper filters in the trash than knock grounds out of a metal filter. You may also find that the taste of the coffee produced differs depending on filter type and that you prefer one over the other.

Do you want to set it and forget it? With many machines, you can program them ahead of time to brew in the morning or right before you get home, and you can even set them to brew at the same time every day. But such features add to the price and work only if you take the time to read the manual and figure out how to use the setting.

Want your coffee to-go? We've tested the best travel coffee mugs.

Coffee makers are built with more than practicality in mind. The aesthetics are just as important as the performance these days — after all, this machine will be on display in your kitchen for some years. Some feature a timeless brushed steel finish, while others are much more bold with a glossy, painted exterior. Before you choose your favorite, make sure that its size is suitable for your countertop; some are much bigger than they appear.

The latest models come with plenty of useful features. One to look out for is the ability to grind coffee beans and then automatically transfer the grounds to the filter basket. In doing this, you’re getting the freshest coffee possible. Some machines also come with settings that let you control the strength of the brew as well as the temperature of the coffee. Controls such as these are a brilliant addition as you can try out different combinations until you find your favorite setting. Size selection is another important factor; some designs let you choose from a single-serve coffee up to an entire pot, which can save waste.

Coffee makers have come a long way in terms of tech as well. Some feature touchscreens rather than manual controls, while others can connect to your Wi-Fi or use Bluetooth. In doing this, you can control the coffee maker handsfree through your smartphone or even using voice commands via Alexa and Google Assistant.

Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!

Millie is the Senior Home Editor at Tom's Guide. She's been reviewing home tech for over five years, testing everything from coffee makers to the latest vacuum cleaners. Starting out in 2019 as a Staff Writer at TopTenReviews, Millie then moved on to Future's Homes portfolio, where she eventually oversaw all product testing as Head of Reviews.

With particular expertise in cookware and kitchen appliances, you'll struggle to find an air fryer Millie's not tested. She's traveled the world reporting on the latest home innovations and product launches, learning how to use pizza ovens from Pizzaiolos in Naples, and touring the De'Longhi factory in Venice.

When she's not reporting on home and appliance trends, Millie loves watching live music. She's currently learning the guitar - naturally, she plays a Fender.

Technivorm Moccamaster KM5 Coffee Grinder review: precision and consistency

I used AI to make my own pumpkin spice latte — and I'm never going back to Starbucks

25 early Black Friday deals that make great holidays gifts — shop LEGOs, Kindles, AirPods and more