Christina Colizza and Morgan Greenwald contributed.
The best budget coffee makers this year, according to experts
Using expert guidance, we rounded up highly rated coffee makers that are less than $180.
According to Brim, the 8-Cup Pour-Over Coffee Maker heats coffee between 198 degrees and 205 degrees (right in the range Easto mentioned as proper brew temperature) and maintains that temperature throughout the brewing process. Like the Ninja, the Brim holds about 8 cups of coffee. Brim says that the coffee maker ensures the proper amount of contact time between water and coffee, too.
As the name implies, the Ninja CP301 Hot and Cold Brewed System with Glass Carafe offers six different temperature options for everything from cold brew to oolong tea. The Ninja also provides individual coffee and tea baskets, so your coffee grounds won’t mix with your loose tea leaves. The system holds about 10 cups of coffee — and like its sibling Ninja, the CM401, it provides a foldaway frother.
Unlike some of the other coffee makers here, the Cuisinart PurePrecision 8 Cup Pour-Over Coffee Brewer doesn’t give you the option to serve your coffee cold — it can, however, make you 8 cups of coffee either hot or extra hot, according to the brand. You can also program it up to 24 hours ahead of time if you want to ensure you have a fresh pot of coffee in the morning.
Though experts told us that SCA-certified coffee makers and machines with adjustable temperatures are the gold standard, we also know that not everyone can — or wants to — spend hundreds of dollars on a coffee maker. So, although they aren’t SCA-certified, we found some highly rated coffee makers under $100 that have double-walled thermal carafes to help keep the temperature of your coffee hot for hours past its initial brew, which is one of the features experts said to look for in a good coffee maker.
According to Mr. Coffee, the 10 Cup Coffee Maker brews your coffee at up to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. It offers some fun additional features, such as auto-pause — which means the brew will pause when you want to grab a cup of coffee before it’s finished — and a timer that tracks how long it’s been since your pot was initially made.
The Black+Decker CM2046S Coffee Maker is slightly larger than the Mr. Coffee: According to the brand, it can brew 12 cups of coffee. It doesn’t have an auto-pause feature, though, so you’ll have to wait until it’s finished brewing all 12 cups before you start pouring. You can customize your brew's strength as well as program it up to 24 hours in advance. According to the brand, the machine disperses water via a showerhead design to evenly soak the coffee grounds for a richer extraction.
Like the Black+Decker, the Hamilton Beach 46391 Programmable Front-Fill Coffee Maker can brew up to 12 cups of coffee. Hamilton Beach says that the coffee maker will shut off immediately after brewing to conserve energy, and it auto pauses if you want to grab a quick cup before it’s finished.
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