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It’s ready when you are.
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While we can all pretend that we have the time in the morning to wait for the pure results of a pour-over coffee maker, most of us have a classic drip coffee machine on our counters. That is, if you don’t have a pod machine. Or you haven’t poured a crisp cup of cold brew in your travel mug. There are so many different ways of making coffee. I’m not here to argue which one is best.
Personally, I have at least five different coffee production machines or methods in my home, including a drip coffee maker, which is what we’ve been using to make coffee for a long time. But which one to buy?
When picking a drip coffee maker you could go two different routes. You could grab the cheapest and most common one on the shelf or you could start checking off features that meet your lifestyle needs. Either way, you’ll get your coffee. That much is certain.
Oster 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
Oster
Oster 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
If you enjoy overthinking coffee in the morning, then the Oster 12-cup programmable coffee maker is for you. It has stainless steel accents and can be preset, which is helpful if you forget to push buttons first thing in the morning. You can also pause the brew to grab that first cup before the entire carafe is finished filling up. And it automatically shuts off after two hours so you don’t end up scrubbing off the residue of burnt convenience store coffee you forgot was still in existence.
Braun Brewsense Drip Coffee Maker
Braun
Braun Brewsense Drip Coffee Maker
With the Braun Brewsense Drip coffee maker, you can brew a full pot or choose between 1-4 cups, in addition to programmable brewing and a pause feature. The Braun Brewsense also features a gold-tone filter and a charcoal filter to purify your water, so you get a cleaner cup of coffee every single time.
Zojirushi Zutto 5-Cup Drip Coffeemaker
Zojirushi
Zojirushi Zutto 5-Cup Drip Coffeemaker
The Zojirushi Zutto steps back the features and carafe size, but is a sleek and compact five-cup drip coffee maker. Its charcoal water filter helps purify your water, while the design of the unit provides a removable water tank and filter cone basket that sits within the carafe.
Cuisinart Grind and Brew Automatic Coffeemaker
Cuisinart
Cuisinart Grind and Brew Automatic Coffeemaker
Save yourself some trouble and the need for a separate coffee grinder with the Cuisinart Grind and Brew Automatic Coffee Maker. It has all the features of the Braun, but adds a coffee bean grinder on the top of the machine. Literally grind and brew. The grinding chamber is separate from the filter area for easy cleaning. You also have a ton more options for coffee when you buy whole beans instead of already ground coffee, so open up your palate and grind and brew yourself a cup.
Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
Ninja
Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
The Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker doesn’t have a grinder on it, but justifies its price with a thermal flavor extraction feature. That might sound like a fancy way of saying it brews coffee, but the brew settings can be adjusted for classic, rich and small-batch flavors. The heater plate is also adjustable, so you can let it get lukewarm and consumable quicker. It’s programmable and has a pause feature, but also adds a full 24-hour delay brew to that. You know perfectly well you’ll want coffee tomorrow, too.
Breville Precision Brewer Coffee Maker
Breville
Breville Precision Brewer Coffee Maker
The Breville Precision Brewer Coffee Maker has a steep-and-release valve that steeps the coffee longer for small-batch brews. Two filter sizes allow for multiple cup sizes while the “my brew” setting allows you to customize brew temperature, bloom time and flow rate to suit the coffee you are using. It has six brewing modes—from fast to strong and even iced and cold brew. The temperature can be adjusted manually for ultimate precision. This is the drip coffee maker you buy when you are ready to fully take control of your drip-coffee-making process.