Some tips for buying the right coffee maker

With so many designs and models on the market, buying a coffee maker is no easy decision. Here are some tips to help you choose one that's right for you:

When it comes to retaining coffee's flavor and temperature, experts find that coffee makers with thermal carafes are better than glass carafes. The warming plate under a glass carafe can burn, negatively affecting the coffee's flavor. Coffee brewed in a thermal carafe doesn't rely on a hot plate, so the coffee will stay fresher (and taste better) longer.

For the best pot of coffee, the water temperature must be between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. To achieve that heat, look for a machine with at least 1,250 watts of power. We found that most coffee makers can't brew at such high temperatures, but there are some exceptions.

Generally, coffee drinkers prefer the taste of freshly-ground coffee. For them, coffee makers with built-in grinders make sense, as they're more convenient and less messy than using a separate coffee grinder. More expensive models employ burr grinders rather than blade grinders. The burr grinder crushes the beans instead of chopping them, resulting in better flavor. However, grinder-brewer combos tend to be more problematic than other models. We found numerous consumer complaints regarding the durability of the grinder component. Keep in mind that if a built-in grinder breaks, the entire machine must be replaced, which could be costly.  

If you prefer a stronger cup of coffee, you should consider a vacuum brewer or French press. Unlike traditional automatic-drip coffee makers, which don't give you much control over potency, vacumm brewers and French presses let you control the water temperature and produce stronger coffee.

Here some features that might make your coffee-brewing experience a little easier:

• An auto shutoff will turn the coffee maker off in case you forget to.

• A programmable timer allows you schedule brewing. For example, if you want to wake to a fresh pot of brewed coffee, you can set up the coffee maker the night before and instruct it to brew in the morning.

• A pause-and-serve feature allows you to sneak in a cup of coffee before the brewing cycle is complete.

• A small-batch setting allows you to make smaller amounts of coffee with a full-sized machine. This will prevent you from wasting an entire pot if you only need a few cups.

For more information on what to look for when shopping for a coffee maker, as well as a summary of the best-reviewed models, see our full report on coffee makers.