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In this report

See Also

Coffee Makers: Ratings of Sources
Total of 18 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Sept. 2008
Drip Coffee Makers
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated
5 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Editors critique eight auto-drip coffee makers with thermal carafes on brewing, flavor and ease of use. Editors are underwhelmed by nearly all of these models, which mainly made mediocre coffee, with one exception. The most expensive coffee maker in the test is head and shoulders above the rest.
2. ConsumerReports.org
Jan. 2009
Automatic Coffee Makers
by Editors of ConsumerReports.org
5 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment After testing 35 coffee makers, editors declare that $40 to $50 coffee makers brew just as well as $200 models. This assessment lies in direct contrast to Cook's Illustrated, which found problems with many auto-drip coffee makers. ConsumerReports.org's criteria include convenience, carafe design and brew temperature.
3. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
May 2007
Inexpensive Drip Coffee Makers
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated
5 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Although only eight budget coffee makers are tested for this review, editors at Cook's Illustrated go into far more detail than do those at ConsumerReports.org. None of the coffee makers here succeeded in achieving a hot enough brewing temperature or correct brewing time, and all made similar-tasting coffee. Testers found three models proved easiest to use and felt sturdier than the others.
4. Good Housekeeping
Sept. 2008
Top-Rated Coffee Makers
by Editors of Good Housekeeping
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment For this test, editors say 15 programmable coffee makers were tested, but only the top four are presented here. We're not told which models didn't make the cut. Each recommended coffee maker gets a short blurb. The DeLonghi Esclusivo DC514T is the top pick. The Mr. Coffee SKX23 is named the best basic model, and the Krups KM1000 is judged best-looking.
5. The Wall Street Journal
May 19, 2006
Warming Up to Thermal Coffee-Makers
by Melissa Schorr
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment In this older article, Melissa Schorr enlists three Seattle-area coffee-roasting experts to taste-test coffee brewed in five thermal-carafe coffee makers. Models are tested for temperature retention after four hours. With the most flavorful coffee and the best features, the Capresso MT500 wins overall. Its carafe placed second only to the Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 in heat retention.
6. Amazon.com
As of May 2009
Coffee Machines
by Contributors to Amazon.com
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Amazon.com is a good source for owner-written coffee maker ratings, and we found a much wider variety of comments posted here than at Epinions.com. Most coffee makers get average ratings of about four stars… (out of five), and many receive over 100 reviews. Amazon.com works best once you narrow down your choice to a few models to help identify problem coffee makers, especially those where owners report consistent problems. Bunn coffee makers earn consistently high ratings here. We used the reviews at Amazon.com to cross-reference coffee maker reviews in professional publications.

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7. Food & Wine Magazine
March 2006
An Obsessive's Guide to Coffee
by Ray Isle and Lily Barberio
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Editors list eight of their favorite coffee makers, each of which they describe in a single sentence. Although they say that they spent 410 hours testing 67 coffee makers, they don't describe their… methodology, nor do they list the machines that didn't make the grade, which damages this article's credibility. They praise the Technivorm Clubline KBT741 for its ability to heat water to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as the "superfast" Capresso MT500. They also like the "ingenious" Cuisinart Coffee on Demand, but owner reviews of this coffee maker are not as positive.

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8. CoffeeGeek.com
As of May 2009
CoffeeGeek Product Reviews
by Editors of and Contributors to CoffeeGeek.com
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

CoffeeGeek.com offers expert reviews of select coffee makers, plus product reviews where both novices and aficionados rate machines. Reviews tend to be long and detailed, and this site is an information… bonanza for coffee buffs. Experts here favor the Capresso CoffeeTec and Cuisinart Brew Central, while owners like the Technivorm Clubline KBT741 and Newco OCS models, but readers tend to prefer alternative brewing methods such as vacuum brewing and manual drip. Some reviews are oddly arranged here; for example, all Mr. Coffee machines are grouped together. This is another good place to find reviews of specialty coffee makers.

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9. SamCooks.com
May 2008
Best Brews: Coffee Makers That'll Wake You Up
by Sam Gugino
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Originally published in Wine Spectator magazine, this article is now reprinted on the author's blog. Sam Gugino tests several coffee makers, including the Technivorm Clubline KBT741, Capresso CoffeeTec and… Newco OCS-8, but he doesn't discuss his testing methodology. All three of those machines are said to get water hot enough for optimal brewing. Reviews are brief. Coffee makers are judged on coffee quality, brewing time, temperature and features.

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10. Cooking.com
As of May 2009
Best of Top Rated Coffee Makers
by Contributors to Cooking.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Unlike Amazon.com, Cooking.com makes it easy to find top-rated coffee makers. The site also allows you to sort models by number of reviews, sales rank and price. This is a great site to find user reviews of coffee makers.
11. CoffeeKid.com
Not Dated
Press Pots and Filter Drip Coffee
by Mark Prince
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Espresso enthusiast and senior editor for CoffeeGeek.com Mark Prince favors manual brewing. Otherwise, he recommends models that bridge the gap between the commercial and consumer markets, such as the Technivorm Clubline KBT741. His recommendation of "any Bunn machine" isn't very helpful.
12. Epinions.com
As of May 2009
Coffee Maker
by Contributors to Epinions.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Once you have your choice narrowed down to a few models, Epinions.com can be helpful for finding out what owners think about their coffee makers. In general, there aren't as many comments here as at Amazon.com. A decent number of reviews are posted for some machines, such as the Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200, but many machines have no reviews or aren't listed at all.
13. Whole Latte Love
As of May 2009
Reviews -- Coffee Makers
by Contributors to WholeLatteLove.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment There are fewer owner-written reviews here than at Cooking.com or Amazon.com, and this site can be a little tricky to navigate. However, the reviews are detailed and thoughtful.
14. Buzzillions.com
As of May 2009
Coffee Maker Reviews
by Contributors to Buzzilions.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Buzzillions.com promises "product reviews from people like you," and compiles reviews from Macy's, Best Buy, CoffeeMakers.com and others. The site makes it easy to see which coffee makers have garnered the most reviews, and what the overall average rating is. The Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 is currently rated in the top position.
15. Viewpoints.com
As of May 2009
Coffee Makers and Coffee Grinders Reviews
by Contributors to Viewpoints.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

At Viewpoints.com, owners can attach tags such as "coffeeholic" and "bargain hunter" to their reviews, so that readers can easily find owners whose concerns are similar to their own. The site makes it easy… to see which coffee makers are top-rated, but when you click through to view more coffee maker reviews, the models are sorted by brand, not by overall rating, and the brand names are not in alphabetic order.

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16. Target.com
As of May 2009
Electric Coffee Makers
by Contributors to Target.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment At Target.com, the Bunn GRX coffee maker earns above-average ratings, as does the Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15. It's easy to see how many owners have rated a particular model and what the overall star rating is, but it's impossible to sort coffee makers by rating. This is a good site to visit once you've narrowed down your choice to a few models.
17. About.com
Not Dated
Stainless Steel Thermal Coffee Makers
by Mariette Mifflin
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Mariette Mifflin, About.com's guide to housewares, offers this list of her top picks. Each coffee maker on this list receives a short description, but there are no comments on coffee taste, ease of use,… temperature or anything else that might indicate that these coffee makers were tested in any way. The Braun Impressions KF600 (now discontinued) and Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 are the top two, but it's not stated why these are better than others. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

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18. ConsumerGuide.com
Not Dated
Automatic Drip Coffee Makers Reviews and Prices
by Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
1 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment The ratings system at Consumer Guide gives numerical scores for performance, ease of use and features. Some of the coffee makers get "full expert reviews" which give a good overview of each model's features, but there's no discussion of testing. Nine coffee makers get a best-buy rating, but we're not sure why.

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