Coffee Makers Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Coffee Makers. See our ratings criteria

For recommendations of best Coffee Makers, see our Fast Answers page, which summarizes what these reviews say. A longer summary and analysis appears in our Full Story report for Coffee Makers. Our Where to Buy page contains information on retailers and Coffee Makers prices.

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Coffee Makers Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Makers Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Coffeemakers Editors of Consumer Reports Feb. 2008		Consumer Reports evaluates twenty-nine 8-to-12-cup coffee makers, as well as five "to-go" models, which include a thermal mug. Ratings assess each coffee maker on convenience, pouring and ability to produce brews of varying strengths. Although editors note a trend toward integrated grinders, thermal carafes and custom brewing, most consumers choose no-frills coffee makers in the end.
2. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Drip Coffee Makers: Updated Editors of Cook's Illustrated Apr. 2007		Although only eight coffee makers are tested, editors at Cook's Illustrated go into far more detail than those at Consumer Reports. None of the eight budget coffee makers succeeded in reaching a hot enough brewing temperature or short enough brewing time, and all made similar tasting coffee. Three coffee makers proved easiest to use and felt sturdier than most: Black & Decker DCM2000, Braun AromaDeluxe KF510 and Mr. Coffee VBX23.

Coffee Makers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Makers Ratings Comments on Reviews

3. The Wall Street Journal >> Details/Subscribe	Warming Up to Thermal Coffee-Makers Melissa Schorr May 19, 2006		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 in heat retention after four hours. The DeLonghi 10-cup thermal coffee maker takes the prize for best value. The Zojirushi Fresh Brew kept coffee hottest over four hours.
4. Amazon.com	Coffee Makers Contributors to Amazon.com As of Mar. 2008		Amazon.com is a good source for owner-written coffee maker ratings, and we found a wider variety of comments posted here than at Epinions. For the most part, coffee makers get average ratings of about 4 stars (out of 5), and many receive over 100 reviews. Amazon.com works best once you narrow your choice to a few models. Amazon.com is perhaps most useful for identifying problem coffee makers, especially when owners report consistent problems with specific models. We used the reviews at Amazon.com to cross-reference coffee maker reviews in professional publications.
5. Food & Wine Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	An Obsessive's Guide to Coffee Ray Isle and Lily Barberio Mar. 2006		Editors list eight of their favorite coffeemakers, each of which they describe in a single sentence. Although they say that they spent 410 hours testing 67 coffeemakers, 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 for its ability to heat water to 200º F, as well as the "superfast" Capresso MT500. They like the "user-friendly" Braun Impressions KF600 (now discontinued) and the "ingenious" Cuisinart Coffee on Demand. Editors also recommend coffee roasters and grinders.

Coffee Makers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Makers Ratings Comments on Reviews

6. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	The "New" Coffee Makers Adam Ried Nov. 1, 2003		Editors rate three combination grinder/automatic drip machines, two electric vacuum machines and two pump-driven single-cup brewers. They use several criteria, including flavor of the finished brew, convenience, brew time and temperature immediately after brewing -- 30 minutes and an hour later. The Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew bests two others in its category; the discontinued Black & Decker Infuze sweeps the vacuum-pots category, and the Melitta One gets the nod in the single-cup division. Editors admit that they prefer robust coffee over mild, light-bodied brews.
7. CoffeeGeek.com	Coffee Geek Reviews Editors and contributors to CoffeeGeek.com As of Mar. 2008		A spin-off of CoffeeKid.com, CoffeeGeek.com offers expert reviews of select coffee makers. Both novices and aficionados rate machines, and how-to guides teach readers everything from making froth to brewing Turkish coffee. The site also provides a discussion forum. The Capresso CoffeeTEC and Cuisinart Brew Central get higher overall ratings than others, but readers tend to prefer alternative brewing methods such as vacuum brewing and manual drip.
8. Bon Appetit >> Details/Subscribe	Meet Your Maker Dorie Greenspan Mar. 2004		As might be expected of a noted cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan provides fail-safe instructions for brewing a flavorful cup. Along the way, she recommends five coffee makers based on personal experience. She likes the Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew and the "gorgeous" Capresso MT500. However, no specific testing or comparisons are noted, and this report is now very dated.

Coffee Makers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Makers Ratings Comments on Reviews

9. Cooking.com	Best of Top Rated Coffee Makers Contributors to Cooking.com As of Mar. 2008		Unlike Amazon.com, Cooking.com makes it easy to find top-rated coffeemakers. The site also allows you to sort by number of reviews, best-selling machines and price. Complicated coffeemakers such as the Bodum Santos vacuum pot, which comes with an instructional video, garner a surprising number of reviews (more than 60 in this case). This may be because reviewers are mostly food-and-drink enthusiasts. This is a great site to find user reviews on coffee makers.
10. CoffeeKid.com	Press Pots and Filter Drip Coffee Mark Prince Not Dated		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. The recommendation for "any Bunn machine" isn't very helpful.
11. Domino Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Test Drive: Coffeemakers Editors of Domino Magazine Sept. 2005		Domino, a self-proclaimed “Guide to Living In Style,” enlists a coffee importer, its technology editor and its staff to test six "stylish" coffee makers. This focus on design means that a few lesser-known machines -- including Technivorm Clubline, Jasper Morrison and Russell Hobbs machines -- make the list. Coffee makers are judged on looks, ease of use and taste. Editors disagree somewhat as to what constitutes good design, and reviews are brief, but the writing is snappy. This review is now out of date.
12. About.com	Top 8 Stainless Steel Thermal Coffee Makers Mariette Mifflin Not Dated		About.com's Guide to Housewares offers this list of "my 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. (Note that ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com.) The Braun Impressions KF600 (discontinued) and Zojirushi Fresh Brew are the top two, but it's not stated why these are better than others.
13. About.com	Top 6 Large Drip Coffee Makers Sean Paajanen Not Dated		About.com's coffee and tea guide Sean Paajanen offers his picks for full-sized auto-drip coffee makers. Each coffee maker gets a short blurb that indicates no testing. Some models are discontinued, and some aren't specific. For example, Paajanen recommends the Mr. Coffee Drip Coffee Maker, but without specifying a model. This list isn't very useful. (Note that ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com.)
14. Epinions	Coffee Makers Contributors to Epinions As of Mar. 2008		Once you have your choice narrowed down to a few models, consumer opinion sites such as Epinions 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 DCC-1200, but many machines have no reviews or aren't listed at all.
15. CoffeeGeek.com	Coffee Maker Reviews Contributors to Coffeegeek.com As of Mar. 2008		Although the focus here is on espresso machines, the site does make it easy to find owner-written coffee maker reviews. Members judge the quality of each review, a feature we appreciate. Reviews tend to be long and detailed, and this site is an information bonanza for coffee buffs. However, some reviews are oddly arranged; for example, all Mr. Coffee machines are grouped together. This is another good place to find reviews on specialty coffee makers.
16. Whole Latte Love	Coffee Maker Reviews Contributors to WholeLatteLove.com As of Mar. 2008		There aren't that many owner-written reviews here -- and they’re only reviews for Capresso and Krups models. There aren't as many reviews as at Cooking.com or Amazon.com.

Coffee Makers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Makers Ratings Comments on Reviews

17. Consumer Guide.com	Automatic Drip Coffee Makers Reviews and Prices Editors of ConsumerGuide.com As of Mar. 2008		A new ratings system at Consumer Guide now gives numerical scores for performance, ease of use and features, but there's no discussion of testing, and it's unclear whether editors even saw these models in person. Nine coffee makers get a best-buy rating, but we're not sure why.