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Home / Lifestyle / Food
Food

The Best High-End Coffee Makers for a Tasty Cup of Joe

By Dobrina Zhekova on May 29, 2020

These brewers will make you look forward to waking up in the morning.

© Guido Mieth/Getty Images

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Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

A fresh cup of coffee makes it much easier to start—and go through—the day. It’s a fairly simple process: in most cases, hot water is poured over ground coffee beans and you can enjoy the result in a few minutes. But there are also many variables—such as water temperature, extraction method, or, of course, the type of coffee bean you use—that could fundamentally alter the taste. That’s why knowing how you like your cup brewed, and then investing in a good coffee maker, is so important. 

“Ultimately, the customer or drinker is the arbiter of quality,” said Shawn Steiman, who has a Ph.D. in coffee studies from the University of Hawai‘i-Manoa and is the author of multiple books about coffee. “Once they know that [what they like to taste], they can backtrack to find the coffees and brew methods that are most likely to produce those flavor experiences.”

Related: The Best Espresso Machines for the At-Home Barista

He explains that a machine that uses the full immersion and agitation methods such as a French press or a Solden Softbrew pot, would produce the most flavor if the water temperature and coffee-to-water ratio are equal. 

“The reason is that the water and coffee will interact more and thus the chemical extraction will be more efficient,” he added.

”Full immersion [method] that uses a metal filter permits more sediment and oils to make it in the brew, thus giving a heavier body as well as a more rounded—some folks might say muddied—taste experience.”

Related: The Secret to Make Amazing Coffee at Home

And gravity-fed brewers such as pour-over or drip coffee makers with paper filters give the sharpest and cleanest experiences, according to Steiman.

To make it easier for you, we rounded up the best coffee makers that will brew you the tastiest, most aromatic cup of coffee you’ve ever had.

 
Courtesy Crate and Barrel

SMEG Cream Drip Coffee Maker

The Italian company not only produces some of the best kitchen appliances on the market but some of the most stylish ones, too. This drip coffee maker, for example, has a 1950s-inspired bullet-like silhouette that will definitely add a touch of mid-century modern to your kitchen counter.

Unlike its vintage look, though, its features are all modern. You can program it to the exact time when you’d like your coffee to be ready, set the boldness level, and keep it warm for up to 60 minutes after it has been brewed.

To buy: $200, crateandbarrel.com

Courtesy Sur La Table

Jura S8 Automatic Coffee Machine

Say hello to your personal barista because every cup of coffee that this award-winning machine produces tastes like it was made by a professional. All you have to do is choose your favorite drink from a list of 15 options among which a flat white, a latte macchiato, and a ristretto on the high-resolution color touchscreen display, and the machine will take care of the rest.

From the efficient and super-fast grinder to the special foam and coffee extraction technology, everything in this coffee maker is at a professional level so that each drink that flows out of it is full of flavor and aroma.

To buy: $2,900, williams-sonoma.com

Courtesy Bed Bath & Beyond

KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Get your daily cold brew fix at home with this best-selling KitchenAid coffee maker. It has an easy to clean stainless steel steeper with level markings, a tap, and a glass reservoir with a capacity for five cups. Simply put coffee and filtered water in the steeper (no filter required) and let your coffee steep for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator before enjoying it.

To buy: $100, bedbathandbeyond.com

Courtesy Sur La Table

Hario V60 Drip Coffee Brewer

To the fans of pour-over coffee: this Japanese-made brewer is truly the stuff of (caffeinated) dreams. It has a stainless steel construction known for its superior heat distribution qualities that is essential for even coffee extraction.

To buy: $72, surlatable.com

Courtesy Sur La Table

Wolf Gourmet 10-Cup Coffee Maker

Enjoy a hot, freshly brewed cup of coffee each morning thanks to this premium drip coffee maker with a thermal carafe. Simply set the desired brew strength (there are five options to choose from) and the number of cups, and you'll be on your way to the perfect cup of Joe. 

The LCD display will inform you when it’s time to re-fill the removable water reservoir as well as how to descale it. The coffee maker also has a built-in water filtration system that will ensure your coffee always tastes pure and delicious.

To buy: $500, surlatable.com

Courtesy Nordstrom

Moccamaster KBG Coffee Brewer

Impeccable attention to detail at every step of the brewing process makes this drip coffee maker a must-have. From the environmentally-friendly copper boiling element that can brew up to 40 ounces of coffee in just six minutes to the hot plate that will keep your pot warming at 175 F or 185 F, this coffee maker will produce the most delicious and aromatic cup you’ve ever had.

To buy: $349, nordstrom.com

Courtesy Sur La Table

Hario Siphon Coffee Brewer

We promise you this is an actual coffee machine and not a setup for a chemistry experiment. And it’s actually super easy to use, despite its technical appearance. The siphon brewing method, or a vacuum brewing method as it’s also known, delivers the smoothest and, some say, the best-tasting coffee ever. It combines full immersion and low-pressure extraction methods, two techniques used in French presses and drip machines.

Simply fill the lower glass chamber with water and the upper one with freshly ground coffee beans and watch how your perfect cup of Joe will magically appear again in the lower chamber.

To buy: $94, surlatable.com

Courtesy Lumens

Michael Graves Press Coffee Maker

When design and function unite, the end result is something as striking as this French coffee press. It was designed by famous American architect Michael Graves back 1989 who once said that his goal was “to up the ante on good design” and produced by Italian household manufacturer Alessi.

The coffee container is made from a heat-resistant glass held in a stainless steel cage.

To buy: $235, lumens.com

Courtesy Ratio Coffee

Ratio Eight Coffee Maker

If you enjoy the taste of pour-over coffee but not necessarily the manual process of preparing it, then you’re going to love this coffee maker. It emulates the pour-over technique but you don’t have to do anything else other than fill up the water tank, add a filter, and coffee. The machine will do the rest for you.

It heats the water up to around 200 degrees for optimal extraction and “waits” for the initial bubble—the result of hot water being poured over freshly roasted beans— to settle down before delivering the rest of the water.

And not to state the obvious but the machine’s design is incredibly chic, too.

To buy: $495, ratiocoffee.com

Courtesy Williams Sonoma

DeLonghi Dinamica Fully Automatic Coffee Maker & Espresso Machine

Whether you are craving a refreshing cup of cold brew, a creamy latte, or an aromatic cup of strong black coffee, you can have it all with the touch of a button.

The DeLonghi Dinamica allows you to customize the brew strength and the size of your drink as well as choose the best bean grind thanks to a built-in 13 setting steel burr grinder.

To buy: $1,000, williams-sonoma.com

Courtesy Nordstrom

Espro P7 Coffee French Press

You’ll probably want to leave this sleek French coffee press on your kitchen counter because it doubles as a modern and uber-cool piece of home décor. But it also makes great-tasting coffee which is even more important. Thanks to its double-walled stainless steel construction, your coffee will stay hot (or cold) for much longer. Brewing and cleaning are a breeze—the built-in microfilter (also perfect for brewing tea) ensures easy and mess-free separation.

To buy: $130, nordstrom.com

Courtesy Bloomingdale's

Le Creuset Oyster French Press

You already know that food tastes much better when it’s cooked in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. And the same applies to coffee for the exact same reason—the sturdy stoneware construction guarantees even heat distribution and coffee extraction as the material does not affect the coffee’s taste or aroma. Plus, this being Le Creuset, you can choose between seven shade options to add a pop of color to your kitchen.

To buy: $75, bloomingdales.com

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