Waking up every morning without a fresh cup of coffee is something that many of us could not imagine. Not only is coffee delicious, but it provides us with the extra boost needed to stay awake and alert all throughout the day. With most of us drinking several cups of coffee throughout the day, many people have abandoned their old percolators for modern coffee makers. Not only are these machines much easier to use and come with a plethora of functions, they still provide the great taste that coffee drinkers love.
With hundreds of models on the market, it can be a tedious task to find one that fits into your budget and will allow you to make the perfect pot of coffee every time. Let’s take a look at the best coffee maker choices, broken down into class. Keep in mind that our major deciding factor consists of the overall price and the taste of the coffee.
Single Cup Coffee Maker
Starting first with the single cup coffee maker, we come across the Bunn Cafe Pourover Commercial Grade Brewer as the premium choice in this class. Not only is BUNN known for having the utmost in quality standards, they are also known for great prices, and even better – great tasting coffee.
The Bunn Cafe is meant for the single coffee drinker. While this is a great coffee maker for bachelors, it is also a terrific coffee maker for those that have a long commute to work every day. With the ability to produce 4 – 14 ounces of coffee, users can easily fill up their thermos in the morning and have a piping cup of coffee all the way to work.
Before deciding on the Bunn Cafe, let’s see some of the standout features that truly makes this the best single cup coffee maker in its class.
Standout Features
- Brew Type: Not only can coffee be brewed, but tea can also be made with the MCU. In fact, K-Cups, tea pods, loose tea, tag bags and ground coffee can all be brewed from this one machine.
- Brew Time: A single cup is brewed in under 30 seconds.
- Brew Size: Four to fourteen ounces of coffee can be brewed at one time. Simply place your mug on the drip tray and let the machine take care of the rest. If you want to use a travel mug, remove the drip tray to provide more space.
Filling up this model is simple as there are different drawers for all of the accepted brewing types. Using pulse brewing technology, a rich flavor is always present regardless of what is brewing. There is also an added benefit of simply filling the system with water. This is great for those that want a nice bowl of oatmeal in the morning. Simply add the water and have it heated up for you in an instant.
Cleaning is as simple as removing the drawers and running them under hot water. The outside can be easily cleaned with a sponge. It is recommended that after cleaning the different drawers, the user run the machine with hot water only to ensure that all of the internal parts are thoroughly cleaned. This should be done once a week to ensure that your model is always clean and ready to brew an exceptional cup of coffee.
Multi Cup Coffee Maker
While a single cup coffee maker is great for those that need a hot cup of java quickly, the multi cup versions are simply more versatile. If you are like me, you may need more than one cup of coffee before leaving the house, or you may have more than one coffee drinker present. In this case, the Bonavita BV1900 8-Cup Coffee Maker is competitively priced at under $200 ($129 at the time of publication) and comes with all of the features that more expensive models contain.
Starting with aesthetics, this model comes in either a glass or thermal carafe and will fit well with any modern décor. Manufactured with BPA-free plastic, this model is definitely worth the slight price increase over any single cup model and is backed with a 1400W heater. This provides the perfect brewing temperature at all times. With coffee, the ideal brewing temperature is between 195 – 205 degrees as stated by the National Coffee Association. If it exceeds this amount, the quality of the coffee will be jeopardized.
Standout Features
- Brew Type: Only ground coffee can be used in the BV1900.
- Brew Time: Brewing all 8 cups of coffee takes 5 – 6 minutes.
- Brew Size: Eight, five ounce cups of coffee can be brewed at one time.
- Heating: The thermal carafe model is used to keep the coffee much hotter than its glass counterpart. If you plan on brewing a pot of coffee and drinking it a few hours later as well, the thermal option is definitely ideal.
- SCAA-certified: Very few coffee makers have been SCAA-certified. This means that this model meets the standards set by the Specialty Coffee Association.
- Heater: Keep coffee the perfect temperature by turning on the heater setting. This setting ensures that coffee is always hot, but never over-brewed.
The BV1900 also allows for easy cleaning thanks to its filter basket. Simply remove the basket and clean on the respective filter with hot water. Once complete, run the system with only water to clean out any of the remaining debris that may have been left inside.
With a fast brewing time, this is the best coffee maker in this price range. Over 1,100 people on Amazon have rated this model with an average rating of 4.3. The only downside seen with this model is that it does not come with all the bells and whistles.
You will not find a brewing timer that turns on the machine when you wake up every morning. Unfortunately, those are meant for makers that come at a much higher price range. With that in mind, very few manufacturers can state that they have been SCAA-certified, meaning that you will receive one of the best cups of coffee possible with this machine.
Premium Class Coffee Maker
What does a premium class coffee maker look like? Miele. The Miele brand is known for providing superior coffee makers to the high-end market. While out of reach for many consumers, the Miele CM6350 Black Countertop Coffee System is simply in a class of its own.
This model comes with a stainless steel finishing and black body. While definitely not the size of your average maker, it is smaller than most premium models and is packed with features that you will not find anywhere else in this price range. This piece of German engineering beauty is tested to deliver over 20 years of use, or 50 thousand cups of coffee, during its lifetime. So, what does a premium model include?
Standout Features
- Brew Type: The 6350 can brew coffee, cappuccino, latte macchiato, espresso, hot water and froth.
- Brew Time: An average brewing time of 3 – 4 minutes is given depending on the amount of coffee being brewed.
- Brew Size: Over 61 ounces can be brewed at any given time. Four portion settings are available which include coffee and espresso as well as their double counterparts.
- Hot Water Spout: A separate container of hot water is perfect for tea.
- LED Display: Quickly and easily select your ideal brewing type with a 2 line LED display.
- Adjustable Coffee Sprout: Need a larger cup of coffee? Adjust the coffee spout and fill any cup size with ease.
- Cup Warmer: Warm up any cups you may have with a built-in cup warmer.
- Automatic Cleaning: Every time the machine is turned off, it will automatically clean the inside of the machine. Even the milk pipework is cleaned to ensure that you never have to take apart the machine and clean it by hand.
This is the best coffee maker for small offices or the homeowner that simply cannot go without the utmost in coffee. There is a setting to automatically heat up the coffee in the morning as well as coffee strength settings so that you can choose the ideal setting for you. If multiple people use the same machine, individual settings can be saved so that you never have to worry about adjusting settings each time you want to brew a new cup of coffee.
Each of the coffee makers mentioned come with their own set of perks. While the Miele CM6350 is the ideal choice for anyone that has an extreme budget for coffee, the BUNN MCU is the perfect choice for an avid coffee drinker that wants to adhere to a strict budget when choosing their coffee maker.
It is important to note that the first two models mentioned may not come with all of the extras, such as frothing or automatic brewing features. This was done on purpose because these features simply add to the overall price and do not provide much in the way of brewing power, or the overall taste that is seen. However, for their price, they come with all of the essentials and produce the utmost in flavor – which is truly what matters.