If machines had features like a “bold” setting or the ability to brew half batches, we tested them to see what kind of difference the setting made (this was a particularly involved test with the Fellow and the Breville machines). For machines with thermal carafes, we used probe thermometers to test how long they kept coffee above 110℉.
How we judged these coffee makers
Did they make good coffee?
The single most important thing you want from a drip coffee maker is a pot of coffee you actually want to drink. We looked for coffee makers that provided the most depth of flavor and nuance to their coffee. We discounted anything that made coffee that was burnt or watery.
The point of a drip machine is to deliver your morning coffee in large quantities with minimal thinking from you. That means it should be easy to fill and easy to operate. If a machine has lots of customizable options like the Fellow Aiden, we thought using them should still be straightforward enough that we could pick up their operation quickly.
Do they have special features and do those features work?
A number of machines offered the ability to precisely regulate temperature. Some came with thermal carafes. Most had the very basic, but very important ability to schedule a brew ahead of time. We used every single option available.
How do they look? How do they feel?
As drip coffee makers have advanced technologically they have also advanced aesthetically. We tested a number of machines that looked quite handsome on the countertop. We also noticed that a lot of the inexpensive machines felt too light and flimsy, which we consider an indicator that they may not last very long.
Other drip coffee makers we liked
These machines, which include several of the fancier SCA-certified brewers as well as a number of simple, cheap ones, didn’t make our short list of top picks, but they did well enough that we think you’ll be happy if you pick one up.
Ratio Eight Series 2 Coffee Maker
The only problem with the new Ratio 8 (currently available for preorder) is that it’s so damn expensive. But it’s also part coffee maker, part art object—with wooden accents and a hand-blown glass carafe—so for the right person, the price may well be worth it. The coffee it brews is superb: evenly bloomed, well-extracted, and just as easy to make as with the Ratio Six, thanks to the same single-button operation.
The new version of the Ratio Eight adds a half-carafe mode (just long-press the brew button) that adjusts bloom time and flow depending on the batch size. It also comes with the thermal carafe to end all thermal carafes; it’s the heaviest one I’ve ever used and kept water above 120°F for four hours.
Beautiful, functional, and built to last, this is a great machine. But with a price around $700, it’s in that echelon of luxury goods that isn’t accessible to a wide enough audience to earn it a top pick.
Breville Luxe Drip Coffee Machine
Newly released in 2025, Breville’s Luxe Brewer has the look and feel of something designed specifically to compete in this world of increasingly customizable, increasingly high-end drip coffee makers. It offers the ability to set bloom volume, bloom time, water temperature, and flow rate. Plus, it makes cold brew overnight.
This is undoubtedly a very good coffee maker, and once someone learns how to use it, we think they’ll be pleased with what they get. However, it costs almost the same amount as the Fellow Aiden, but it doesn’t give you quite as much. Bloom volume and flow rate, for example, can only be set to low, medium, and high. And while that might be plenty of optionality for most people in most situations, the point of having all these settings is to offer the ability to tease out exactly the flavor you want from any batch of beans. And we think the Fellow’s more precise capabilities are worth an extra 20 bucks.
The interface of the Breville is also a little confusing. When you turn it on, it’s not immediately clear whether you’re adjusting settings or starting a brew cycle, and many of the customization options are represented by unlabeled icons. In an era of increasingly complex appliances, an intuitive, user-friendly interface is more important than ever, and here is where the Luxe Brewer falls short.
Breville Precision Brewer
Breville Precision Brewer
This is where the subjective part of our testing is going to show itself. The Breville Precision Brewer is, in many ways, the Fellow Aiden before there was a Fellow Aiden. It offers temperature control to a single degree, customizable bloom time and flow rate, different shaped filter baskets for different flavor profiles, and it even offers cold brew. We just liked the taste of the coffee from the Fellow more.
But this is a terrific machine that can do so many things. If you’re a general fan of Breville the brand or just like their whole stainless steel aesthetic, we recommend this one as a good high-end coffee maker without reservation.
Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV
Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV 10-Cup Coffee Maker
A longtime darling of both online coffee publications and coffee lovers, Technivorm Moccamaster machines were some of the first to stake a claim on good drip coffee. They were actually the first to receive the SCA Golden Cup standard stamp of approval. And indeed the coffee from the Moccamaster is tasty. It’s also simple in the way you’d traditionally expect a drip coffee maker to be. Just an on/off switch and a full pot/half pot switch.
Despite those two very big plusses, there are a few things that land the Moccamaster down here instead of up with our top picks. One is its look. Compared to the Ratio machine, which is just as simple but also offers extras like bloom time in the brewing process and a thermal carafe, the Technivorm takes up more counter space and doesn’t look nearly as sleek. But if you’re into the Technivorm’s diner coffee maker aesthetic (and I totally respect if that’s your thing) it is a high quality, long lasting coffee maker (the test kitchen has had the same one for more than four years).
Zojirushi Dome Classic Coffee Maker
Zojirushi Dome Brew Classic Coffee Maker (Stainless Black)
With more than twice the capacity of the Zojirushi Zutto, the Dome offers a more traditional drip coffee maker experience. Like the Zutto, it produces coffee that punches above its weight for its price point, and the simplicity of a single switch that both brews coffee and turns on the warming plate. The removable showerhead does a nice job of fully saturating the coffee grounds, and a “bold” setting concentrates the water to extract bigger flavors. A standout design detail is its silicone gasket, which seals the top of the carafe during brewing to help keep the coffee at temperature as it drips through. If you’re looking for a straightforward, no-fuss machine that makes great coffee without breaking the bank, the Dome is an excellent pick.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew
Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker
The Grind and Brew effectively toes the line between a simple, self-contained coffee maker and a techy, customizable one. The built-in grinder has six grind sizes and, while it’s not so nice or versatile that we’d pick it over a stand alone burr grinder, it gets the job done.
This machine has variable temperatures between 185℉ and 205℉ and can brew using the SCA’s Golden Cup standard. That made its coffee both very good and very consistent. And it’s a nice touch that you can easily switch between a setting for single cups and one for full carafes. Ultimately, it ended up in this middle space of not being able to do as much as the Fellow Aiden but holding a price tag that keeps it out of what we’d consider a “budget” range.
Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker
Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker
This is basically the Café Grind and Brew without the grinder or the single serve option, and at under $200 at the time of writing, the glass carafe model is actually priced low enough that we’d recommend it for someone who thinks the Fellow or the Ratio machines are a bridge too far for their wallet.