Best Coffee Makers

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By Jackie Watanabe

Summary

You might be cutting back on starbucks by making your own cup of joe, but how much do you need to spend on a coffee maker to get that same great taste? Consumer reports tested more than 50.

Story Published: Nov 17, 2009 at 8:12 PM PST

Best Coffee Makers
More people are brewing their own cups of coffee at home. Consumer Reports tested more than 50 coffeemakers to find ones that make good coffee and save you money.

"Our brew test measures a coffeemaker's ability to reach 195 to 205 degrees," said John Macchia of Consumer Reports. "That's the temperature you need to extract the most flavor from the coffee."

Testers also checked out traditional drip coffee makers and brew stations, which let you fill your cup directly from the machine. Prices ranged from $20 all the way up to $265.

But how expensive does your coffeemaker need to be to get good coffee?

The Technivorm DID aced Consumer Reports' brew tests, but it can be tricky to use.

"The Technivorm has a lot of parts and takes some patience to put together, and then you have to slide the carafe in the right spot or else it won't brew," Macchia said.

And the $165 Bunn BTX-B was fast, but its brew performance was just mediocre.

There were several very good, less expensive options. The top-rated $100 Cuisinart Brew Central is easy to use.

A coffeemaker from Kalorick came in at a close second. At $80, it costs just a third of the price of the Technivorm.