Here’s the thing: we love making coffee by hand here at JavaPresse—but we’re not snobs! We understand that sometimes automatic coffee makers are the best way to make a few morning mugs for yourself or your family.
So while many of our articles talk about the benefits of manually making coffee (like with a french press), we wanted to give some golden insights to those of you looking for a reliable, high-quality coffee pot.
You deserve excellent coffee that can transform your morning, even if you’re not making it by hand.
So let’s jump into the best automatic coffee makers out there right now, as well as what makes them the best.
Read: How To Pair Your Coffee Brewer With Its Perfect Grind Size
How We Know These Are The Best Coffee Makers
There are tons of coffee maker reviews out there that claim every coffee maker under the sun is an amazing buy—but that can’t possibly be true and it’s all based on subjective thoughts.
For example, I once read a glowing 5-star review of a coffee maker that’s known to spontaneously combust and burn houses down… Something’s not right about that!
We’re not just using our opinions here and trying to sell you something like many review sites.
We’re using objective fact to discover the best coffee pots (which we don’t even sell).
And this objective fact comes to us from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and its in-depth research on coffee brewers. Coffee scientists in the organization are constantly testing new brewers to see if they meet a strict set of standards for making excellent coffee. Among these are:
- Getting up to the right water temperature
- Evenly brewing all the grounds
- Brewing for an appropriate amount of time
- Produce an objectively balanced cup (extraction percentage and other geeky stuff)
The brewers that pass become “SCA Certified Brewers”.
And there’s only 14 of them.
Yeah. Thousands of coffee makers in the United States… and only 14 of them are certified by the SCA. These are the best of the best!
Read: How To: The Golden Ratios in Coffee Brewing
Let’s take a look at each brewer.
1. Technivorm Moccamaster
This retro-style coffee maker may not look that fancy, but it’s been on the SCA list for years now. It has a large 10-cup carafe, a super simple and reliable brew process, and takes about six minutes to brew a stellar carafe of coffee.
2-3. KitchenAid Pour Over & Normal Coffee Brewers
KitchenAid actually has two brewers on the list, both of which have been released since the brand entered the specialty coffee space in 2013.
Both of these are marketed as automatic pour over coffee makers, which, is a little funny because all drip coffee pots are really pour over brewers. You can’t go wrong with either Certified model.
4-5. Bonavita Normal And Digital Coffee Makers
From the makers of the much-beloved Bonavita water kettles come two SCA Certified Brewers:
The non-digital model is a classic, having been a Certified Brewer for several years now. The digital model is slightly newer and adds some features like a clock and an auto-start timer. I highly suggest getting the thermal carafe option—it’ll keep your coffee warm for much longer than the glass carafe.
Read: Getting Started With Specialty Coffee: Essential Equipment
6-7. OXO On 9 And 12-Cup Brewers
The blossoming kitchen brand OXO surprised the coffee industry a couple years ago when it released its effective “On” coffee makers. Two models are SCA Certified at the moment:
- OXO On Barista Brain 9 Cup Coffee Maker
- OXO On Barista Brain 12 Cup Coffee Maker with Removable Kettle
You’ll get a killer cup from both brewers, but the 12-cup version has a few benefits to it. For one, the larger capacity means more coffee. Secondly, it has a removable kettle that you can use to heat water for tea, cooking, or whatever without having to buy a second piece of gear. That makes for a pretty handy 2-in-1 device.
8. Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker
This minimalist coffee maker can’t help but attract the eyes of everyone in the room. It’s sleek, it’s simple, and it looks like a strange science experiment more than a coffee brewer. This is certainly one you want to consider if you have a minimalist kitchen and don’t want a bulky coffee maker to ruin the theme.
9. BUNN 10-Cup Programmable
BUNN typically makes big coffee makers for cafes and restaurants, but they seem to have hit the bullseye with this powerful home brewer. It certainly looks more like a typical low-grade coffee pot, but the researchers at the SCA agree: it’s a quality brewer you can rely on to make great coffee for you.
10. Cuisinart PurePrecision Pour Over Brewer
Cuisinart makes a lot of low and mid-grade coffee makers that we don’t really suggest buying, but this one truly stands out from the rest of its product line. This automatic pour over brewer has a standard 8-cup carafe, a nice digital display, and a thermal carafe to keep your coffee hot for hours.
Read: Whole Bean vs Ground Coffee: 3 Reasons You Should Be Buying Whole Bean
11-12. Behmor Connected And Brazen Plus Brewers
You may have heard of the Behmore coffee roaster (it’s like a small roaster oven that wins lots of rewards), but they’ve also created a couple SCA Certified Brewers:
The Behmor Connected is the first smart coffee brewer on the list, capable of being controlled by your smartphone or even Amazon Alexa. You can manipulate the brewing recipe by the app or even download recipes from other people. Cool!
The Brazen Plus is closer to the other Certified Brewers: digital display, thermal carafe, and stellar coffee.
13-14. Breville Precision Brewers
Breville, like KitchenAid, has also entered the specialty coffee market in the last few years. They now have a coffee maker (with two models) that meet SCA standards:
- Breville Precision Brewer
- Breville Precision Brewer Glass
Don’t get me wrong—I love glass carafes. But for longevity of the brewer and the coffee heat, I recommend getting the standard thermal carafe model of the two.
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These 14 brewers really are the best coffee makers out there right now. They brew with incredible technique, reach a good and consistent water temperature, and end up giving you mug of coffee that tastes like it’s from a cafe.
But it’s not the brewer that makes the biggest difference in your coffee quality.
It’s the beans!
Start off with excellent beans that are freshly roasted and specialty-grade and your coffee flavor will be off-the-charts-delicious.
