BEST COFFEE MAKERS OF 2026: EXPERT PICKS TO ENRICH YOUR MORNING
A great morning starts with a great cup of coffee, and these nine top brewers all deliver!
“Coffee maker” is a shockingly broad range of products. After all, something as simple as a sock suspended over a mug can make coffee. (Don’t worry, I don’t have any sock recommendations in this article.)
I’ve spent the past decade testing, rating, and reviewing coffee and espresso makers. I’ve rounded up my favorite in every category, from the best espresso machine to the perfect pour-over dripper. Let me help you find the ideal coffee maker to meet your needs.
At A Glance:
- TOP PICK: Technivorm Moccamaster KBT
- FOR ESPRESSO: Rancilio Sivia M
- MANUAL BREWING: Kalita Wave
9 Best Coffee Makers 2026
It’s not easy to narrow down the best coffee makers given the sheer number of options and types of coffee makers. Inevitably, some fantastic brewers couldn’t make the list. But I can say with confidence that every coffee maker listed below delivers a top-rated combination of coffee flavor, build quality and design, user-friendliness, and value for money.
| image | product | details | |
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| No products found. | Technivorm Moccamaster KBT |
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| No products found. | Breville Precision Brewer |
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Rancilio Silvia M |
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| No products found. | Nespresso Pixie |
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| No products found. | Kalita Wave |
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| No products found. | Oxo Good Grips Brewer |
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| No products found. | Secura French Press |
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| No products found. | Aeropress Coffee Maker |
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| No products found. | Bialetti Moka Express |
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1. Technivorm Moccamaster KBT
Type of machine: Drip
- Dimensions: 16.1 x 13 x 6.7 inches
- Capacity: 10 cups
- Brews with: Medium ground coffee
The Technivorm Moccamaster is an icon in the specialty coffee industry, long favored by serious coffee enthusiasts everywhere – myself and the whole Home Brews Coffee team included. It’s even certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) for its ability to produce the perfect cup.
It doesn’t come cheap, but the combination of build quality, stunning good looks, and richly flavorful coffee make it fantastic value regardless.
The Moccamaster KBT is handmade in the Netherlands to exacting standards. With a powerful copper heating element, it delivers water at the ideal brew temperature for specialty coffee and uses a thermal carafe to keep coffee hot without altering its flavor (1).
This brewer is very easy to use. Add the coffee and water, turn it on, and let it brew. Indeed, you might be disappointed if you expected the high purchase price to deliver a lot of options and features. The only adjustable setting is the ability to brew a half-carafe.
Personally, I enjoy the simplicity. This home coffee maker does one thing, and it does it perfectly at just the touch of a button, which is exactly what I want first thing in the morning.
For more details, read my Technivorm Moccamaster review.
2. Breville Precision Brewer
Type of machine: Drip
- Dimensions: 14 x 9 x 16 inches
- Capacity: 12 cups
- Brews with: Medium ground coffee
Like the Moccamaster, the Breville Precision Brewer is an automatic drip coffee machine with an SCA certification, durable stainless steel casing, and thermal carafe. But in contrast to the Moccamaster’s simplicity, the Precision Brewer is the most feature-packed coffee machine I’ve ever tested, with settings to customize every aspect of your brew.
That said, it’s still easy to use if you opt for one of the presets (Gold Cup, Fast, Strong Brew, Ice Coffee, Cold Brew, My Brew). Gold Cup is the specialty coffee option and the setting I found myself using most often.
Want to explore? You can adjust the bloom time, water temperature, and flow rate. You can even swap between a flat-bottom or conical basket, which has been shown to influence the coffee flavor profile.
There is much more to say about this reliable coffee maker than I can convey in this quick summary, so be sure to check out my full Breville Precision Brewer review.
3. Rancilio Silvia M
Type of machine: Espresso machine
- Dimensions: 9.25 x 11.25 x 13.7 inches
- Capacity: 67.6 oz
- Brews with: Fine espresso grind
The Rancilio Silvia has been a stalwart of the serious home espresso scene for nearly two decades, one of the original prosumer machines. And it’s still going strong. While it does have a bit more of a learning curve than an automatic machine, it remains my favorite for its combination of espresso quality and durable build.
Rancilio is a commercial espresso brand, and the Silvia is essentially a commercial machine scaled down for home use. It offers features like a brass boiler, professional steam wand, and commercial-standard 58-mm group head.
It might take you a day or two to dial in your barista skills, but then you’ll be making truly cafe-quality espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos. And you’ll be making them for years; the Silvia is renowned for its tank-like build.
4. Nespresso Pixie
Types of machine: Pod Machine
- Dimensions: 4.4 x 12.8 x 9.6 inches
- Capacity: 24 oz
- Brews with: Nespresso capsules
I can’t say I’m a huge fan of coffee brewed from capsules, but I certainly understand the Nespresso Pixie’s enduring appeal. It’s quiet, compact, super simple, very fast, and affordably priced – everything a pod machine should be.
And in all honesty, the shots are pretty tasty. They’re not as good as something from a decent espresso machine, but they’re robust and capped with a nice little crema. Nespresso’s single-serve brews are a huge step up from Keurig.
You get two brew size options – a single shot and a lungo – and nothing else. This is not a programmable coffee maker, and you’ll need to buy a separate milk frother if you want to make cafe-style drinks like lattes.
There are two versions of the Nespresso Pixie made by Breville and Delonghi. They have different aesthetics and the Breville is slightly more premium, but the brewing systems are identical.
5. Kalita Wave
Type of machine: Pour over
- Dimensions: 4.8 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches
- Capacity: 2 cups, 4 cups
- Brews with: Medium ground coffee
It’s hard for me to choose a favorite pour over brewer. As a specialty coffee fan, I think it’s worth having a few in your arsenal as each offers its own quirks and charms – and none are particularly expensive.
But if you’re new to the pour-over method and looking for a great starting place, I recommend the Kalita Wave.
It’s available in two sizes (1-2 cups and 2-4 cups) and four materials (glass, ceramic, copper, or stainless steel), but the stainless steel version is classic for a reason. It nicely balances thermal conductivity, practicality, and price.
The main reason I’d suggest the Wave is that it’s relatively user-friendly compared with the equally famous (and wonderful) Hario V60 and Chemex. The flat-bottom design and three drainage holes make it easy to control water flow and ensure a complete and balanced extraction.
The only real downside to the Wave is that it is only compatible with specific basket filters, and they tend to be a bit pricier than more readily conical filters. But I wouldn’t let that hold you back.
Home Brews Coffee has a whole video on top pour-over coffee makers, and it’s a great watch if you’re interested in the technique:
6. Oxo Good Grips Brewer
Type of machine: Cold brew
- Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.5 x 14.7 inches
- Capacity: 32 oz
- Brews with: Coarse grinds
A dedicated cold brew coffee maker is a worthwhile purchase if you drink cold brew often. Yes, you can easily make cold brew in a French press or mason jar. But the Oxo Good Grips Brewer makes the whole process much easier and more consistent, and its value is signifcantly increased by its low price.
The big perk of using this device versus something jerry-rigged at home is the drainage button. If you’ve ever tried to strain cold brew concentrate, you know it can take hours to fully drip through. The Good Grips brewer renders this process hands-off, so you can carry on with your day.
To a lesser extent, the rainshower lid is also a nice perk. It does an excellent job of ensuring all the coffee grounds are saturated.
Read my full review of the Oxo Good Grips cold brew maker for more details.
7. Secura French Press
Type of machine: French press
- Dimensions: 6.7 x 6.1 x 9.8 inches
- Capacity: 12 oz, 17 oz, 34 oz, or 50 oz
- Brews with: Medium-coarse grinds
There are a lot of similar French presses on the market, and given the forgiving nature of this brewing method, they’re all pretty reliable when it comes to making great-tasting coffee. The Secura French press is my top pick for its excellent value – including adding two extra filter screens to the box.
It’s a stainless steel double-wall vacuum-insulated model, which I generally favor over simpler glass designs. It does a better job of maintaining the brew water temperature during the steeping time, ensuring a more evenly extracted and better-flavored brew. And, of course, it’s far more durable.
The only downside to a metal brewer is that you can’t see how much coffee you’ve added. I don’t find that a real hardship at home, where I’m weighing my coffee beans anyway. But it’s worth noting if you plan to take your French press camping.
The Secura comes in an impressive array of sizes (from single-serve to about 6 cups) and colors (silver, black, grey, blue, brown, and red).
8. Aeropress Coffee Maker
Type of machine: Immersion
- Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 9.5 inches
- Capacity: 10 oz
- Brews with: Ground coffee
Here’s the brewer you should be taking camping! Beloved by backpackers and professional baristas alike, the Aeropress combines immersion and pressurized brewing to produce complex, smooth, and robust shots of coffee (2).
I love the Aeropress for so many reasons that it’s hard to know where to start. It’s incredibly simple yet incredibly versatile. It’s compact and lightweight, adding less than 8 ounces to your pack weight. It’s nearly impossible to break. It’s super inexpensive. It’s fast. And it brews reliably delicious coffee, even deep in the backcountry. It’s also one of the few coffee makers made in the USA.
I expand further on all those elements, and a few potential pitfalls, in my full Aeropress coffee maker review.
9. Bialetti Moka Express
Type of machine: Stovetop espresso
- Dimensions: Varies
- Capacity: 1-18 cups
- Brews with: Fine coffee grinds
The Bialetti Moka Express is the original Italian Moka pot, and in my opinion, it’s still the best in its class. The simplicity of Bialetti’s original design can’t really be improved upon (3).
Instantly recognizable for its iconic octagonal design, the Moka Express uses steam pressure to brew a particular style of extra-strong coffee. It occupies a sort of middle ground between coffee and espresso, perfect for lovers of bold flavors without the budget for an espresso machine.
It comes in sizes ranging from 1 cup to 18 cups, but in this case, “cup” refers to an espresso shot. So choose your size carefully. I use a 3-cup version when serving only myself. It ends up making about 5 ounces of strong coffee, which I then dilute to 8 ounces with either hot water or steamed milk.
The Moka Express is available with an aluminum or stainless steel body. There are pros and cons to both. (I’m an aluminum fan because of its lighter weight). But in either case, the Moka pot is BPA-free.
How To Choose The Best Coffee Maker
Buying a new coffee maker means balancing your needs with your budget. Here are the key things to consider as you shop around.
What Type Of Coffee Do You Drink?
The first thing to think about is what kind of coffee you like. Different brewing methods, like espresso, drip coffee, and pour over, produce different kinds of coffee and require different devices. Here’s a quick rundown of coffee styles and how they’re made.
Espresso
An espresso shot is a strong, concentrated serving of coffee with a bold flavor, full body, and creamy mouthfeel. A proper espresso shot requires an espresso machine, which can be as simple as a manual lever or as complicated as a bean-to-cup brewer.
A stovetop espresso maker can’t produce the same high pressure as a true espresso machine, but it’s a cost-effective alternative that uses steam pressure to produce a strong shot of coffee.
Drip Coffee
Drip coffee, often called regular coffee or filter coffee, is most commonly made with an automatic drip coffee machine. These vary considerably in price and features. There are programmable coffee makers with timers, larger and smaller coffee makers, and cordless coffee makers for taking on the move. Prices range from over $500 for the gorgeous Ratio 8 to below $50 for a basic coffee pot.
Old-school coffee percolators also fall into this category, though they brew a stronger, hotter, and less complex cup than the modern drip machine.
Pour Over
Pour-over coffee is a subcategory of drip coffee, referring to when drip coffee is made manually by pouring hot water over coffee grounds using a kettle. It is known for being crisp, clean, and complex. Pour-over drippers are often the brewer of choice for specialty coffee lovers, as they allow complete control over every aspect of the brewing process.
French Press
French press coffee is prized for being rich, flavorful, and full-bodied – a consequence of immersion brewing and a metal filter. The French press is popular for being affordable, low-tech, and versatile, as it can be used to brew hot coffee, cold brew, and loose-leaf tea.
A siphon coffee maker is another immersion method that brews a robustly flavored cup similar to a coffee press but with a cleaner mouthfeel.
Capsule Coffee Makers
Capsule machines include pod coffee machines like Nespresso, which create an espresso-style brew, or Keurig coffee makers, which make a weak drip-style coffee. Their defining feature is convenience; they generally brew a single cup of coffee at a time and use coffee capsules rather than grounds.
Cold Brew
It’s easy to make cold-brew coffee without any special equipment, but a cold brew coffee maker simplifies the process. Cold brew coffee tends to be sweet, smooth, and balanced. Consider an iced coffee maker or Kyoto-style coffee maker for a cold coffee drink with a more vibrant flavor.
How Much Coffee Do You Brew At A Time?
The capacity of a coffee maker determines how much you can brew and how often the water tank needs refilling. Keep in mind that most brands consider a “cup” to be 4 or 5 ounces, not the standard 8-ounce baking cup. So a 10 cup coffee maker usually has a 40 or 50-ounce capacity.
You might consider a coffee machine with a plumb line or a coffee maker for the office if you’re planning on heavy use.
Features And Ease Of Use
Often the simplest coffee makers to use are those with the fewest options. Consider how much control you want over the brewing process versus how much effort you want to put into dialing in variables or programming settings.
Bunn machines are famed as some of the fastest coffee makers on the market, and they require only the press of a button. Or consider a smart coffee maker that you can operate with your phone or voice control.
Do You Like To Mix It Up?
Many coffee lovers have a favorite drink, but if you prefer variety – or you live with others – a versatile coffee maker might make sense.
Dual coffee machines offer a choice of two (or more) styles of coffee, which might include single-serve, drip coffee, or espresso. Similarly, many Ninja coffee makers offer multiple drink types, even including cold brew and frothed milk. Both options are available at Costco if you prefer to shop in-store.
The Verdict
The best coffee maker for you depends on your favorite drink, the time and effort you want to put into brewing, and your budget. I’m confident it lies somewhere in the list above.
My pick for the best overall this year is the iconic Technivorm Moccamaster. It is undeniably pricey, but its robust design and ability to brew the highest standard of coffee make this drip machine well worth the price.
FAQs
The best coffee maker with a grinder, in my tests, was the excellent Breville Grind Control. For a more affordable option, the Cuisinart Grind And Brew Coffee Maker will serve you well. There are also some reliable Capresso coffee makers with integrated grinders. That said, for the best coffee grinder, I’d recommend a standalone model.
To clean your coffee maker, add a mixture of white vinegar and water to the reservoir and run the brew cycle. Then wash any removable parts with soapy water and wipe down the exterior. Cleaning your coffee maker can improve the taste of your coffee, particularly if you like black coffee, by eliminating rancid coffee oil build-up.
Any of the best pour-over coffee makers is a perfect budget brewer. Something like the Hario V60 coffee maker brews truly excellent coffee for as little as $15, as long as you have some basic barista skills. Alternatively, an inexpensive French press makes great coffee with less room for error.
References
- Cotter, A. (2021, October 13). How Hot is Hot Enough? Brew Temperature, Sensory Profile, and Consumer Acceptance of Brewed Coffee | 25, Issue 15. Retrieved from https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-15/how-hot-is-hot-enough-brew-temperature-sensory-profile-and-consumer-acceptance-of-brewed-coffee
- Levy, S. (2015, March 16). First Alan Adler Invented the Aerobie. Now He’s Created the Perfect Cup of Coffee. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2015/03/first-alan-adler-invented-the-aerobie-now-hes-created-the-perfect-cup-of-coffee/
- Storr, T. (2019, Novemver 8). How The Moka Pot Influenced Coffee Consumption. Retrieved from https://perfectdailygrind.com/2019/11/how-the-moka-pot-influenced-coffee-consumption/
