I have had a Cuisinart for several years and like it. Works well, can set timer to brew automatically so coffee is made before I get up in the morning, 12 cup, can pour from the carafe before brewing is finished, carafe doesn't leak when pouring like my previous Kitchen Aid did. Under $100 but does the job.

Thanks Patty, I'll look into it!

I recently saw an article that listed a Cuisinart coffee maker as one of the best coffee makers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Best Coffee Makers

How many cups capacity do you need? If just for yourselves, my answer would be different than one for company. We switched to a manual Aerobee Aeropress for ourselves because it brews the best coffee we ever tasted except for good espresso Americano. It only brews 3 mugs at a time though. For a crowd the Cuisenart that doesn't grind and brew is the best we've tried.

Great experience with the Technivorm Moccamaster KBTS741. Very simple, very sturdy, makes great coffee. 4 years in.

Here's the video version of the Cook's Illustrated review. The print version seems to be behind a paywall.

more chat: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=255248

Here is a link that might be useful: cook's illustrated video

Technivorm Moccamaster.... Simply the best, both in quality of machine and quality of coffee produced!

Another vote for Technivorm. Another plus, they're much easier to find than a few years ago. No more surly importers when I needed a replacement carafe.

Note: I also know the difference btwn square and round, so that may explain my 100% success rate at making yummy coffee with it.

I would also look at the Newco OCS machines...just about the only machines other than the Technivorm that heat the water to proper temps. Usually a bit cheaper, and some people prefer the more conservative appearance. Less room to customize your brew, but in exchange also less fiddly to use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Newco OCS coffeemakers

We also know the diff between square and round, so have no problem enjoying a well-brewed cup of coffee from our Technivorm!

Trickiest part for us is remembering to make sure the toggle for the filter basket is not in the closed position BEFORE flipping the switch to ON (and we've gotten better with that!).

Melitta glass carafe (2 of them using now for years) probably by now $25 at hardware store. I have the beans ground on #1, very fine, and the coffee is amazing. Takes #4 filters.

Catmom's right. There's a learning curve to hurdle. I'd never had drip machine with a (what we'll call) feature like that. It could use a crank to start and I'd still recommend it.

Another Melitta user. Cheap, good, and if it breaks, medium sized grocery stores have replacements.

When I was looking for the best drip coffee maker before, I searched for the top drip coffee maker and I saw that BUNN NHBX-B. Thus, I bought this coffee maker. For more than a year of using it, I am very pleased and satisfied with it's efficiency since Day 1 & I can attest that it's the coffee maker that will give you quick tasty coffee you want instantly!

Here is a link that might be useful: Log Home Interior Ideas

When I was belly-aching this question someone posted that a big, maybe biggest component of good coffee-maker is clean coffee-maker. Their suggestion was to go for quantity over quality - get a new coffee maker regularly.

I guess aesthetically this doesn't appeal to me, but it did make me think twice about buying a super-expensive machine. I got HD's winter loss-leader a few years back and that's worked well-enough until recently. So when I couldn't find the Cuisinart at Costco (it's cheap there) I took their Mr Bunn instead. So far it's doing just fine.

I'm not sure how much one actually needs from a coffee maker. It should (1) not leak (2) heat the water to a proper temperature and deliver it efficiently to its target (3) not spray water far and wide causing a grounds-mess (4) be convenient for filling and (6) convenient for washing (parts must be accessible and come apart fully and easily).

What else? there's the issue of (7) carafe vs hot plate. This seems to me to be a style-preference; I think reasonable minds can disagree as they likely have different lifestyles. Other wise there's a (8) filter-shape difference. I can believe the chemex/technivorm style shape may be superior but is the difference within the tolerance of your other factors? Say quality of coffee, taste of water, temp of water, etc.

In the end I think there really might be some merit to the newness argument, that the best coffee pot is the newest coffee pot. Dunno; I'm not expert.

Anyone ever experiment with a coffee press and microwave? Could you put the grounds and water in a glass beaker and MW, then remove and press down with the metal strainer? Would that work? If so it might be the best and easiest at once: but not for company, as noted above.

aliris19 - the biggest issue is your #2 "heat the water to a proper temperature and deliver it efficiently to its target." The huge majority of coffeemakers on the market simply don't actually heat their water hot enough to brew at optimum temperatures. The single biggest selling point for the Technivorms (and the Newco OCS machines) is that they are certified to reach proper brewing temps.

I would also argue that there is no rational argument in favor of a hot plate over a carafe. A hot plate will cook your coffee, a carafe will not. End of story.

On the issue of cleanliness, you are 100% correct. But the answer isn't buying new machines, it is cleaning your machine regularly.

We use a Capresso that we like. It has a built in grinder and we grind the beans each time we make coffe. Had it about a year and so far it works fine. I like the fresh coffee feature.

I haven't found the Newco machines to be any less costly than the Technivorm Moccamaster KBTS741. Mostly cost the same or if one goes for the Barista models, over $500. Both are luxury coffee makers and fill a nitch for coffee lovers. My limit is about a hundred bucks. Our current drip coffee maker we got free from Gevalia by signing up to buy one order of beans. We then cancelled the subscription because I roast my own beans normally.

Having a coffeemaker with a stainless insulated carafe is great if you let the coffee sit; it stays hot for hours without "burning" or evaporating. I don' t know which models are now available but i have been through 2 Starbucks Barista machines that git that criteria. Sadly they are now only available on ebay.

I'm a big fan of my Chemex pour-over. There are for sure some downsides. Most notably, it's not a push a button and leave sort of deal. Due to this, though, you control the water temperature, and pour, because it's your own hand doing it. It also uses proprietary filters that aren't the easiest to get. I live in downtown Boston and have found a few places within walking distance that carry them. But it's not a matter of going to your local supermarket and grabbing them off the shelf. Coffee geeks also will note often that said proprietary filters impart a "papery" taste into the coffee. I do a rinse with about a cup of hot water and then dump it down the drain before I add my grounds and that takes care of any sort of taste. The final plus? I think it looks beautiful sitting on my counter :)

Over my 30 year love affair with coffee, I've bought expensive, and I've bought cheap. But I've never had a coffee maker as good as -- or even near -- the basic Cuisinart Brew Central. Can still be had for $72.00. I'm on my 3rd because I keep breaking carafes and can't find (white) replacements. With the last breakage, I splurged and bought my dream pot. Noooooo. Not, not, not the same. I am giving it way to my sis, who likes a pot with a visual depth indicator. With the Brew Central, you have to peer down into the reservoir. I do not care. Already have #3 -- black and stainless now -- on the countertop. I will never flirt with coffee makers again.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart Brew Central

MizLizzie, did you read the negative review and 7 pages of comments about the fire hazard from that Cuisenart? 2000 one star reviews and many are the same problem. It seems the tube that supplies water to the hotpate gets limed up rapidly and deprives the rubber hose of need water. Then the hose gets hot enough to come off and water gets into the wiring. Sometimes the smell warns owner to pull the plug. That is all I read in the comments of one post.

After using various countertop coffeemakers over the last 15 years, I finally bought a build-in the wall Brew Express which is plumbed directly into the cold water supply that goes to the sink. I installed it myself about seven years ago and have been thankful for the flawless operation and great coffee it makes ever since. It receives more favorable comments from visitors than any of the other top-of-the-line appliances I have in my kitchen. Check their website for more details.

We have a Zojirushi 10 cup coffee maker. At the time, it had many 5 star reviews on Amazon. It's ratings seem to have dropped since then, but we've used it for over 4 years with no problems (hoping it doesn't suddenly break now!) It's very simple:on/off with a clock and an auto on timer.

Purchased a Technivorm last year from Amazon with the glass carafe. There was a bunch of talk about the water temperature. dvstv, weedmeister, westvillager, cat_mom do you honestly see a difference in the temp of your coffee from other mass produced machines that you may have owned? Mine seems hot but not hotter than an expensive mass produced product I had for many years before. That coffee makers hot plate finally stopped getting hot...... anyway I chose glass because research showed most people like the taste of their coffee brewed into glass rather than steel. It creates a much cleaner taste and I agree.

A 5-year old thread for someone looking for a drip coffee maker.