With the resurgence of manual French press and pour-over coffee makers, electric drip machines seem so uncool.
But there’s much to be admired about these workhorses of the kitchen that let you time your brew so it’s ready when you wake up.
Consumer Reports has just tested a new batch of coffee makers and has a new winner, the Cuisinart PerfecTemp DCC-320, $100.
It eked out a win over its brandmate, the Cuisinart Perfec Temp DCC-2800, also $100. Way to joe, Cuisinart.
Both Cuisinart coffee makers were superb in our brewing performance test, in which we gauge a machine’s ability to reach an optimal brewing temperature of 195 to 205°F in 5 to 6 minutes. (Our testers have determined that temperature is the key to the best brew.)
We also judge how easy coffee makers are to set up, program, and clean, as well as how the carafe handles. Does it drip when you pour a cup?
The Cuisinarts were very good on all counts.
Other winners
But for just $20 you can own our third-best drip coffee maker, the Hamilton Beach Programmable 49465, one of our Best Buys.
The Hamilton Beach was impressive overall and almost matched the Cuisinarts in performance and convenience. Other bargain buys worth noting include the Black+Decker CM4000S, which is sold at Target for $40, and the Mr. Coffee DW13, $20.
Looking for a drip coffee maker that’s more hip?
We’re fans of the iCoffee RCB100-BC12, $100, which is a hybrid drip and French press machine. Instead of showering the coffee grounds in water from above, the iCoffee uses water jets to swirl the grounds around; the maker claims that it eliminates the bitter aftertaste.
We liked the coffee, and it’s fun to watch the machine at work.
The KitchenAid KCM1202OB, $100, was a very good performer in our tests and has a lot of convenience features to offer. But it misses our top pick list because of its woeful reliability record with our readers. Proctor-Silex was the brand least likely to break among automatic drip coffee makers, but none of the models we tested from that brand made our recommended list due to mediocre brewing performance.
It’s a trade-off, but one you don’t have to make with so many other choices in our full coffee maker ratings and recommendations.
Check out the full ratings over at Consumer Reports >
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