Five years ago we tested a bunch of Automatic drip coffee makers and the Results were super disappointing only One machine gave us great coffee that Was rich full flavored and smooth turns Out it was also the only coffee maker in That lineup that met research-based Standards for making great coffee This part’s pretty simple for a drip Coffee maker the water should be between 195 and 205 degrees fahrenheit and it Needs to pour over the coffee in less Than eight minutes When the water is in that right Temperature zone and it’s in contact With the coffee for the right amount of Time you get all the good flavors from The coffee and none of the bad ones that Harsh bitter stuff doesn’t get into your Cup And there’s just one problem with the Winter from that testing the technovorm Mocha It cost 240 dollars now there’s a reason This coffee maker is expensive it’s hand Built in the netherlands and inside it Has a powerful and pricey copper heating Element it really gets the water right Into that perfect temperature zone fast We were a little stunned by the price But there’s no denying it worked In spite of that high price tag Consumers snapped it up so fast forward To now suddenly several more coffee

Makers have come out and they’re Promising to meet the same standards Even technivorm has come out with an Updated mocha master which now costs 299 Dollars now some of these machines are Just as pricey but others were much Cheaper so we became hopeful that we Could find a great coffee maker for a Lot less money we bought seven models They all have thermal carafes because Even if you brew great coffee the hot Plate under glass crafts scorch and Wreck it within a couple of minutes And we made a lot of coffee pot after Pot after pot we tasted the coffee from All the machines we used the identical Batch of coffee beans and water and There was an amazing range of flavors From the different machines your coffee Maker can bring out the best in your Coffee beans or can wreck them now the Good news is compared to last time we Found three coffee makers that made Great coffee one was still the Techniform but the other four missed the Mark And we timed the brew cycles to see Which were getting the water through in Less than eight minutes Two of these coffee makers averaged more Than 10 minutes no wonder our tasters Call these brews bitter Then we tested the temperature of the Brewing water we hooked up a

Thermocouple to the spot where the water Drips onto the coffee grounds Now ideally the machine should get the Water into the 195 to 205 temperature Zone fast and then keep it there for About ninety percent of the cycle The top three coffee makers were all Very close to that ninety percent ideal The others Not remotely one spent a measly sixteen Percent of its brew cycle in the zone The coffee was understandably Disappointing But Time and temperature numbers didn’t tell The whole story our least favorite model Brewed coffee within the ideal time Range and it spent a little more of its Brew cycle in that optimum temperature Range about 60 But the coffee was still weak like Dishwater as one taster called it The problem came down to the simplest Thing of all the ratio of coffee to Water Now the specialty coffee association of America or scaa these guys are industry Experts on great coffee and brewing they Have what they call the gold cup ratio That’s nine to 11 grams of ground coffee About two tablespoons for every six Ounces of water if you follow the Manufacturer’s directions for making Coffee in these machines you’re all over

The map Now the top coffee makers gave us a Ratio that was pretty much right on the Money for the gold cup the others far From it and one suggested less than half The gold cup ratio now here’s the amount They suggest here’s what you should be Using It’s no wonder the coffee’s so wimpy and Terrible I know what you’re thinking duh just add The right amount of coffee we tried that But here’s the problem the bottom three Coffee makers in our rankings are just Not built big enough to hold the right Amount of coffee without overflowing Once water hits the grounds they swell Up and they expand if that brew basket Isn’t big enough you get a mess Now one machine was so full we couldn’t Even close it without pushing coffee Grounds everywhere into the works This thing was so over full we didn’t Dare try to brew it this machine costs 280 dollars and it’s covered with little Messages about keeping interior parts Clean and free of grounds or it won’t Work forget it Two more we did brew and they overflowed Their brew baskets and made a mess this Machine by bodum overflowed more than Once and it broke the power button Leaving it stuck permanently on which is Not so great for 250 dollars

Bottom line we cannot recommend a coffee Maker that won’t let you brew a great Pot of coffee So what did we like The very best machine still the Technivore mocha master this thing is Robotic it hits the same optimal time And temperature numbers every single Time Still hand built in the netherlands the Exterior parts are very simple they’re Made of plastic and they’re meant to be Replaceable as needed but the guts are Built to last Now the new model the kgbt 741 holds Back the coffee automatically for about 30 seconds to really saturate the coffee Grounds and get better flavor extraction And it stops the drip automatically if The crafts not in place the older model Kbt 741 has a manual switch to let you Do this yourself which some people Prefer We still highly recommend both of these Machines But we found another one that costs half As much the bonavita 8 cup coffee maker For 150 This thing hits nearly the same high Standards for brew time and temperature Because it tends to heat up the water to A slightly higher temperature in that Zone the coffee is brighter and slightly More acidic which is kind of a plus or

Not depending on your preferences This one’s made in china from a german Design and you do have to remove the Brew basket and screw on a separate lid To pour the coffee but it does a great Job with the brew and it’s our best buy