Ready to Upgrade Your Morning Java? These Are the 10 Best High-End Coffee Makers

Best Overall

Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select Coffee Maker

$359 at Amazon $360 at Williams-Sonoma $359 at Nordstrom

As far as drip coffee goes, this coffee maker from Technivorm is not only luxe, but it's also one of just a handful of brewers that meets the Golden Cup Standard, a set of criteria put forth by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. This 10-cup-capacity machine uniquely uses a copper core element to keep the brewing temperature within the optimum range of 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit, and it can quickly make an entire carafe in just about five minutes. You can also adjust the strength of your coffee via the brew basket control, which allows you to manage how long the coffee is steeped.

Once your coffee has finished brewing, the hot plate stays on to keep the carafe warm. Thanks to an automatic shut-off feature, the machine will power down after 40 minutes, too. Other features include a hand-washable glass carafe and removable parts for long-term maintenance and replacement. This top-quality coffee maker is handmade in the Netherlands and comes backed by a five-year warranty.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds |  Capacity: 10 cups |  Dimensions: 12.75 x 6.5 x 14 inches | Wattage: 1,475

Best Superautomatic

Miele CM5300 Countertop Coffee System

$1,032 at Amazon $899 at Bloomingdales

Superautomatic espresso makers handle every step of the process for you, from grinding to brewing, with the touch of a button. Featuring nine drink presets, you'll be able to create an assortment of espresso-based drinks from lattes to macchiatos and everything in between with the Miele CM5300. If you're in the mood for drip coffee, this brewer can also make an 8-cup carafe in minutes (though you'll have to purchase the carafe separately).

Equipped with a grinder, you can grind beans on demand and even store individual settings for grind, amount of coffee, brewing temperature, and water amount. Maintenance is easy, too, due to an automatic descaling feature and removable parts.

While Miele's countertop coffee systems are all considered high-quality, the CM5300 is the smallest and least expensive of the three available models and does not come equipped with a programmable on/off timer. This is a wonderful option for those who want the performance of a top-of-the-line machine with a minimal footprint.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds | Grinder: Yes | Frother/Steamer: Yes | Dimensions: 18.125 x 9.5 x 14.25 inches | Wattage: 1,500

Best With Pods

xBloom Coffee Machine

$800 at Amazon View on Xbloom.com $799 at Bloomingdales

Many in the coffee world eagerly awaited the release of the xBloom—an automated pour-over coffee maker that blends convenience and craftsmanship unlike any other brewing device. At the touch of a button, it brews single-serving pods of whole bean coffee that are freshly ground by the machine’s built-in burr grinder. Picture the ease of a Keurig with the quality of barista-made pour-over coffee. While we have some criticisms after testing the xBloom over the course of a month, it’s a product that we do recommend.

The main sticking point is the price. It’s an investment that may not appeal to casual coffee drinkers, but if it lands within your budget or you’re particularly interested in specialty coffee, the taste is worth it. The xPods produce the clarity of flavor and crisp mouthfeel for which pour-over coffee is so beloved. By simply touching an xPod to the top of the machine, it will automatically set the water temperature, grind size, and brew time recommended by the roaster itself. (Many notable roasters like Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Counter Culture, and more partnered with xBloom to make their own xPods.) The brewing parameters can then be customized via the xBloom app, although it would be a nice touch to be able to manually change the settings on the machine.

Another issue is that a decent amount of coffee grounds can get caught inside the grind chamber and fall out during the brewing process, making a small mess. This most often occurred when using the reusable dripper and our own whole-bean coffee as opposed to the xPods. For those who plan on brewing with the reusable dripper, xBloom recommends using Kalita Wave 155 paper filters. Prospective buyers may also want to measure their cupboards beforehand; the machine is slim but quite tall at 16.9 inches.

If you come to own the xBloom, you will love having great pour-over coffee without any hassle—as we did. It’s primarily about deciding if the machine is worth the price to you or if you’d prefer to save some money by getting a separate grinder and pour-over maker to do the work yourself.

Dimensions: 7.9 x  6.9 x 16.9 inches | Weight: 11.5 pounds | Cord Length: 3.3 feet | Water Tank Capacity: 23.67 ounces | Wattage: 1350 watts | Voltage: 120 volts | Warranty: One-year limited

Best Nespresso

Nespresso Creatista Plus

$598 at Amazon $600 at Williams-Sonoma $600 at Best Buy

A collaboration between Nespresso and Breville, this single-serve machine uses Nespresso capsules to create café-style drinks with no espresso pulling experience required. With this model, you can adjust the temperature and volume of your espresso and select from eight different textures and 11 temperature settings for frothing milk (especially fun for those who want to experiment with latte art). In testing, the machine heated up in just three seconds and was incredibly energy efficient. It automatically turned off after nine minutes of no use.

The Creatista Plus is an upgraded version of the original Creatista—it has three more texture options and six more temperature options for milk, a faster heating time, and is housed in stainless steel (the original model was a combination of stainless and plastic). We love the user-friendly interface that guides you through customizing your drinks as well as the alert when it's time to descale your machine. It's ideal for those who want consistent, foolproof espresso at the drop of a hat.

Grounds or Pods: Pods | Milk Frother: Built-in | Tank Capacity: 60 ounces | Dimensions: 15.4 x 12 x 6.7 inches | Wattage: 1,600

Best French Press

Frieling Double Wall French Press

$140 at Amazon $90 at Wayfair $140 at Williams-Sonoma

High-end coffee makers aren't limited to high-tech electronic models; this gorgeous and modern French press by Frieling is a wonderful choice for those who prefer analog. Made of double-walled 18/10 stainless steel, it can keep your coffee hot up to four times longer than glass versions. This press features a dual-filter system, too. The first filter strains out larger particles, and the second filter removes sediment, guaranteeing a smooth cup of java with plenty of flavor.

We loved the durability of the stainless-steel construction in comparison to glass. While the manufacturer says that this coffee maker is dishwasher-safe, like other stainless-steel kitchenware, it may show spots after washing, so you might want to wash by hand instead. Thanks to its smart design, cleaning by hand is hassle-free since the unit is easy to take apart and reassemble.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds | Capacity: 8, 17, 23, 36, and 44 ounces | Material: Stainless steel | | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

Best Pour Over

Ratio Six Coffee Maker

$339 at Amazon View on Ratiocoffee.com

If you want the rich flavor of pour-over coffee but don't have the time or patience to go through the whole brewing process, check out the Ratio Six. It's a startlingly attractive contraption that automates the pour-over process for you. All you have to do is add a filter and your grounds to the brewing chamber, fill the water tank, and press a button to start the brewing process.

The "bloom" mode sends just enough water in to wet your grounds, and then the "brew" mode showers them with hot water to send fully brewed coffee into the carafe. The result is similar to that of the much-lauded Chemex, but without having to perfect the technique by hand.

You can make up to 40 ounces of coffee at once, and the entire process takes about seven minutes from start to finish. Made of stainless steel, it's a well-built machine that delivers extravagant pour-over coffee in minutes and looks fantastic sitting on the countertop.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds | Capacity: 40 ounces | Materials: Stainless steel, glass, and BPA-free polymer | Dimensions: 13.5 x 6.75 x 14.25 inches | Wattage: 1,400

Best With Grinder

Cuisinart DGB-850 Burr Grind & Brew Coffee Maker

$230 at Amazon $240 at Kohls.com $230 at Crate & Barrel

Grinding whole beans just before brewing allows you to maximize the freshness, flavor, and aroma of your cup of coffee. This machine by Cuisinart features a built-in burr grinder with a sealable hopper that holds up to a half-pound of coffee beans (that's approximately four full pots). Select mild, medium, or strong to customize your brew strength and set your coffee pot to brew. You can also program it up to 24 hours in advance if you don't want to start making your coffee right away.

Once it gets going, you can use the Brew Pause function to temporarily stop the flow of coffee, so you can help yourself to a cup before the full brew cycle is complete. The double-walled, insulated stainless steel, thermal carafe keeps your coffee warm for hours. This model features almost exactly the same performance specs as its predecessor, the DGB-900BC, but has a slightly smaller capacity carafe and a larger digital display for easier reading.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds | Capacity: 10 cups | Dimensions: 10.75 x 14.25 x 19.25 | Wattage: 1,000

Best Espresso

Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine

$865 at Amazon

The Rancilio Silvia provides the look, feel, and performance of a café-quality espresso machine. It has a sturdy portafilter, which measures 58 millimeters, and a steam wand powerful enough to make rich lattes and cappuccinos. For convenience, the 67-ounce water reservoir is removable and the design is fairly compact for a machine of this caliber.

The Silvia works manually, so prior experience helps, and it may take some trial and error to perfect espresso shots, but overall it isn't difficult to use. There are four clearly marked buttons on the stainless steel display for power, brewing, hot water, and steamed milk. Expect it to take at least 20 minutes to properly heat up (and possibly longer) because it's a boiler espresso machine.

This version of the Rancilio Silvia does not come with a PID controller—a feature used to control water temperature and ensure espresso is brewed at an even temperature throughout the process. However, a PID controller can be installed after purchasing. Alternatively, there are Rancilio Silvia models out there with PID controllers already built-in; they are just sold at fewer retailers and have a higher price.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds | Grinder: No | Frother/Steamer: Yes | Dimensions: 9.5 x 11 x 13.5 inches | Wattage: 1,100

Best Cold Brew

Hario Cold Water Coffee Dripper

$195 at Amazon $180 at Sur La Table

If you want cold brew coffee with style, the Hario Cold Water Coffee Dripper does a fantastic job of extracting color, caffeine, and flavor in nearly a third of the time required of traditional overnight steeping methods.

Like Hario's iconic V60 dripper, this unit is simple in design but doesn't have the steep learning curve of its pour-over cousin. This beautifully designed brewer feeds cold water drop by drop through finely ground coffee beans, producing a full-flavored concentrate in one to three hours (depending on the volume). Brewing coffee this way lets you preserve flavor and eliminates any bitterness or acids that tend to come through when brewing at hot temperatures. The resulting coffee is smooth and aromatic with no bite.

This brewer is made in Japan and constructed out of acrylic, stainless steel, and glass, giving it a modern look and feel. While it may take some time to figure out the right amount of coffee, grind, and tempo for your water droplets, it's an easy machine to use and can be a wonderful centerpiece for your kitchen.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds | Capacity: 26 ounces | Materials: Acrylic, stainless steel, glass | Dimensions: 18 x 6 x 9.45 inches

Best Programmable

Braun MultiServe KF9170SI Coffee Maker

$154 at Amazon $180 at Walmart $154 at Wayfair

The Braun MultiServe lives up to its name, offering three brew strengths and seven different sizes that you can program in advance. That includes a setting that allows you to brew a single cup of coffee—just like a Nespresso or Keurig machine—but without requiring a special pod. There's enough room under the drip spout to fit a travel mug, so you can take your joe on the go. And that's yet to mention the iced coffee setting; when pressed, it makes a stronger brew that won't be overly diluted when ice is added. The largest capacity goes up to a full 10-cup pot.

Along with a variety of coffee-related setting, the MultiServe has a function to pour hot water in a range of temperatures, which can lead to faster tea or hot chocolate than boiling a kettle on the stovetop.

This SCA-certified machine is not just versatile, but it's also great to look at. Its sleek lines will complement just about any kitchen décor. Its removable water reservoir is a handy feature that makes filling it up much easier than traditional fixed tanks.

Grounds or Pods: Grounds |  Capacity: 10 cups |  Dimensions: 7.1 x 13 x 15 inches | Wattage: 1,600