(checked 2026-10-10)
Wirecutter's best cheap coffee maker for hot, well-balanced coffee and an easy removable tank. But the glass carafe sits on a hot plate that made coffee taste acrid after about two hours, and owners report carafes breaking and machines that stop brewing.
Top complaints
- Stops brewing or leaks over time
Reliability is mixed in Amazon's summary (1.5K mentions, some owners say it stopped brewing), and durability is a negative aspect. Wirecutter readers say their units died after 9-14 months or leaked from the bottom within about three years.
- Carafe breaks; screw-on lid
Amazon's summary says owners report the carafe breaking after about 10 months. Wirecutter disliked the screw-on lid with a built-in 'Flavor Straw', which is less convenient and harder to clean than a flip-top.
- Hot plate and interface quirks
Wirecutter found coffee turned a little acrid after two hours on the warming plate and that the machine doesn't remember your last settings. Serious Eats found its coffee leaned bitter next to Zojirushi's. A Wirecutter reader says the end-of-brew beep is loud and can't be turned off.
What owners love
- Best-tasting budget coffee
Wirecutter says it was far and away the best coffee in its budget test, balanced and not bitter, even with pre-ground beans.
Source: Wirecutter (cheap coffee makers) - Hot coffee
Wirecutter measured an average finished temperature of 188°F, the hottest of its budget picks. Serious Eats measured 195°F during brewing. Coffee temperature is a positive aspect on Amazon.
- Removable tank and easy delay brew
Both testers praise the removable water tank and simple delay brew. Serious Eats adds a clean cycle and an adjustable warming plate, and Wirecutter notes the carafe and tank are replaceable.
- You leave coffee on the burner for hours
- You want a thermal carafe
- You want something that reliably lasts many years
- The best coffee under about $100
- Filling the tank at the sink
- Delay-brew mornings
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Wirecutter (NYT): Best cheap coffee maker. Flaws: screw-on lid, it doesn't remember settings, 5-6 oz of water is lost per batch, and coffee gets acrid after two hours on the plate.
- Serious Eats: Best inexpensive pick with a removable reservoir; it reached 195°F, just hot enough, but leaned more bitter than the Zojirushi winners.