Coffee Maker Ratings: What to look for, how to judge, and examples!

Will you check out the best coffee maker ratings on a shopping site or a consumer report before you decide to buy your next coffee maker? How will you know if your chosen coffee maker is a quality coffee maker?

You know, I'll let you in on a little secret: I didn't check the ratings when I bought my last coffee maker, and for a drip coffee maker, it wasn't that cheap, either. More's the pity!

So now I tend to pay attention to ratings to make sure that I'm not buying a machine with a lot of challenges. I hope that my tips help you to narrow down your search for the best coffee machine for your needs.

Check those ratings

And now I'm regretting it somewhat because the machine I bought really has some issues: it throws water everywhere, and sometimes even hot coffee; the filter isn't a gold coffee filter, it's cheap plastic; and there isn't an auto-off switch so that the coffee continues brewing even after the coffee is finished dripping.

So I now recommend that if you are interested in buying almost any kind of coffee maker, and you want to get the best for your buck, you should consider some obvious factors that influence coffee maker ratings.

Find out what's wrong FIRST

Perhaps it's a little un-American, but as a Brit, I tend to want to know the bad news first... so that I can decide whether a particular coffee maker is something I can live with. I'll offer some tips to those interested in purchasing coffee makers by using coffee maker ratings, then we'll look at some examples of how this works in action!

As I found out, your coffee maker can make the difference between a great cup of java and a mediocre one.  You can buy the best coffee grown but if your coffee maker scorches the grounds, isn’t quite hot enough or lets the water soak the grounds too long, you’re not going to get the most out of your coffee.

Tip #1: Check out Amazon.com

So my first tip: check out the coffee maker ratings and reviews on Amazon for the coffee maker you are looking for. Why Amazon? Simply because they tend to have more reviews than other shopping sites I've visited, so it's easier to sort out which are planted, which are genuine and what the specifics of the model are as compared to what manufacturers promise.  You'll also get a guide price that you may be able to better elsewhere.

Tip #2: Skip and scan the reviews

Never take the top rated reviews as 100%, but also distrust the bottom rated reviews: they may have axes to grind or be trying to get inside your wallet! I usually scan those reviews quickly, then choose those marked with a 4 or 3 or even 2 star rating. That way I find that the coffee maker ratings tend to be more reliable.

Tip #3: Look for the 'helpful' reviews

Amazon does have one feature that I like: "6 of 9 people found the following review helpful" which indicates how many people found these particular coffee maker ratings useful to them, and then they clicked. On one machine, I found the top review received nearly 49 supporters!

Tip #4: Too few reviews

Look for a reasonable number of reviews, if you are chasing more reliable coffee maker ratings. Why? Many products only get a scant number of reviews, so it's difficult to make a proper balanced decision on three reviews only. You'll only get slanted personal views. For popular coffee maker ratings, I'd be looking for at least a dozen reviews or more. The more the merrier.

Coffee Maker Ratings: Models, Pricing, and Issues

So we're going to look at some factors that may influence the type of coffee maker, the brand and the quality. Let's look first at some examples of coffee maker ratings:

Capresso Thermal MT500

One of the highest rated coffee makers is the Capresso Thermal MT500.  It looks great in any kitchen with its stainless steel carafe and black trim but more importantly, it has a charcoal water filter that washes out impurities before it hits the coffee grounds. 

Water quality greatly affects the taste of coffee and the filter eliminates the hassle and expense of buying purified water.  It features a removable, washable gold tone filter that eliminates the need for a paper filter; many coffee lovers dislike the taste that paper filters impart to the coffee. 

The digital features allow you to time the brewing cycle whenever you like, the carafe keeps the coffee fresh and un-scorched by a warming burner and it is programmed to heat the water to the ideal brewing temperature.  This coffee maker costs $150-200 depending where you buy it. 

Ratings on Amazon suggest that nearly 140/210 reviews marked this as 4 stars or better. That's a very high proportion of positive reviews. However, additional inspection of the 2 star reviews highlighted that there were issues with both the coffee maker not making hot enough coffee, though the water going into the coffee seemed hot enough; and not keeping the coffee hot enough long enough.

You can read more specific comments about The Capresso MT-500 Electronic coffee maker that comes complete with in-built thermal jug to keep your coffee warm, and why nearly 2/3rds of reviewers seemed to think this machine was a good choice.

Cuisinart DCC 1200

The Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup (for larger gatherings!) Brew Central Coffeemaker is a stylish and popular brewer that has a 24 hour programmer and timer, heat adjustable warming plate, a 3 year warranty and several brewing options. 

The warming plate temperature can be adjusted to avoid ruining your brew.  The brewing options allow you to get the most out of coffee, particularly if you enjoy more than one type of roast.  This model will run you about $68.

Though it runs to only 1/3rd of the price of the first machine, the reviews are even more positive than for the Capresso machine with positive reviews amounting to more than 75% of the total.

You can check out the reviews to find out why this machines seems to be so popular yourself by visiting the link: Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central Coffeemaker. Do let me know if you decide to believe the reviews, and whether they are accurate in your opinion.

Cuisinart DGB-600BC

If you’d like a machine with a grinder, the Cuisinart DGB-600BC brushed chrome model has the ability to grind and brew at a time that you select.  Its charcoal filter keeps chlorine and other impurities from your finished brew and its 50 ounce insulated carafe keeps your coffee hot and fresh. 

The grinder and paperless basket filter are dishwasher safe.  You can grind your own beans or use pre-ground if you wish and an audible tone lets you know when your coffee is ready to pour. 

The list price for this smartly styled brushed chrome coffee maker is $235.00 but if you catch it on sale and take advantage of rebate offers you can pay as little as $85.

While the grinder may provide an additional attraction to some buyers, the feedback is less positive on this machine, even though it has similar styling as both of the previous machines. The 4/5 stars reviewed only reached about 40% of the total. And nearly 1/3rd of the remainder awarded it only 1 star. With machines like this, you may want to test-brew it before you part with your cash!

It's certainly worth reading the criticisms to find out about all the different things that can go wrong so you avoid them yourself!

Black & Decker SmartBrew Plus DCM2500B

For those of you who are more budget minded and want the best coffee maker for the lowest price, you’ll want to consider the Black & Decker DCM2500B SmartBrew Coffeemaker .  It is programmable and the wider lip on the glass carafe eliminates those irritating spills when pouring. 

A unique feature of this coffee maker is the way it brews; the water enters the drip basket not in a stream like a faucet but more like a shower, consistently soaking the grounds for the best flavor.  The warming plate has an automatic shut off feature. 

If you want a good, plain coffee maker with very few bells and whistles this is a good model for you.  At less than $30, it will please your wallet as well as your palate. Actually, I had a Black & Decker coffee maker for some time, that produced reasonably good coffee at a good price. I think in the end, I broke the jug.

Review-wise, I was surprised how satisfied the customers were who bought the Black & Decker DCM2500B SmartBrew Coffeemaker with over 70% reporting a positive complaint and fewer than 10% thinking there were problems. Though the total number of reviews was relatively smaller, there is reason to believe that purchasers seemed to be happier.

In conclusion, as time goes on, and I edit this page, you may find that some models are outdated, no longer available, or in scarce supply, don't worry! You may also find that coffee maker ratings do change, though I've tried to provide general trends rather than specific numbers.

To keep uptodate on the current coffee maker ratings, you can still find the most popular models by searching on Amazon.com and ranking the machines according to their average customer review and ratings for each coffee maker. This will list the coffee makers from the highest to the lowest rankings.

Don't forget to share in the contact form how you came to buy your current coffee maker, what advice (if any) you took, and how your coffee maker rankings stack up compared to other machines you've had! I'll be looking for feedback on this aspect!

And finally...

Wherever you are, remember enjoy that cup of coffee!

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