Best coffee maker of 2025

Evaluating the performance of a coffee maker is harder than it may seem. You need to know what good drip coffee is, and according to Specialty Coffee AssociationThere are basic standards for good brewing. Brewing time and water temperature top the list. The hot water should come into contact with the ground coffee for no less than four minutes and no more than eight minutes. The ideal water temperature is between 197°F (92°C) and 205°F (96°C).

To see how well each coffee maker meets this challenge, we record the length of its brew cycles. We also use dual thermal sensors connected to industrial data loggers. This allows us to record the temperature inside the ground coffee during the brewing process.

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After brewing coffee, we take sample readings of the coffee liquid produced using a scale Optical refractometer. Since we take into account the amount of water and freshly ground coffee used, this data allows us to calculate the percentage of total dissolved solids for each beverage. From there we arrive at the extraction rate. It is usually believed that the ideal range is between 18% and 20%.

We also back up the measured data using a good old taste test. Over-extracted coffee tastes bitter and sharp, while under-extracted coffee is usually weak or sour. To make sure, we set up identical tests at least three times to get an idea of ​​the average results.