Want a new drip coffee maker? I'm a trained barista, and these are my 3 top recommendations for your kitchen

Upgrade your breakfast brew

09 Dec 2025, 15:26 · TechRadar

Features By Cat Ellis published 9 December 2025

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There's nothing quite like a fresh, steaming pot of drip coffee, particularly first thing in the morning, and I'm here to help you choose the right machine for the job. As TechRadar's resident coffee expert I've tested over a dozen coffee makers this year, so I'm well placed to help you pick the right one for your kitchen.

I've picked out the top three drip coffee machines that I'd happily give a place in my own home. Whether you simply want great-quality coffee with no frills, also want the ability to make espresso now and then, or want a premium machine that lets you fine-tine the minutiae of brewing to a professional standard, there's something for you here.

I've also included drip coffee makers with and without hotplates. Personally I prefer a well-insulated thermal carafe to keep my fresh coffee at the perfect temperature (the Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal has a particularly good one) but if you're going to be drinking your coffee over a long period of time then you might like to keep it over a heating element instead.

Best all-round

Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal

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If I were buying a drip coffee maker for my own kitchen right now, the Luxe Brewer Thermal would be my number one choice. It's sold under the brand name Sage in the UK and Breville in the rest of the world, for slightly complicated reasons, but the machine itself is the same – and it's excellent.

Brewing a batch of drip coffee is, fundamentally, a very straightforward process – you just pour hot water onto ground coffee and let it drip into a carafe – and the Luxe Brewer Thermal keeps things simple while providing a handful of genuinely useful customization options. In my tests, the default settings worked well, but if you don't get just the right flavor from your beans you can tweak the bloom time (how long the coffee is pre-infused with hot water), bloom temperature, brew time, and brew temperature to fine-tune the extraction.

The machine can also prepare a batch of cold-brewed coffee. Load it up with ground coffee (the Luxe Brewer Thermal comes with a handy guide to help you measure out the optimal amount), add water to the line on the tank, remove the carafe lid so it doesn't begin to drip, and press the button to start. Your coffee will be steeped cold for 24 hours, and the machine will beep to alert you when it's ready.

Other smart features include a delayed start timer (great for mornings), a removable water tank for easy filling (no more pouring pitchers of water into the machine on your counter), and the best insulated carafe I've ever seen on a drip coffee maker. Not only does it look smart, it keeps coffee piping hot for even longer than the company claims. After four hours, a half-filled carafe was still above the optimal drinking temperature, and a full batch stays hot for even longer.

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