The Best Automatic Coffee Maker of 2019
Here at Clive, we try to refrain from picking a single “best” anything. To be honest, we only sell what we consider to be the best. Some might consider the selection on our site to be pretty minimal, but if the coffee experts on our team wouldn’t buy it, we won’t sell it. If you go to the automatic coffee maker section on our site you’ll only see two brands – and for good reason.
Even a bunch of coffee nerds like us have just a few simple asks of a coffee maker.
- Reliable and well-made
- Easy to use and clean
- And of course… that it makes a good cup of coffee
We don’t think we’re asking too much but, in the world of automatic coffee makers, it turns out that we are. Therefore, it’s no coincidence that the selection of coffee makers we sell can be counted on one hand. Our two favorites easily check all three of these boxes and look good doing it. Let’s start with the classic:
Technivorm Moccamaster
Technivorm produced their first Moccamaster coffee maker in 1968. While the design has been updated a number of times over the intervening decades, their ethos hasn’t. Still hand-built and tested in the Netherlands, their coffee makers are renowned for their reliability. You’ll find some plastic components on this thoughtfully designed machine, and you’ll also immediately notice that it’s primarily built with steel. We have customers who purchased a Moccamaster from Clive when we opened over 10 years ago that are still using them to brew consistently delicious coffee.
As far as ease of use is concerned, the Moccamaster is largely a one-button affair. Thanks to its clear water tank cleaning is also fairly easy. With the use of some Urnex cleaning powder, it’s easy to see that your machine is sparkling clean.
Lastly, it brews superb coffee. Technivorm stands out as one of the few companies to nail the proper flow rate, water dispersion, and brew temperature for great coffee. Don’t let its retro-cool look deceive you.
Ratio Eight
If the Technivorm is a classic, the Ratio Eight is the new kid on the block. Founded here in Portland back in 2012, Ratio sought to make the be-all-end-all automatic coffee maker for the home. If you ask many industry professionals and home baristas (us included), they’ve succeeded. You can’t so much as glance at the Ratio Eight without acknowledging its beauty and stellar build quality. Made almost entirely out of precision-machine aluminum accented with hardwood, it’s an eye-catcher. This quality is more than skin deep and Ratio backs it up with a 5-year warranty.
The Ratio Eight makes a point of simplicity with its single touch-button on the face of the machine. It uses Chemex filters or a reusable Able KONE metal filter if you prefer to not toss your filter in the trash every morning. Ratio makes cleaning easy with a specially formulated cleaner that you simply add to the water reservoir and run through the machine.
Again, no surprise, but this thing brews fantastic coffee. The Eight is designed from the ground up to simulate a traditional pour over. This means water that’s consistently at 200°F, a wide custom-designed showerhead, and the use of classic Chemex filters. All this comes together for a reliably clean, rich cup of coffee. One of the secrets to the Eight’s excellence is its ability to tell how much water is in the tank. Based on this, it adjusts its flow rate to ensure that you get a delicious cup no matter the batch size. In our eyes, the optional thermal carafe is a worthy upgrade. It’ll keep your coffee hot for hours and it feels just as premium as the rest of the machine.
To sum things up
Now, do you understand why we’re so picky? The automatic coffee maker market is awash with so many poorly made, plastic machines that can’t heat water to the proper temperature for brewing and frankly, just won’t last. These two machines stand head and shoulders above the rest, which is why they’re on our very short list of machines we can offer you with complete confidence.