What's the best attractive countertop coffee maker?

last year

We remodeled our kitchen and will keep nothing on our counters except a crock with utensils beside the stove and a coffee maker beside the sink. I want to upgrade our current boring-but-good coffee maker to something more beautiful. So far I've found Moccamaster, but they don't make a programmable maker, and the De'Longhi. Do you have any recs for brands or places to look? I've shopped Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table. We're not coffee connoisseurs but do really enjoy a strong black cup in the morning. Thanks!

Featured Answer

sheloveslayouts

last year

An attractive kettle and aeropress stored in the drawer. Simple, makes good coffee, requires minimal space, and maybe 20 bucks.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (52)

mxk3 z5b_MI
last year
I don't find any coffeemaker attractive. You can get a small Keurig (? 1 cup) if you don't need a big honkin' one.
stiley
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Right now we have this programmable Krups. (Panel for that appliance is supposed to be installed this week.) But this is the view into the kitchen from the living room so I want something nice. I'm OK with overkill as long as it's pretty. :) I think we would make espresso in the afternoon sometimes.
Related Discussions
What are the best countertop choices for a busy kitchen?
Q
Comments (10)
I have honed calacatta marble and I love it. There are three issues with marble that people talk about--chipping, staining and etching. But only one of them is really an issue. Chipping--while it is an issue, other natural materials chip too, so I don't think it is fair to say that chipping is an issue unique to marble. It is softer than granite but I had granite before and I had plenty of chips around my sink. I This time around I am trying harder to be careful. I have trained my husband to lower pots into the sink carefully and I keep a cutting board strategically located right above the dishwasher pulled all the way forward. Over the dishwasher is a prime place for chips. Staining--this one is a really stupid issue because it does not have to be an issue at all. Marble does not stain if you get it sealed, assuming you clean your counters daily! My counters were sealed when they were installed almost 18 months ago and still nothing stains them. Not wine, not tomato sauce. Nothing. Last evening, I found coffee and strawberry juice from the morning that I must have missed when cleaning--I wiped it up hours later and no stains. Sometimes coffee gets under the Nespresso machine. I find it days and days later and clean it without a problem. Etching is the issue. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. We had a party last year and made margaritas--there are little rings all over the area where the blender and glasses were. We use a lot of lemons and limes and there are little spots on my counters where they squirt past the cutting board. I am very careful about citrus--that is about the only thing that etches every time--but careful doesn't equal perfect. If I am juicing a bunch of lemons, I do it over the sink. I have been able to wipe up citrus within a couple of seconds with no etching. Honing helps as etching shows more on a polished surface. Only you know whether the etching will bother you too much to live with it. Does it bother me? A little. Do I wish it wouldn't etch? Yes. Am I the counter police? A bit but I am easing up over time especially because I know that lemons and limes are the real culprits so I can mostly control that. The next margarita party might see a towel put down by the blender and some extra cutting boards. To me, nothing is as beautiful as marble and I would do it again in a heartbeat. But it is not for everyone.
...See More
granite counter-top seams ... are we being too picky?
Q
Comments (44)
These are my pics of my countertops placed Friday June 22, 2018. I cried looking at these seams. It looks so cheap. Fabricator explains that's the way it comes. I explained that I shouldn't be able to see the seams so clearly. It looks so unprofessional. They ended up taking them back to their warehouse. In hopes they say if it is quality control will try and fix it just to make it look better. Otherwise I will have to pay an additional fee for them to come out again to install. I just don't know what to do and if still looks the same. This is the first time I've replaced my counters in 24 years. I don't and can't live with it. looking at this for another 24 years. It looks so cheap and it really was not it's a lot of money to me. I hope fingers crossed that they will fix this problem. They never told me that there would be such seams. I thought the edges were done by a machine and it would be all one piece. I have read up on this and now understand there are seams. But now I do know that they should not look like this. If they are good fabricator you shouldn't be able to see them so clearly. I will find out next week what happens.
...See More
Help in choosing counter top material!!!!!!
Q
Comments (94)
Every choice has pluses and minuses, in the end you have to choose which plus and which minus matters the most to you and/or which have an easy fix (like using a cutting board under the crockpot; at work we have an extra piece under the big coffeemaker). budget mattered a lot to me (and I hated formica) so, I ended up with a lesser expensive granite and am very happy, no sealing or extra work for the stone I chose. I had formica previously which looked like h#*! from the day I moved in and didn't get better (except that I could use bleach to remove stains) so those of you whose formica looks like new after 30 years must be taking appropriate care -- using cutting boards (mine had little cuts all over) and so forth -- where my previous owners did not. But, I read that formica now is much better quality than what was installed 30 or 40 years ago. I looked at Burled Beach and liked it. It looked a warm sand-ish color on my samples in my house, but I saw a demo kitchen of it at a big box store and it was a warm greenish tone (I still liked it) under their fluorescent lights. You always have to ability to STOP and make changes unless the cabinets are all already made. If he is just now starting it might not be too late -- call him now! PS do you have an IKEA near to you? Most counter materials are less expensive there.
...See More
Help with kitchen counter-tops is really needed...
Q
Comments (42)
for the handles, may I suggest something to pick up on the hues in the flooring? A little more copper toned. you have light cabs, light floors. I think throwing in a dark ORB w/o actual copper highlights would be too much of a contrast. IMO. cypress park Sandra, I like the porcelain one better than the other one. Does the backsplash have to be done immediately? If the tones in the porcelain tile you picked clash w/the ivory tones in the counter, it could be a problem. However, I did find some copper toned ones that should be avail. these are porcelain/SS, and treated so as not to stain or tarnish. I LOVE these for your kitchen. timeless and gorgeous. They are probably not super cheap, but it would be worth it for me. http://www.miusartmosaics.com/arabesque-lantern-beacon-copper-tile-in these would also work. the site is here: maybe they have them in stock.http://www.westsidetile.com/arabesque-tiles/ i like this one too. notice the copper faucet. beautiful w/the glass mosaic. if you got the cream countertop, this would look amazing w/your floors. this last one is a copper colored slate/quartzite.
...See More
malabacat
last year
I really like this one. The reviews are overall good, though many say it is messy with the grounds. Others disagree. I do not own it, but I'm thinking of getting it. It comes in two other colors also.
aziline
last year
What a beautiful space. A Jura would look very nice on the counter. I've had the S8 for a year now.
always1stepbehind
last year
last modified: last year
if you are happy with the coffee maker you have, I'd put it on a tray and add a couple coffee making accessories (even if you dont use them) to make a pretty vignette.
vinmarks
last year
What about a white coffee maker? The black really stands out.
clt3
last year

We have and love this one. A couple of reasons - larger capacity than many (60 oz), thermal carafe ( I get up much earlier than my husband), and it really contains the steam. Our previous model ruined the finish under one wall cabinet .
mcarroll16
last year
I have the same Breville machine as clt3, and it is awesome. Super-programmable if you want to get really geeky with your brew, but simple push-and-go great coffee for normal coffee drinkers. And you can program an auto-brew so you can wake up to hot coffee.
jaja06
last year
If your priority is pretty, I love these lever espresso machines. You’d probably have to learn quite a bit to get good espresso out of it though 😊
bry911
last year
@stiley - I recommend the Mochamaster... you get past the programmable start pretty fast when the coffee just tastes better. They don't do a programmable version because they don't want the water and the coffee grounds setting in the coffee maker all night getting stale. At first, I was dubious, but now I love it and would never change, nor would I add water and coffee the night before.

My built in coffeemaker doesn't ever get used and it supposedly makes great coffee...
Danielle Gottwig
last year
I have this Mocca Master - a different model. Its works really well and is beautiful. However, as you observed, it is not programmable:
JP L
last year
last modified: last year
Kettle and french press. Makes delicious coffee and can be stored away when not in use. I'm the most disorganized person in the morning, and even I think this set-up is easy enough. Plus, I don't have the patience for cleaning a multi-part dedicated countertop coffeemaker.
lisaam
last year
cleaning a french press is my most hated kitchen task. i do use an aeropress and don’t mind getting that, the grinder, and filter out each morning.
JP L
last year
Really @lisaam?!? Mine is two pieces - the glass carafe and the plunger - I legit rinse them off and put them on the rack to dry! When I'm visiting my Dad, cleaning his old school coffeemaker drives me nuts - I never feel like I actually am able to get it clean. Always interesting learning different perspectives on daily activities, though!
mcarroll16
last year
Agree with lisam, I deeply loathe cleaning a french press. My personal favorite is Chemex pourover, for great coffee and simplest cleanup. But DH hates the fussiness.The Breville and the Moccamaster make pour-over style coffee with the convenience of a machine.
tcufrog
last year
We have this Nespresso machine on our coffee bar. https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/nespresso-by-breville-creatista-plus-espresso-machine-in-stainless/1047437197?brandId=229

It looks very nice and sleek.
stiley
Original Author
last year
@vinmarks good point about the color. Our floors are black so maybe that's why the overall picture hadn't bothered me. But now I can't unsee it!

@bry911 glad to hear you like your Moccamaster. But I was thinking that I could get around the unprogrammable feature by prepping the night before. Is this machine going to turn us into coffee snobs? Ha!

@jaja06 that is indeed beautiful! @aziline those Juras are really pretty too. You all have given me good stuff to think about!
Missy P
last year
I had a Wilfa for years. Good coffee for the non-connoisseur, always lots of comments on the style.
bry911
last year
@stiley - To be honest, it may well turn you into a coffee snob... I got it because my youngest son is a coffee snob (his best friend's family owned a coffee shop where he spent a lot of time). I really didn't know what I was missing prior to that and there is certainly a downside to preferring your home coffeemaker to any other. I occasionally have to settle for Starbucks...

You can prep things the night before if you want, but in all fairness it just doesn't take that much time to add water and grounds. Ours sets near the sink and we just use the hand sprayer to add water. The filter and grounds don't take that long so I just do the whole thing when I come down in the morning. It only takes 3 minutes to brew a pot and since the coffee is brewed at exactly 205 degrees it is the optimal temperature as soon as it is brewed.
Jennifer Svensson
last year
Excellent, and looks great.

https://www.wilfa.us/wilfa-precision/
stiley thanked Jennifer Svensson
wiscokid
last year
I think I would get the Cafe that malabacat posted, only in the matte white version - it would look fabulous in that space! (I love your backspash, btw). We have that machine (SS version) and we like it very much. It would be made better only if it had a removable water reservoir for easier/more thorough cleaning. Otherwise, it makes excellent coffee and has many options for brewing styles and preferences, the thermal carafe keeps the coffee very hot, and it's programmable. It replaced an OXO Barista Brain, which we also liked, but gave up the ghost a couple of years ago.
thisisnotadrill
last year
I have a gaggia cadorna prestige that i love. They even come with different 'panels' on the sides in different faux wood, marble etc though i went with standard black
clt3
last year
No experience with this one, but beautiful to look at.

Saw it at C & B.
pricklypearcactus
last year
I have zero experience with this coffee maker, but I think this would look nice in your space. I'd want something somewhat minimal so it doesn't draw the eye and I think the idea of white is a good one. Or alternatively, stainless.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/smeg-drip-coffee-maker/
Susan W
last year
Man, I'm really old school. This is literally the only thing (other than some pretty cutting boards) that resides permanently on my countertop.

And in our opinion, it also makes the best coffee.
lucky998877
last year
I've had a Moccamaster for years, nothing better for home use! It brews so fast (and quietly), you won't even miss the programming feature. The coffee it makes is so worth the tiny wait time, and the cost of the machine. I'm European, all of my family has one (they cost half the price in Europe)...they really are the 15+ year coffee maker. I like the Dallmayr German coffee, what a fantastic way to start a day :)
einportlandor
last year
I've always admired Chemex coffeemakers. I think they're so simple and elegant. Maybe one day I'll actually buy myself one. In the meantime I'm a kettle and Mellita gal, using whole bean coffee freshly ground for each cup.
chinacatpeekin
last year
I have a Bonavita, and love it. Aesthetically, I’m not sure a classic Chemex can be beat- but I’m not one who can “make coffee” in the morning before I’ve actually had my coffee.
Mary
last year
I’ve had a Jura for two years and love it. Makes perfect coffee on demand and looks beautiful.
Alan Strassberg
last year
FYI - Consumer Reports January 2023 - has an article "Top Coffee Makers

From Our Tests" with ratings.
bry911
last year
I would advise against using Consumer Reports... their testing, while well intentioned, often has significant problems. If you want a good quality coffee maker then I recommend using the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) Certification program.

https://sca.coffee/certified-home-brewer
stiley
Original Author
last year
The Chemex ones are so pretty--handblown glass! Wow. I ordered a Moccamaster in off-white and will report back. Thanks so much for all the suggestions and thoughts!
Patriciae
last year
If you must have programmable go on line and look up a timer to go with your new Moccamaster. You need one that is rated for higher amperage. There are a bazillion kinds to chose from. Plug into outlet and plug coffee maker into timer. Problem solved. we used one for years.
Cat Liz
last year
We too own the mocha master and love it. We love the fact they are made in the Netherlands.
Danielle Gottwig
last year
last modified: last year
There's an explanation somewhere in the Mocca Master manual I received, that went something like this: "We could have put a timer on this coffee maker, but then you would drink stale coffee. We know you would not want to drink stale coffee."

I'm sure it wasn't worded quite this way - and might be a translation - but that is how I heard it. I laughed. I think that was the only time I've felt chastised by a manual.

You .... might become a coffee snob? But then, its cute, it comes in all the colors, and mine hasn't broken yet despite my using it 4x a day.
pricklypearcactus
last year
Here's another white one that would look nice in your kitchen.

https://www.crateandbarrel.com/haden-heritage-ivory-and-copper-12-cup-programmable-coffee-maker/s379623

I also like the look of the one that @clt3 posted.
M Miller
last year
last modified: last year
I really like the looks of the Melitta coffee maker that @clt3 posted. I am linking it below at Crate & Barrel. It is called the Melitta Vision White. I have the Oxo 9-cup coffee maker. The Oxo is not attractive. Nope, not in the slightest bit. But it makes really great coffee. There was a Mothers Day sale on Amazon a couple of years ago and I bought the Oxo for $120, and I see it is now $229!

The beauty of the Melitta is giving me pause, I must say. I wonder whether it makes good coffee. Or is that rose metal prone to discoloration like many rose metals are? Sigh, the price of beauty. Here is a another photo of it with the wood trim closeup.

https://www.crateandbarrel.com/melitta-vision-white-12-cup-drip-coffee-maker/s380549
smalloldhouse_gw
last year
Just wanted to weigh in as I went through something similar - our small kitchen is visible from the front door so I wanted something lovely. I bought the Cafe model mentioned above in the matte white - it looked really nice but had technical issues that required multiple replacements (under warranty.) From the reviews, it seemed like these issues are common so I wouldn't recommend it. The Smeg coffeemakers also had too many questionable reviews. In the end, we've been making do with a utilitarian white Cuisinart ... but now this thread has me oogling other options once again...
stiley
Original Author
last year
Hi, this is a fun thread! Thanks for the good options. We've been using our new Moccamaster for a couple of weeks now. We generally like it -- it's easy to fill with water, and I like being able to take the basket off and set on the counter to fill. I've been filling it at night, and my husband pushes the button when he gets up in the morning. The manual says to use bleached white filters, and it came with a couple so I used them, and I feel like I could taste the paper. We went back to our old brown filters. It holds 10 cups compared to our old one which held 12, and we could use those extra 2 cups; I've had to make another half pot some mornings. But not a huge deal because it brews about 3x faster than our old one. It's cute and easy to use, so it's a keeper.

New vs old
Laurel C
last year
I'm a sucker for an electric kettle and something like a ceramic hario v60. Would be nice to eliminate my burr grinder, but I'll take the tradeoff for freshly ground coffee.
Danielle Gottwig
last year
last modified: last year
Welcome to the dark side! Your corner looks very happy.
rwiegand
last year
I love my Jura superautomatic. Have had one for ~30 years now. First at the office because I was sick of the perpetual mess in the coffee area and then at home. Great coffee and very efficient-- no waste. I"m pretty sure I've saved the purchase price in coffee not wasted several times over now. I would never have a pod or capsule maching, the k-cups etc are an environmental disaser, and completely unnecessary.
stiley
Original Author
last year
@rwiegand I looked at the Juras but only saw ones that make a single cup. Is that correct? We like to make a big ol’ pot.
rwiegand
last year
Yes, they just ake a single cup, but it takes ~30 seconds. You push the button, it grinds and brews immediately. The coffee is always fresh. We seldom have more than 2-3 coffee drinkers in the house at a time so it works fine. You probably wouldn't want to have one serving the break for a 30 person meeting.
mcarroll16
last year
Coffee is for happiness, and so buying something gorgeous like that Melitta just makes sense. :)

My dream machine, when our Breville dies, is the Ratio, but I will never convince DH to spend that much for looks.
typeandrun
last year
last modified: last year
I use a french press, and for me it is so easy to clean. Swish water in it and plunge to loosen any grounds, then air dry.

I have a vintage coffee pot on my counter that stores the grounds.
Lynn Lou
last year
@stiley Your kitchen is gorgeous! New coffee pot looks great!

@M Miller Darn you for posting the link for that Melitta!! I saw the pic of it posted, but didn't bother to go search for it. I may have to give up our Bunn for that beauty lol!

@barncatz Report back how you like the Melitta please :) I like that it is 12 cups vs our current 10 cup. Not a huge fan of having to use filters though. But it sure is pretty!
mcarroll16
last year
The Breville is so-so, looks-wise, but it makes great coffee. You will make someone very happy by passing it on, so enjoy the Melitta w/o any guilt.
decornectarinered
last year
I'd recommend looking at Smeg, KitchenAid, and Cuisinart for programmable coffee makers. If you're looking for something aesthetically pleasing, you can also check out brands like Wilfa, Bodum, and Bosch. Additionally, you may want to take a look at websites like Amazon, Wayfair, and Bed Bath & Beyond for a variety of options.