Best Automatic Pour Over Coffee Maker: The 6 Best Quality Automatic Coffee Makers

We’ve all been there. You love making coffee with the pour over method, but you’re always pressed for time in the morning and don’t have the time to operate your manual pour over coffee brewing machine. Investing in an excellent automatic pour over coffee maker will solve the problem. 

But how do you know which is the best automatic pour over coffee maker for you? I’ll help you figure it out. 

In this article, we are going to review the following automatic pour over coffee makers for the best price, quality, and other features:

How Do Automatic Pour Over Coffee Makers Work?

Automatic pour over coffee makers share similarities with traditional drip coffee makers, but the coffee tastes a lot different depending on your use. 

Drip coffee makers continuously dispense water over the grounds, which can flood them and lead to a weaker flavor than you would get using the automatic pour over brewing method. 

An automatic pour over coffee machine uses a controlled manner to distribute water over the grounds. This leads to blooming, which means the coffee absorbs the heated water and releases its flavorful oils. 

An automatic pour over coffee machine heats the water temperature to an optimal level and maintains that ideal temperature ratio throughout the brewing process. In contrast, some drip coffee makers heat the water too hot, leading to that bitter, burnt taste we all loathe.

What to Look for in The Best Automatic Pour Over Coffee Maker

Before the invention of automatic pour over coffee makers, the process was done manually. You placed grounds in the filter and slowly filled the pour over carafe with hot water.  With the manual pour over method, the coffee grounds can be pre-ground or freshly ground coffee from whole beans using a coffee grinder.

Here’s an interesting video of how pour over coffee is made the old-fashion, manual way. 

https://youtu.be/2Sela-8BF9Q

Thankfully, technology has improved by leaps and bounds; automatic pour over coffee makers replicate the process without you having to do all the work to get your cup of coffee. With an automatic pour over machine, you get to enjoy the rich flavor of pour over coffee while saving on time. 

No matter how simple the process is with the help of a good machine, there are a few things you should consider when you’re looking for the best automatic pour over coffee maker for your home.

Size

If you live alone and only drink one cup of coffee at a time, a smaller pour over coffee maker will probably work for you. Small pour over coffee makers, which usually produce a single cup, take up much less counter space, so they’re ideal for office use and small kitchens. 

On the other hand, if you’re a fan of drinking a few cups of coffee back to back or making coffee for more than one person, you might want a larger automatic pour over coffee maker.   

Temperature Control

Maintaining the ideal temperature for pour over coffee is essential to a smooth cup of coffee, so you should look for an automatic pour over coffee maker capable of reaching and maintaining this temperature throughout the brewing process. 

Hot Plate vs. Insulated Carafe 

In theory, a hot plate sounds like a great way to keep your coffee piping hot. In reality, hot plates continuously cook your coffee long after it should have stopped brewing, which leads to bitter, burnt coffee. (Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth.)

A better idea is to look for an automatic pour over coffee maker with an insulated carafe that keeps your coffee warm. A thermal carafe maintains your coffee’s temperature rather than increasing it over time. No bitterness, no cold coffee. It’s a win-win situation for getting the best quality coffee. 

Programmability

Like other types of coffee makers, many pour over coffee makers have programmable settings that allow you to set a timer the night before to have your coffee ready in the morning. 

I recommend looking for a pour over coffee maker with a blooming step, as this extracts the maximum amount of flavor from your coffee grounds. 

Maintenance

No matter how easy to use an automatic pour over coffee maker, it will be a waste of money if cleaning your machine is such a hassle you end up not using it. Ensure you know how much work the cleaning process will require before you shell out your hard-earned cash. 

Be on the lookout for an automatic pour over coffee maker with removable, dishwasher-safe parts if you want to get the most bang for your buck.

It’s also a good idea to keep durability in mind. The best automatic pour over coffee maker models are made from glass or stainless steel. Purchasing from a reputable brand that offers a good warranty will give you peace of mind that your pour over coffee maker was built to last. Before purchasing an automatic pour over coffee maker, you will want to research reputable information and ensure you are buying a quality brew coffee maker.

Automatic Pour Over Coffee Maker Reviews

Now that you know more about what to look for in an automatic pour over coffee maker, it’s time for a brief look at a few of my pour over coffee maker reviews. I’ve broken down each model’s pros and cons to make the decision-making process as easy as possible.  

1. Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker – Our Top Pick

The Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker, despite being relatively inexpensive, is like having a coffee shop in your home. The Ninja Coffee Maker produces a rich, espresso-style brew perfect for making cappuccinos and lattes. You can make various drinks thanks to the iced coffee setting and a built-in frother that works with hot or cold milk. 

Pros:

• Blooming feature
• Iced coffee setting produces strong coffee, never watery
• Built-in milk frother works with hot or cold milk
• Makes espresso-style specialty brew
• Dishwasher-safe 
• Insulated carafe keeps coffee warm
• Temperature controlled warming plate won’t burn coffee

Cons:

• Brewing a full pot can take almost 10 minutes
• Cleaning and descaling cycle takes a full 60 minutes

With a 10 cup capacity and six brewing sizes available, it’s a great choice for multi-person households — or those of you who like to drink more than one cup of coffee. The insulated carafe and Precise Temp warming plate will keep your coffee hot without burning it. It’s an all-around great machine, but cleaning your Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker can be a chore.

2. Technivorm Moccamaster KBG Coffee Brewer

This high-end automatic pour over coffee maker is handmade in the Netherlands. It features a glass carafe and a hot plate to keep your coffee warm.

Unlike many pour over coffee makers, which use aluminum, the Technivorm Moccamaster uses copper for more reliable, uniform heating. Great for smaller kitchens or offices, this small-but-mighty 10-cup brewer weighs under seven pounds. 

Pros:

• 5-year manufacturer’s guarantee gives peace of mind
• High-quality, handmade in the Netherlands
• Hot plate has automatic shut off feature
• 4-6 minute brew time is faster than many automatic pour over coffee makers
• Hot plate is temperature-controlled to prevent burning coffee
• Brewing process is fully automatic
• Available in numerous different colors

Cons:

• More expensive than many models
• Hand-wash only
• Glass carafe is relatively thin and not insulated
• No blooming feature

The Moccamaster is a handmade, compact powerhouse that produces rich, smooth coffee in a short amount of time. That being said, the temperature-controlled hot plate is a potential downside rather than a positive feature since coffee continues to cook when left on a hot plate.

Yes, even if that hot plate is temperature-controlled. The Moccamaster is a good quality machine, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price.

3. Redline MK1 Coffee Brewer

The Redline MK1 Coffee Brewer is an affordable little gem that offers great value for money with a pre-infusion mode that allows coffee to bloom. You can brew a full pot in under six minutes, and there’s a unique “Parking Brake” drip lever that will enable you to adjust or pause your brewing.

The 8-cup water reservoir means you can enjoy multiple cups without adding more water, and its compact size is suitable for small spaces.

Pros:

• Produces rich, flavourful coffee thanks to its “pre-infusion” blooming mode  
• Inexpensive compared to other pour over coffee makers
• Quick brew time allows you to make a full pot in six minutes
• 2-year limited manufacturer’s warranty
• Sleek, stylish design takes up very little space

Cons:

• Water reservoir isn’t removable
• Carafe is extremely thin, so washing it by hand is recommended
• Hot plate gets extremely hot and may burn coffee
• No timer or programmability

It’s almost unheard of for such a budget-friendly pour over coffee machine to have a blooming mode, which is a significant point in this brewer’s favor.

If you want a sleek, easy-to-use, pour over coffee maker and don’t mind the lack of programming features, the Redline MK1 Coffee Brewer might be a good choice. However, the flimsy carafe and hot plate might be deterrents for some buyers that are looking for higher quality.

4. Cuisinart CPO-850 Pour Over Coffee Brewer

The Cuisinart CPO-850 Pour Over Coffee Brewer offers three different flavors: mild, medium, and bold, to customize your brew to your taste. Fully programmable, you can set your coffee maker the night before and wake up to delicious, freshly brewed coffee in the morning.

The modern stainless steel finish looks like something from Star Trek, which is a definite point in my book. 

Pros:

• Pre-wets the coffee grounds to allow for blooming
• Temperature control lets you decide if you want your coffee hot or extra hot
• Thermal carafe keeps coffee warm without burning it
• Brew strength control allows you to brew your coffee as mild or as strong as you want
• Automatic shut off means you don’t have to worry if you turned off the coffee maker

Cons:

• Awkwardly designed carafe can cause coffee leaks as you pour
• Small carafe size only brews eight cups at a time
• Hand-wash only

The phrase “almost perfect, but not quite” sums up the Cuisinart CPO-850 perfectly. It has a blooming mode to bring out the most flavor, brew-strength control so you can make your coffee as strong as you want it and a thermal carafe. But it’s the carafe that’s the Cuisinart’s weak spot. The wonky lip shape leads to frequent spills, and who likes to waste coffee?

5. KitchenAid Spiral Showerhead Drip Coffee Maker

Compact and inexpensive, the KitchenAid Spiral Showerhead Drop Coffee Maker is a stylish option for any home. It offers a 29-hole spiral showerhead that saturates your coffee grounds evenly for maximum flavor, and the warming plate keeps your coffee warm for up to two hours.

An exciting feature is the brew buttons: there’s one on the front of the machine and one on the side, so you can store your coffee maker anywhere and have easy access to one of them.

Pros:

• Inexpensive compared to many coffee makers
• Fully programmable, so you can set it the night before and have coffee ready in the morning
• Makes a 12-cup pot, the largest capacity of any coffee maker on the list 
• Offers a regular and a bold brew setting
• Removable water reservoir for easy cleaning

Cons:

• Only two brew strength settings
• No pre-infusion bloom mode
• The brew button is also the cancel button, so you may accidentally stop the brewing process

If you’re looking for a simple coffee maker you can set the night before, KitchenAid’s Spiral Showerhead Drop Coffee Maker might work well for you. However, it offers limited brew settings, and there’s no bloom mode, so your coffee might not be as flavorful as it would be with other coffee makers.

There is also no separate cancel button, which is an odd design flaw that could lead to canceling your morning cup by mistake.

6. Breville Precision Brewer Coffee Maker

With six different brewing options, an adjustable bloom time mode, and a steep and release valve that allows you to brew small cups of coffee without the carafe, the Breville Precision Brewer Coffee Maker is a powerhouse of a coffee machine.

While pricey, Breville’s coffee maker is a good option for those who love to drink multiple cups of coffee or live in a household with more than one coffee drinker. 

Pros:

• Has six different brewing options, including cold brew
• Effortlessly brews multiple sizes, from a single cup to an entire pot 
• Stainless steel components
• Thermal carafe keeps coffee warm
• Programmable so that you can set it the night before

Cons:

• Pour over attachment not included
• More expensive than many other models
• Massive, bulky machine takes up a lot of counter space

Breville’s coffee maker is bulky and expensive, and while it has many great features going for it, it has a few points against it. The number of brew options allows you to customize your drinks, and its programmability is top-notch.

That being said, it’s not a pour over coffee maker right out of the box. While the Breville coffee maker can produce a pour over coffee, you’ll have to buy a separate adapter.

Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker is the best automatic pour over coffee maker on the list. 

The Technivorm Moccamaster lacks a blooming feature and relies solely on a hot plate to keep your coffee warm. 

Speaking of hot plates, the Redline MK1’s hot plate gets blisteringly hot, which can burn your coffee. 

Cuisinart’s brewer comes with a tiny water reservoir that isn’t removable, making washing your coffee maker more complicated than it needs to be. 

KitchenAid’s coffee maker only offers two brewing options, doesn’t have a blooming mode, and the brew button is also the cancel button, potentially causing a few coffee-related mishaps. 

Breville’s brewer is only a pour over coffee maker if you purchase an additional attachment, so despite its benefits, it won’t suit your needs if you have your heart set on the quality a pour over brewer provides. 

With its ability to produce espresso-style brew suitable for cappuccinos, iced coffee, and a built-in milk frother, Ninja’s Specialty Coffee Maker is at the top of its class.