8 Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Makers of 2023
Tired of drinking burnt-tasting coffee from a glass carafe that has spent one too many hours on the hot plate? A thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for hours! This article will help you decide which features to prioritize, and our top picks for 2023 guarantee you’ll find the perfect one.
Technivorm Moccamaster
The Technivorm offers advanced features like rapid copper coil heating systems, and unparalleled build quality and durability. SCAA certification ensures delicious coffee with every brew.
The 8 Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker Reviews
Our round-up of the best thermal carafe coffee makers this year includes something for everyone. Whether you’re prioritizing great coffee, great value, or great design, we’ve got a recommendation for you — each one guaranteed to keep your coffee warm for hours.
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Technivorm Moccamaster |
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Black+Decker Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker |
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Breville Grind Control |
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Behmor Brazen Plus |
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OXO Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker (aka Barista Brain) |
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Mr. Coffee Optimal Brew 10-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker |
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Cuisinart DCC-450BKC |
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ASOBU Copper Insulated Pour Over |
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1. Technivorm Moccamaster – Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
Specifications
Dimensions: 11.5” x 6.6” x 15.3”
- Weight: 6.0 lbs
- Cup capacity: 10 cups
The Moccamaster is the reigning king of home drip brewers. It’s even our top pick for the best coffee makers and for good reason. It pairs great coffee with a durable build that more than justifies its price. It’s certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), a rigorous standard that prioritizes conditions for ideal coffee extraction. Handbuilt in the Netherlands, the Moccamaster is of impeccable quality and built to last (1).
New machines come with a five-year warranty, though tend to last far longer, being easy to repair or spruce up with replacement parts.
The KBT741 is one of the best Moccamaster models. Its stainless steel carafe isn’t its best feature – it’s its unique dual-coil copper heater, which heats the water quickly to the optimal coffee brewing temperature. Hot water is then showered uniformly over the ground beans for the most even extraction. It also shuts off automatically when the water reservoir is empty. If, however, you’re hoping for a lot of fancy options, like a touch screen or an automatic timer, this 10-cup coffee maker won’t deliver. It’s designed to brew great coffee simply.
Read our Technivorm KBT741 Moccamaster review.
2. Black+Decker Thermal Coffee Maker – Best Value
Specifications
Dimensions: 9.5” x 8.0” x 13.0”
- Weight: 4.0 lbs
- Cup capacity: 12 cups
Black+Decker’s low-cost double-wall insulated, stainless steel carafe offering is surprisingly packed with features for a budget coffee maker, making it a great option for the discerning coffee drinker on a budget. It offers adjustable brew strength, an auto-brew timing feature, and a handy function that lets you know when the last pot was brewed. The sneak-a-cup feature will auto-pause the brew if you need to grab a cup while it’s brewing. And despite all this functionality, it’s easy to operate.
Such a feature-rich, dependable, and easy to use coffee maker with thermal carafe at this price point marks exceptional value.
The simple stainless steel design fits nicely in all kitchens, and the large thermal carafe is plenty for serving even up to 12 cups of coffee. It takes about 10 minutes to brew, a touch slower than comparable thermal coffee makers. The only downside is the plastic construction. It won’t be as durable as metal alternatives, and a number of rinses are needed during the initial set-up to avoid any plastic aftertaste.
3. Breville Grind Control – Best Grind and Brew Pick
Specifications
Dimensions: 9.0” x 14.0” x 16.3”
- Weight: 16.0 lbs
- Cup capacity: 12
Breville is known for amazing coffee makers and great grinders, so it’s no surprise they’ve found success in marrying the two. The Grind Control 12-cup thermal coffeemaker is easy to use and offers a number of useful features, the most obvious being a built-in burr grinder. The grinder offers four settings, so you can fine-tune it to your needs, but it’s not the same as a stand-alone grinder. You can’t get coarse French Press grind or superfine espresso grind. For more grinding options, check out our complete review of coffee makers with grinders.
The grinder enables freshly ground coffee, even for morning brews pre-programmed the night before.
This coffee maker hits the optimal brewing temperature of 200 ℉. Its water reservoir can take in as much as 60 oz of water and thus, can brew a single-serve coffee up to a 12-cup thermal carafe. It features 8 brew strength selector and a unique calibration system that optimizes it for your specific coffee beans. This Grind Control is relatively expensive but remains good value if it saves you having to buy a separate grinder.
4. Behmor Brazen Plus – Best SCAA Certified
Specifications
Dimensions: 9.0” x 9.0” x 15.3”
- Weight: 10.0 lbs
- Cup capacity: 8 cups
Like the Moccamaster, the Behmor Brazen is certified by the SCAA, guaranteeing great coffee. In contrast, however, the Behmor is a thermal programmable coffeemaker that offers numerous features to tinker with. Equipped with a programmable timer, this is the machine for those who want to intimately control the brewing process.
The brewing temperature, strength, and pre-soak time are all adjustable via an easy-to-use LCD screen, and the machine will even take into account your altitude’s effect on the boiling point of water (2). For even more control over your brew, the Behmor Connected is a near-identical “smart” model that’s operated through voice commands or an app. Here’s where you can read our reviews of some great coffee makers you can operate with via Bluetooth or Wifi.
The water reservoir is stainless steel, which avoids any plastic taste and increases durability. During brewing, a pulsed water flow from a showerhead style dispenser ensures the most even extraction from the grounds. The 8-cup thermal carafe is smaller than many, and some users have found that its thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for only an hour or two.
5. OXO Brew Thermal Coffee Maker (aka Barista Brain) – Most Advanced
Specifications
Dimensions: 14.5” x 6.8” x 17.2”
- Weight: 7.8 lbs
- Cup capacity: 9 cups
Formerly known as the OXO On Barista Brain, which is certified by the SCAA, the OXO Brew 9-cup coffee maker has all the features expected of a high-end home brewer, including an auto-brew timer, a pause feature, and a timer to let you know when the coffee was made. But what qualifies it as the most advanced is a microprocessor-controlled hot water distribution that saturates the grounds in timed cycles, mimicking the perfect pour-over. A unique silicone mixing tube in the carafe ensures uniformity inside.
The Brain can brew 2 to 9 cups at the ideal SCAA-mandated temperature, with the latter taking just 7 minutes.
At 17 inches, this is the tallest thermal carafe coffee machine on the list, a consideration for small kitchens, and it doesn’t offer many adjustable brew features. Just as you would trust the barista’s brain at a coffee shop, you’ll have to trust Barista Brain for that perfect cup.
6. Mr. Coffee Optimal Brew – Easiest To Clean
Specifications
Dimensions: 13.1” x 8.7” x 14.3”
- Weight: 9.7 lbs
- Cup capacity: 10 cups
User-friendliness is the guiding principle behind the Mr. Coffee 10-Cup Optimal Brew, and it shows. For a low-priced thermal coffee maker, it features a number of make-life-easy features, including a programmable timer, a freshness timer, an auto-pause, and an auto shut-off. It also has a stainless steel thermal carafe.
This 10-cup thermal carafe coffee maker’s removable water tank makes cleaning and refilling quite easy. Its filter features a unique lift-and-clean design for easy access. It comes with a water filter that will both improve your coffee’s taste, lessen hard water deposits, and decrease the frequency of descaling. When it’s time for a clean, this thermal carafe coffee brewer will let you know, and you can execute its self-cleaning cycle.
The taste of the coffee is not the priority here, with no SCAA certification or control over brewing parameters. This is a machine for those who want easy and good, not great, coffee.
7. Cuisinart DCC-450BKC – Best For Small Kitchens
Specifications
Dimensions: 6.7” x 8.7” x 11”
- Weight: 4.0 lbs
- Cup capacity: 4 cups
This Cuisinart 4-cup thermal coffeemaker is small and inexpensive, the perfect entry-level machine for a compact kitchen or a dorm room. It wouldn’t even be out of place on an office desk.
Naturally, this machine comes with a stainless steel thermal carafe but it is not packed with features, as its diminutive size and price would suggest. However, it does have a few handy functions. An automatic brew-pause lets you grab a cup of coffee while it’s brewing, and it shuts off automatically after 30 mins, a great safety and power-saving feature.
It also dispenses hot water showerhead style to ensure even wetting of the grounds and best extraction, impressive attention to detail for such a basic model.
Do you like this brand? Here’s our reviews of the best Cuisinart coffee makers.
8. ASOBU Copper Insulated Pour Over – Best Aesthetics
Specifications
Dimensions: 6.3” x 6.3” x 9.4”
- Weight: 2.0 lbs
- Cup capacity: 6 cups
All pour-over brewers, with their spare design and smooth curves, tend to have an architectural appeal. But Asobu’s insulated version, available in four stylish colors, is a true work of art.
Beyond its sleek exterior, the borosilicate glass Asobu also brews a mean cup of coffee. Pour-over coffee takes some practice and requires a separate means of boiling water, but it yields fantastic results once mastered (3).
Pour-over accentuates intricate flavors when compared to other brewing methods. This makes it a popular choice for single-origin coffees since it allows the flavors and aromas to shine.
The double-walled stainless steel insulated thermal carafe is copper lined, allowing it to keep up to 32 ounces of coffee in a nice, hot temperature for 12 hours. And unlike the other brewers on the list, it’s portable. A leak-proof lid turns the carafe into a thermos you can take anywhere.
How to Choose the Best Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
Coffee makers with insulated thermal carafe can cost more than their glass carafe counterparts, but several factors, including durability, taste, and energy-efficiency, make the investment worthwhile. So what should you look for when choosing a thermal coffee maker?
Related: See our complete list of the best coffee makers here.
Brewing Temperature
A thermal carafe can keep your coffee at the right temperature, but the coffee maker needs to get it there. For best extraction, coffee should be brewed between 195 ℉ and 205 ℉ (4), but not all drip brewers achieve this goal. SCAA certified coffee makers go through rigorous testing to ensure they meet a number of standards, including the benchmark temperature (5).
Carafe Capacity
If you’re brewing just one cup of joe, a smart mug can keep your drink at your desired temperature for longer. But if you’re brewing for more than one person, the carafe capacity is something to consider. How many people will you be serving? How many cups of coffee do you wish to brew? Do you want the option of brewing half a carafe or a single serve? If you plan to brew mostly single serve cups, a coffee maker with an insulated thermal carafe may not be worth your money. Try one of these top single-serve brewers instead.
Durability
There’s always a balance between upfront cost and longevity. Some buyers prefer to pay less upfront, knowing they’ll want a new machine in a few years anyway. Others are willing to shell out big bucks for something that lasts. If you’re in the latter category, look for a machine that is well made, with metal rather than plastic components, and comes with a long warranty. The price tag for machines with thermal carafe may be a little higher, but you’ll get your money’s worth.
Programming Features
Consider how much you like to tinker with your homebrew and how much feedback you want from your coffee maker with thermal carafe. Some come with dozens of adjustable features and settings, offering control over brew strength, brew time, and temperature, while others prioritize simplicity and user-friendliness.
If a delicious cup of coffee is your primary goal, look for a machine that is SCAA certified.
Many coffee makers, even those with a thermal carafe, offer options like auto-brew timers, brew pausing, hot water system, and automatic shut-off. Most brands offer models that have these features, even Capresso coffee makers. Generally, more features mean an increased cost, so decide which ones are important to you and budget accordingly.
The Verdict
A thermal coffee maker is a worthwhile purchase if you plan to save your freshly brewed coffee for later, improving in both taste and sustainability over glass carafes, and each of the brewers on our list is a great option, offering a top-of-the-line defining characteristic.
In our opinion, the Moccamaster is the all-around winner. Its SCAA certification ensures consistently delicious coffee, and its high-quality, handbuilt construction guarantees years of enjoyment.
FAQs
The best thermal coffee maker or great machines with thermal carafes can keep coffee hot for up to 12 hours, but 6 hours is a reasonable assumption for most.
While a thermal carafe keeps coffee warm for hours, a coffee thermos usually keeps coffee warm for longer. Plus, it’s portable. If you often take your coffee to go, a glass carafe paired with a coffee thermos might be your best bet. Here are our picks for the best coffee thermoses.
The ideal temperature for brewing coffee is between 195 ℉ and 205 ℉, so the best drip coffee makers aim for that range. If you have an affinity for extra hot coffee, a French press or a percolator will serve you well.
References
- Hof, K. (2019, January 22). The Making Of A Master: Inside The Technivorm Factory. https://sprudge.com/the-making-of-a-master-inside-the-technivorm-factory-137235.html
- Molina, A. (2018, October 11). How Does Elevation Affect Your Ideal Coffee Brew Temperature? https://perfectdailygrind.com/2018/10/how-does-elevation-affect-your-ideal-coffee-brew-temperature/
- Soque, N. (2019, January 5). Everything You Need To Know To Brew Great Pour Over Coffee. https://perfectdailygrind.com/2019/01/everything-you-need-to-know-to-brew-great-filter-pour-over-drip-coffee/
- Ideal Brew Temperature and Time. (n.d.). https://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/How-to-Brew-Coffee
- SCA Certified Home Brewer Program. (n.d.). https://sca.coffee/certified-home-brewer
