As is the case with all kitchen appliance purchases, choosing the best coffee maker depends on your lifestyle, personal taste, and preference. If you are new to home brewing, it is advisable to start with simple machines. The good thing about coffee makers is that you can find a simple machine that offers you more than just coffee brewing services. If you are worried about your budget, you can find the perfect coffee maker for under 150.
Before you look at home coffee makers, you need to know what to look for in the best machine for home use. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to get the best coffee maker under 150.
What to look for in a coffee maker
Image | Title | Learn more |
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![]() | BUNN GRB Velocity Brew 10-Cup Home Coffee Brewer, Black | Learn more |
![]() | Single Serve Coffee Maker for K-Cup Pods And Ground Coffee,Thermal Drip Instant Coffee Machine Brewer with Vacuum Insulated Coffee Tumbler, Self Cleaning Function, Strength Control by Sboly | Learn more |
![]() | Cuisinart DCC-3200P1 Perfectemp Coffee Maker, 14 Cup Progammable with Glass Carafe, Stainless Steel | Learn more |
Different people have different protocols for how they choose to start their day. If you prefer to jumpstart your day with a hot coffee cup, finding the perfect coffee maker will ensure you enjoy a brew every morning.
Here are some of the features that make the best coffee machines for home use.
Thermal carafe vs. hot plate
When choosing a carafe coffee maker, consider going for thermal carafes. Hot plates are common with glass carafes to ensure the coffee remains hot long after the brewing process completes. However, when the glass carafe is left on the plate for too long, the coffee overcooks and burns, giving it a bitter taste. Thermal coffee carafe machines are the best choice since they do not need a hot plate to keep your coffee hot. This type of carafe is made with insulation to ensure minimal heat loss, thus maintaining the coffee in the perfect drinking condition.
The size
Whether you live alone or with a few other coffee lovers, it is possible to find a machine to cater for your household’s coffee needs. If you are the only one taking coffee, you should consider going for single-serve coffee makers, as it comes in a compact size. These only brew a cup at a time, thus reducing wastage and save on counter space. It would be counterproductive to have a big coffee machine that only brews for one. You can also find compact machines to brew several cups of coffee per cycle if you are concerned about counter space.
Mid-brew pause
This is the perfect feature if you need to grab a quick cup of coffee and can’t wait for the machine to brew the whole batch. With this feature, you can remove the carafe mid-brew, pour yourself a cup, and return it for the brewing process to complete. This feature is perfect if you live in a household with multiple coffee drinkers.
Auto start programming
This is one of the best features for coffee makers. Today, you can find a programmable coffee maker that costs less than $150. The auto-start feature allows you to set a brewing time for your coffee machine. The machine will automatically start brewing at the pre-set time, ensuring you wake up to a fresh brew of coffee each morning.
Affordability
Since you are working on a budget, it is essential to ensure you choose a coffee maker that meets your $150 budget. It is possible to find a high-quality machine with the best features, even on a budget. You only need to ensure you take your time when choosing. Any of the three machines highlighted in this post will give you the best features within your budget.
The water filters
If you live in a hard water zone, coffee makers with inbuilt water filters are a perfect choice. This ensures your coffee is free from mineral deposits that can ruin the taste and quality.
Paper filters and reusable filters
If you are keen on preserving the environment, consider a coffee maker with a reusable filter, these are usually made from steel and can be removed and cleaned. Paper filters are become less common in coffee machines and can be expensive in the long run.
How to get the most from your $150 coffee maker
Regardless of the coffee maker you use, essential factors that impact the final taste include coffee quality, temperature, and extraction.
The best coffee quality for homemade coffee is freshly ground coffee beans. Invest in quality coffee beans and only grind when you need to brew. Also, invest in a quality burr grinder to ensure even ground size. The size of your ground determines whether there is even extraction on not. Uneven extraction will lower the quality of your coffee by making your coffee bitter or sour.
When it comes to temperature, the recommended coffee brewing temperature is between 197.6 degrees Fahrenheit and 204.8 degrees Fahrenheit. While there is no way of controlling the temperature in a coffee machine, you can ensure the machine you buy can brew in the temperature range by only buying SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) certified machine.
The best coffee maker under 150 – top 3 recommendations
BUNN GRB Velocity Brew 10-Cup Home Coffee Brewer
- Fastest 10-Cup Home Coffeemaker brews a full pot of coffee in about 3 minutes
- An always hot internal hot water is ready to brew hot coffee on deman. Item dimensions is 14.8 high x 7.1 wide x 13.8 deep inch. Note-replace sprayhead and brew funnel. Pour additional carafes of fresh, cold water into the brewer as needed until water has no vinegar smell or tasted
- Exclusive drip-free carafe with a proprietary lid and spout design that arcs the pour of the coffee into the cup and wicks the coffee dribbles back into the carafe preventing a mess on cup or counter
- Multi-stream spray head showers hot water evenly over the coffee grounds
- Large flat bottom filter and funnel allows greater interaction between hot water and coffee grounds for superior flavor extraction
- Brews 4 to 10 cups (20 to 50 ounce). 3-year warranty
- Backed by BUNN customer service in Springfield, Illinois
- Based on internal testing of BUNN Speed Brew/ Velocity Brew coffeemakers to other similar coffeemakers
This is the fastest coffee maker that can brew for up to 10 servings in under three minutes. It comes with an internal hot water reservoir that ensures the machine is ready to brew hot coffee on demand. It is also very easy to clean. The exclusive drip-free carafe is made with a proprietary lid and spout design that arcs the pour of the coffee into the cup, wicking the coffee dribbles back into the carafe for a mess-free serve. It works with a Multi-stream spray head that showers hot water evenly over the coffee bed.
Sboly Single Serve Coffee Maker
- ☕ RAPID BREWED COFFEE RIGHT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: This personal single serve coffee maker will give you that fresh, pure taste that is required to jump start your day. Have your cup ready to drink in only 3 minutes! Hot enough to still have hot coffee with cream added. The water adjustment function allows you to control how much coffee you want to brew to save expensive grounds.
- ☕ DURABLE & COMPACT DESIGN: Innovatively designed to be compact and durable, yet extremely effective, this coffee maker is much smaller than others. You will be able to fit it in tight places on countertops, office tables, etc.
- ☕ 2-IN-1 BREWING: Whether you want to brew coffee pods or make a cup of coffee the traditional way, this innovative machine will allow you to do either! The simple side button feature allows you to conveniently choose between these 2 brewing styles. A vacuum insulated tumbler is included to allow you to take home-made hot coffee on the go. It can keep your coffee hot up to 6 hours.
- ☕ AUTO-CLEANING BUTTON: When you are done using this one-of-a-kind coffee machine, simply press 2 buttons and let the machine clean itself. Cleaning your pod and ground brewer machine have never been this easy! Forget to shut off your machine? Don’t worry, the machine will automatically turn off after brewing a cup of coffee.
- ☕ UPGRADED BASKET FILTER WITH A LID- This is a upgrade model: 1177 upgrade version single serve coffee maker, we improve the taste of your coffee by designing a lid for the basket filter, it can hold the coffee grounds in place to prevent them from flowing into your coffee.
This single-serve coffee maker will give you the fresh, pure taste you require to jump-start your day. This machine can brew a cup in only 3 minutes, and the coffee is hot enough without compromising on taste. It comes with a water adjustment function that allows you to control how much coffee you want to brew to save your expensive grounds. This coffee maker is innovatively designed to be compact and durable while still offering extreme effectiveness. You can fit it in tight countertops places, office tables, etc. When you are done using this coffee machine, you can activate auto-cleaning by simply pressing 2 buttons. Did you forget to shut off your machine? No need to worry, as it will automatically turn off after the brew cycle.
Cuisinart DCC-3200P1 Perfectemp Coffee Maker
- State-of-the-art technology to ensure hotter coffee without sacrificing flavor or quality
- Brew strength control allows you to select regular or bold coffee flavor
- Fully automatic with 24-hour programmability, self-clean, 1-4 cup setting and auto shutoff (0-4 hours)
- Adjustable keep warm temperature control
- Gold tone, commercial style permanent filter.MC Cubic Feet: 2.32
This coffee maker uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure you can enjoy hot coffee without sacrificing its flavor or quality. It comes with a brew-strength control that allows you to select regular or bold coffee flavor to suit your needs. This is a fully automatic machine with 24-hour programmability, self-clean, 1-4 cup setting, and auto-shutoff. If you want to regulate how hot your coffee is, you can do with the adjustable keep warm temperature control.
Conclusion
It is possible to enjoy the best cups of coffee at home, even with an affordable machine. With any of the machines recommended in this article, you will have a state-of-the-art coffee maker at the most affordable rates in the market.