In a hurry? Our top choice is the Bonavita Connoisseur 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker!
Machines that make great coffee in a big batch are hard to come by.
Luckily there are some great options on the market for you to choose from.
In this article, I’ll go over the best 8 cup coffee maker and which features make them stand out.
Let’s jump right in!
Best 8-Cup Coffee Maker: Our Top 5 Choices
- Bonavita Connoisseur 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker (Best Overall)
- Cuisinart CPO-850 8-Cup Coffee Brewer (Most Brewing Options)
- Hamilton Beach 8-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker (Best for a Budget)
- Russell Hobbs Glass Series 8-Cup Coffee Maker (Best Looking Machine)
- OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker (Best for Travel Mugs)
Bonavita Connoisseur 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker
Ok, I’ll be honest I actually have had a Bonavita Connoisseur drip coffee maker for about three years now. And I’m a huge fan.
It’s a relatively small machine considering its brewing capacity. At just under 7” wide, it’s narrow enough to fit in most kitchens.
It has a hanging, flat-bottomed filter basket. The flat bottom is nice for even extraction and saturation while brewing. But the best part about the brew head? It’s got a shower-style pour instead of a single spout.
That’s great for mimicking fancy pour-over coffees you’d get at a shop, and it’s the reason I bought the Bonavita coffee maker in the first place.
On top of the shower head pour, it has an optional preinfusion mode. Preinfusion is when you wet all the coffee grounds to let it get rid of off aromas before actually brewing.
One downside, though, is that the preinfusion mode is a little tricky to understand with only a single button on the machine.
The carafe is thermal, and the lid, basket, and showerhead are dishwasher safe. All in all, it’s a super reliable and high-quality coffee brewer.
Pros
- The basket has a flat bottom which allows for even extraction and saturation
- Showerhead pouring ensures good coffee every time
- Preinfusion mode for degassing your coffee for an even fresher tasting cup
- A lot of the parts are dishwasher safe, making cleaning super easy
Cons
- It only has one button, which can make the different functions a little confusing
Cuisinart CPO-850 8-Cup Coffee Brewer
First impressions are a little odd with this one. I find the design a little jarring, the angles just a little off.
But first impressions aren’t everything, and this Cuisinart drip coffee maker deserves a second glance.
The CPO-850, or PurePrecision, is a great machine that gives you a bit of control over how your coffee will taste.
You can choose from three coffee strengths (mild, medium, or bold) and two temperatures (hot or extra hot).
It also has a pause function so you can pour a cup before the brew is finished. Which is a nice touch for those busy mornings.
Plus, it has 24-hour programmability. So you can set up your brew before bed. If you are a huge coffee lover like me, having your cup of joe ready when you get up is a big plus.
The PurePrecision 8-Cup has a permanent stainless steel filter and also takes #4 paper filters.
If I’m being honest, I’m not a huge fan of stainless steel filters. They leave a metallic taste in your coffee and aren’t as efficient as paper filters.
And the fact that this steel filter is permanent is a big red flag for me.
Pros
- Choose from six styles of brew, that give you a lot of control over each pot
- Pause function while brewing so you can pour a cup before the whole pot is finished
- 24-hour programmability so you can set up your morning pot before bed
- A digital display with intuitive buttons makes setting up your brew really easy
Cons
- The stainless steel permanent filter is cumbersome and not as efficient as simply a paper filter
Hamilton Beach 8-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
This is one of the more classic-looking coffee makers. I’m talking thermal carafe, water tank right behind the brewer, and tactile button display on the front.
Now, I’m a fan of the classics, and this Hamilton drip coffee maker is no different.
The thermal carafe is vacuum sealed and keeps your coffee fresh without a heating plate.
It also has an auto-shutoff feature that turns the machine off as soon as it’s finished brewing. This saves you energy and prolongs the life of your machine.
You can also pour from the carafe while a brew is going. The brew stops until the carafe is replaced.
On top of all that, you have a few options when brewing. You get to choose from regular or bold, 1-4 cups, or a full pot. That gives you a decent amount of control over your morning coffee.
The downside is that this machine is cheaply made. The body is made from cheap-feeling plastic, as is the top of the carafe and the handle. And while I like the tactile buttons on the front, they are also cheap and can break easily.
Pros
- Vacuum sealed thermal carafe does keep your coffee hot and fresh without a heating plate
- The auto-shutoff feature saves energy and keeps your machine healthy
- Pause and pour while a brew is going, so you can get a coffee in your cup a little quicker
Cons
- It’s made of cheap materials and feels like it
Russell Hobbs Glass Series 8-Cup Coffee Maker
Looks don’t count for a ton with me when it comes to coffee makers, but if they would, this Russell Hobbs machine might be my favorite.
That said, the looks are probably the best thing about this machine.
Yes, it does have a great showerhead that gives your coffee even extraction and saturation.
And yes, it is also programmable up to a whole day in advance. And you can pause the brew and pour a cup before the brew is totally finished.
And the timer that tells you how long the pot has been sitting on the hot plate is cute and almost functional.
However, the lack of a thermal carafe and paper filters doesn’t do it for me.
Instead of a thermal carafe, this machine has a glass carafe and a warming plate. Warming plates keep the bottom of your coffee hot, but not the rest of it, and it keeps the coffee artificially warm.
And while permanent filters are okay, they are nowhere near as efficient as paper filters. I find them clunky, and hard to clean, and they taste worse on the whole than paper filters.
Pros
- Great showerhead for even extraction and saturation
- Pause and pour so you can pour a cup of coffee before the brew is finished
- It looks great, so you won’t be shy about showing it off to your friends
- The brew freshness timer is a nice touch
Cons
- The glass carafe just doesn’t work as well as a thermal carafe
- No option for paper filters
OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker
This is maybe the most versatile coffee maker I’ve ever come across. Granted, it’s still a drip coffee maker, but the accommodation for different sizes is incredible.
It’s got your standard, vacuum-sealed, thermal carafe that keeps coffee hot for a long time without a heating plate.
And it has a great showerhead for even extraction and saturation.
And it has OXO’s top brewing technology to standardize temperature, brew time, and water volume.
And it’s incredibly simple. It’s one of the simplest machines on the market. It has tactile buttons and a few things to press before you’re ready to brew.
But the best part? It’s actually made to work with travel mugs of all sizes. You can flip the brewing basket upside down to accommodate a travel mug, or actually remove it for even bigger mugs.
The only downside is that you don’t get to control any variables about the brew. You just have to trust that OXO Brew knows how to program great coffee into their machine.
Pros
- The carafe is vacuum sealed and thermal insulated, so it’ll keep your coffee hot and fresh for a long time
- A great showerhead for even extraction, saturation, and consistency
- The tactile display is simple and intuitive
- It’s made to accommodate travel mugs, which is unique in its class
Cons
- You don’t control a lot of variables, you just have to trust the OXO Brew coffee machine
8-Cup Coffee Maker: Buying Guide
Getting the right 8-cup drip coffee maker is more than just picking one up from the store.
You need to look at yourself as a coffee drinker and figure out what exactly you need from an 8-cup brewer.
Is the taste the most important part? Is ease of use most important?
Let’s dive into some of the aspects that will help you make a decision.
What changes the brew quality?
The brew quality might be the single most important aspect. At least for me.
Most coffee makers on the market are brewing coffee decently. If you’re looking for simple, diner-style coffee, then picking up a machine based on other aspects is a fine decision.
But if you’re looking for the best possible coffee from your brewer, then the taste is important.
My biggest piece of advice is to look for a showerhead instead of a spout brewer.
Why is this important? Because it changes your coffee’s extraction.
When I say that a showerhead is more even than a spout, I mean that a showerhead wets all the grounds at once and with consistency. That’s important.
If only one spot of your coffee ground gets wet, then that’s the only taste that gets into your cup. And that taste is bitter, dark, tarry, and just plain gross.
So looking for a showerhead is a great place to start when considering the quality of the brew.
Which type of filter should you look for?
The type of filter actually plays a big role in how your coffee tastes, too.
Stainless steel filters often leave a metallic taste in your coffee. And they aren’t as efficient as paper filters.
Steel filters aren’t as fine as paper filters, so you have to grind the coffee bean coarser than you otherwise would.
That’s why French press coffee takes coarse ground coffee and has a distinct flavor.
Permanent filters just don’t do it for me. But they might be for you if you’re looking for convenience. They are reusable, after all.
Personally, I will always look for paper filters. They taste better, have more consistency, and are generally easier to work with.
What style of the carafe is best?
There are two types of carafes out there: thermal or glass.
Newer machines are all trending towards using thermal, insulated carafes instead of glass ones.
Why? Because they keep your coffee fresher for longer.
Glass carafes need a hot plate to keep your coffee warm. But that causes a problem when it only heats up the bottom of your coffee and ends up burning it.
Thermal carafes are much, much better at keeping your coffee hot and fresh. (Especially if you preheat your carafe before brewing.)
If you don’t plan on drinking all your hot coffee at once, then I would highly recommend getting a machine with a thermal carafe.
But if you plan on pouring your entire pot into a travel mug, a glass carafe isn’t a terrible option.
If you want a larger amount of coffee, cosider buying an 14 cup coffee maker instead.
What changes the ease of use?
How easy a drip coffee maker is to use makes a big difference. After all, who wants to spend time in the morning fiddling around with a confusing machine before you’ve had any coffee?
I look for two things when I’m considering a coffee machine: the display and the buttons.
With the display, are there enough indicators to tell me what’s going on? Are there too many indicators that clutter the display?
In general, I want to see one indicator for each button. That’s a perfect world.
With the buttons, I definitely prefer tactile buttons to digital buttons. The sensation and feedback are great for early mornings, and I find them easier to understand and use.
The last thing I look for is the ease of use when preparing for brewing.
Is it clear where the coffee grounds go? Is it clear where the water goes and how much water is already in the machine?
In a perfect world, I personally would like a water tank that’s clear to easily show the water level. And a removable filter basket to make adding coffee easier.
But really, it’s up to you what you look for in a machine.
Last Thoughts
My top choice is still my favorite 8 cup coffee maker of all time: the Bonavita Connoisseur 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker.
The basket has a flat bottom to allow for even extraction and saturation.
The carafe is thermal and insulated, which keeps your coffee fresh and hot for a long time.
The showerhead has a preinfusion mode to allow your coffee to degas and get any bad aromas out of the coffee before you brew.
I’ve had one for about three years and use it whenever I have guests over, and it makes delicious coffee every single time.
