Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Makers
Whether it’s at home or work, don’t settle for mediocre coffee! Your morning deserves a dependable pot of coffee that remains piping hot whenever you reach for it.
A thermal carafe coffee maker can ensure that while maintaining the flavor and aroma of your brew.
These coffee makers are becoming regular fixtures at homes and offices because they retain the quality of a freshly brewed pot. Keeping this in mind, it can be difficult choosing between all the different coffee machines available in the market.
To help you make the right choice, we’ve reviewed the best thermal carafe coffee makers in 2020.
After brewing a pot in each of our favorites, we’ve carefully tested it for taste, aroma, strength, how long it stays fresh, and some other relevant factors.
Read on to find more about the best thermal carafe coffee maker to fix all your coffee needs!
What To Look For When Buying A Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
The following are few essential factors you should consider when purchasing a new thermal carafe coffee machine:
Capacity
The first thing to consider is how much coffee you drink daily or how many cups you intend to serve in a day.
If you’re the only one drinking from the pot or you’re serving less than 8 cups all day, you should go for the 8-cup carafe coffee maker — ideal for not-so-busy mornings.
But if you’re a coffee aficionado or you cater to an office full of avid drinkers, you should choose a large carafe coffee model that holds 14 cups minimum.
Additionally, if you prefer a model that can brew anything from a single cup to a full carafe, choose a dual-brew coffee machine.
It is imperative to look into your daily usage before investing in a carafe coffee model.
Features
You can find yourself a multi-featured thermal carafe coffee maker or a straight-forward press-and-go one.
Standard features can range from automatic brewing (a favorable feature if you want instant coffee in the morning), adjustable strength settings, a built-in grinder, and 24-hour programming, among other things.
Keep in the mind the amount of control you want over the coffee brewing process before making a decision.
Built-In Grinder
Even though most thermal carafe coffee makers don’t include a built-in grinder, this is still a feature worth looking out for!
After all, coffee is only good when brewed with fresh coffee grounds.
In case you’re the kind of person to have rushed mornings, keep in mind that the grinding process can be time-consuming.
Brew Time
Speaking of time consumption, before buying a coffee maker, ask yourself how long you can wait for the coffee to brew. Irrespective of the efficiency of the brewing mechanism, coffee grounds take time to steep.
The modern technology used in thermal carafes reduces the brew time to a minimum. For instance, a good thermal carafe brews your coffee in less than ten minutes.
Consider the unit’s brew time, depending on how much time you are willing to allot to making coffee daily.
Temperature Settings
Coffee experts would find themselves well-placed to tinker with temperature settings to attain a specific brew, but that’s not for everyone!
When making your purchase, consider the machine’s access to temperature settings as this helps you get the specific taste you want for your coffee.
Brewing between 195°F and 205°F will offer optimal extraction; thus, choose a thermal carafe coffee machine that allows you to control brewing temperatures.
Materials
When shopping for your coffee maker, you will come across various models built in plastic, stainless steel, or glass.
Within these choices, stainless steel is undoubtedly the best and most durable; however, being the top choice, it’s also more costly.
This doesn’t mean that the other two materials are of lower quality. They’re as good at doing the job!
If you choose a plastic made coffee maker, ensure it is BPA-free (chemical compound). Regular usage of plastic products that are not BPA-free can have an adverse effect on your health.
Fortunately, the majority of insulated carafe coffee makers don’t include plastic parts.
Price
Price is another crucial factor to consider when buying a coffee maker. The more features a coffee maker has, the more expensive it is.
Though prices vary from model to model, the normal range of a good carafe coffee model ranges from $60 to $250.
Choose wisely if you’re on a budget!
Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
Here are the four best thermal carafe coffee makers in town that gives you the best taste and strength.
OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker
Best 2-in-1
The NEW OXO 8-cup coffee machine boasts a Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) certification and meets the technical requirements for standard brewers.
This also means it can brew coffee at the perfect temperature range of 195°F to 205°F and can prepare the entire coffee pot in just five to seven minutes.
This coffee maker includes a thermal carafe made to keep the coffee hot – like it has been just brewed – for hours. Other important physical features of this thermal carafe coffeemaker are a compact design, single-serve capability, and separate carafe lids for the water reservoir and filter basket.
We particularly loved this NEW OXO coffee maker because you can make a single cup of coffee as flavorful and robust as the full carafe pot.
The Easy Cleaning mode is a prominent feature of this coffee maker that customers tend to love.
The NEW OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker is costlier than the average thermal carafe coffee maker. However, the brew’s consistent quality justifies its price tag and ranks it top in our list of the best thermal carafe coffee makers of 2020.
Why Buy This?
This coffee maker offers a thermal carafe that can make about 8-cups of consistent quality-coffee, SCA certification (brews the coffee at ideal temperatures and instantly), single-serve capability, and separate carafe lids.
Pros
- Brews at ideal temperatures
- Easy Cleaning mode
- Single-serve capability
- Easy-to-fill
Cons
- Small capacity
- Not programmable
BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker
Budget-friendly
One thing you expect from a thermal carafe coffee machine is that it keeps your coffee at ideal temperatures for hours. This is exactly what you get with the BLACK+DECKER 12-cup thermal coffeemaker with its double-walled, large-capacity, vacuum-sealed carafe.
We specifically liked this carafe coffee model because it provides you the ability to customize brew settings. This allows you to experiment with your brew every morning till you eventually make a cup you love!
Plus, it also has an Evenstream Showerhead feature that disperses the water evenly on the coffee grounds. This way, the carafe extracts optimal flavor and wastes less.
Moreover, the carafe has a wide-mouth opening, which makes it easy to clean. All you’ve got to do is grab a damp cloth and start cleaning.
You can also remove the brew basket for easy washing. It can be put in the dishwasher for cleaning as its top-shelf dishwasher safe.
Also, its quick-touch programming is so convenient to use that it helps you make your ideal cup of coffee every morning in just a few minutes.
Why Buy This?
The BLACK+DECKER 12-cup coffeemaker offers an assortment of features such as customizable brew settings, Evenstream Showerhead, no-dripping, wide carafe opening, quick-touch programming, among others. Plus, it comes at a reasonably low price!
Pros
- Intuitive controls
- Budget-friendly
- No-dripping
- Customizable brew settings
- 12-cups capacity
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Simple design
- First few hours, you may get the taste of plastic
Zojirushi Coffee Maker
Coffee-shop flavor
If you want a thermal carafe coffee maker that delivers the coffee shop taste and look, look no further than the Zojirushi 10-cup coffee maker. This model boasts a superior brew taste and modern appeal.
It may seem underwhelming, but the stand-out feature for us was the cleaning alert feature that warns you when the machine needs cleaning. What makes cleaning even more accessible is the removable water tank.
The vacuum insulated carafe can keep your coffee hot for hours, even on the go. This carafe also ensures that the coffee keeps from getting burnt and maintains every note of flavor.
Plus, if you’re short on time and require coffee urgently, without compromising on flavor, you can get to brewing in the time-saver mode. This mode delivers hot, freshly brewed coffee much quicker by reducing the brewing time.
Thanks to its 24-hour programmable digital timer, you can have a fresh cup of brewed coffee waiting for you every morning. Plus, it also has a unique feature that allows you to brew iced coffee!
Why Buy This
With the Zojirushi coffee maker, you can get a coffee shop-like flavor in half the time. Its convenient cleaning with cleaning alerts, ideal brew temperature (200°F), no dripping, and mesh filters makes it a go-to coffee machine for those seeking convenience.
Its unique capabilities can also allow you to experiment with cold and iced coffees!
Pros
- 24-hour programmable
- No-dripping
- 10-cup capacity
- Provides brewed iced coffee
- Time-saver mode
- Vacuum insulated carafe
Cons
- A bit noisy
- Costlier than average
Capresso 465 CoffeeTeam TS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker
Best with grinder
Despite the embedded grinder, the Capresso 10-cup coffeemaker is a quietly efficient machine that produces consistent flavor.
With this coffee maker, you can grind your beans yourself and take complete control of your morning coffee-making routine.
If you are a coffee perfectionist, you’ll love the conical burrs in the grinder. These burrs grind the beans slowly and uniformly to ensure the coffee’s aroma remains intact. Unlike blade grinding that reduces the coffee’s flavor, this conical burr grinder provides you with a coffee cup that still has its texture, body, and taste.
In addition to that, it also offers several fine-ness settings that you can use to fine-tune your cup.
This coffee maker allows you to brew 10-cups in just a few minutes, and the thermal carafe can keep the coffee hot all day.
Plus, it has a programmable feature that lets you choose your settings the day before, so when you wake up the next morning, you have a pot of fresh coffee waiting for you.
Moreover, this coffeemaker’s Gold-Tone filter can remove 82% of impurities and chlorine from tap water.
Why Buy This
The Capresso 10-cup coffee maker comes with an embedded grinder that helps every bean keep its flavor, a Gold Tone filter that takes away all impurities from your daily pot of coffee, and it’s easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
Pros
- Comes with an adjustable conical burr grinding
- 2 in 1 coffee maker (grinding+brewing)
- Affordable coffee maker with grinder
- 10-cup capacity
- 24-hour programmable
- Easy to operate and clean
Cons
- Can be messy at times
- Doesn’t grind oily espresso beans
- Complex control system for less technology-savvy people
Bottom Line
Having a badly brewed cup of coffee in the morning can ruin your mood and the rest of the day. Keeping this in mind, the right coffeemaker with a thermal carafe is essential for a good morning.
A thermal carafe coffee machine is a valuable addition to your kitchen or office because it can provide freshly brewed coffee at any time of the day while keeping its aroma, taste, and strength intact.
Plus, they’re durable and usually loaded with several other top-of-the-line features.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you in making the right choice. Happy shopping!
is the oxo 8 cup coffee maker featured above bpa free including the water tank?