Discover the Best Electric Pour Over Coffee Makers: Top 5 Models

Top 5 Electric Pour-Over Coffee Makers

Written by Chef Austin

The Rise of Electric Pour-Over Coffee Makers

Farewell, drip coffee makers. You've been ousted by newer, more advanced machines. Pour-over coffee was once a manually executed coffee shop ritual, but now it's an automated process found in many homes. These state-of-the-art machines eliminate the guesswork by monitoring water temperature and soaking time, creating the quintessential pour-over coffee experience in the comfort of your own kitchen. Chef Austin put Everything Kitchens' top five electric pour-over coffee brewers to the test and compared them to old-school hand-pour methods to find out which machine produces the best cup of coffee.

The Taste Test

To conduct the ultimate taste test, we recruited Case Howard, our local coffee expert from The Black Lab Coffee Company, to educate us on pour-over coffee and to help us find the perfect brew. Black Lab provided us with freshly roasted beans for testing. We brewed the same coffee grounds in each machine and conducted a blind taste test, which enabled us to determine which machine produced the best-tasting coffee.

Everything You Need to Know About Pour-Over Coffee

Goodbye Old-School Drip Method

Most coffee makers employ the drip method, which involves a single steady stream of water running through coffee grounds to produce coffee. This method is quick and convenient, but it fails to extract the maximum flavor from the beans.

Hello Pour-Over Method

The pour-over method is gentler and more complex. The beans are evenly soaked with a shower of water and given a brief period to "bloom" or release carbon dioxide naturally. After blooming, another shower is poured over the grounds, and the resulting coffee is drained into the carafe container, producing a smoother cup of coffee with maximum flavor extraction.

The Top Contender: Moccamaster KBG741 Automatic Coffee Maker

Best For:

Individuals who appreciate distinctive designs and want a work-of-art coffee maker to enhance the beauty of their kitchen. The Moccamaster is available in numerous colors to match and elevate the décor of your home.

Pros:

Fast brewing - The quickest electric pour-over coffee maker we tested. It can brew up to 40 oz. of coffee in only 6 minutes.

SCAA Certified Home Brewer - The Specialty Coffee Association of America has rigorously examined this device, granting it the seal of approval for proper brewing temperature, brew time, uniform extraction, and much more.

Designer Color Options - Its many designer color options allow you to perfectly complement your kitchen with colors ranging from Turquoise to Yellow Pepper.

Cons:

If you're seeking a sleek and speedy coffee maker, the Moccamaster may be a good fit. Handmade in the Netherlands, it boasts an attractive industrial design with a metal body that feels substantial. While lacking a programmable timer, this machine brews coffee ultra-fast thanks to its copper heating elements. Our coffee expert Case Howard noted some bitter notes in the taste test, likely due to the narrow shower head causing an uneven soaking of the grounds. Regardless, the Moccamaster is an excellent performer and an eye-catching addition to your countertop. Its quick specs include a 40oz capacity and a 5-year warranty.

In contrast, the KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer is best suited for those who want to enjoy a great-tasting pour-over coffee without leaving home. This SCAA Certified Home Brewer has undergone rigorous testing for appropriate brewing temperature, uniform extraction, and more, earning the approval of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Its perfect coffee bloom and precise extraction are akin to the pour-over process, and it's a top pick of Chef Austin. The one-button interface is simple to operate, and the indicator lights show the brewing process's progress. The only downside reported is the lack of a programmable timer.

It can be challenging to gauge the amount of water added to the reservoir since the water level indicator has a delay, causing you to wait to see the amount of water poured. Additionally, there is no option for a programmable wake-up timer to commence coffee brewing in the morning.

Essential Features:

This coffee maker has an 8-cup capacity with a glass carafe and comes with a 1-year warranty.

Feedback from Chef Austin's Examination: 

When someone mentions KitchenAid, coffee is not the first thing that comes to my mind. However, after using their Pour Over Coffee Brewer, I quickly changed my opinion. Frankly, I expected it to be at the bottom of the comparison list. Yet, the KitchenAid did a phenomenal job of correctly soaking and steeping the beans by showering them alternately with water. This showerhead process gently causes the coffee to bloom by releasing carbon dioxide that makes the beans rise without breaking the frail bloom. Surprisingly, this coffee maker completed this process better than all others we tested, even receiving positive feedback from our coffee expert Case Howard from the Black Lab Coffee Company. According to him, the KitchenAid's pour-over coffee was the smoothest and best-tasting out of all the five samples we tried in our blind taste test. After examining all the coffee makers' grounds, Case found that the KitchenAid had the most intact bloom, accounting for the better flavor extraction.

Oxo On Barista Brain Coffee Brewer

Best For:

Coffee drinkers who desire to keep their coffee warm for more extended periods of time. The stainless steel carafe keeps your correctly bloomed pour-over coffee at the perfect temperature and looks like a fascinating science experiment on your kitchen countertop.

Pros:

Fast Brew Time:

This coffee maker's brewing time is remarkably fast and looks cool while brewing as the water moves from the tank to the brew basket.

Smart & Simple Control Dial:

Oxo has the easiest controls with a sleek dial and LCD for selecting brew size. It counts up to indicate how long the coffee has been in the carafe so that you can enjoy it before the flavor begins to degrade.

Programmable Wake Up:

You can start the coffee brewing via the programmable wake-up function without leaving your bed and get ready for work.

Stainless Steel Carafe:

The stainless steel carafe helps keep brewed coffee hot and has a mixing attachment tube. As you brew coffee, the tube evenly distributes it, avoiding weak coffee on top and strong coffee at the bottom of the pot.

Rainmaker Shower Head:

This showerhead evenly soaks all coffee grounds to extract the maximum flavor from your beans. It is computerised to soak the beans once to correctly bloom the coffee, then soak it again to brew.

Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Certified Home Brewer:

This Oxo unit has undergone rigorous testing by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, resulting in proper brewing temperature, appropriate brew time, uniform extraction, and much more.

Cons:

None to speak of.

When it comes to setting the wake-up timer on the Oxo Barista Brain Coffee Brewer, things can get a bit complicated with its one-dial interface, especially in comparison to the Cuisinart PurePrecision Pour-Over Coffee Maker.

Chef Austin's Experimentation Results:

I'm constantly impressed by Oxo's ability to simplify the tools I use on a daily basis. Their Barista Brain Coffee Brewer is no exception, making the trickiest part of pour-over brewing - creating the perfect coffee bloom - easy for everyone to achieve. With a larger Rainmaker shower head than the Moccamaster, the Barista Brain allows for an even soaking of the coffee grounds every time. The machine temperature is regulated to precisely 200°F before being transferred to the Rainmaker head, which then drip-feeds steamy water down to create that magical and flavorful bloom. The spout placement on the Moccamaster can easily disrupt the bloom by pouring too unevenly or quickly, which is where the Oxo Rainmaker saves the day. The water basin-to-shower head mechanism is visually captivating, and the machine's design is elegant enough to keep on display on the kitchen counter.

Cuisinart PurePrecision Pour-Over Coffee Maker

Best For: If you're someone who loves to sleep in and let your coffee maker do all the work while you stay cozy in bed, then the Cuisinart PurePrecision Pour-Over Coffee Maker is perfect for you. You can even program it to brew at a specific time, ensuring that coffee aroma drags you out of bed.

Pros:

SCAA Certification Home Brewer - Cuisinart's system has been rigorously tested by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and awarded their Seal of Approval, indicating the right brewing temperature and appropriate extraction method, among other things. Programmable Wake Up -The simple-to-use LCD interface allows you to program your coffee to start brewing at the exact time you wake up. Paper Filter Free - This coffee maker comes with a reusable stainless steel mesh filter, so you won't have to use any paper filters. Charcoal Filter - Before brewing your coffee, the machine purifies the water with a charcoal filter, resulting in better-tasting coffee. Large Shower Head -Hot water is evenly distributed over the coffee grounds, ensuring an even soak.

Cons:

There was no sign of coffee bloom, indicating the timing of the water soaking cycles could be improved to unlock the full potential of the coffee's flavor.

Technical Specifications: The Cuisinart PurePrecision boasts an 8-cup capacity, a programmable timer, and comes with either a glass or stainless carafe. It also comes with a 3-year warranty.

Chef Austin's Test Results:

Cuisinart's electric pour-over coffee maker is the crème de la crème. Its stainless steel finish coupled with the high-quality LCD control panel gives it a futuristic feel on any kitchen counter. The unit can be pre-programmed to start brewing at a specific time, making mornings much easier when the aroma of fresh coffee fills the air while still in bed. It features a large, gentle shower head design that carefully drips hot water over the coffee grounds placed in its permanent stainless steel filter. Upon testing, we discovered that our ground beans were evenly soaked and met the taste standards of our coffee expert, Case Howard of Black Lab Coffee Company. Although there was no coffee bloom observed in our grounds like the KitchenAid's, it still delivered an excellent coffee experience.

Introducing the Zojirushi ZUTTO Coffee Maker!

Zojirushi's coffee maker is perfect for coffee drinkers who prefer a small footprint. It's best suited for one to two people, producing just enough coffee to satisfy their caffeine craving. Its compact size also makes it ideal for apartments, dorm rooms, and tiny homes.

Pros:

It is small and compact – the smallest of all the models we tested. With a 5-cup capacity, it's perfect for one to two people. The water tank is removable, making it simple to fill up rather than bringing the water to the coffee brewer. Additionally, it has a charcoal filter that purifies water before brewing, resulting in better-tasting coffee. The coffee maker features markings on the removable water tank to indicate specific quantities for making stronger coffee suitable for iced coffees.

Cons:

One notable disadvantage is that the filter is smaller than the average pour-over coffee filter. According to the manufacturer's instructions, one must use origami to retrofit a typical size coffee filter into the Zojirushi. Additionally, there are no other computerized delay timers or functions.

Technical Specifications:

The Zojirushi ZUTTO coffee maker has a 5-cup capacity and a glass carafe that comes with a 1-year warranty.

Chef Austin's Test Results:

Unfortunately, we did not observe any coffee bloom, implying that the water soaking cycles could have been better timed.

Looking for a coffee maker that's compact and perfect for a morning pick-me-up? Look no further than the Zojirushi Zutto pour-over coffee maker. This little guy may be small, but it gets the job done. The coffee filter is cleverly located in the lid of the pot, which drastically reduces the size of the machine. Additionally, the Zutto features a removable charcoal filter that removes impurities from water, ensuring that your coffee isn't tainted by nasty-tasting H2O. This minimalist coffee maker lacks any fancy features, sporting only an on/off switch. However, the glass carafe stays hot thanks to a built-in warmer. The only downside? The machine requires #2 size coffee filters, which might not be readily available. But don't worry – with a little origami know-how, our team managed to fold a #4 size filter into the size of a #2 filter. Overall, the Zutto is ideal for those who prefer a smaller amount of coffee.

If you're willing to invest a little more in your coffee setup, we recommend the KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer. While we were surprised to find that a company known for their mixers could produce such a high-quality pour-over maker, we weren't disappointed. The KitchenAid delivers barista-level performance, producing a coffee bloom with every pot brewed, thanks to delicate release of carbon dioxide from the grounds. In comparison, the other pour-over makers we tested couldn't match the KitchenAid's performance, often breaking the bloom and resulting in slightly more acidic coffee. Case Howard, our guest coffee expert from the Black Lab Coffee Company, agreed that the KitchenAid produced the smoothest, best-tasting coffee of all five machines we tested.

And a special shout-out to Case Howard for providing us with freshly roasted coffee beans for all of our tests. You can find his delicious beans online or visit his shop in Republic, Missouri.

Finally, meet Chef Austin Merath – our Culinary Wizard, Kitchen-Gadget Reviewer, and New-Product Tester. He studied under chefs in College of the Ozarks' Culinary Program and is responsible for putting our kitchen tools to the test. When he's not cooking, Austin is tinkering with computers or exploring the Ozarks with his wife, Amy. Click here to read his full bio.