** Updated for 2017 **
There are tons of 12-cup coffee makers out there. Just Cuisinart alone probably has around 7 or 8 on the market. To make things even harder, none of them provide consistently good design, reliability or user feedback. You can drive yourself crazy trying to make a decision.
So, how do you choose from all these 12-cup brewers?
I went for the models that offer the best combination of track record, user satisfaction and non-critical flaws. This will not be a perfect little roundup because there are so many options out there, but these are the 5 models that have come to be trusted by the majority of consumers.
Best 12-Cup Coffee Maker Roundup
Winner: Braun KF7150BK Brew Sense
The Braun KF7150BK Brew Sense brings a ton of features and solid reliability to the table. No wonder that it’s leading the pack in our 12-cup coffeemaker roundup.
Quick Features:
– Pure flavor brewing system
– Programmable
– brew strength selector
– anti-drip system
– big digital display
– warm plate with adjustable temperature
This is a very attractive coffee maker with a big digital display. The control buttons are clearly marked and very simple to use. The Braun is fully programmable, including auto-on/off and a 24-hour clock and timer.
As you’d expect from larger capacity coffee makers, you have a 1-4 cup function here. Very important for you lovers of strong coffee, this model has a bold strength selector that actually works.
On the back of the machine you’ll notice a little ledge. The purpose of this is to catch any condensation during the brewing process and put it back into the machine instead of onto the counter. Works well enough.
Construction is a mix of stainless steel and plastic, and the unit feels sturdy and well made. The carafe pours smoothly and without a mess. A charcoal water filter helps remove impurities.
The water tank is not removable and features a clear green “stepped” water level indicator on the inside of the tank. An external water level indicator would have been nice.
The machine produces excellent coffee, and there’s very little to fault it on. With simple controls, clear display, beautiful looks and decent build quality, this is definitely among the best 12-cup coffee makers you can spend your money on. It is on the expensive side at just under $100, but well worth it.
Consumer satisfaction ratio: 82%
Average User Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Get a great price for the Braun KF7150BK Brew Sense on Amazon.
Braun KF7000BK Brew Sense
Looking for something a little cheaper? Braun gets their second entry with another great 12-cup coffee maker – this time the KF7000BK, which is the slightly less featured little brother of the KF7150BK.
Here are the differences:
– all plastic vs some stainless steel on the KF7150BK
– no brew strength functions
– no adjustable plate heating function
In all other respects these machines are alike. So, for about $20-$30 less you get all plastic without the stainless steel body, while losing one key feature (brew strength) and one minor feature (plate heat settings). If those are compromises you’re willing to live with to save some dollars, the Braun KF7000BK makes perfect sense and is a very good 12-cup coffee maker.
Consumer satisfaction ratio: 76%
Average User Rating: 4.2 out of 5
See the Braun KF7000BK on Amazon.
Hamilton Beach 49980A Single Serve Coffee Brewer and 12-Cup Coffee Maker
This versatile coffee maker from Hamilton Beach features in quite a few of our articles here at Coffee Machine Journal, and it’s no wonder. This is a great machine, offering you both a single serve option and a 12-cup carafe option in one.
Quick features:
– separate water reservoirs for single/carafe use
– height adjustable cup rest on single side
– pod holder for soft pods
– regular/bold brew strength selector
– control panel & digital display
– 24-hour pre-programming
– 2-hour automatic shutoff
The single serve and carafe sides of the machine each have their own water tank, which is a good idea. On the single side you get a height adjustable cup rest, making it easy to fill various cup heights without making a mess.
The ability to handle soft pods adds even more versatility to this machine, and so too the bold/regular brew strength selector.
On the carafe side there is no permanent mesh filter, so you have to use either paper filters or purchase a permanent filter separately.
One problem we have picked up with this machine is rust showing fairly early on the plate, so just make sure you keep it really dry.
This is both a great 12-cup brewer and a very good single serve brewer. If you want the dual functionality, you have very few machines to choose from on the market, and the Hamilton Beach remains the best. It works as it should and has all the critical features you need.
Consumer satisfaction ratio: 82%
Average User Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Get the Hamilton Beach 49980A Two-Way Brewer on Amazon.
Cuisinart DCC-1200 Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
Cuisinart’s old workhorse has been around the block a few times now, but remains the brand’s best-selling drip coffee machine. It offers a full set of features for a very competitive price.
Quick Features
– Brew pause feature
– 24-hour advance programming
– Programmable auto shut-off from 0-4 hours
– 1-4 Cup feature
– Charcoal filter
– Heat adjustable warming plate
– Permanent gold tone filter
First things first: this machine makes a good cup of coffee. Great little features like the adjustable warming plate temperature, adjustable auto-off and a handy cleaning indicator just add subtle value to a well-thought out machine.
The programmable features are easy to set, and this coffee maker can do pretty much anything you’d realistically expect from it with plenty of customization options.
On the negative side, it can be difficult to pour water into the reservoir, especially for left-handers. The water level marks are also hard to see.
The Cuisinart DCC-1200 has withstood more than a decade of various incarnations and updates with its reputation intact enough to remain one of the best selling coffee makers around. Long-term durability remains a concern, especially with a product at the higher end of the price scale.
Also consider the Cuisinart DCC-2650, which is the latest Cuisinart model and adds some new features to the mix.
Consumer satisfaction ratio: 70%
Average User Rating: 4.3 out of 5
See the Cuisinart DCC-1200 on Amazon.
Melitta 46893 Programmable 12-Cup Coffee Maker
This is a full featured model from Melitta (sold and supported by Hamilton Beach).
Quick Features:
– Three strength settings
– Programmable
– 2-Hour shut-off
– Automatic pause and serve
– Durable stainless steel
– Cone filter design
Despite having “durable stainless steel” as a feature, this is only the front. The rest of the body and water reservoir is BPA-free plastic.
It produces a good hot cup of coffee between 180 and 185 degrees. The three strength settings (regular, bold, robust) do make a difference to the taste, but the higher settings slow down the brewing process as you’d expect.
The plate also has an adjustable heat setting, allowing you to keep the coffee in the carafe as hot as you please. The 2-hour auto shut-off is handy as a safety feature, and of course you can program the machine to auto-start at a set time.
The carafe is made of a very thin glass and there are reports of it breaking without too much encouragement. Just be cautious with it. The filter basket is also shallower than standard, so you may need to fold the filter edges over a little.
A 10-cup model with a thermal carafe is also available. At about the same price as the excellent Braun Brew Sense though, there is little to recommend a purchase here.
Consumer satisfaction ratio: 69%
Average User Rating: 3.9 out of 5
See the Melitta 46893 on Amazon.
Best 12-Cup Coffee Maker: Final Words
There is a clear winner in this segment. The Braun KF7150BK Brew Sense is a beautiful, feature rich and well built 12-cup coffee machine that would be my personal recommendation.
The Hamilton Beach two-way brewer is a good option as well if you need a single serve brewer, while the Cuisinart DCC-1200 or DCC-2650 are good contenders as well. Overall though, I’d go with the Braun.