Best Thermal Coffee Makers 2024 - Forbes Vetted

Do you often find yourself revisiting your coffee pot mid-morning to top off your cup? If so, the best thermal coffee makers can ensure your beverage stays at the perfect temperature, even hours after your initial brew. Our top recommendation is the OXO Brew Coffee Maker, which features a sleek design and an insulated stainless steel carafe.

The best thermal coffee makers typically feature stainless steel carafes that keep your beverage ... [+] warm for several hours without the risk of a burnt taste, which can occur when a glass carafe sits on a warming plate for too long.

Thermal coffee carafes use technology similar to that of the best travel coffee mugs to keep your drink warm. “Unlike traditional glass carafes that sit on warming plates, thermal carafes rely on insulation—often using double-walled construction with a vacuum seal—to preserve heat,” explains Robert Myatt, roastmaster at Volcanica Coffee. This design allows you to remove the carafe from the coffee maker while still keeping your beverage warm for several hours, without the risk of a burnt taste that can occur when a glass carafe sits on a warming plate for too long. To help you find the best thermal coffee maker, we've rounded up eight top-rated options that will keep your coffee piping hot for longer.

Amazon

Type: Drip | Dimensions: 8.3 x 15 x 17.2 inches | Capacity: 9 cups | Programmable: Yes

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When we tested the best coffee makers, the OXO Brew stood out as our best coffee maker option thanks to its simple design, user-friendly controls and consistently delicious coffee. This reasonably priced machine features a double-walled stainless steel thermal carafe that keeps your coffee hot for longer, and it can brew up to nine cups at a time.

The OXO Brew also includes features designed to improve the overall taste of your coffee. It maintains water at the ideal temperature for optimal extraction, and its “rainmaker” shower head evenly disperses water over the coffee grounds for a rich, full-bodied brew. Despite its single control knob, the unit is fully programmable and even includes a freshness timer to let you know how long it’s been since brewing completed.

Amazon

Type: Drip | Dimensions: 9 x 9.4 x 13.2 inches | Capacity: 12 cups | Programmable: Yes

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This budget-friendly drip coffee maker from Black+Decker is perfect for brewing large batches of coffee, thanks to its 12-cup thermal carafe. The carafe features a four-layer insulated design that keeps your coffee warm for up to two hours, while the exterior remains cool to the touch, even when the coffee is hot.

Though the machine is simple and easy to use, it offers a few handy features, including a stronger brew option and a 24-hour programmable timer. It may not be the most advanced model on the market, but it's hard to beat in terms of value, especially if you need to brew large amounts of coffee in the morning.

Amazon

Type: Drip | Dimensions: 9 x 11.8 x 9 inches | Capacity: 10 cups | Programmable: Yes

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If you’re in the market for a high-tech, stylish coffee maker, the new Aiden Precision from Fellow offers a sleek, modern design that will look great on your kitchen counter. But it’s not just about aesthetics—this thermal coffee maker has a variety of features designed to elevate your brew. It uses precise water temperatures and ideal coffee-to-water ratios, and it even includes a built-in bloom cycle for richer, more flavorful coffee.

The Aiden can brew up to 10 cups at a time, and its black thermal carafe helps keep your coffee warm for longer. It also includes a special single-serve brew basket for those times when you only want to make one cup. While the Aiden is compatible with a smartphone app, be aware that, as of writing, the brand is still working on some features, so the app isn’t fully functional yet.

Amazon

Type: Drip | Dimensions: 9 x 14 x 16 inches | Capacity: 12 cups | Programmable: Yes

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The Breville Precision Brewer Thermal was another top performer in our testing. Not only does it offer a 24-hour programmable timer, but it also has a wide range of customization options to give you more granular control over your brew. The machine has six brewing presets, but you can also create your own preferred brew by adjusting parameters like the bloom time, brew temperature and flow rate.

This drip coffee maker can make up to 12 cups at a time, and it comes with both flat bottom and cone filter baskets that you can switch between, depending on how much coffee you need. The thermal carafe is made from insulated stainless steel to keep your brew warm for longer, and the machine also has a timer that lets you know how long it’s been since the coffee was brewed.

Amazon

Type: French press | Dimensions: 4.53 x 6.69 x 7.87 inches | Capacity: 24 ounces | Programmable: No

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If you enjoy making coffee with a French press, the Fellow Clara is a great option with its insulated stainless steel design that keeps your coffee hot for up to five hours—perfect if you want to come back for a second cup. This French press can brew up to 24 ounces at a time, and it features clearly marked coffee and water lines inside the carafe, making the brewing process quick and simple. Its fine mesh filter ensures that coffee grounds stay out of your drink, and the carafe’s nonstick interior makes cleaning a breeze. Plus, with its stylish design and wooden accents, the Clara will look great on your kitchen counter while delivering delicious coffee.

Williams Sonoma

Type: Grind-and-brew | Dimensions: 8.75 x 11.5 x 16.5 inches | Capacity: 10 cups | Programmable: Yes

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One of the simplest ways to enhance the flavor of your coffee is by using freshly ground beans, and this Cuisinart coffee maker makes it effortless. It automatically grinds whole beans from its built-in 8-ounce hopper using a burr grinder, filling the basket for you before each brew. Simply load the machine with your favorite coffee beans, and it does the rest. (If you ever run out of whole beans, there's also a setting that allows you to use pre-ground coffee in a pinch.)

This automatic coffee maker can brew between four and 10 cups at a time, and it offers three strength options for your coffee. The brewed coffee is dispensed into a stainless steel thermal carafe, which helps keep it warm for longer. Additionally, the machine has an automatic rinse cycle to flush out leftover grounds, ensuring they don't affect the flavor of your next brew.

Amazon

Type: Drip | Dimensions: 6.7 x 11.5 x 16 inches | Capacity: 10 cups | Programmable: No

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This version of the popular Technivorm Moccamaster comes with a 40-ounce thermal carafe and an optional travel lid, making it easy to bring your freshly brewed pot of coffee on the go. The machine is simple and straightforward to operate, with just one on/off switch, but it has special features like a copper heating element and cone-shaped brew basket that yield a flavorful, well-extracted brew every time. This particular model also has an automatic drip-stop that lets you grab a cup of coffee mid-brew.

Amazon

Type: Pod and drip | Dimensions: 7.68 x 15.88 x 14.9 inches | Capacity: 12 cups | Programmable: Yes

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It’s hard to beat the convenience of a Keurig when you want a single cup of coffee, and the brand’s K-Duo Plus also allows you to brew a full carafe. This two-in-one design has settings to make a single serving using your favorite K-cup, or you can brew between six and 12 cups in the thermal carafe, which keeps coffee warm for up to two hours.

This Keurig comes with a reusable gold-tone filter for brewing a full carafe, and its 60-ounce water reservoir can be positioned either on the side or behind the machine for more flexibility. You can program the machine up to 24 hours in advance, and you can even brew into travel mugs up to 8 inches tall.

The Forbes Vetted team includes many avid coffee drinkers, so we know how tricky it can be to find just the right machine for your morning cup of joe. To make shopping easier, we’ve tested dozens of the best coffee makers, espresso machines and other related gadgets like coffee grinders.

To find the best thermal coffee makers, we used guidance from our experts, as well as firsthand testing insights from the Forbes Vetted team.

Here are a few key factors to keep in mind as you shop for the best thermal coffee maker for your home.

The most important feature to consider when selecting a thermal coffee maker is the construction of the carafe. “When looking for a good thermal carafe, you should look for double-walled stainless steel with a vacuum-sealed design,” recommends Myatt. “Stainless steel is durable, retains heat well and is easy to clean. Double-wall insulation is crucial for maintaining the temperature over several hours.” Similar to a travel mug, this double-walled construction can often keep coffee hot for three to five hours.

If you want to be able to take your carafe on the go, you may also want to look for a model that comes with a travel lid, such as the Technivorm Moccamaster.

As you shop for a coffee maker, you’ll also want to consider how many servings you want to make at a time. Most models have a maximum capacity between 32 and 60 ounces, which is great for larger households, but some products, such as the Keurig K-Duo Plus, can also brew a single serving, if desired.

Most coffee makers list their maximum carafe capacity in cups, but this doesn’t refer to the standard unit of measure, which is equivalent to 8 ounces. It instead refers to how many cups of coffee you can get out of the carafe, and each “cup” is generally around 5 ounces. For example, the Breville Precision Brewer has a listed capacity of 12 cups, but it really holds 60 ounces. Keep this in mind if you tend to drink larger cups of coffee.

Programmable thermal coffee makers are particularly useful, as you’re able to schedule a brew in advance. You can generally program the machine to brew up to 24 hours in the future, meaning you’ll have a fresh pot of coffee waiting when you get up in the morning. Plus, with a thermal carafe, you don’t have to worry about your drink being cold if you hit snooze a few times—the insulated jug will keep it at just the right temperature until you’re ready to pour.

To keep your coffee warm for several hours, we recommend the OXO Brew Coffee Maker. This machine can brew up to nine cups at a time, and your drink is dispensed into a double-walled stainless steel carafe. This insulation will help to keep the drink at the perfect temperature for longer periods of time, and because it doesn’t use a warming plate, your coffee will taste fresh—not burnt—when you go back for a second (or third) cup.

Coffee carafes are often made from glass, which doesn’t retain heat as well as stainless steel. Glass carafes must sit on a warming plate to keep your coffee hot, but this can give the drink a burnt, bitter flavor if it sits for too long. So if you want to keep your coffee warm for several hours, a thermal carafe is the superior choice.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind when purchasing a thermal coffee carafe: “A downside of thermal carafes is their initial cost is often more expensive than your standard glass coffee carafe due to the materials used to manufacture them,” says Myatt. “Also, thermal carafes are typically made of stainless steel so they are not transparent and you can’t see the coffee.”