At The Forefront – We Help You Find The Best 4 Cup Coffee Maker

If you drink a lot of the dark and delicious stuff, you know how it is when it comes to coffee makers. A single-serve coffee maker often just doesn’t make enough and the larger coffee machines out there can produce too much.

One to four cups of Joe, however – that’s just right. Enough to indulge, not enough to waste. We took a look at five of the best 4 cup coffee makers we could find.

Best 4 Cup Coffee Makers Of 2023

 

First And “Four-Most” – Our Top Pick

Our Winner: Cuisinart DCC-3200W 

You know you need a coffee machine with the capacity to brew 1-4 cups of coffee at once. Keeping it coffee, our overall top recommendation in this contest is the Cuisinart DCC-3200W. 

We liked its flexibility and sensible price point. The filter works well, there are 3 brewing temperature choices, and you can brew up to 14 cups of coffee at once.

The pause-brew feature appealed, and the fact you could choose your drink strength and the 24-hour programmable option. And yes, we liked its modern design and attractive color too.

 

Cuisinart DCC-3200W 

 

KRUPS 7211002500 – More Than Just A Number

It might not have the catchiest name on the planet (though Star Wars ‘droids fans might disagree). The silver KRUPS 7211002500  is, however, perfect for brewing 1-4 cups of coffee via its small-batch setting. (You can brew up to 12 cups if you prefer.)

It’s also programmable. Not only can you wake up to the fragrant aroma of your morning coffee, but you can also have different auto-on times for weekdays and weekends. The LCD screen is easy to read and the settings on the rotating knob are sensible and straightforward.

 

KRUPS 4 Cup Coffee Maker 

You can also change the brew strength – bold for a more full-bodied brew. Coffee is extracted at 180 degrees Fahrenheit – generally agreed to be about the best brewing temperature for the perfect coffee.

There’s also a brew-pause option. While there’s no auto-off, if you’re using the warmer feature you can program this machine to turn itself off after 15 minutes or 4 hours. (The times go up in 15-minute increments.)

The easy-pour carafe is glass, and the coffee maker incorporates a gold-tone reusable filter. The water tank has an extra-large opening, so it’s easy to refill and keeps spills to a minimum. The machine measures 9.6 by 12.2 by 15.9 inches. It weighs 8.5 pounds.

Cleaning KRUPS coffee makers is super-easy – there’s a built-in clean function to help you descale painlessly. The integrated water filtration system also means your coffee always tastes great. It takes just over 5 minutes for a 4-cup pot to brew, on average.

 

Pros & Cons

 

Keeping It Coffee – The Cuisinart DCC-3200W

Another coffee maker with a numbered name, as it were, the Cuisinart DCC-3200W  was our overall Best Value choice. The one we looked at was a lovely-looking white machine with a stainless-steel handle, although it does come in other colors as well. The other colors available are silver, graphite, light grey, sky blue, stainless steel, white and gold, black stainless steel, black steel, copper.

The cord length is 36 inches, and the machine measures 10.1 x 10.9 x 16.5 inches. It’s very, very light, weighing just 1 pound. You can opt for regular or bold coffee, depending on taste, and this self-clean machine is programmable up to 24 hours ahead. You can even ask it to alert you when it’s ready (though you don’t have to).

 

Cuisinart 4 Cup Coffee Maker 

We like the brew-pause feature, so you can savor a gorgeous cup of Joe as soon as you like before the brewing cycle concludes. There’s also a 60-second reset just in case there’s a break in the power supply. It recalls settings and where you reached in the brewing process.

The reusable filter is gold-toned, and the charcoal water filter makes for clean tasting drinks every time. And then there’s the temperature – you get great-tasting coffee which is hot, hot, hot. The backlit LCD screen is also extremely easy to read. And while we’re on the subject of space-age technology, the LED display is a rather lovely bright blue.

There is a designated light signal that alerts you when it’s time to descale. There are 3 temperature settings on offer, from 198 to 202 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you’re wondering about serving size, a typical serving of coffee from this machine is 5 fluid ounces. If you’re brewing a whole pot of 14 cups, on the boldest, highest temperature setting, it takes about 11 minutes to brew. You can brew up to 14 cups, but it’s the 1-4 cup setting we’re most interested in.

 

Pros & Cons

 

Best Small Coffee Maker – Braun KF7150BK

Then there’s our top performer, the Braun KF7150BK Brew Sense.  This smart-looking drip coffee maker is stainless steel with a black finish and lets you brew 4 cups of coffee with ease.

The KF7150BK uses Braun’s PureFlavor system, and the innovations continue with the design of the carafe lid which makes sure the maximum amount of coffee flavor stays safely sealed inside the flask until you’re ready to drink.

 

Braun KF7150BK Small Coffee Maker 

You can choose a bold cup of coffee or a milder regular choice. The extra-large digital display has LED indicators incorporated into its user-friendly control panel; the buttons are easy to read.

The filter is well-made and sturdy, and the machine generally has a modern look to it. Parts are dishwasher safe. There’s also a dedicated condensation drip tray that helps minimize the mess. Coffee brews at 178 degrees Fahrenheit.

There’s an anti-drip system that means you can pause and pour mid-brew without making much, if any, mess. Or at any time during the brewing cycle. There’s an auto-on/auto-off feature, as well as a fully programmable 24-hour clock.

The dedicated 1-4 cup function is perfect if you want more than a single serving but less than a full carafe. There is an auto-off after 2 hours or you can choose to program it for longer.

It measures 7.9 by 7.9 by 14.2 inches and weighs 7.1 pounds after shipping (9.5 pounds with the shipping). With the fill lid open the machine is 21 inches high. The power cord is 32 inches from the tip of the prongs of the plug to the back of the coffee machine.

 

Pros & Cons

 

Best On A Budget – Mr. Coffee 4-Cup Switch

For beverages on a budget, we really like the Mr. Coffee 4-Cup Switch.  This smart black coffee maker includes a gold-tone filter. You can pour yourself a coffee before the brewing cycle is complete with the Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause. The cycle resumes when you replace the carafe.

The filter basket is removable so you can keep it clean with ease, and the mess is kept to a minimum. You know what you’re getting with Mr. Coffee, and the Mr. Coffee 4-cup coffee maker is no exception.

 

Mr Coffee 4 Cup Switch 

The coffee is produced at just the right temperature for you to enjoy the maximum flavor. The dual water window allows you to keep an eye on when the water reservoir needs refilling.

We found we needed to be a little careful with the carafe: it’s on the delicate side. The machine as a whole measures 9 by 7.2 by 10.9 inches and weighs just 1 pound after shipping is removed. (It’s just under 3 pounds when you factor in the shipping materials.) If you like your coffee machines simple, smart and sassy, this is an ideal option.

 

Pros & Cons

 

Nifty Ninja

You know how, traditionally, ninjas sneak in under the radar? Well, that pretty much sums up this Ninja programmable coffee maker  with thermal flavor extraction from Ninja. The removable water reservoir has a capacity of 60 fluid ounces. The Small Batch function allows you to brew 1 to 4 cups, and the permanent coffee filter is an ultra-modern gold tone.

You can program the machine for up to 24 hours, and keep your coffee warm for up to 4 hours on the adjustable hot plate. The machine switches itself off automatically after 2 hours. The delay timer defaults to the most recent time set.

 

Ninja Coffee Maker 

The Ninja XL Showerhead means the coffee grounds are evenly saturated before brewing, to allow for maximum, uniform extraction of flavor. The unique flavor straw circulates the coffee while it’s brewing, so every cup is equally full of flavor and warmth.

The machine measures 8.7 by 9.9 by 14.6 inches and weighs 6.48 pounds without shipping (9.3 pounds with shipping). All plastic that comes into contact with coffee or water in the Ninja is BPA free. The glass carafe has a capacity of 12 cups, and the coffee machine ships with a Ninja integrated scoop.

 

Pros & Cons

 

Reasons To Choose A 4-Cup Coffee Maker

Big isn’t always beautiful, and good things often come in small packages. And that certainly applies to coffee makers. Just because you can brew 12 cups of coffee at a time doesn’t mean you always want to; sometimes you’re just entertaining a couple of friends after dinner.

If you want to minimize waste (and who doesn’t these days), a 4-cup coffee maker means you can keep your water use and your coffee use to sustainable levels. They also offer a great way for you to experiment with new coffee blends and flavors and get the ratio of coffee to water just right.

 

How Do You Know When 4 cups Really Means 4 cups?

You know that question, how long is a piece of string? In some ways, the same applies to the question, what size is a cup of coffee? In the USA, many coffee shops assume that an 8 fluid ounce serving is the “standard” size, with some large servings closer to 12 ounces.

A single shot of espresso, on the other hand, is only a fluid ounce, typically. A double shot is usually about two ounces. When you’re selecting the best 4 cup coffee maker for your needs, you need to take a look at what the manufacturer means by “a cup”.

 

What Do You Mean, It’s Not 4 Cups?

All of the coffee makers we inspected this time round offered a choice. You could either opt for the 1-4 cup option, or you could choose the larger carafe, most often 12 to 14 servings.

When we say “a 4-cup coffee maker”, then, what we really mean is a coffee maker with the facility to brew 1-4 cups at a time, as well as the larger option.

 

Compact Coffee Makers – The Benefits

We’ve already touched on the sustainability issue, but that’s not the only benefit of having a small coffee maker. Many of the smaller coffee makers are light enough to make them very portable, for instance, and you might also find it’s more effective to keep a smaller pot of coffee warm.

All the coffee makers we looked at had auto-off features, as well as 24-hour program options. You can easily keep an eye on how much power is being used. And from pure pleasure and/or convenience angles, you get to wake up, or come home to, the sweet smell of brewed coffee. What could be nicer?

 

What To Consider When Purchasing Your 4-cup coffee maker

As well as price points and sustainability, there are several factors to think about when you’re deciding which 4-cup coffee maker to buy. We’ve mentioned the 24-hour program facility, but what about the ease of programming the machine in the first place? How important are bells and whistles, or would you rather have a streamlined, straightforward coffee maker?

There are also practical considerations, like how much counter space you have, if there’s going to be enough clearance above the lid to add coffee, and if the water tank is removable. With some models, the water reservoir is transparent, so you can keep tabs on when it needs refilling. Staying with the water tank, how large a water capacity does it have?

The cleaning cycle can be another deciding factor. Some machines alert you to when you need to run a descaling or de-calcifying cycle, and some have the cleaning operation itself built-in. Some 4-cup coffee makers produce copious amounts of steam and condensation during their operating cycle – do you have sufficient clearance for it to disperse easily?

Going back to the bells and whistles, some machines have showerheads that saturate the coffee grounds before you even start the brewing process. Then there are the little niggles, like whether the coffee machine uses beeps to communicate with you, and how loud it is when it’s brewing your drink.

And then there’s the most important aspect of all: the coffee. Can you change the temperature? Can you change the strength? Is there an integrated filter?

 

What Is The Best 4 Cup Coffee Maker?

Our Winner: Cuisinart DCC-3200W 

We came, we saw, we brewed. We got out the tick lists and compared them. And we’re still firmly behind our decision that, when it comes to what we need from our 4-cup coffee maker, the Cuisinart DCC-3200W. 

Smart, sassy, well-priced, and aesthetically pleasing. Temperature choices, easy to program, a great memory – all we need to do now is add the coffee.

  Last update on 2023-03-30 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.