Does your family have several people who enjoy coffee but have extremely different schedules?
The best way to get everybody a nice, hot cup of coffee every morning without having to brew several pots is with a thermal coffee machine.
We’ve gathered the top options available today to give you our opinion on the best thermal coffee maker of 2024, and based our judging guidelines on the following:
- Quality of taste
- Temperature retention
- Easy to clean
- Unique features
- Value for money
Thermal coffee machines are coffee makers that keep coffee hot using a double-wall stainless steel thermal carafe.
This thermal carafe coffee maker can maintain heat for many hours without the use of a hot plate.
We tested each of these best coffee makers with a thermal carafe, and these were our favorites that made our list:
- Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe—Most Versatile
- Cuisinart DCC-1150BKP1 Coffeemaker—Best Everyday Coffee Maker
- BUNN BT Velocity Brew—Most Durable
How To Buy the Best Thermal Coffee Maker
Thermal coffee makers usually include a double-layer stainless steel carafe that will keep your coffee hot for hours and avoid it from getting scorched on the hot plate.
Before getting into the reviews, we wanted to answer some of the questions you may have and give you some ideas of what to pay attention to.
What Is the Best Thermal Coffee Maker?
There are a couple of things you should think about to find the best thermal coffee maker for you:
- Your habits
- Ease of use
- Speed
- Cleaning
Your Habits
First, think about what your home needs.
Do you need a coffee maker that’s easy to adapt from just a cup in the mornings to a full pot when you have guests?
Are you looking for a near-boiling temperature?
Maybe you need something that accommodates multiple different tastes, or merely a simple pot that stays warm for hours on end.
The answer to all of these questions will point you in the right direction.
Ease of Use
For some people, the most important thing is the ability to program the coffee maker for the next morning.
Others want to spice up their beverages by switching from cappuccinos to iced coffee or just good old drip coffee.
Programmable models with many different functions are great and make your life easier, but they take a bit more time to get used to.
If you need the machine to be as simple and easy to use as just pressing a button, a super-technical model with all the bells and whistles may feel daunting.
Speed
How fast you get a cup of coffee in your hands in the morning can make all the difference for your day.
Ten minutes is a pretty common timeframe for a full pot, but some models can deliver in three.
Cleaning
Cleanup can also be an issue.
Many technical pots have a narrow top, so washing them by hand may get complicated.
Removable water tanks and self-cleaning features also make coffee making easier.
What Is the Best Coffee Maker for Home Use?
We recommend the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker as the best thermal coffee maker because of its amazing versatility.
You’ll be able to prepare anything from a full pot to a foamy cappuccino or a tall glass of iced coffee in a matter of minutes.
Which Coffee Maker Makes the Best-Tasting Coffee?
There are as many opinions as there are people, but the Ninja is the top choice.
It can make you a normal, rich, or even an extra-rich concentrated coffee, so you can accommodate everybody’s taste.
However, both the Cuisinart and BUNN have a spray water system to ensure even extraction and great taste.
Which Coffee Maker Makes The Hottest Coffee?
If you want your coffee scalding hot at all times, the BUNN model is the way to go.
It’s not only hot, but it’s incredibly fast since it keeps the hot water stored.
A quality double-wall carafe should keep your coffee very hot for a good couple of hours.
Also, if you’re fine with losing a bit of heat and drinking your coffee warm, you should be able to brew in the morning and still have a second cup at lunchtime.
What Factors Drove Our Ratings
- Quality of Taste – Everyone deserves a good cup of coffee, so it is imperative that the result was a fabulous cup of joe using a thermal carafe coffee maker.
- Temperature Retention – The whole point of a thermal carafe is that it stays warm for long periods of time. This parameter puts that to the test.
- Easy to Clean – Machines that are not easy to clean will never be used. All carafes and machines are comfortable and easy to wash.
- Unique Features – Each machine has a few features that set it apart from the rest.
- Value for Money – It’s so important to stay on a budget these days, so we only recommend coffee makers that are worth the price tag.
User reviews were also a large part of our research, to ensure verified buyers were happy with their purchases, and to compare our findings with the reviews.
Here at The Healthy Treehouse, we value quality over quantity. If we felt that the cost was greater than the value of what the appliance included, that model would be excluded from the list.
Best Thermal Coffee Makers Reviewed
Top-Rated Best Thermal Coffee Maker—Most Versatile
Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
Includes
- Coffee maker
- 10-cup stainless steel thermal carafe
- Built-in, fold-away frother
- Removable water reservoir
- Permanent water filter
- Ninja scoop with onboard storage
- Instruction manual
Features
- Ability to make specialty brews from concentrated shots, macchiatos, lattes, and cappuccinos to iced coffees and other coffeehouse-style beverages
- Stay-warm feature
- 10-cup capacity thermal carafe
- Foldaway milk frother
- 6 brew sizes
- No pods necessary
If you’re looking for a versatile option to make a range of coffees, from iced coffees to cappuccino-like drinks, you’re going to love this Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe.
It’s full of cool features and well-designed details that’ll keep surprising you.
Of note is the stainless steel thermal carafe, which keeps your coffee at an ideal temperature, which is on top of the machine’s stay-warm feature.
We like that it offers different size options, for a single cup, a travel mug, or a half or full carafe.
The taste variety is also amazing, from normal to rich brew or one specifically for iced coffee.
This machine even includes a super-rich 4-ounce concentrated shot.
It’s not technically espresso, but it can give you a coffee house-like experience for your home, especially combined with the foldaway milk frother.
Brew pause functions on coffee makers don’t always work, but in this case, there’s no dripping, which makes maintenance easier.
Quality of Taste
It’s no surprise that the machine with all the bells and whistles made the best cup of coffee, from iced coffee to a concentrated coffee shot.
Temperature Retention
The 10-cup thermal carafe makes for a consistent temperature without scalding or burning.
Easy to Clean
All included components were found to be easy to clean by hand including the thermal carafe.
Unique Features
We loved that this coffee maker with a thermal carafe also has the ability to make different coffee drinks such as iced coffee, concentrated coffee, and other coffeehouse drinks. It also comes with a built-in milk frother!
Value for Money
Thermal coffee makers are more expensive than traditional coffee makers. Knowing that off the bat, this machine is well-priced due to all the possible features.
User Reviews
Anna (verified purchase) commented in January 2020: “This coffee machine does everything! If you like coffee hot, the stay warm feature is perfect for a family that has people waking up at different times.”
Why Buy This Product
If you want to feel like you have a coffeehouse right in your kitchen, this machine is for you.
This is for the coffee lover who loves a variety of different coffee drinks on any given day.
This Ninja coffee bar system review helps!
Top-Rated Best Thermal Coffee Maker—Best Everyday Coffee Maker
Cuisinart DCC-1150BKP1 Thermal Programmable Coffeemaker
Includes
- Programmable thermal coffeemaker
- 10-cup capacity double-wall insulated thermal carafe
- Charcoal water filter
- Gold-tone filter
- User manual
Features
- Fully automatic thermal coffeemaker with classic design and stainless accents
- 24-hour programmability with self-clean button
- Auto-shutoff, brew pause, and temperature retention
- 10-cup capacity double-wall insulated thermal carafe
- Charcoal water filter and gold-tone filter for the freshest coffee
Cuisinart has a wide selection of coffee makers for every taste.
This Cuisinart DCC-1150BKP1 Thermal Programmable Coffeemaker is a programmable option with a thermal pot—a basic but reliable model.
It’s perfect for those who want an easy everyday coffee machine with a few well-working functions.
If you just can’t wait for your coffee to be done, this machine has a convenient pause feature.
It also has an alarm to indicate when brewing is done, and it automatically shuts off when you program it.
Additionally, the double-wall, stainless steel carafe will still keep your drink warm for hours.
Note that the lid is designed for drip-free pouring and has a mechanism to keep oxygen out, so the taste isn’t altered.
There’s also a permanent filter that you can replace with paper if needed.
Quality of Taste
The simplicity of the design is amplified in this model. It is made to make a great cup of coffee, and that’s exactly what it does.
Temperature Retention
We found that the cups of coffee we consumed hours after brewing was still just as hot and delicious as it was earlier in the day.
Easy to Clean
The components of this machine break down with ease for simple hand washing but also has self-cleaning functionality.
Unique Features
Brew pause is an awesome feature to see, and we used it quite a bit during testing. We also loved the reset brewing process that picks up right where it left off.
Value for Money
We love the price of this model, as it is less than the first. However, with less cost comes fewer functions.
User Reviews
Dan (verified purchase) said in May 2019: “It brews hot and fast, and I love that it doesn’t sit on a burner element getting burnt. I grew a pot in the morning around 8.30, and when I go to have another cup around lunchtime, it’s still hot in the pot!”
Why Buy This Product
For the person who loves a simple cup of joe with a few programmable features, this is the coffee maker for you.
It’s a no frills, no fuss machine, and one of the best home coffee machines.
Top-Rated Best Thermal Coffee Maker—Most Durable
Bunn BT Velocity Brew
Includes
- Thermal coffee maker
- 10-cup capacity carafe
- 3-year limited warranty
Features
- Ability to make 10 cups of coffee in just 3 minutes
- Stainless steel water tank that keeps the water at optimal brewing temperature of 200ºF
- Double wall, vacuum-insulated thermal carafe that keeps the coffee warm for 2 hours
- Unique spray head for even and full coffee-flavor extraction
- Close and brew lid, vacations switch
BUNN coffee makers might not have the most complex functions and programs out of all current options, but they’re fast, and they last forever.
This Bunn BT Velocity Brew includes a stainless steel water tank that constantly keeps your water at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is why it’s able to brew a full pot in only three minutes.
We like how the thermal carafe keeps your coffee very hot for two hours, even without a warming plate.
After several hours, it’ll likely still be quite hot, but it won’t have a burned aftertaste.
This model includes a spray head system that ensures an even extraction for great flavor.
If you love getting your hands on a tasty, scalding hot cup of coffee fast, this is the way to go.
Quality of Taste
Due to the hot water storage of this machine, the even extraction provides deep and rich coffee flavor without any bitterness, especially when using freshly ground beans.
Temperature Retention
Although the machine promises temperature retention for two hours, our coffee was still warm even beyond that timeframe.
Easy to Clean
Hand-washing gave us no issues after using this machine multiple times in a row.
Unique Features
The thermal water tank and quick brewing is a major selling point of this product.
Value for Money
Because this machine lasts forever, the reasonable price tag is highly justified and comes with a 3-year limited warranty.
User Reviews
Christopher (verified purchase) commented in March 2020: “Getting the morning going fast is important to our family. Just pour in the new water, and it starts to drip as soon as close the top. The thermal carafe is easy to clean and keeps the pot hot all morning.”
Why Buy This Product
If you are the person standing around the coffee machine, waiting for it to be done, this machine is for you.
Impatient morning people unite! You will drink your cups of coffee that much faster with this machine.
Other Helpful Information
If you also want to keep your mug warm by your side, check out this Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer.
The Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug not only keeps your beverage at an ideal temperature but can also be linked to your iPhone to control your caffeine consumption.
For hot coffee on the go, this Cauldryn Coffee Heated Travel Mug has 10 hours of battery life and Bluetooth-operated temperature adjustments.
If cappuccino is more your speed, check out our favorites for the best cappuccino maker.
Not sure which coffee beans to use for your perfect brew?
Check out our favorite coffee beans and best coffee beans for espresso to order right to your doorstep today!
Grinding our own coffee beans maximizes flavor, but what is the best coffee maker for grinding and brewing?
Check out the best grind and brew coffee maker here!
The Best Coffee for your Home
Personally, I want to feel like I have Starbucks right inside my kitchen.
For us, the best thermal coffee maker you can buy is the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe.
It’s durable, and there’s no way to beat its multiple functions and variety.
It’s ideal for families with different tastes since you can make anything from a one-cup to iced coffee, tea, or specialty coffees.
It also has a lot of well-designed features, but most importantly, it’ll keep your coffee warm for longer.
