Best Smart Coffee Maker: What’s Next, an AI Barista?

For some reason, I feel a little averse to the idea of adding even the very best smart coffee maker to my home coffee bar.

When it comes to brewing up a hot cuppa in the morning, I love me some tedium. Can’t my coffee routine remain untethered from our increasingly app- and WiFi-centered world?

At the same time, I admire creativity and innovation in the coffee industry. So, I’ll put aside my preconceived notions and explore this topic through a coffee lover’s eye.

With that said, I won’t be reviewing any smart pod machines today. For numerous reasons, mostly environmental, I don’t support the use of single use coffee capsules.

Anyway, what makes a coffee maker smart, what are the best smart coffee makers and why should you buy them? Let’s get into it!

Best Smart Coffee Makers at a Glance

What Is a Smart Coffee Machine?

Before I begin, I need to make sure we’re on the same page here. So, what is a smart coffee maker?

Truthfully, the definition of a smart coffee maker, as with other “smart” appliances , isn’t super clear. That said, the basic requirement is some sort of Internet or app connectivity. Beyond that, the “smart” abilities vary widely.

Some smart coffee makers link up with a smartphone app, while others connect to Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa. Incidentally, some do both.

Many smart coffee makers have the ability to start a brew cycle or program a pre-set brew time via your phone or a voice command. The more coffee-focused ones even let you program your own brewing recipe, including a bloom stage.

What’s more, some of these options are coffee makers with grinders. However, whether those built-in grinders are any good is up for debate.

On a similar note, let’s remember: just because a coffee maker is smart doesn’t necessarily mean it will make the best coffee in the world. Plenty of tech companies are making coffee makers without a care in the world for coffee quality (I’m looking at you, Keurig).

Plus, some of the best coffee makers in the world, including the Technivorm Moccamaster, are “dumb” machines with no smart features. So let’s not make the mistake of equating “smart” with “good.”

Still, there are some truly high-quality smart coffee makers out there. The best smart coffee maker combines user-friendly smart features with coffee-focused smart features.

How to Choose the Best Smart Coffee Maker

As with any of my guides to the best coffee gear, the best smart coffee maker for you really depends on your personal needs and preferences. Read on to learn about some of the factors you should consider before buying a new coffee maker.

Connectivity

Connectivity, of course, is what makes these coffee makers “smart.” That said, how they connect to different platforms determines which coffee maker is the best for you.

In general, there are two main options here: a virtual assistant such as Alexa or Google, and a manufacturer-specific app. Often, smart coffee makers utilize a WiFi connection to connect to the virtual assistant or app.

Needless to say, if you’re already an Alexa household, it would make sense to get an Alexa-enabled coffee maker. That way, you can tell the Echo Dot in your bedroom to turn on the coffee maker in your kitchen.

Same goes for Google Home users. Who knew you could brew coffee with a simple “Hey Google” command?

Finally, many smart coffee makers connect to free apps that allow you to start a brew cycle from your phone. What’s more, the more premium options have settings to customize brewing styles and recipes.

Size and Design

A coffee maker is likely one of the most visible and most used appliances in your kitchen. For many folks, myself included, it’s the first thing I interact with every day.

That said, you’ll want your coffee maker to look nice and fit well in your kitchen. Of course, this means it needs to physically fit – a long enough cord that it will fit on your counter, for example. Plus, the body needs to be short enough that it will fit under any overhanging cabinets or shelves.

At the same time, you want the design to work for you. Some people prefer a removable water reservoir, while others don’t mind having to fill the reservoir with a pitcher or carafe.

Aesthetically, the coffee maker needs to mesh well with your kitchen. This often means a retro-style brewer (with modern features, of course) for a retro kitchen, a stainless steel brewer for a modern kitchen, and so on.

After all, even the best smart coffee maker will be unpleasant to use if it’s a total eyesore.

Special Features

If you’re interested in a new coffee maker that is tech-savvy and quality-forward, you’ll want to look out for some special features.

These include programmable brew recipes (including brewing temperature), customizable brew styles and built-in grinders. Pre-infusion or bloom settings are great too, though none of my picks include this feature.

Price

Last but certainly not least, price is one of the most important factors when picking out a new coffee maker.

Budget-conscious coffee drinkers will be happy to know that a couple of my picks for the best smart coffee maker are below $100. I also have a premium pick and a couple mid-range options to choose from.

No matter which price range you choose, one thing is for sure: the quality of the coffee maker must match its price tag.

In other words, you should never pay top dollar for a machine that seems fancy but doesn’t provide on the coffee front. Incidentally, the same goes for its build quality and durability.

The 5 Best Smart Coffee Makers

xBloom Studio: Overall Best Smart Coffee Maker

There can be little doubt that the fantastic xBloom Studio is one of the best smart coffee makers on the market.

A successor to the brand’s original coffee maker, the xBloom Studio takes things further with a built-in scale and integrated grinder with 80 adjustment settings. You’re able to use the manufacturer’s proprietary compostable coffee pods with this machine, and there’s a special mode for doing so.

However, to get the best from the xBloom Studio, you can use your own coffee beans and create your own pour-over recipe. In order to do so, you can use the incredible xBloom app, which allows you to tweak any number of settings and brew parameters. Heck, you’re even able to adjust the machine’s rotating water spout to get your ideal pouring pattern.

Costing $599.00, the xBloom Studio is far from cheap. Then again, if you’re a pour-over aficionado looking for the ultimate in control, you’ll definitely feel like the xBloom Studio is a worthwhile investment.

See Also: xBloom Studio Review

Cosori Juni Automatic Pour-Over Coffee Machine: Smart Coffee Maker With Style

Costing $299.99, the Cosori Juni Automatic Pour-Over Coffee Machine is a new SCA-certified coffee maker that’s making quite a stir in the specialty coffee world. As it happens, I recently tested the thing, and I have to say I was mighty impressed. To be honest, there’s nothing quite like the Cosori Juni, and if you’re a fan of coffee makers that put on a show, you should investigate further.

The Juni features an extendable robotic brew arm that emerges from the machine in dramatic fashion. What’s more, the brew basket rotates, allowing the Juni to recreate complex pouring patterns. Trust me, the effect is completely outrageous and also produces exceptional results.

While you’re able to operate the Cosori Juni from its control panel, using the VeSync app is really the way to go. During my testing, I was blown away by the amount of settings I was able to play with when using the app. Plus, there’s a growing library of user-submitted recipes.

Finally, the Cosori Juni has AI capabilities, wherein the machine learns your preferences over time and makes suggestions to help you achieve the best results. Now that’s a smart coffee maker!

See Also: Cosori Juni Review

Fellow Aiden: Versatile Smart Coffee Maker

Another of the new generation of smart coffee makers, the Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker really impressed me when I put it through its paces in the Coffeeness kitchen.

Like the xBloom and Cosori Juni, the Fellow Aiden gives you an incredible amount of control over your brew. Seriously, you’re able to tweak everything from brew temperature to bloom duration and ratio. In other words, pour-over fanatics will love geeking out with the Aiden.

Featuring a lovely thermal carafe and two brew baskets, the Aiden is both a batch brewer and a single-serve coffee maker. Oh, and the machine even makes authentic and delicious cold brew in around three hours.

Of course, seeing as the Fellow Aiden is on this best smart coffee maker list, you won’t be surprised to learn that the machine has WiFi connectivity. And thanks to the sophisticated Fellow app, you can control everything from your phone, including scheduled brew times and shared recipes. The Fellow Aiden retails for $399.95, which I think is a great price for this amazing coffee maker.

See Also: Fellow Aiden Review

Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker: SCA Certified Smart Home Coffee Maker

The custom-off asin=”B09GPYPLR6″ text=”Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker” lang=”en”] is my personal favorite among the best smart coffee makers on my list. Plus, with a $179.99 price tag, it isn’t even the most expensive coffee maker out there.

The Cafe Specialty Drip Coffee Maker is almost guaranteed to produce an exceptional cup of coffee, seeing as it’s an SCA certified home brewer. I assure you: if coffee quality is your top priority, this coffee maker won’t disappoint.

It helps that this machine not only brews coffee but is absolutely gorgeous. The Matte Black, Matte White, and Stainless Steel colorways all come with shiny copper accents and a simple LED display.

This brewer connects to WiFi and can be controlled via the SmartHQ app, Alexa, and Google Home. Plus, the Voice-to-Brew feature allows you to speak aloud to begin a brew cycle.

Speaking of, the app allows a number of customizations to your brew cycle. Pick the strength of your brew out of four pre-set options: Gold, Light, Medium and Bold. Truthfully, I’m not sure what these settings mean in terms of their specific coffee-to-water ratios, but try them and find out!

Additionally, you can control the size of your brew and the temperature of your brewing water. The temperature range is between 185 degrees and 205 degrees Fahrenheit (85-96 degrees Celsius).

DeLonghi PrimaDonna Aromatic: Smart Fully Automatic With an App

The DeLonghi PrimaDonna Aromatic is easily one of the best DeLonghi espresso machines I’ve ever used. Seriously, this powerful fully automatic espresso machine has it all, including an electronic grinder, integrated milk system and a huge menu of specialty drinks. What’s more, the DeLonghi PrimaDonna Aromatic is capable of producing truly excellent espresso and can even conjure up a decent approximation of cold brew coffee.

Retailing for $2,230.52, the PrimaDonna Aromatic is much pricier than most DeLonghi fully automatic machines. However, it can easily compete with more expensive models from the likes of Jura and Miele.

In terms of its smart capabilities, the DeLonghi PrimaDonna Aromatic can be used with the My Coffee Lounge app, which opens a world of possibilities. From the app you have access to coffee maker settings, fancy recipes and a wealth of knowledge about coffee. Furthermore, you can input your preferences and initiate DeLonghi’s innovative Bean Adapt Technology.

See Also: DeLonghi PrimaDonna Review

Decision Time: The Best Smart Coffee Maker

If I had all the money in the world, I would pick the GE Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker and pair it with an exceptional manual coffee grinder like the Comandante C40 MK4 Nitro Blade. 

In my experience, the GE brewer works beautifully and has just the right number of smart features. That said, the Fellow Aiden and Cosori Juni coffee makers are both great options.

Since I like brewing coffee for a crowd, the single-cup xBloom Studio wouldn’t be my top choice. But for those who want a programmable coffee maker that can brew ridiculously good pout-over coffee, the xBloom Studio would be the best choice.

If I’m honest, I’ll probably just stick with my beloved Moccamaster or pour over coffee maker. Though I understand why smart coffee makers are convenient, I’d much prefer to keep my morning coffee ritual free of smartphone screens and virtual assistants. But maybe I’m a little behind the times.