Coffee maker
Filter (drip) coffee maker
An automatic machine that heats water and drips it over a filter basket of ground coffee into a carafe, typically for multiple cups at once.
How it works
A reservoir heats and releases water gradually over a paper or reusable filter holding ground coffee, dripping brewed coffee into a carafe below, often with a hot plate or thermal carafe to keep it warm.
Who it suits
- households wanting several cups at once with minimal hands-on effort
- offices and shared spaces
Who it may not suit
- users wanting espresso-style drinks
- single-cup users, since minimum batch sizes are often several cups
- Starting dose
- 60g
- Starting water
- 960ml
- Coffee-to-water ratio
- 55–65 g per litre (typically 60)
- Grind
- Medium, similar to sea salt.
- Capacity
- 4-12 cups
- Brew time
- 4-8 min
- Skill level
- beginner
- Noise
- quiet
- Space
- medium
- Cleaning burden
- low
- Convenience
- high
- Manual control
- low
Descriptive grind labels like this are illustrative starting points, not precise measurements — the same label can mean different particle sizes on different grinders. See the grind size guide for how to dial this in on your own equipment.
Equipment
Requires a separate grinder.
Advantages
- brews multiple cups with minimal effort
- widely available and simple to use
- low cost of entry for many models
Disadvantages
- less control over temperature and pour technique than manual pour-over
- coffee left on a hot plate can degrade in flavour over time
Taste variables you can control
Derived from CoffeeHQ's own Change the Taste guidance for this machine, not a marketing feature list.
- Dose
- Grind size
- Cleaning, prep or maintenance
Change the taste
Tastes weak
(Filter (drip) coffee maker)The batch tastes thin, especially when brewing a smaller batch than the machine's full capacity.
Try the first step below on its own, taste, then move to the next one only if needed.
| Change | Try | Why | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FirstDose | Increase: use more coffee for the batch size, matching a standard ratio | Raises strength directly. | — |
| Grind size | Check / reset: adjust grind for the batch size you actually brew | Small batches can behave differently from a full pot on the same machine. | — |
When to reset: Match dose to a standard ratio for your actual batch size, not the machine's maximum capacity.
Want to know why? Strength (intensity), Extraction
Tastes bitter
(Filter (drip) coffee maker)The coffee tastes bitter or stale, especially after sitting for a while.
Try the first step below on its own, taste, then move to the next one only if needed.
| Change | Try | Why | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FirstCleaning, prep or maintenance | Check / reset: don't leave coffee on the hotplate for more than about 20-30 minutes | Extended hotplate contact continues cooking the coffee and is a very common cause of bitterness, separate from extraction. | — |
| Grind size | Increase: a small step coarser | Reduces extraction if bitterness is present immediately after brewing, not just after sitting. | — |
| Cleaning, prep or maintenance | Check / reset: descale periodically based on water hardness | Scale buildup can affect temperature and flow, adding off-flavours. | — |
When to reset: Rule out hotplate staleness before treating this as an extraction problem.
Want to know why? Extraction, Water temperature
Cleaning & maintenance
Discard the filter and grounds after each brew; wash the carafe and basket regularly.
Descale periodically based on water hardness.
Replace the carafe or hot plate seal if it wears.
Consumables: paper filters, descaling solution
Common faults
- coffee tastes stale from sitting on a hot plate too long
- uneven extraction from an old or clogged showerhead
Cost
Purchase cost band: budgetWidely available at a low purchase price relative to espresso machines.
Ongoing cost is beans, paper filters and occasional descaling supplies.
Suitable roast levels
What these machines can actually do
This is a category, not a product, and machines within it genuinely differ. Where a capability varies, the answer is not on this page — it is on your machine, and each entry says how to find it.
Water and pressure release
- Removable water tankAlways
You choose the water, which is the cheapest way to control scale and taste. It also needs emptying and cleaning: a tank left standing grows things, and a machine left full over a holiday is worse than one left empty.
Heat and temperature
- Thermoblock or thermocoilUsually
Very fast warm-up, small and cheap. Temperature is less stable across a shot than a boiler's, and steam capacity is usually limited, which is what makes milk texturing harder on these machines.
Cheaper drip machines heat water as it passes and often deliver it below the range brewing standards recommend, which is a common reason machine-brewed filter tastes weak next to a hand pour.
Brewing and pressure
- Volumetric dosingUsually
Repeatable without attention, which matters in a café. At home it measures volume rather than the mass in the cup, so it drifts as the coffee ages and the puck resists differently.
What it does not mean: A programmed volume is not the same as a weighed yield. If you are dialling in by ratio, weigh the cup.
Related guides
Not sure if this is right for you? Try the coffee-maker selector.