Braun BrewSense review: Our top budget-friendly coffee maker

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Compared to a daily latte from a local coffee shop or the best espresso machine, making a basic cup of coffee at home is a cost-saver. However, choosing the best budget coffee maker can be a tricky task, especially if you don't want to sacrifice quality. The Braun BrewSense 12-Cup Coffee Maker is the solution.

With its standard and bold strength settings, small batch option, and quiet brewing cycle, this coffee maker is a reliable choice for any home. It brews efficiently and keeps a pot warm for up to five hours so you can go back for a second cup. At just under $100, it topped our list of the best budget coffee makers.

Design

Braun's BrewSense Coffee Maker is just over 14 inches tall, so it can be tucked under tall cabinets. It's sold in three different stainless steel designs and an all-black exterior option. On the front, there is an LED clock display, with buttons that light up to adjust brew settings and timing.

The BrewSense comes with a charcoal water filter, which helps to remove chlorine and other deposits from water before brewing for better flavor. The carafe can be used to fill the water reservoir with internal measurements and then placed on the heating plate to begin the brewing process.

Performance

You can choose to pre-program the coffee maker to brew in time for you to wake up to a fresh pot or hit the brew button yourself and wait for the brewing cycle. Once the reusable cone filter has coffee grounds in it and the water reservoir is filled, it'll only take 14 minutes to brew a standard pot of coffee with well-balanced flavor.

When I wanted a stronger cup, I used the bold setting which enhances the extraction of the coffee grounds. The bold coffee was notably more robut than the standard cup. After testing this coffee pot multiple times, I loved the consistency: no matter which setting you choose, you get a near-silent brewing process and every pot has smooth flavor.

Features

For a budget coffee maker, the BrewSense has clever features to make it more user friendly. Not only is there a small batch option to brew one to four cups, but there's also a 'steal a cup' feature. Thanks to the anti-drip system, you can grab coffee from the carafe before the coffee maker is done brewing without any spills.

One of the best special features is the heat plate settings. You can adjust the temperature of the keep-warm setting so that you never get the reheated burnt flavor, even after a few hours of sitting. The coffee maker defaults to keep coffee warm for two hours, but you can go up up to five hours.

Cleaning

Coffee makers that are used daily should be cleaned regularly for the best performance and coffee flavor. This coffee maker makes it easy with a cleaning cycle feature and a warning indicator when descaling is necessary. The carafe can be cleaned in the dishwasher, and the reusable cone filter is easy to wash by running it under tap water.

Cons to consider

There is a cleaning cycle and the carafe is dishwasher-safe, but it would be more convenient if the reusable filter was dishwasher-safe as well. Many retailers sell the stainless steel models which is more durable and sleek, but its more expensive than the all-black option.

What are your alternatives?

Another great option right around $100 is KitchenAid's 12 Cup Coffee Maker. It uses a spiral showerhead brewing system to evenly saturate the coffee grounds and extract the smoothest tasting coffee possible. Our picks for the best coffee makers use this system, but not many budget models do. The KitchenAid also has controls on the front and side of the machine, which made it easy to operate from anywhere on the countertop.

At a lower price point, the Beautiful by Drew Barrymore Coffee Maker delivers on both aesthetics and performance. It has a touchscreen featuring multiple brewing settings, including a gourmet setting to make a pot of coffee that sits between standard and bold.

The bottom line

The Braun BrewSense 12 Cup coffee maker is a quality option on a budget. It brews quietly and efficiently for well-balanced flavor, without making things complicated. The control panel offers customization for the strength of coffee you prefer, along with preset programming and a keep-warm function. It's a straightforward option to deliver that fresh morning cup of coffee at home on a daily basis.