What’s more American than a piping hot cup o’ joe in the morning? Well, probably not the brewer you made it with.
If you have tried making a conscious effort to buy an American made coffee maker, you may notice it’s surprisingly difficult to find a “made in the USA” label. As more companies outsource their labor to stretch their dollars and increase profits, it becomes increasingly difficult for consumers to find coffee makers made in USA.
But fear not! While it did take a good bit of digging and research, we’ve have done the legwork for you and curated a list of the best coffee makers made right here in the USA. So, now all you need to do is browse through, and choose the one that is right for you!
“Made in” VS “Manufactured in”
First things first, let’s get some technicalities out of the way. We noticed that plenty of these “Made in the USA” lists include products that are manufactured in the United States rather than made in the United States.
While they may sound similar, these are two very different things.
To qualify for the “made in” label, the “all or virtually all” of the parts and labor must be produced and performed within the United States, per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Companies label some products as “built-in,” “assembled in,” or “manufactured in” to note that while their US-based facilities assembled the product components, a separate facility (not on US soil) constructed them. Thus, the product is not really “American Made” as the materials are coming from a different country.
Unfortunately, there are precious few truly American made coffee makers left on the market today. When it comes to coffee brewers, it is pretty difficult to find one that is even manufactured within the United States.
So what coffee makers are made and/or manufactured in the US?
Best Coffee Makers Made in USA
These are the products that keep their materials and labor domestic. Not only are the vast majority of these coffee makers’ components made in America, but their manufacturing and assembly also take place within the US.
Thus they get the FTC approved label of “Made in USA.”
Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker
Aerobie Aeropress is hands down our favorite USA made coffee maker. All of their materials are made in the USA, and the product is manufactured in Palo Alto, California, USA.
If you poke around our site for a bit, you will likely come across some mention of Aeropress. These odd little contraptions are the brewing tool of choice for several members of our team due to their versatility and ingenuity.
An Aeropress can brew 1-3 cups of American-style coffee in about a minute. Additionally, it provides a nice middle ground between the crispness of Pour over coffee (thanks to the paper filters) and the richness of French Press coffee (thanks to the steeping).
Plus, Aeropress can brew more concentrated coffees, to sub in for an espresso machine. So it is pretty well-rounded in its capabilities, making it a rather unique brewing tool.
Red Rooster Pour Mason
Next up, we have the Pour Mason, handmade in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC. The whole ethos of Red Rooster Trading Co. centers on the importance of having American made products, so if you are looking for craftsmanship and credibility behind your brewer, they’re the ones for you.
This handy little pour over is the epitome of “keep it simple, stupid,” as you can just pop this no-nonsense brew tool on top of your mason jar, throw in a filter and some grounds, and brew away. It does not have any of the divoting or texturing inside like many other pour-over tools.
However, what it lacks in flair, it certainly makes up for in durability and practicality. You can’t exactly pack up your go-to ceramic pour-over for a camping trip. Overall this is a sleek, top-notch tool.
Filtron Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Nothing says “Made in USA” quite like a loud and proud label printed right on the front of the box. Filtron‘s Cold Brew coffee maker is made using mostly domestic parts with just a few foreign ones and is assembled in Westminster, California.
The Filtron Cold Brew System has been around for quite some time now, and a number of users have noted having their around for 40+ years. So you know this is the tyle of brewing tool people are thinking of when waxing poetic about high-quality, true-blue American-made products.
Aside from its longstanding reputation, the Filtron is a great choice for those looking for a straightforward cold brewing system that won’t require much maintenance. The package comes with everything you need to get started: coffee bowl with handle, water bowl, wool felt pad with a plastic storage container, rubber stopper, grounds guard, 1.5-liter decanter, and 2 sample paper liners.
Toddy Cold Brew System
The next stop on our American coffee machines tour is Loveland, Colorado. Toddy is another popular cold brewing device that has been around since 1964.
The Toddy coffee brewer can handle coffee beverages as well as tea. It doesn’t require a plug-in and is designed to maximize the acid reduction of the cold brewing technique.
The set includes brewing container with handle, glass decanter with lid, 2 reusable filters, 1 rubber stopper, set of instructions, and recipe guide. So you can experiment until you find the perfect American cold brew.
Takeya Cold Brew Maker
While you may have heard of the previous three products, chances are Takeya isn’t ringing any bells. That’s because this American brand primarily produces water bottles. However, due to the nature of cold brewing, the brand has been able to produce a delightfully simple cold brewing tool for people on the go.
This cleverly designed Takeya brewer is a durable BPA-Free Tritan pitcher with an airtight lid & non-slip silicone handle and can produce 4 servings of cold brew. Inside the pitcher is a fine-mesh coffee filter to hold your grounds, so all you have to do is fill, shake, steep, and enjoy. It can also handle hot brewing!
The Takeya Cold brewer is a great option for people on the go looking to reap the benefits of switching to cold-brewed coffee. And of course, all of Takeya’s products are made in the USA.
Best USA-Manufactured Coffee Makers
Chemex Pour Over Coffee Maker
Undoubtedly you’ve seen the iconic Chemex pour-over brewer mentioned on a couple of these “made in USA” articles. However, that is unfortunately not the case. The Chemex brewer itself is manufactured by International Housewares of Pittsfield, MA
While there is a Chemex factory in Massachusets, the vast majority of the brewer’s components are outsourced. The glass is usually produced in Taiwan and the wood is from Malaysia. That said, the leather ties are produced by a baseball mitt manufacturer in Tennessee. The only things produced in-house at the Chemex factory are the paper filters.
BUNN Brewers
Not all of Bunn o’ Matic’s brewers are USA-manufactured, but a good few are, including the Speed Brew (Classic), BT, GR, and BX models. All of these are assembled in Creston, Iowa.
BUNN Speed Brew (Classic)
This is a nice, mid-sized brewer. It’s also the only Speed Brew machine where the warmer’s on/off switch is located at the top and uses a red rather than blue indicator light, so it’s easy to spot. The Speed Brew (Classic) is a great choice for tight budgets that still want a machine with a quality showerhead.
BUNN BT Velocity Brew
The BT model won our budget pick during our BUNN brand review. We appreciated the inclusion of the thermal carafe despite being a relatively affordable option. The affordable price tag is all the more noteworthy considering its one of only a few coffee makers constructed in the US.
BUNN GRB Velocity Brew
The GR is a solid base model for the Velocity Brew family. It is the original Pour O’ Matic and is a good choice for those seeking a classic and reliable glass-carafe coffee maker.
BUNN BX Speed Brew
You should know that we didn’t label the BX the “family flop” because there is anything technically wrong with this model. It is basically the “prettier” version of the GR; however, it is functionally identical. So we figured it wasn’t worth spending the extra money when you could get the same results for less money.
Maldeco Café Brew French Press and Pour Over
The last coffee maker on our manufactured in the US list is the Maldeco French Press. The entire Café Brew Collection (which includes mostly universal-fit and replacement kettles and coffee accessories), is manufactured by Medelco, Incorporated in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA.
However, their French Press and pour-over are their only stand-alone brewing products.
The French Press is sleek and simple. It has a stainless steel double-walled construction, so not only will it keep your brew warm but it should stick around for a while. Plus, it is completely dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze.
The Pour Over has an 8-cup (that’s measurement cups, not cups of coffee) capacity and comes with a stainless steel cone filter and a heat resistant borosilicate glass carafe (made in Germany). The carafe is outfitted with a removable heat resistant silicone comfort grip. Like the French Press, the Pour Over is also dishwasher safe!
USA-Made Coffee Accessories
Some of these coffee products are listed elsewhere as coffee makers made in the USA. However, such labeling is misleading as none of them can be used without other brewing equipment. Also, none of them are technically the main “brewing tool.”
Able Brewing KONE and DISK Filters
Able Brewing produces reusable stainless steel filters for Chemex and Aeropress brewing tools. Their KONE and DISK filters are both made in Martinez, California.
The KONE filter is designed to fit 6, 8, and 10 cup Chemex coffee makers, though it is compatible with any similarly shaped carafe or pour-over tool. It is stainless steel and reusable, effectively replacing the go-to paper filters.
The DISK filter is also stainless steel and is available in a standard or a fine mesh option. This filter is compatible with AeroPress Coffee makers. So between this and an AeroPress, you can have a 100% made-in-USA brewing experience! This is a great option if you often travel with your AeroPress, as it eliminates the need to bring several paper filters with you.
Coffee Sock
Silly name, great products– Coffee Sock makes a number of iterations of their signature “sock” to meet a variety of brewing needs. And the Coffee Socks are hand made in Austin, Texas.
All Coffee Socks are made of organic cotton and are designed to simply be rinse and hung dry after brewing. This particular sock is made to fit a Chemex 6-13 cup carafe and is thus compatible with any similarly shaped and sized pour-over coffee tools.
Note: Coffee Sock does sell brewing “kits” that come with jars to do cold brewing and the like; however, the other materials are not American made, so we did not want to include them in our “coffee makers made in USA” section.
Ratio Eight (Pour-Over Assistant)
Note: The Ratio Eight is sometimes listed as an American made coffee maker. While the tool is assembled in Portland, Oregon, the Ratio Eight alone isn’t technically a coffee brewer (we’ll explain why below). It has to be paired with a separate pour-over or dripper tool in order to actually brew coffee.
Ratio Coffee does sell a brewing package that includes a coffee dripper and thermal carafe that is labeled as being “assembled in Portland, Oregon.” However, when we reached out to Ratio for clarification, they confirmed that this labeling applied only to the Ratio Eight and not the carafe or dripper, which are assembled in China.
Nonetheless, the Ratio Eight alone is a neat coffee tool, so let’s talk about it.
The Ratio Eight machine essentially replaces the kettle and barista for pour-over coffee. It comes with a glass carafe, which you place your pour-over tool of choice on top of along with a filter and grounds. Once you turn it on, the Ratio Eight heats water and mimics the special pouring technique needed to achieve a good pour-over coffee.
Seriously, this thing blooms the coffee and everything. So all you have to do is set it up, press a button, and let it go. This is a great product for those who are interested in the lightness of pour-over coffee but not the learning curve that comes with mastering the technique.
Why Buy from US?
The increase in outsourcing described above does not always coincide with a decrease in overall quality. You’ll notice on many of our other “top picks” lists, that there are plenty of non-USA-made products that are outstanding. However, this reality does make things difficult for those who are trying to localize their purchasing habits.
In recent years, the “Made in China” label has seemed almost inescapable. While this label isn’t necessarily bad, many companies have opted to exploit the cheaper labor and weaker regulations to mass-produce cheap, poor quality products.
But aside from quality assurance, there are a number of reasons to shop domestic including:
- Promoting adherence to the United States regulated labor and safety laws
- Contributing to American job security and a sustainable domestic economy
- Conserving the environment by reducing overseas transport and utilizing “cleaner” manufacturers
Supposedly “American” companies such as Mr. Coffee, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, Black & Decker, and even Javapresse only design their products in the USA. Though some go to greater lengths to ensure high standards are maintained for the production of their products, others seem to be steadily in decline.
FAQ’s
Where are Breville coffee makers made?
If you’ve been browsing the coffee scene for any length of time, chances are you’ve come across mention of Breville’s products. Breville is well known in the coffee community as being a high-quality brand for coffee and espresso machines. However, their name doesn’t appear on this list.
So where are they made?
Breville used to produce all of their products in Australia, where their team still designs and engineer them. However, most of Breville’s products are now made in China in order for them to maintain their highly competitive pricing.
Are all Bunn coffee makers made in the USA?
Technically, no Bunn coffee maker is made in the USA. However, they do have a few that are manufactured in the USA, though that still isn’t all of them. The ones that the company manufactures domestically (as of June 2020) appear in the list above.
All that said, simply having an American manufactured coffee maker is nothing to scoff at. As you can see, the BUNN coffee makers are the only drip brewers on the list. So if you are interested in purchasing an automatic coffee maker to brew some truly American cups of coffee, BUNN coffee machines are the only way to go.
Why are so few coffee machines American made?
The simple answer is this: cost. It is significantly more costly to produce a product in the United States due to the regulations that are in place to ensure quality, worker safety, product safety, less pollution, etc. However, despite the good reasoning behind the higher price tags, most consumers won’t see past the numbers.
If you are comparing a $25 Mr. Coffee Maker to the $100+ BUNN brewers above, many people are going to opt for the cheaper brewer. Plus, those that choose the more expensive option often do so as a result of comparing positive vs negative reviews, rather than the “Made in USA” label.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it! If you are looking for an American made cup of coffee, the list above is nearly exhaustive. Though you may find a few more coffee accessories floating about on the market, chances are you won’t come across any other coffee makers made in the US.
However, though the list is surprisingly brief, there are some seriously top-notch coffee makers on it. So you can rest easy knowing that there is a brewer out there for you that can whip up some delicious cups of coffee and isn’t labeled “made in China.”
If you happen upon a coffee maker that managed to escape us, feel free to let us know! Until then…
Happy Caffeinating!
