Think there’s only so many ways to improve on something people have been buying for ages? Think again. We’ve been making coffee makers here at Hamilton Beach for decades, but that doesn’t mean once we perfected a design we decided to call it a day. Here, three upgrades in design and technology that you’ll definitely want in your next coffee maker.

1) A coffee maker with a FrontFill™ water reservoir and grounds basket, so you don’t have to pull it out from below your upper cabinets every time you try to fill it up.

We interviewed people who love their morning cup just as much as we do, and they told us that an easily-accessible water reservoir and grounds basket were among the most important features they wanted in a coffee maker.

Think about it: typically, when you’re using a regular automatic drip coffee maker, you pour the water into the back of the machine and fill the coffee grounds via a flip-up lid. But if your coffee maker sits on the countertop under your upper cabinets, you first have to pull the coffee maker out towards you so you have enough room to fill it up.

That’s why we created a line of coffee makers where you can fill the water tank from the front of the machine, instead of the back. You don’t need to move your coffee maker an inch—just flip the front lid up to fill the water reservoir. When you’re ready to load up the coffee grounds, the brew basket swings out towards you from the front for easy access.

Shop the 12-cup FrontFill™ programmable coffee maker >>

2) A coffee maker that works with Amazon Alexa, and will have coffee ready and waiting for you before you even set foot in the kitchen.

Sometimes you wake up and need coffee “right this second,” but that requires getting up and making it. Or sometimes you need to shave a couple minutes off your morning routine—but aren’t willing to totally forego your morning caffeine fix.

This coffee maker allows you to start brewing simply by asking Alexa from your smart speaker, or using the Alexa app on your phone, so your coffee is fresh and hot as soon as you’re ready for it. You can also change the brew strength, and use the Alexa app if you accidentally forget to turn off the coffee maker before leaving home.

It’s also great for people who want to program their coffee maker to automatically brew in the morning, but also tend to hit the snooze button a few times. In this case, you can just start the brewing through the app or smart speaker when you’re just about ready to get out of bed rather than face a cold pot of coffee. Plus, it is also designed with our special front-fill feature, so it’s really several solutions in one.

Get the Alexa smart coffee maker on Amazon now >>

3) A coffee maker with an internal tank to hold brewed coffee (instead of a carafe), so it stays fresher longer—plus a press bar for convenient one-hand dispensing.

There’s a lot of stale, burnt coffee in the world. A dispensing coffee maker mitigates that. It’s a regular automatic drip machine, but instead of holding brewed coffee in a carafe, it contains it in a food-safe internal tank. While brewing occurs at a high temperature for optimal flavor, the temperature in the tank regulates to keep coffee fresh for hours. So you can expect that second or third cup you pour to taste like it was just made.

Loss of a carafe also means one less thing for people to touch—which is more important than ever these days. To easily serve up the java goodness, these Brewstation models employ a touch bar for one-handed dispensing. Simply press your mug to the bar and voilà. It’s the perfect convenience for those times when you’re holding your phone or a favorite infant. Plus, they’re super easy to clean. Internal tanks and brew baskets can be detached for washing. Some models even have sensors to alert you when it’s time to take action.

Curious to see what else is out there? Browse all Hamilton Beach coffee makers >>