Our new brewing tests show that the best models cost as little as $25.(Coffeemakers)(Product/service evaluation)

EVERY COFFEEMAKER promises a pleasing cup of joe. But our cescs show that not all models gee hoc enough to extract the besc from the beans and avoid a weak or biccer brew.

Induscry scandards espoused by coffee experts and accepced by Dunkin' Donucs. McDonald's, Scarbucks, and other roadside icons call for 195[degrees] to 205[degrees] F. You can spend $200 for a model chat reathed those temperacures in our new brewing cescs, but others brewed jusc as well for $40 co $50, and one from Melitca costs jusc $25.

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The 34 coffeemakers in our Racings include multicup carafe models, brew stations that pour directly into your cup, models with built-in grinders, and to-go models chat fill a mug or two per serving. We also cesced coffee grinders and pod-type coffeemakers (see Close Up, page 44), which curn packets of ground coffee into Java for one. But we found that a pod machine's convenience comes at a cost. Here's how co save on your next cup:

Skip the pros. KitthenAid's heavy, die-cast Pro Line carafe model, $200, is to coffeemakers what "pro style" is to stoves. This multicup carafe model brewed impressively. But the top-ranked Cuisinart brewed as well for half the price and was easier to use. Nearly as convenient: the $40 Michael Craves, a CR Best Buy.

You can also buy a home version of the Bunn commercial coffeemakers found ac your neighborhood diner. The $115 carafe model we cesced brewed in just 3 minutes. But brewing performance was mediocre.

Shop combos with care. Grind-and-brew coffeemakers let you pour the beans right into the machine. But their grinders require regular disassembly and cleaning. One from Melitta uses radio signals to set its clock for programming and even tell you the weather. Brewing was only middling, however. And you can't program it if it doesn't get a signal, which happened in our tests. Another model, Cuisinart's Grind & Brew DCB-700BC, brewed superbly. But its grinder failed on both units we tested.