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Caraway Coffee Maker Review: You’re Paying $495 for What’s Not in It

Caraway's first coffee maker has a brew path made entirely of glass and stainless steel, and it costs $495. What testers found, how it stacks up against a Moccamaster, and who it's actually worth it for.

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caraway coffee maker review 2026 - is it worth the money?

Price$495
Makes2 to 10 cups
ShipsEst. Dec 15
VerdictOnly if plastic-free matters
The short version

The Caraway is a good-looking, quiet, easy-to-clean drip machine with a brew path made of glass and stainless steel instead of plastic.[1][4] If that's your top priority, it's one of the few machines that delivers it. If you just want great coffee for the money, it's a tough sell: a Moccamaster costs $136 less, and a former barista found the Caraway's coffee muddier than a pour-over.[7][3] Also: the current batch doesn't ship until mid-December.[1]

Sold by Caraway and Crate & Barrel. Not on Amazon right now.

Caraway 10-cup coffee maker in cream with glass carafe
For the kitchen that's done with plastic
$495Plastic-free brew pathCream, Stone, Clay, Midnight
Caraway's first appliance, after years of cookware. Water starts in a glass tank, runs through a stainless steel line and shower head, brews in a stainless basket with a reusable steel filter, and lands in a glass carafe. It brews between 195 and 205°F, runs a bloom cycle first, keeps the pot warm for 90 minutes, and does all of it from a single dial.[1]
Heads Up
Caraway says batches one and two sold out faster than expected, and the current batch is estimated to ship December 15. Order now and it's a Christmas gift with no margin for error.[1]

What It Actually Is

Caraway spent five years and more than 200 iterations on this machine, according to the brand, and it launched in fall 2026 at $495.[5][6] The whole point is what Caraway calls its Clean Brew System: no plastic touches your water or coffee anywhere between the tank and your mug.[1]

PartMade of
Water reservoirGlass
Water pathStainless steel
Shower headStainless steel
Brew basket and filterStainless steel, reusable
CarafeGlass

The brewing specs are good ones. It holds water between 195 and 205°F and finishes in 4 to 8 minutes, which is the range the Specialty Coffee Association recommends for pulling the good flavors out of the grounds without the bitter ones.[1] It runs a bloom first, wetting the grounds so trapped carbon dioxide can escape before the main brew, which helps the water extract evenly.[1] There's no screen and no timer, just one dial that switches between brewing and a built-in cleaning cycle.[1][6] Caraway also says it's made without PFAS, PTFE, PFOA, lead, BPA, BPS or cadmium.[2]

The One Thing To Know Before You Buy

"Plastic-free" isn't a regulated label, so it's worth knowing exactly what you're paying for. When Tom's Guide reviewed the Simply Good Coffee brewer, which is also sold as plastic-free, it found the water lines were medical-grade silicone.[8] Caraway's spec lists glass and stainless steel for every part of the brew path.[1]

That's the real differentiator here, and it's the only reason the price makes sense. Strip it away and you're looking at a nice-looking drip machine for $495.

What Testers Found

What They Liked

  • Organic Authority's reviewer, a French press loyalist, found the coffee clean, with a clarity that reminded her of pour-over.[2]
  • Forbes Vetted's tester called it exceptionally quiet, timed a full 10-cup pot at about 8.5 minutes, and said it looks like a high-end appliance.[4]
  • The Kitchn found the glass carafe easy to clean thanks to its wide opening.[3]

What They Didn't

  • The Kitchn's tester, a former barista, found it made a solid cup but muddier than a Hario V60 pour-over, with smaller batches tasting better than full pots.[3]
  • The carafe handle is thin and slick, which makes pouring a little uncomfortable.[3]
  • Condensation drips when you pull out the brew basket, and the basket needs washing after every use.[2]
  • No timer, and only a two-year warranty.[2][4]

Our Read

Notice what nobody's complaining about: it works, it's quiet, it's easy to clean, and it's pretty. The complaints are about value and coffee quality at this price. A former barista calling it solid but muddier than pour-over is a fair summary of a good drip machine, not a $495 one.

So this comes down to one question: is a plastic-free brew path worth paying extra for, to you? If yes, there's not much competition. If no, you're overpaying for good looks.

The $495 Question

Here's the comparison that matters most to a coffee-first buyer.

Caraway 10-CupMoccamaster KBGV Select
Price$495$359 on Amazon
Capacity10 cups10 cups (40 oz)
Brew pathGlass and stainless steelNot sold as plastic-free
Keep warm90 minutesUp to 100 minutes
Where to buyCaraway, Crate & BarrelAmazon and lots of retailers

That's $136 for the plastic-free path and the Caraway look.[1][7][8] Whether that's a lot or a little depends entirely on how much the plastic question keeps you up at night.

What To Buy Instead

Moccamaster KBGV Select coffee maker in matte black
For the best coffee per dollar
$35910 cupsMatte Black
The drip machine coffee people have been recommending for years, and the one reviewers keep comparing the Caraway to. Forbes Vetted's tester said Moccamaster fans will feel right at home with the Caraway's minimalist setup, which tells you who Caraway was aiming at.[4][7]
Our Take
It's $136 cheaper and keeps coffee warm a little longer. What you give up is the all glass and steel brew path, so if plastic is your reason for shopping, this isn't the swap.

Who It's For

Buy It If

  • Keeping plastic out of your coffee is a priority, and you've been waiting for a drip machine that does it.
  • Your kitchen's already full of Caraway, and you want the coffee maker to match.
  • You like simple. One dial, no screen, no app.
  • You're happy with good drip coffee and don't need pour-over clarity.

What You Should Actually Pay

$495, from Caraway or Crate & Barrel.[1][6] It's brand-new and selling out in batches, so a discount isn't likely anytime soon. If you want one, the thing to plan around isn't the price, it's the ship date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Caraway coffee maker really plastic-free? +
In the brew path, by Caraway's spec, yes: the water tank and carafe are glass, and the water line, shower head, brew basket and filter are stainless steel. That's the part that touches your water and coffee. It's worth checking, because "plastic-free" isn't a regulated term, and Tom's Guide found another machine sold as plastic-free that runs water through silicone tubing.
When does the Caraway coffee maker ship? +
Caraway says its first two batches sold out, and the current batch is estimated to ship December 15. That's cutting it close for a Christmas gift.
Does the Caraway coffee maker have a timer? +
No. It runs on a single dial with no screen and no programmable start, so you can't wake up to a pot that's already brewed.
Can you use paper filters in the Caraway coffee maker? +
It comes with a reusable stainless steel filter, and The Kitchn reports it also takes standard paper filters if you prefer a cleaner cup or easier cleanup.
Is the Caraway coffee maker dishwasher safe? +
The removable parts are, and there's a built-in cleaning cycle on the dial. Testers recommend rinsing the brew basket after every use.
What's the warranty on the Caraway coffee maker? +
Two years. Organic Authority's reviewer pointed out that some competitors offer up to five.
The Bottom Line: The Caraway coffee maker is worth $495 to one kind of buyer: someone who wants a brew path made entirely of glass and stainless steel and loves how it looks. For that person, there isn't much else like it. For everyone else, it's a quiet, pretty, easy-to-clean drip machine that costs $136 more than a Moccamaster and doesn't make better coffee. And if it's a gift, mind that December 15 ship estimate.

Sources

  1. 10-Cup Coffee MakerCarawayPrice, the Clean Brew System parts, brew temperature and time, the bloom cycle, the 90-minute warming plate, the single dial, the two-year warranty and the current batch's December 15 ship estimate.
  2. Caraway Coffee Maker Review: The Plastic-Free Drip Brewer That Won Over a French Press LoyalistOrganic AuthorityCoffee clarity, the materials it's made without, the condensation drip, washing the basket after each use, no timer and the warranty comparison.
  3. I'm a Former Barista: Here's How Caraway's New Coffee Maker Compares to My Pour-OverThe KitchnThe former barista's V60 comparison, batch size results, the carafe handle, easy carafe cleaning and paper filter compatibility.
  4. Caraway Coffee Maker Launch: Our First Impressions After TestingForbes VettedQuiet operation, the 8.5-minute full pot, the look, the steel filter cleanup and the Moccamaster comparison.
  5. Caraway Takes Its Clean, Design-Forward Ethos Beyond CookwareGear PatrolThe five-year development and 200+ iterations, and the four colors.
  6. No plastic, just coffee: how Caraway's first-ever coffee maker breaks the moldTom's GuideAvailability at Caraway and Crate & Barrel, the cleaning cycle and dishwasher-safe parts.
  7. Moccamaster KBGV Select 10-Cup Coffee MakerAmazonThe Moccamaster's price and capacity.
  8. Simply Good Coffee Plastic-Free Brewer reviewTom's GuideThe silicone water lines in another plastic-free brewer, and the Moccamaster's keep-warm time.

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