I like the Breville.  It's my personal favorite.  I

Breville® Single-Serve Coffee Maker

Quickly and quietly brew up a fresh cup for one in four sizes, from 5¼ oz. to 11¼ oz. Choose from over 150 varieties of pre-measured K-Cups or use your favorite ground coffee. Features adjustable temperature, intuitive menu system and blue backlit LCD display. 64-oz. water reservoir; stainless steel housing. 1500 watts. 13¼" x 10¼" x 12¾".

You can check it out here at Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BKC600XL-Gourmet-Single-Cup-Coffee/dp/B000VX7VJO

Source(s):
http://www.surlatable.com/gs/breville-single-serve-coffee-maker-13.shtml

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The best drip coffee maker in my experience and in the opinion of many coffee "geeks" is the low-tech Chemex:

http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/
http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/images/CM-1,%20CM-2,%20CM-3,%20CM-4%20--2.jpg

It was invented in 1941 by a chemist:

http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/About%20Us.htm

It's now more popular than ever. It's the top rated drip coffee maker (with a significant sample size) at CoffeeGeek, one of the most highly regarded coffee enthusiast forums:

http://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews/drip/chemex_drip_device

One of it's strong points is that uses completely chemically inert materials, so that residues that might affect the flavor don't accumulate. Unfortunately you have to boil your own water, but if the paramount requirement is "amazing drip coffee" then you probably need look no further.
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I know this may sound ridiculous after looking at all the nice units above, but for a cheap but good coffee maker, we use a Black and Decker. Why? Because of the wide spout that makes it hard to spill a drop. Which is very handy for those of us who stagger sleepy eyed into the kitchen the first thing in the morning, looking desperately to get that first cup of coffee.
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I've thought too much about coffee. That thinking has led me to consider beans, grinders, filters, water and so much more.

You can read a bit about my thoughts on grinders and bean selection here:
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/shopping/coffee-grinders-is-burr-really-better-than-blade

Specifically speaking to a drip coffee maker, you'll want to consider the following things:

1)
Quality
Is the unit built well? Does it rely on buttons that will wear out quickly, have a cheap handle on the pot, or worst of all, a flimsy grind holder?

2)
Water Dispersion & Temperature
The majority of coffee makers on the market use a single stream of water to cover the grounds in the basket. While all of the grounds will get wet (absorption), they won't necessarily release all of their flavour because they're not being completely or directly soaked.

Also, most coffee makers on the market pump the water up and through the ground immediately. The temperature of the water you use (and cold is generally best in this scenario), impacts the amount of flavour that is released. Cold, filtered water is best for a variety of reasons and coffee maker manufacturers recommend that you use it as not to damage the unit. However, a unit that warms the water in a separate tank not only results in amazingly fast (no timer required) brews but also hot water flowing through the ground to pull the most flavour.

CONCLUSION

I could go on and on about this. However, I think that if you go into a store looking for both quality and function, you won't go wrong.

My recommendation is this coffee maker:

In Canada:
http://www.timhortons.com/en/menu/store_Merchandise.html#Tims_at_Home

In The U.S.
http://www.amazon.com/BX-B-Classic-10-Cup-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B000FFILRO/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1233150041&sr=8-1

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/images/products/bunn-B10B-s.jpg

This coffee maker is truly outstanding. It may not be the best looking or have an LCD screen, but it makes outstanding coffee reliably.

It does not need a timer because it brews coffee in under 2 minutes. It sprays hot water against the ground and it is built to run all day long.  It is inexpensive and has inexpensive replacement parts if you ever need them.  It uses regular filters that you can buy at any grocery store and is simply awesome. You just don't get any better than this.

Jason, if this is a purchase for the Mahalo office, don't mess around with your employees or guests.  Give them good coffee :)

I hope that this helps.
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I LOVE my Aeropress! I know, it's not prestigious or sexy. But it makes absolutely the best coffee out there, and super-fast, too.

It's like a French Press, but faster and in reverse. The premise is that the aromatic compounds in coffee are removed more easily than the bitter compounds. So in the Aeropress, the grounds are exposed to the water for under a minute. What comes out is the flavor with none of the bitterness.

Did you know coffee is naturally sweet? Neither did I. I never drank coffee as an adult, except at my parents' house when I'd visit, because they always buy gourmet coffee and ground it fresh. Even then I wasn't terribly fond of it.

That changed when I tried some Trader Joe's Volcano a friend made with an Aeropress. After more than a decade of refusing to drink coffee, I became started drinking it. My favorite is now their Terrazu. Funny how I immediately went for their darkest roasts! Speaks volumes about the Aeropress.

It's also the same technology that's at the heart of Starbuck's new $20K coffeemakers.

Here's how easy it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pHqYVWqg6k

He's obviously not the one who's going to clean up the counter!  I stir from the time I start pouring, and rinse off the stirring stick that way.  Then I pop the puck right into the trash and rinse the Aeropress off right away.
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Mahalo has a great page on How to Make Good Coffee that includes a section on what's important in a coffee maker.

After doing the research, we selected a Capresso drip coffee maker that incorporates a burr grinder, gets the water hot enough to properly brew the coffee, and incorporates a thermal carafe to keep the coffee fresh all morning.

Source(s):
http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Make_Good_Coffee

http://www.zaccardis.com/capresso-coffeeteam-therm-455.html

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