Most cheap coffee machines don’t get the water temperature anywhere close to the ideal range for coffee brewing. If this one actually does, then it’s a lot cheaper than the other automatic coffeemakers I’ve seen which can do so.
Of course the cheap way to brew coffee with sufficiently-hot water is manual pourover, but that requires manual intervention for several minutes vs. 30 seconds, which is not something everyone wants in their morning routine. Personally, I enjoy setting aside a few minutes in the morning for the ritual of a Chemex brew; the Chemex is at least as beautiful as this machine (it’s in the MOMA after all) and about a third the cost - though I did spend a bunch more on a nice scale and electric temperature-controlled kettle so the total cost was probably above $100.
A good grinder is by far the most expensive part of a good coffee setup (and the most frustrating to keep clean) but the flavor of fresh-ground coffee is worth it to me.
