Starting your day off without a hot cup of Jo may leave you tired and on edge all day, and that is why coffee is one of the most loved beverages known to mankind.
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Why single serve coffee maker?
Usual coffeemakers are time consuming and inefficient. For example, consider the filter paper method of preparing coffee. It is time consuming, requires filter papers, and is generally just very bothersome to use. Whereas single serve coffee makers are easy, convenient, and get the job done with just with a press of a button.
Single serve coffee makers are for people who love coffee and don’t want to wait around for a long time to be able to drink it. What’s more, most single serve coffee maker provides a standardized serving through pods or capsules which can be tweaked to your liking. Single serve coffee makers also brew other beverages like tea and hot chocolate.
Coffee roasters, brewers and aficionados the world over have switched to single serve coffee makers. It is a no-nonsense way of getting the much needed kick of caffeine. That is also the reason why the use of single serve coffee makers has gained popularity over the years, and continues to be one of the most popular ways of brewing coffee.
Benefits of a single serve coffee maker
1. It is compact: Most coffee machines are large and bulky, and let’s admit, are not very economical in terms of shelf space. A single serve coffee maker is compact, and can fit almost anywhere. They are the small but deliver the same great tasting coffee that kick starts your morning.
2. It is economical: Single serve coffee makers are economical, some ranging between $20-$30. This makes it a good option for students that need a quick and cheap caffeine fix. The price point can let you spend more on good coffee grounds, which only enriches your coffee drinking experience.
3. It is quick: Most single serve coffee makers brew a fresh, hot cup of java in less than 4 minutes. This makes it perfect for your hectic mornings where you may have not have an hour to filter the coffee.
4. Easy to clean: Single serve coffee makers with drip trays are very easy to clean. If you make a splash, worry not. Simply clean with vinegar or rinse with water and voila, it’s good as new!
Keeping all these benefits in mind, let’s look at a few of the top single serve coffee machines. This list looks at the various details of the machines and ranks them according to efficiency and quality. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Top 10 Best Single Serve Coffee Makers
10. Chulux Single Serve Coffee Maker
This coffee maker has a reusable filter and a 12oz water tank with a relatively compact size. This machine can be used in office spaces or home, and can be carried along with you. Despite having a water reservoir, this Coffee maker is travel-ready, making it a unique piece.
The machine works on a one touch operation and brews a quick cup that delivers the strong, heady flavour of coffee consistently. This machine uses single cup pods, and brews coffee in less than 3 minutes. It has a powerful pumping system which can raise the water temperature to 160 degrees.
Features
- Safety lock: The machine has a safety lock switch that locks the machine immediately.
- Fast Brew: The coffee can be brewed in less than 3 minutes, making it extremely fast and easy to use. The pump ensures that the water remains hot, making brewing infinitely easier.
- Auto off: The machine comes with the auto off feature, meaning it immediately turns off after a session of brewing. This ensures maximum power saving.
- One touch operation: Coffee brewing can never get easier than this. With just a simple touch of the button, you can enjoy a fresh, hot and aromatic cup of coffee that is sure to kick start your day.
- Easy to use with the one touch operation
- Pump system guarantees hot coffee
- Very compact
- Pump can easily break, and the machine is flimsy
- May sometimes leave a
plasticky taste if not cleaned regularly
Summary
This machine is an all rounder. It is compact, energy saving, quick and makes a delicious cup of coffee. For the price, it is quite a decent machine.
9. Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso machine
This coffee maker is very versatile, with a sleek design and brews a range of of coffee styles both in terms of flavor and strength. With George Clooney as its face, the Nespresso Vertuo coffee maker has gained a lot of popularity and for good reason.
Features
- Automatic coffee/espresso: With the touch of a single button, this machine brews a cup of coffee the way you want it. Whether you want a cup of espresso for those really hectic mornings, or a nice hot cup of coffee on a Sunday morning, this coffee maker has it all covered with just through touch of a button!
- Versatility and variety: You can brew 5 different single serve coffee styles including Espresso (1.35 oz.), Double Espresso (2.7 oz.), Gran Lungo (5 oz.), Coffee (7.7 oz.) and Alto (14 oz). You can also pour over ice to create a classic iced coffee.
- Centrifusion technology: Every pod comes with a barcode, which can be put into the coffee maker, which then reads it to interpret the cup size, temperature, flow rate and rotation speed to make a perfect cup of coffee for your needs.
- Removable water reservoir: The machine comes with a 40 oz water reservoir for hassle free refilling.
- Fast heating: Nespresso guarantees a 15 second heat time, so you never have to wait to have a cup of coffee!
- Versatility in taste, temperature,
flavor and style.
- Fast heating and automatic shut off
- Appealing and elegant design
- Comes with a complementary gift.
- On the Higher price range
($149.96)
- Can only use Nespresso coffee pods which are also pricey.
Final verdict
Considering the versatility and variety of coffee that is offered, this is one of our top contenders for the best single serve coffee makers. However, there are a few setbacks with this coffee maker that ultimately hinder it’s usage. They are listed in the pros and cons section below.
8. Cuisinart DCC-3000 Coffee on demand 12-cup coffee maker
This is an easy to use, intuitive machine that works with an easy-to-use actuator. The machine itself is of fantastic quality, and displays the water level very clearly on its left side. The dimensions of the machine are 22.5×14.25×17.25, which makes it slightly big. But this machine is one of the fastest one’s on the list.
The removable drip tray is easy to remove and clean. The drip page is very minimum as the machine is very accurate. The double walled coffee reservoir can hold upto twelve 5 oz cups of coffee, justifying its size. The coffee reservoir is also removable which makes it very easy to clean.
Features
- Removable Coffee and Water reservoir: This machine comes with removable water and coffee reservoirs, making it very easy to clean. What’s more, the water reservoir on the side is transparent, which lets you put in just the right amount of water
- Charcoal water filter: The water filter in the machine purifies the water before brew. It also eliminates chlorine and any of that tap flavor that may ruin your coffee experience.
- Easy to use control panel: The control panel on the machine is fairly easy to use, with a knob for the program and brew settings. It also has a coffee gauge, which works just like a fuel gauge on a car! And another little feature is the clock on the machine.
- Charcoal water filter.
- Easy to use control panel
- Visible water reservoir and coffee
gauge
- Bulky and large
- Relatively slow brew time
Summary
This coffee maker is large and weighs almost 10 pounds, which puts it on the bigger side of single serve coffee machines. The pros and cons list will help you decide if this machine is the one for you.
7. AdirChef Grab N’ Go Personal Coffee Maker
This machine is sleek, and has a very appealing look. It is compact and comes in a variety of colors. It comes with a permanent filter, making it very eco-friendly. It is made using durable plastic and the cup fits perfectly in most car cup holders.
It bores a hot cup of coffee that fills the travel mug with just the push of a button. With the low price point, this coffee maker is one of our favorites. It works on a capsule-less system, which ensures that you make your coffee with only your favorite grinds.
Features
- Extremely portable: The travel mug design helps you stash the machine in any corner, and grab your travel mug right before you leave for the day! Other mugs also fit, however, so you are not limited to using the mug provided. What’s more, the mug is made of stainless steel.
- Permanent filter: This coffee maker comes with a permanent filter, which means less cleaning and very ecofriendly.
- Automatic shut off: This machine shuts off automatically after use, which means you not only save time, but save electricity too!
- Extremely cheap ($23.99)
- Portable and does not require
cleaning
- Comes in many colors
- Flimsy button
- Can sometimes deliver tepid coffee
Summary
These features make this coffee machine for people who are always on the go, and do not want to inconvenience themselves with cleaning and looking after the maintenance of the coffee maker. This is an affordable and portable machine.
6. Keurig K-mini single serve coffee maker
This coffee maker will make your coffee drinking experience easier, but will not compromise on the flavour or quality of the coffee itself. One of the most appealing factors of this coffee maker is its size. It is less than 5 inches wide, and is perfect for a small corner in your kitchen or office space. It may be small, but it is just as good as some of the bigger players.
This makes one of the most splendid single serves, and does it fast. Coffee is made in a mere few minutes, and is perfect for the start of your day. For all you messy folks out there, worry not, for the removable drip tray on this machine can hold upto a full brew of coffee in case of accidental spillage. The drip tray is easy to clean, and does not stain.
Features
- Auto off: Keurig is known to focus on energy efficiency, and this coffee maker has the auto off feature. This feature turns off your coffee maker 90 seconds after your last brew, ensuring that you never waste any energy.
- Cord storage: The 26” long wire can be neatly folded and placed in the cord storage, which ensures the utmost portability.
- Fits anywhere: This machine can fit in a space that is 5” wide, which offers the ultimate portability.
- Compatible with any K-Cup pods: This ensures that you can make other beverages that come in K pods, which adds a point to versatility.
- Energy efficient
- Portable
- Sleek design
- Compatible with travel mug and
comes with a removable drip tray
- Expensive
- May take longer than 4 minutes to
make a cup of coffee
Summary
These features make this coffee machine for people who are always on the go, and do not want to inconvenience themselves with cleaning and looking after the maintenance of the coffee maker. This is an affordable and portable machine.
5. Black+Decker single serve coffeee maker
This is one of the most popular coffee makers on the market, made by The tool making company Black+Decker. It comes at a very cheap price of $21.96. It is by far the most compact coffee maker on the list, and comes with a very elegant looking travel mug.
The travel mug is of a very high quality, just like the machine. At there price point, this Black and Decker coffee maker really surprises.
The travel mug is a large 16 oz mug that fits snugly in almost all car cup holders, which makes it perfect if you want your coffee to-go. The mesh metal filter is very easy to clean, with just a few rinses doing the job.
Features
- Works with pre-ground coffee or pods: This coffee maker works with pods or coffee grinds, which ensures you get the flavor that you want.
- Auto off feature: This machine also comes with the auto off feature, which ensures that you waste no electricity.
- Permanent filter: The coffee maker comes with a permanent grounds filter, which means that you never have to change the filter.
- Dishwasher safe: The coffee maker can be put right into your dishwasher, making it easy to wash.
- Comes with a mug
- Dishwasher safe
- Extremely portable
- Permanent mesh filter
- Cheap price
- May tend to overflow
Summary
BLACK+DECKER has a very good brand loyalty simply because they deliver on everything that they make. This means that this Black and Decker coffee maker is going to be durable and reliable.
4. Hamilton Beach (49974) single serve coffee maker
Hamilton is one of the leading coffee maker companies of today, with a range of coffee makers that warrant their own list in time. This machine brews with or without pod packs. The grounds basket and pack holder are included with this product.
This product is very easy to use, and it requires you to place the coffee pod or fresh grounds in the machine and lowering the lid. With the one touch operation, this machine brews a quick, delicious and piping hot cup of coffee every time. The water is also visible from the front side, which lets you measure water easily.
Features
- Flexbrew technology: Rather than heating water continuously, the flex brew technology heats water only when you are ready to brew, which ensures the perfectly piping hot cup of coffee.
- Fast brew: This coffee maker promises a brew time of less than 3 minutes.
- Easy cleaning with pack piercing tool: The pack piercing tool makes it easy to clean any clogs that may have occurred.
- Easy to clean
- Can use pods or coffee grinds
- Fast brew time
- Prone to spillage
Summary
The Hamilton Beach range of coffee makers is known for it’s efficiency and design. This machine has an elegant metallic look that can never go wrong. The coffee comes out strong and hot thanks to the flexbrew technology.
3. Presto 02835 Myjo single cup coffee maker
This machine has one of the most appealing designs. It can be carried anywhere and can be unassembled quite easily. It brews a strong, and hot cup of coffee and does not compromise on the flavor. The pump on the top is very easy to use and works quite efficiently. Tea bags can also be used, making it a very versatile and highly efficient product.
The best part however, is it’s price. For the quality of coffee it brews, the machine is very cost efficient, coming upto only $14 in total. It is a beautiful coffee maker that is sure to draw envy of all your friends. This coffee maker can fill cups, mugs, travel mugs of any size.
Features
- Pump design: The pump design eliminates any use of electricity. Hot water can be added to your own liking, or can be microwaved in. Both K-cups or grounds coffee can be used to brew a cup of fresh, hot coffee.
-
- Can be dissembled: The whole machine can be dissembled in three easy motions. This makes the machine extremely portable and light. This also makes it easy to clean the coffee maker without any hassle.
-
- Microwave safe: The coffeemaker is microwave safe, which means that water can be heated directly inside it. The water can be heated to your liking, or even cold water can be added for those summertime coffee needs.
The coffee machine comes at low price. In fact, it is the cheapest on the list and very compact, making it a good option for college students. It is also electricity-free, improving the economic factor.
- Compact design that can be
unassembled
- Electricity free
- Extremely cheap ($14)
- Takes pods as well as ground coffee
- Is a bit flimsy
- Requires effort to make coffee
Summary
The coffee machine is very cheap. In fact, it is the cheapest on the list and very compact, making it a good option for college students. It is also electricity-free, improving the economic factor.
2. Keurig K-Classic single serve K-cup pod maker
This coffee machine gives a lot of control into your hands as to how strong or hot you want your coffee. This is for the real coffee lovers that don’t mind spending some extra time in getting the coffee just right.
It can brew upto a 10 oz cup, really fast with a really good, gourmet flavor. It is slightly large but for good reason. It has a 48 oz water reservoir, which makes it easy to make large batches for all your friends and family. It also has Brewer maintenance reminder which lets you know when to clean it.
Features
- Descaling: Descaling helps remove calcium deposits that may have accumulated after many sessions of brewing. This helps keep the machine clean and looking new.
- Large water reservoir: Holds 48 oz of water, and is removable. This makes it easy to clean, and can store large amount of water.
- Really fast brew time: Keurig assures a brew time of less than 60 seconds, which is the fastest brew time on this list!
- Auto off: This feature ensures that the machine automatically turns off after a brew.
- Reliable
- Very quick and easy to use
- Comes in many colors and has an
appealing design
- Removable water reservoir
- Very bulky
- Slightly pricy
Summary
Keurig has been the leading brand in the industry for quite some time, and the Keurig K-Classic truly is a classic in the coffee machine world. It brings a consistent and delicious cup of coffee every time.
1. Hamilton Beach The Scoop Single Single serve coffee maker
The single serve scoop filter ensures the best, customizable coffee experience than any other machine on the list. This hamilton beach flexbrew single serve coffee maker is the fastest on the list, brewing in less than 90 seconds. The flavor, temperature, customizability, and the elegant design coupled with the amazing price point make it #1 on out list.
This hamilton beach flexbrew single serve coffee maker fills a travel mug in less than 2.4 minutes, which is a remarkably fast time. It also has automatic shut off and a spill resistant drip tray. It has an easy to clean stainless steal body that looks elegant regardless of where you place it.
This coffee machine can also brew to your taste, and has an automatic drip feature so you get maximum customizability. This coffee maker has almost no cons, and boasts a really cheap price point of $39.99. For the quality that it provides, this price point is hands down worth every penny!
Features
- Fast Brewing: The coffee is brewed in less than 90 seconds, and a 14 oz travel mug is brewed in less than 2.5 minutes. Coffee grounds as well as pods can be used to make a strong cup of coffee.
- Auto off: The auto off feature saves a lot of power by shutting off immediately after a session of brewing is completed.
- Spill resistant drip tray: This drip tray ensures that even if you accidentally spill some coffee, it can be easily and efficiently be cleaned.
- Temperature and boldness control: Hamilton Beach The scoop coffee maker lets you customize the coffee according to your needs. The strength and temperature of your coffee can be controlled by the two buttons next to the nozzle. It comes with a REGULAR and a BOLD setting.
- Quick coffee with a lot of control
- Cost efficient
- Reasonably compact
- Can sometimes shut down
randomly
Summary
This hamilton beach flexbrew single serve coffee maker is the best of its class, and gives you the control of the temperature and strength of the brew. The coffee maker is extremely cheap for the features it provides, and is highly recommended by us.
This list comprises of result of research considering the popularity, efficiency, features, convenience, and the price.
The coffee machines on this list are all at the top of the market, and provide a rich, strong cup of coffee. And yes, this list was made by coffee lovers, for coffee lovers!
Buyer Guide to Select the Best Single Serve Coffee Maker
1. Pods vs coffee grinds: Pods are small packets of coffee with an aluminium lid. These pods can be put into machines that use Pods to get a quick, hassle free and standard cup of coffee. However, Pods can be expensive, and a constant expenditure on pods may not be what you are looking for. Coffee grinds on the other hand, can be made from beans of your own liking.
Machines like the Nespresso use only Nespresso pods, which again, are very expensive. This factor hence becomes important in figuring out what coffee maker to purchase.
2. K cups: K cup coffee machines affect the environment adversely and can also reduce the quality of the coffee. However, they provide a variety of coffee styles, with a lot of convenience. All of this, however, comes at an immense cost to the environment.
K cups also tend to be expensive, and hence become an important factor to consider when purchasing a coffee machine.
3. Usage factor: Filtering can be done electrically, through percolates or through pumps. Pumps are useful when trying to brew coffee outdoors. Percolators are good to use on a stove, and electric machines are useful in office spaces.
The location and usage of the machines then becomes a factor in considering what the best choice of a coffee machine may be.
4. Temperature and flavor control: To get a good brew, coffee machines should maintain a water temperature between 165 degrees to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Should temperatures fall below this level, the coffee may come out tasting very flat. This is because the temperature is not high enough for the coffee grounds to release their flavors.
5. Water jet range: As a buyer, one must always ensure that the water jet is of a wider range, so that all of the coffee grounds ca be evenly soaked. If the water jet is too narrow, then the coffee may not be as strong since not all the powder gets used.
6. Auto off mode: The auto off mode has become a standard in single serve coffee machines of today. Electric coffee machines generally consume about 1300-1500 watts of power. This is a lot of energy which can be wasted if a user forgets to switch off the machine.
Auto off mode is ecofriendly, and if one wants to buy a coffee machine which is so, this factor must be considered.
7. Drip tray: A removable drip tray will go a long way to save time and effort in cleaning and maintenance. Coffee brewing can sometimes be a messy job, and some spillage once in a while is inevitable. A good ay to remedy this arduous process is the inclusion of a removable drip tray.
The drip tray can be removed and cleaned with vinegar or just rinsed with water. It is convenient to have a drip tray on the coffee machine, especially when using in an office space.