Many hardcore coffee lovers have been discovering the delicious tasting coffee that you can make with a single serve coffee pot. Many of the one cup coffee makers on the market not only brew some great tasting coffee, but many also come with handy features that make them easy to use and clean. Plus many are stylish and compact enough to keep on your kitchen counter all the time. Here are a few tips on what to look for in the best one cup coffee maker and a few reviews to help you start shopping.
Best One Cup Coffee Maker Buying Guide
Benefits of Single Serve Coffee Makers
When considering a one cup coffee maker, you need to keep the differences between K-cup coffee makers, regular coffee grind coffee makers, and pod coffee makers in mind.
Convenience – If you are in a hurry, and you just need one cup of coffee before you get in your car, these types of coffee makers make it easy to brew and get on the road.
Fresh – No likes to drink coffee that has been sitting around for a few hours. The best cup of coffee is always the one that was freshly made. The best benefit of a single serve coffee maker is definitely that each and every cup is always brewed fresh.
Waste – Instead of brewing an entire pot of coffee that may not get used, you will have less waste by using a single serve coffee maker. Plus, you won’t feel guilty at the possibility of wasting the coffee, so you won’t be as tempted to drink more than you want to.
Quality – Of the three, most people consider the coffee quality of the K-cups to be the best as far as taste.
Customization – When you use a single serve coffee maker, you can easily have a wide variety of coffee flavors and brands to choose from so everyone can use their preferred strength, flavor, and brand.
Speed – Since you don’t have to wait for an entire pot of coffee, the speed of these single cup coffee makers is a huge benefit for our busy lives. Plus, when you use K-cups or pods, you also don’t have to scoop anything, they are just easy to pop into the single cup coffee maker to get it started.
Great for the Office – Since you work with a wide variety of people who have their own taste preferences, the single serve coffee maker is a great addition to the break room.
Features to Consider for the Best One Cup Coffee Maker
Speed
Since this is one of the benefits of having a single cup coffee maker, most people obviously want the fastest possible brew speed. Keep in mind though that just because it can make coffee the fastest, that doesn’t mean the coffee is actually brewed correctly. While considering the speeds of a single cup coffee maker, also check reviews and make sure it is making great coffee as well. Otherwise, it might be worth waiting a few more seconds for another model to give you that great tasting coffee you want.
Temperature
You will find that some coffee makers will allow you to adjust the temperature which is a great feature for those of us that like your coffee hot! A good rule of thumb is that coffee temperature should be somewhere between 195 to 202 degrees Fahrenheit.
Versatility
Some single cup coffee makers will let you do more than brew coffee. Many will let you run hot water through the machine for tea or hot chocolate while others will let you make iced beverages like iced tea or iced coffee.
Strength
We all know that everyone has a particular coffee strength that they prefer. Some machines will allow you to adjust the strength which can require a bigger water reservoir so you can change the amount of water that will be needed for your cup of coffee.
Size
Depending on your counter space, you may want to consider how large the single cup coffee maker is and if it will fit under a cupboard. Always look at the product dimension and measure to measure carefully.
Timer
If you pretty much wake up at the same time each day, having a timer that you can set so your coffee is already made when you get up is a handy feature to have.
Water Reservoir
The size of your water reservoir can make the machine more convenient. A larger reservoir means you don’t have to keep adding water for each cup. Also, look for reservoirs that are detachable which is easier to refill than if it is a part of the coffee maker. And, if the reservoir is transparent, you can easily see when it is time to add more water without having to look in the machine or rely on the machine telling you.
Water Filtration System
This is not a common feature in a single cup coffee maker but you can find it in someone cup coffee makers. Having a water filtration system can definitely help improve the flavor of your coffee by guaranteeing that your water stays clean.
Cup Size
If you like using travel mugs or oversized mugs, make sure the machine you are considering can work with the width and height of those cups.
Noise
Coffee makers make noise, that is just a given. Some make more noise than others so if noise is an issue, do some research and read reviews to find out which ones are pretty quiet.
Best One Cup Coffee Maker Reviews
BUNN MCU Single Cup Home Coffee Brewer
With a classic industrial style design, the BUNN MCU Coffee Brewer doesn’t have a lot of features but it gives you a great cup of coffee. Easy to use, it has a fourteen-ounce reservoir that has a red light that tells you when it needs to be refilled
Featuring multiple drawers, you can store ground coffee, coffee pods, K-Cups, or even hot water. This is a fast coffee maker that can pour an eight-ounce cup of coffee in just 42 seconds. The BUNN MCU is a great combination of speed, affordability, and taste.
Pros:
- Good built quality with a compact size
- Super-fast brewing capability
- Easy to use with simple controls
Cons:
- Very basic design
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Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker
Filled with tons of features, the Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker uses Nespresso capsules to brew great tasting coffee. Giving you just the right amount of froth and cream, the Nespresso also fills your home with an incredible aroma while brewing a rich and flavorful cup of coffee.
The Nespresso Pixie is also fast brewing a cup of coffee in under thirty seconds. The capsules are also affordable, and the machine itself is well-built, compact, and attractive looking. Also featuring quiet operation, this is an easy to use and clean machine that will take a permanent place on your kitchen counter.
Pros:
- Quick brewing machine that is super quiet
- Attractive looking with a compact design
- A well-built machine that brews incredible tasting coffee
Cons:
- A little on the expensive side
- Cleaning the machine is a little hard
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Keurig K575 2.0 brewing system
One of many high-quality coffee makers from Keurig, the Keurig K575 2.0 Brewing System is a sleek coffee maker with a color touch display. It also features a digital clock that you can program to turn off and on automatically.
The Keurig K575 includes a carafe and is able to use five different types of K-cup sizes. This versatile coffee maker allows you to make specialty beverages, hot cocoa, and tea as well as coffee. This is a great coffee maker if you have a lot of people to make coffee for.
Pros:
- Modern and sleek look
- Very versatile and super quiet
- Incredible fast and is programmable
Cons:
- Maintenance intensive
- Has a sensor that prevents it from working with anything but a K-cup
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The Ninja Coffee Bar Single-Serve System
Featuring a capsule free system, the Ninja Coffee Bar does more than just make a cup of coffee. This is a powerful machine that can make either cold or hot beverages including espresso with its built-in frother. The Ninja Coffee Bar gives you the flexibility to make custom beverages so you can use any type of grind, coffee quantity, or coffee brand. It also features custom brew styles and sizes.
Pros:
- Versatile enough to make pretty much any type of beverage
- Flexible and capsule free
- Has four custom brewing sizes
Cons:
- Not very durable with all the plastic parts
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Keurig K55 Coffee Maker
Brewing some of the best coffee you will ever taste, the Keurig Coffee Maker features a 48-ounce water reservoir that is largest enough to keep from needing frequent refills. It is capable of pouring six, eight, or ten ounces of coffee in under a minute.
Well-constructed, the Keurig K55 is also versatile making lemonade and tea as well as coffee. Plus, it allows you to try out several different flavors of coffee. Although it isn’t programmable, it is a very affordable way to make a mouth-watering cup of coffee.
Pros:
- Easy and simple to use
- Great build quality with a large reservoir
- Very versatile allowing you to make several types of beverages
Cons:
- A little on the noisy side
- Hoses tend to stiffen after awhile
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Mr. Coffee Coffee Brewer BVMC-KG6-001
Although it lacks a lot of features, the Mr. Coffee Coffee Brewer works well in an upgraded kitchen, and you can’t argue with how it brews coffee. It is versatile enough to make hot cocoa, tea, and just regular old hot water. Plus, it can use either reusable coffee filters or K-cups.
With a forty ounce large reservoir and easy to use controls, the Mr. Coffee Coffee Brewer only needs to be refilled after you have brewed six cups. There are also three brew sizes to choose from, and the average cup of coffee only takes under a minute to brew.
Pros:
- You can use K-cups or coffee filters
- Great build quality and easy to use
- You can use several different cup sizes including a travel mug
Cons;
- Doesn’t come with a hard-water filter
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Keurig K15 Coffee Maker
This compact sized machine will work on any countertop. The Keurig K15 Coffee Maker doesn’t include a reservoir to give it its small footprint. Each cup requires fresh water, but it is worth it for the great taste and fast brewing capabilities.
The Keurig K15 also features a removable drip tray but it does have a hard time accommodating a typical mug due to its short height. However, these are small sacrifices to make for such a delicious cup of coffee.
Pros:
- Tastes great and works fast
- Very portable and includes wheel
- Nice and quiet and has a compact size
Cons:
- Doesn’t accommodate mugs easily
- Takes time to brew with the on-demand feature
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Hamilton Beach 49981A Single Serve
If you are looking for a more affordable coffee brewer, the Hamilton Beach 49981A Single Serve is a great choice. This coffee maker is a great value for the price giving you great tasting, hot coffee in under ninety seconds. The Hamilton Beach is stainless steel, super easy to clean and works great with any type of coffee grounds. Even though it only comes with a one-year warranty, this is a durable machine that will last you way past its warranty expiration. This is a great choice for anyone on a budget that needs something that makes good coffee and will last awhile.
Pros:
- Great value coffee machine for a good price
- Super easy to clean and use, Stainless Steel
- Efficient and incredibly durable
Cons:
- Coffee will splash out of the cup
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The Aeropress Coffee Maker
With great flavor and quality, the Aeropress Coffee Maker was created by a frisbee designer who wanted to make the perfect cup of coffee. With a simple classic design, you actually get a complex flavor that is great for traveling.
Similar to a French press, the Aeropress pours hot water over grounds and pushes coffee through a microfilter that makes sure there are no gritty fragments in your coffee. With a quick and easy cleanup, the Aeropress is loved by backpacker and campers since doesn’t require electricity to work and is durable enough to endure being backed into a backpack. It also brews coffee in just a minute and packs into a size that is smaller than a travel mug.
Pros:
- Doesn’t need electricity
- Simple design that is fast
- Lightweight and portable
Cons:
- Lots of parts that can get lost
- You need to buy paper filters for it
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If you have a busy life (and who doesn’t?), having a single serve coffee maker can make each morning easier to navigate. There are many models on the market with tons of features to choose from to match the type of coffee you love. The best one cup coffee maker not only gives you fast brewing, easy cleanup, and less waste, it also gives you delicious coffee that can help start your day.
