The best single-serve coffee makers, tested and reviewed

Don't beryllium intimidated by the manual AeroPress: it is by acold the champion single-serve java shaper we tested. It yields a cupful of java with a noticeably richer and much analyzable spirit than what you'll get from pod-based machines. Plus, you get astonishing versatility: we've swapped espresso successful for regular crushed java oregon utilized country somesthesia h2o to marque a cupful of acold brew.

The AeroPress's portability is simply a large selling constituent successful its favor. The java shaper does see a fewer antithetic components, but they're each tiny and casual to stow successful a enactment container oregon a table drawer for on-the-go barista action.

The brewing process for the AeroPress is elemental and well-articulated successful its acquisition manual. You adhd a insubstantial filter and screw the headdress onto the brewing chamber, scoop successful your crushed coffee, determination successful blistery h2o water, springiness it a stir, and past insert the plunger and propulsion down until it reaches the grounds. 

Finally, the spirit of AeroPress java volition fulfill adjacent the astir discerning java drinker. The plunger and cylinder let for speedy extraction without rushing done the infusion process, and the finished cupful boasts fragrant aromatics, a agelong finish, and nary hint of burnt grounds oregon excessive bitterness. You won't get precisely the level of complexity that you'd get from a pour-over, but the AeroPress makes a large cupful of java successful fractional the clip that a pour-over does.

Read our afloat AeroPress review to larn much astir our apical pick. 

As acold arsenic spirit goes, java from immoderate of the best Keurig java makers won't (and truly can't) connection the aforesaid level of nuance and extent arsenic freshly crushed coffee. But it is cleanable erstwhile I conscionable privation a drinkable, casual brew. Plus, fans of iced java volition beryllium gladsome to cognize that this instrumentality includes a mounting that brews extra-strong blistery java designed to determination implicit ice. This java doesn't battalion the punch of acold brew, but it's beardown capable to debar tasting watered-down.

The K-Supreme Smart Single-Serve Coffee Maker features BrewID, a exertion developed by Keurig to admit idiosyncratic K-Cups and urge a circumstantial brewing temperature. You tin property the Brew fastener and fto BrewID bash its thing. If you'd similar much bureau implicit your brew, the K-Supreme Smart's wide surface and power buttons fto you power the java process.

Not lone tin you remotely docket your brew done the app, but you tin besides prevention your preferences for casual entree and pre-schedule brews. There are arsenic galore brewing options arsenic determination are K-Cups.

For much information, cheque retired our usher to the best K-Cup java Keurig pods. 

I whitethorn beryllium a java elitist, but I inactive person an undeniable brushed spot for fuss-free, nothing-fancy drip coffee. The Black & Decker Single Serve Coffee Machine provides precisely that successful a user-friendly, efficient, and mega-affordable manner. 

This tiny and lightweight instrumentality would beryllium an perfect prime for a dorm room, a tiny apartment, oregon a enactment desk. You tin usage crushed java — and the thorough instructions explicate however overmuch to adhd for a azygous java serving — oregon pre-loaded drip java pods. Those pods are compostable mesh pouches filled with a azygous serving of crushed java and designed to enactment successful a drip java shaper (unlike the hard-sided K-Cups, which lone enactment successful coffeemakers designed for that benignant of pod and can't beryllium composted). From there, it's arsenic elemental arsenic filling the instrumentality with water, adding the grounds oregon pod, and flipping a switch. 

Will you beryllium blown distant by the multilayered spirit illustration of the java made with this machine? Honestly, no. What you're getting is simply a azygous service of modular drip coffee: mild, drinkable, and rapidly brewed. 

I don't person the coffee-making expertise, disposable antagonistic space, oregon fund to acceptable up a full-scale espresso instrumentality successful my kitchen. That's wherefore I person specified a heavy and abiding appreciation for Nespresso and its VertuoPlus exemplary successful particular.

The machine's bundle scans each pod and automatically determines the champion brewing temperature, pressure, and brew time. Nespresso's Vertuo pods besides travel successful java brews, if you'd alternatively person a modular cupful of coffee. With some the java and the espresso pods, the VertuoPlus creates a beauteous furniture of crema astatine the apical of the brew, and the spirit of the portion is affluent and nicely balanced.

Read our afloat usher to the best Nespresso machines to larn more.

The phin filter is simply a pour-over brewing instrumentality that's fashionable successful Vietnam. Now that I've tested 1 for this guide, I'm besides a instrumentality of this singular stainless-steel tool. Though we don't diagnostic the Phin Filter successful our usher to the best pour-over java makers, we selected it present due to the fact that of thoughtful details that marque it peculiarly travel-friendly.

Nguyen Coffee Supply is simply a roaster with Vietnamese roots, founded by Vietnamese-American entrepreneur Sahra Nguyen. Their phin filter java shaper consists of a tiny cup-shaped brewing chamber, a perforated sheet that serves arsenic a filter, and a headdress that fits implicit the apical of the brewing enclosure to support successful the heat. This mightiness dependable similar a batch of pieces to transportation astir (and perchance lose), but the components each stack neatly together. 

This java shaper uses finely crushed java and h2o that's conscionable beneath boiling (about 200 degrees F) to marque a brew with a robust assemblage and a pleasantly lingering finish. It takes astir 5 minutes to marque a cupful with the phin filter but spot me; it's much than worthy the wait. The included instructions person a conversational travel that inactive intelligibly communicates the steps; I felt similar I was speechmaking a enactment from an particularly astute and coffee-savvy friend.

For experienced pour-over users, I besides loved the Kalita Wave Dripper 185. It's arsenic straightforward arsenic you tin get: you insert a Kalita filter, adhd coffee, and determination blistery h2o implicit the grounds successful a circular pattern. That said, the simplicity of the method means that there's a batch of country for saltation and a batch of country for error. 

Type: You're chiefly choosing betwixt pod machines and much accepted java brewers. To usage a pod machine, you conscionable capable the h2o tank, popular successful a pod, and property go. However, the machines nutrient much biology waste, and java purists often find the brews little flavorful. French presses, pour-overs, and drip java makers tin marque much nuanced cups of coffee, but each 3 methods necessitate much steps.

Convenience: One of the benefits of making tiny batches is that you tin marque them faster than a afloat carafe. Our champion pour-over prime takes the longest clip to brew (up to 7 minutes), truthful that's not large for a grab-and-go morning. Pod machines are mostly the fastest to run and brew.

Serving size: Every highly-rated single-serve java shaper we urge chiefly makes 1 serving astatine a time, but immoderate tin marque larger portions. If you similar an extra-large mug oregon person occasional guests, a azygous 8-ounce brew mightiness not beryllium capable for you.

Cleaning: Since determination are nary escaped grounds, pod machines are the easiest to clean, but they bash request to beryllium descaled each fewer months. Our apical pick, the AeroPress, has each dishwasher-safe parts, which is simply a large plus. With immoderate java maker, you privation to wide retired immoderate utilized java grounds aft each brew.

As a long-time java snob and manner merchandise reviewer, I utilized my acquisition to comparison the champion single-serve java makers connected the ground of speed, usability, and sensation of the finished brew. I besides spoke to Matt and Katie Woodburn-Simmons, seasoned baristas and existent owners/operators of Home Coffee Expert, and Sara De Luca, laminitis of Invita Cafe successful California to get their takes connected single-serve java makers. Here is however I tested each product:

Speed: To find the ratio of the champion single-serve java makers, I timed however agelong it took to brew 10 ounces of coffee. I started by pushing the "brew" fastener for electrical models and adding blistery h2o for manual models. I acceptable the modular oregon "signature" brewing somesthesia for each of the electrical models, and for the manual models, I heated the brewing h2o to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maintenance: A bully single-serve java shaper is maintained arsenic easy arsenic it brews. I enactment each java shaper unneurotic and determined the trouble of each assembly. I cleaned each java shaper and noted whether the coffeemakers could beryllium washed successful the dishwasher and however galore antithetic compartments needed to beryllium cleaned.

Taste: I utilized Starbucks Pike Place java for each brewing trial (finely crushed Pike Place for the manual brewers, Pike Place K-Cups for the models that could accommodate K-Cups, and Pike Place Nespresso pods for the Nespresso machines). I past critiqued each finished cupful connected the ground of spirit balance, nuance, and strength.

What's amended than Keurig?

When we compared Nespresso vs. Keurig, we recovered that the best Nespresso machines nutrient much full-flavored brews and travel the closest to making existent espresso of immoderate pod machine. However, Keurig machines and K-Cups are much affordable connected average, wide available, and amended for ample households.

Can java pods beryllium recycled?

Yes and no. K-cups are present made with recyclable plastic, but you inactive request to region the lid and dump retired the grounds. Some communities bash not judge K-cups astatine recycling facilities, truthful you'll request to cheque your section restrictions.

Nespresso pods person akin restrictions. In New York City, you tin adhd the pods to your regular curbside recycling. For astir different locations, you'll person to cod the utilized pods and either nonstop them to Nespresso oregon driblet them disconnected astatine a Nespresso boutique oregon participating Williams Sonoma).

If being environmentally affable is simply a cardinal information for you, pod brewers are not the champion choice.

What is the quality betwixt a pour-over and drip coffee?

While pour-over and drip java some impact saturating crushed java with blistery h2o and allowing the resulting infusion (the liquid coffee) to drip into a vessel, the similarities betwixt these methods extremity there.

"Pour-over" is simply a manual process that requires you to vigor the h2o (and to find the water's somesthesia yourself) and to dilatory determination the h2o implicit the grounds. "Drip" automates that full procedure. After you adhd the grounds and acold water, the instrumentality does the remainder for you. Think of drip java machines arsenic automatic cars and pour-overs arsenic stick-shifts. They'll some marque a car run, but the second is acold much hands-on (and much car-nerd-friendly) than the former. 

Taylor Tobin is simply a contributing writer for Insider and a freelance nutrient and beverage writer with bylines astatine Eater, Food & Wine, Austin Chronicle, Wine Enthusiast, and Southern Living, among others. She lives successful Austin with her rescue canine Marty McFly, who keeps her institution arsenic she tests room products astatine home, develops caller recipes, and visits cafes, brew gardens, and restaurants passim the city. Follow her connected Instagram astatine @tee_tobes.

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