The best single-serve coffee makers for fast and flavorful brewing

Best overall

The manual AeroPress is nan champion single-serve java shaper because it's still comparatively fast, but it yields a cup pinch a noticeably richer and much analyzable spirit than you'll get from pod-based machines.

The brewing process for nan AeroPress is elemental and well-articulated successful its instruction manual. You adhd a insubstantial select and screw nan headdress onto nan brewing chamber, scoop successful your crushed coffee, move successful basking h2o water, springiness it a stir, and past insert nan plunger and push down until it reaches nan grounds. With this versatile method, you tin switch espresso successful for regular crushed coffee, aliases switch basking h2o pinch room somesthesia h2o and make a cup of acold brew successful conscionable 2 minutes. 

The AeroPress's portability is besides a awesome trading constituent successful its favor. The coffeemaker does see a fewer different components, but they're each mini and easy to stow successful a activity container aliases a table drawer for on-the-go barista action. 

Finally, nan spirit of AeroPress java will fulfill moreover nan astir discerning third-wave java shop fiend. The plunger and cylinder let for speedy java extraction without rushing done nan infusion process, and nan vanished cup boasts fragrant aromatics, a agelong finish, and nary trace of burnt grounds aliases excessive bitterness. You won't get precisely nan level of complexity that you'd get from a pour-over brew, but nan AeroPress makes a awesome cup of java successful half nan clip that a pour-over does. It's a worthy trade-off.

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

Best Keurig

It's nary astonishment that our apical prime for a pod coffeemaker is simply a Keurig that uses brewing exertion and Bluetooth compatibility to connection a highly streamlined process and a tasty extremity product.

The K-Supreme Smart Single-Serve Coffee Maker features BrewID, a exertion developed by Keurig to admit individual K-Cups and urge a circumstantial brewing temperature. You tin property nan Brew fastener and fto BrewID do its thing. If you'd for illustration much agency complete your brew, nan K-Supreme Smart's clear surface and power buttons fto you power nan java process.

Not only tin you remotely schedule your brew done nan app, but you tin besides prevention your preferences for easy entree and pre-schedule brews.

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

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

Best budget

I whitethorn beryllium a java elitist, but I still person an undeniable soft spot for fuss-free, nothing-fancy drip coffee. That's precisely what nan Black & Decker Single Serve Coffee Machine provides successful a user-friendly, efficient, and mega-affordable manner. 

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

Will you beryllium blown distant by nan multilayered spirit floor plan of nan java made pinch this machine? Honestly, no. What you're getting is simply a azygous service of modular drip coffee: mild, drinkable, and quickly brewed. 

Best Nespresso

Making espresso astatine location tin consciousness for illustration a daunting task. I don't person nan java making expertise, disposable antagonistic space, aliases fund to group up a full-scale espresso instrumentality successful my kitchen. That's why Business Insider's java reviewers and I person specified a heavy and abiding appreciation for Nespresso and its VertuoPlus exemplary successful particular.

The VertuoPlus has a sleek silhouette that's easy to group up connected moreover a very mini antagonistic for illustration successful my galley kitchen. The pieces are intelligibly marked successful nan container and nan instructions are elaborate and surgery down step-by-step. However, it did look for illustration nan instrumentality needed to lukewarm up. You person to tally a rinse rhythm earlier brewing, but it took a fewer pushes of nan "brew" fastener earlier nan rhythm started. The aforesaid point happened erstwhile I went to brew my first cup.

Read our afloat guideline to nan best Nespresso machines to study more.

Best pour-over

The phin select is simply a pour-over brewing instrumentality that's wildly celebrated successful Vietnam. Now that I've utilized 1 to make my ain coffee, I deliberation American java fiends will find plentifulness to emotion astir this singular stainless-steel tool.

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

This java shaper uses finely crushed java and h2o that's conscionable beneath boiling (about 200 degrees F) to make a brew pinch a robust body, innumerable flavors, and a pleasantly lingering finish. It takes astir 5 minutes to make a cup pinch nan phin select but spot me; it's much than worthy nan wait. The included instructions person a conversational travel that still intelligibly communicates nan steps; I felt for illustration I was reference a statement from an particularly smart and coffee-savvy friend.

For knowledgeable pour-over users, I besides loved nan Kalita Wave Dripper 185. It's arsenic straightforward arsenic you tin get: you insert a Kalita filter, adhd coffee, and move basking h2o complete nan grounds successful a information pattern. That said, nan simplicity of nan method intends that there's a batch of room for variety and a batch of room for error. 

Though we don't characteristic nan Phin Filter successful our guideline to nan best pour-over java makers, we selected it present because of thoughtful specifications that make it peculiarly travel-friendly.

What to look for successful nan champion single-serve java makers

Primarily, you're choosing betwixt pod machines and much accepted java brewers.

Pod machines: To usage a pod machine, you conscionable cheque nan h2o vessel is full, popular successful a pod, and past property go. However, nan machines nutrient much biology discarded and java purists often find nan brews little flavorful.

Traditional brewers: French presses, pour-overs, and drip java makers tin make much nuanced cups of coffee, but each 3 methods necessitate much steps.

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

Capacity: Every 1 of nan champion single-serve java makers we urge chiefly makes 1 serving astatine a time, but immoderate of them tin make larger portions. If you for illustration an other ample mug aliases person occasional guests, a azygous 8-ounce brew mightiness not beryllium capable for you.

How we tested nan champion single-serve java makers

As a long-time java snob and manner merchandise reviewer, I utilized my acquisition to comparison nan champion single-serve java makers connected nan ground of speed, usability, and sensation of nan vanished brew. I besides said 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 really I tested each product:

Brew time: To find nan ratio of nan champion single-serve java makers, I timed really agelong it took to brew 10 ounces of coffee. I started by pushing nan "brew" fastener for electrical models and adding basking h2o for manuals. I group nan modular aliases "signature" brewing somesthesia for each of nan electrical models, and for nan manual models, I heated nan brewing h2o to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maintenance: A bully single-serve java shaper is maintained arsenic easy arsenic it brews. I put each java shaper together and wished nan trouble of each assembly. I cleaned each java shaper and noted whether nan coffeemakers could beryllium washed successful nan dishwasher and really galore different compartments needed to beryllium cleaned.

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

FAQs

Is location a amended single-serve java shaper than a Keurig?

It depends connected your preference, but we mostly find that nan best Nespresso machines nutrient much full-flavored brews and travel nan closest to making existent espresso of immoderate pod machine. However, Keurig machines and K-Cups are much affordable connected mean and much wide available.

How do you descale a Keurig?

Every 3-6 months, Keurig recommends that you region nan mineral deposits (known arsenic "scale") that build up successful your instrumentality complete clip and tin negatively impact nan timing and spirit of your brew. To descale and clean a Keurig, you'll request either Keurig's proprietary Descaling Solution aliases achromatic vinegar. Add nan solution to your h2o reservoir pinch a h2o bottle's worthy of water, spot a mug nether nan drip area, and tally a Brew cycle. Follow that up pinch a Brew rhythm utilizing caller h2o to thoroughly rinse nan machine.  

Can you usage K-Cups successful each single-serve pod machines?

Not each single-serve pod machines are compatible pinch K-Cups. For instance, K-Cups can't beryllium utilized successful Nespresso machines, arsenic those java makers usage their ain pods. Same goes for drip java machines for illustration nan Black & Decker; these java makers are only compatible pinch "soft" pods, which are compostable. K-Cups and Nespresso pods, connected nan different hand, see difficult integrative and aren't compostable. Only usage K-Cups pinch machines that are specifically designed to accommodate K-Cups.

As already mentioned successful this piece, K-Cups and different pre-measured pods won't nutrient exceptional coffee. "The java isn't needfully bad, but it's acold from great," said nan Woodburn-Simmonses. However, reusable K-Cups tin beryllium purchased, which tin beryllium filled pinch your crushed java of prime and utilized conscionable arsenic you would a modular K-Cup. "[By] utilizing freshly crushed beans successful a reusable K-Cup filter, you perfectly tin make a awesome cup of coffee," said nan Woodburn-Simmonses.

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

While pour-over and drip java some impact saturating crushed java pinch basking h2o and allowing nan resulting infusion (the liquid coffee) to drip into a vessel, nan similarities betwixt these methods extremity there. "Pour-over" is simply a manual process that requires you to power nan h2o (and to find nan water's somesthesia yourself) and to slow move nan h2o complete nan grounds. "Drip" automates that full procedure. After you adhd nan grounds and acold water, nan instrumentality does nan remainder for you. Think of drip java machines arsenic automatic cars and pour-overs arsenic stick-shifts. They'll some make a car run, but nan second is acold much hands-on (and much car-nerd-friendly) than nan former.