Single Serve Coffee Makers
Single Serve Coffee Makers
Single serve coffee makers are becoming a very popular kitchen appliance. Rather than the slow drip brewing method of traditional coffee makers, the single serve variety adds pressure to speed up the brewing process. Rather than ground coffee beans in a filter, these coffee makers use specially designed pods or cartridges. There are several companies that manufacture these new style of coffee maker. There are several advantages and some disadvantages to consider prior to buying one.
Top Brands
Bunn - One of the more expensive coffee makers, this coffee maker isn't limited to just one line of pods. Pods from most of the other brands will also work in the Bunn coffee maker, giving more options to the coffee drinker.
Cuisinart - The coffee maker offered by Cuisinart has several different settings that can be adjusted to create cups of varying sizes and strengths. Unlike other single serve coffee makers, this one can use either its specially designed pods or regular ground coffee beans.
Keurig - The selection of pods offered for this company's coffee maker is one of the largest on the market and include both tea and coffee varieties. The coffee makers offered by Keurig have easy to use controls and rapid brewing.
Krups - The coffee maker by this company uses capsules and has settings for coffee, cappuccino, and lattes.
Senseo - One of the first companies to offer single serve coffee makers, Senseo makes a straight forward machine that can brew either tea or coffee. It cannot, however, make any hot beverages requiring steamed milk.
Tassimo - The coffee maker offered by Tassimo is able to make just about any hot drink due to bar codes on the pods that tell the machine how to prepare the beverage.
Advantages
Individualization - When there is more than one coffee drinker in the house, they do not have to agree on a certain roast or strength. Each person using the coffee maker can set their preferences and use their favorite flavors thereby getting their perfect cup of coffee each time.
Faster Brewing - The time spent waiting for the coffee to brew is drastically reduced when brewing a single cup at a time. Add to that the pressurized brewing process and the brewing time is cut even more than with a traditional coffee maker.
Disadvantages
Pods - Most of the single serve coffee makers require their own brand of pods, which can sometimes be difficult to find.
Higher Costs - The pods for these coffee makers can cost more than using regular ground coffee beans.
The ability to quickly brew a cup of coffee exactly to your own taste is appealing to many coffee drinkers. This, combined with the wide variety of flavors and varieties of hot beverages has made this new style of coffee maker an increasingly popular kitchen appliance.