Single Cup Coffee Makers - Do You Really Need One?

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Single cup coffee makers are a blessing for those of us who may be the only coffee drinker in the household. There are actually many advantages to single cup coffee makers even if you aren't the only coffee drinker in the house.

There are a vast number of choices in the brand and make of single cup coffee makers, so you're going to need to a little research to select the right coffee maker for you. I'll give you a summary of some of the best options, then with further investigation you'll be better equipped to select from the available single cup coffee makers.

Also, depending on your choice of single cup coffee maker, your flavor options may expand dramatically. For example, if you choose one of the new pod or K cup coffee makers, you'll have a vast selection of coffee and tea flavors to choose from. If you just prefer straight, regular coffee, a simple, low-cost one cup brewer may be all you need. But before you decide one way or another, don't deny yourself options you may not have known were open to you.

Here are some of the advantages of single cup coffee makers:

• With a single cup coffee maker there's no worry about coffee sitting around and getting stale.
• Brewing is much faster with single cup coffee makers and with the new pod and K cup machines on the market, cleanup is almost effortless.
• If your partner prefers flavored coffee, and you like regular, your single cup coffee maker saves waste by allowing you to make only the beverage desired.
• Using the pod or K cup single cup coffee makers you will get a consistent quality cup of coffee each time.
• Many of the single cup coffee makers are small enough to pack and take on a trip with you. If you're using the pod or K cups there are no filters, no lose coffee grounds, and clean up is simply tossing the used pod or K cup.

Types of single cup coffee makers:

• The drip brewer is the most common of the single cup coffee makers. A filter and ground coffee are required, so with the single cup drip brewer, there is some inconvenience in measuring the coffee. With the single cup drip brewer, grounds often find their way into the cup. Because measuring coffee with a spoon is not precise and the coffee grounds are not always evenly distributed in the coffee filter, getting a consistent result is not guaranteed. The drip coffee brewers are the least expensive of the single cup coffee makers.
• One of the more recent innovations in single cup coffee makers is the coffee pod system. Your coffee is packed in precise measurements enclosed in a sealed filter. Many of the pod coffee makers rely on pressurized steam which results in a rich cup of coffee. Clean up is simply tossing the spent pod into the trash. There is a huge selection of coffee and tea pods for the pod single cup coffee makers, so you should have no problem finding a selection that will satisfy your coffee craving. The price per cup of coffee will be higher than off-the-shelf coffee from a supermarket, but the quality of taste is likely to be much better. Pricing for the pod single cup coffee makers run slightly less than $140 for the more expensive machines to around $40 for the lower end models.
• The K cup single cup coffee makers are the most expensive on the market and prices range from $100 at the low end up to $280 at high end. These are true brewers and use a proprietary sealed cup that contains the coffee and a built-in filter. You'll find that the K cups are generally more expensive that pod coffee. Most people who use the K cup single cup coffee makers feel that this system produces the highest quality cup of coffee.

Whatever your decision, it is undeniable that single cup coffee makers allow you to enjoy fresh coffee with every cup, and very little mess afterwards. Usually your coffee is ready in a minute or less and with the new innovations in pod and K cups, there is a staggering selection of coffee and tea flavors to choose from. Unless you have a large group to brew coffee for, it will be very difficult to go wrong by purchasing one of the new single cup coffee makers.