One-Cup Coffee Maker Review

Comparing one-cup coffee makers

Given the popularity of single-cup coffee makers, we were surprised to find so few recent reviews of them. Consumer Reports reviews more one-cup and pod-style coffee makers than any other professional review source. Their latest update, dated November 2007, covers nine pod machines and another five "to-go" models that come with insulated mugs. Each pod model is rated on convenience, brewing finesse, temperature consistency, noise level and selection of pod brands and varieties. One-cup to-go automatic drip coffee makers are evaluated for convenience, coffee flavor and features. Editors at Cook's Illustrated test just two pod coffee makers, but they go into far more detail than Consumer Reports. They evaluate each model on flavor, convenience, brewing temperature, brewing time, features, build quality and ease of use, but the magazine's coverage dates back to 2003.

No one follows single-cup coffee makers more closely than the aptly named Jay Brewer, who reviews more than 20 pod coffee makers and dozens of pods -- filter-wrapped pucks of ground coffee -- at SingleServeCoffee.com. Brewer provides product specifications, photographs, and in some cases, video of each coffee maker in action. He does a particularly good job of explaining the differences between various pod coffee maker models. This frequently updated site also provides first looks at the latest machines. Although most reviews are not comparative, this is a good site to visit once you have your choices narrowed down to a few models. Forums allow owners to offer buying advice and exchange tips. Likewise, CoffeeGeek.com provides thorough, detailed evaluations of single machines, and also includes owner ratings and a discussion forum.

We found a good side-by-side pod coffee maker review at TheNibble.com, a food blog, and a thorough, if dated, review of three pod coffee makers at CoffeeReview.com. A number of other magazines and websites, including Good Housekeeping, make recommendations, but editors don't demonstrate the extent to which each one-cup coffee maker is tested, so we rate these reviews as less useful. Owner-written reviews at Cooking.com and Amazon.com are extremely helpful, particularly because owners can comment on long-term reliability and features that prove themselves useful or annoying only over time.

We read numerous complaints about uneven coffee distribution among dual-mug coffee makers like the Melitta Take 2 ME2TM (*Est. $25) and Cuisinart Two to Go TTG-500 (*Est. $30). These have dual spouts and can brew into two travel mugs at once. Although both machines fare reasonably well in the single expert review that evaluates them, owners complain that the mugs don't fill at the same rate -- a problem that's both messy and potentially dangerous. Of the two, the Cuisinart version gets slightly better reviews from owners posting to Amazon.com. Owners like its stainless steel mugs and auto-shutoff feature, but a few note that the manufacturer's user guide states, "We do not recommend using the dishwasher to clean the mugs."

The Cuisinart Cup-o-Matic SS-1 (*Est. $150) earns raves from SingleServeCoffee.com's Jay Brewer, but owners posting to Amazon.com aren't as enthusiastic about this boxy, stainless steel-clad coffee maker. The Cup-o-Matic accepts pods as well as ground coffee, and it has a 75-ounce water reservoir. Owners say that the coffee tastes good, but the unit itself is noisy and prone to leaking, vibrations and breakdowns.