6 Single Cup And Pot Coffee Makers To Buy In 2019
When you’re buying a coffee maker you often have to choose between one that brews a single cup or a carafe. But what if you wanted to brew in both sizes? Single-serve is adequate if you’re just making coffee for yourself. But when you have guests over, a carafe can be a rather convenient solution.
Fortunately, there are now plenty of two-way (dual) coffee makers available on the market, which allow you to switch between single-serve and carafe. In this article, we’re going to review six that we consider to be the best options for 2019.
Considerations before you Buy a dual coffee maker
Before you buy single cup and pot coffee makers, there are a few things to consider:
● Ease of Use – are you the kind of person who enjoys having control of the brewing process or would you rather have it made for you at the press of a button? There are two-way coffee makers that satisfy both categories of users.
● Programmability – Some two-way coffee makers allow you to set up an automatic brewing time. This means that you can have coffee already made by the time you get out of bed.
● K-Cup Compatibility – if you’re an ‘instant coffee’ person then you’d probably want a machine that accepts K-cups pods or soft pods of different sizes.
● Size – A lot of people purchase two-way coffee makers because it would take up too much counter space to store two separate machines for single-serve and carafe. Some two-way coffee makers are actually larger than a pair of single-serve coffee makers. Hence, it’s always best to pay attention to the dimensions of the machine before you pull the trigger on it.
● Water reservoir – The larger the reservoir, the more cups of coffee you’ll be able to brew with each refill. So if you’ve got a large family of coffee drinkers, it makes sense to invest in one that can give you at least a dozen cups in one go.
Reviews
Hamilton Beach 49980A – Best Overall
Hamilton Beach 49980A is an all-round excellent machine that offers a ton of great features. For starters, it's compatible with both loose coffee and soft pods, which is bound to make both master brewers and casual drinkers happy. However, the machine is not compatible with Keurig K-cup pods.
The 49980A comes fitted with a height-adjustable cup rest, which fits both tall and short coffee mugs. This means that you will never have to worry about spills or splatters, regardless of what size your mug is.
Want to set an automatic brewing time? The 49980A allows you to program in a desired time slot up to 24 hours prior. If you're usually not able to get to your coffee in time, you have nothing to worry about now. Both the single-serve and carafe sides are equipped with a hot plate to keep it nice and warm.
The Hamilton Beach 49980A comes with two separate water reservoir for each side. The single-serve side reservoir has the standard capacity for one cup of coffee. On the other hand, the carafe-side reservoir will give you up 12 cups with each refill.
Other features of the 49980A include:
● Automatic pause and serve – the machine will pause the brewing process if you remove the carafe and will not resume until it is returned
● Control Panel with decently-sized display
● Mesh filter for holding ground coffee
● Brew strength selector – allows you to switch between regular and bold strengths
● Automatic shut-off – turns off the machine automatically after two hours.
The only drawback with this machine is that the single-serve side brews weaker coffee than the carafe side.
Pros:
● Compatible with both loose coffee and soft pods
● Cup rest height is adjustable
● Automatic pause and serve
● Programmable
● Carafe side produces up to 12 cups of coffee with each refill
Cons:
● Single-serve side produces weaker coffee
Cuisinart SS-15 Coffee Maker
The Cuisinart SS-15 is one of the top three dual coffee makers available today. Granted, it's a bit on the expensive side ($179 - around a $125 more than the Hamilton Beach 49980A) but that can be attested to the accessories that it comes packaged with.
When it comes to features, the Cuisinart SS-15 does not compromise. To begin with, the machine comes fitted with a charcoal filter which is particularly good at trapping impurities and thereby making each cup of coffee taste excellent. Like the Hamilton Beach 49980A, the SS-15 allows users to select between regular and bold with a single control.
The carafe side of the machine allows you to make 12 cups worth of coffee at once while the server-side lets you toggle between 6, 8 and 10-ounce brew sizes. Hence it can accommodate larger families quite easily.
Unlike the Hamilton Beach 49980A, the Cuisinart SS-15 is compatible with Keurig K-cups. Furthermore, it works with reusable filter cups as well, which can help you cut down on the amount of trash you produce on a daily basis.
Last but not least, the Cuisinart SS-15 can be programmed to automatically start brewing while hot plates are present to keep the freshly-poured coffee warm.
Pros:
● Allows you to select brew strength
● Compatible with K-cups and reusable filter cups
● Programmable
Cons:
● Expensive
● Single-serve side tends to splash with shorter mugs
Delonghi BC0330T
While the Delonghi BC0330T isn't as great a coffee maker as the previously-mentioned entries, it does come with a couple of features that they lack. For instance, you can switch between making regular coffee and espresso with ease and the built-in milk frother is perfect for brewing lattes and cappuccinos. In addition, the BC0330T comes with a freshness indicator which lets you know how much time has passed since the coffee was brewed.
This coffee maker also comes with:
● A programmable timer
● Pause and Serve function
Despite these great features, the Delonghi BC0330T does have some drawbacks. First of all, the carafe tends to drip and spill which means you'll have to clean up often. It must be said, however, that cleaning is quite easy with this machine. The warming plates are non-stick, which means any residues will come off fast. Lastly, the unit is quite large, making it very unsuitable for smaller counter spaces.
Pros:
● Allows you to make both espresso and regular coffee
● Built-in milk frother
● Pause and serve function
● Programmable
Cons:
● Carafe spills
● Large unit
SharkNinja CF085Z
One glimpse is all it takes to realize that the SharkNinja CF085Z is a premium model. Featuring a metal exterior design and an aesthetic that is a mixture of contemporary and vintage, this unit will look great in any kitchen.
The SharkNinja CF085Z isn't all looks either and offers a ton of features to make any coffee drinker happy. First of all, it comes with several useful accessories including an 18-ounce hot and cold tumbler, a milk frother, a permanent filter plus five paper ones, a coffee scoop and a double-walled, stainless steel carafe.
The CF085Z has a Multi-Serve Dial which makes the coffee maker compatible with any cup or carafe size available. In addition, you can customize the flavour and strength of your coffee with four brewing options: Rich, Classic, Over Ice and Specialty. Once you've selected your preferred option, the CF085Z will use its Auto-IQ One-Touch intelligence to pour just the right quantity of water that is needed to achieve the desired flavour and strength.
The biggest complaint we have about this machine is its price tag. For that price, it’s reasonable to expect more features and a better-quality machine. Further, the coffee brewed by it is no better than that brewed by the Hamilton Beach 49980A and the Cuisinart SS-15. In addition, a lot of users have reported a software bug which causes the clean light to turn on randomly.
Pros:
● Comes with a ton of accessories
● Provides a variety of brew options
● Auto IQ feature
Cons:
● Pricy
● Minor software bug
Cuisinart CHW-12
The Cuisinart CHW-12 is very easy to use and provides users with a decent number of features. Like the Cuisinart SS-15, it can brew 12 cups of coffee at once on the carafe size. However, you can choose to make just 1-4 cups if you require a smaller serving.
In terms of specs and features, the Cuisinart CHW-12 is quite similar to the SS-15. It’s programmable, comes with an auto shut off and offers a Hot Water on Demand feature if you’re making tea or hot cocoa. However, only the single-serve side offers the latter feature. In addition, you can toggle between three temperature settings for the hot plate. Considering that it’s less than half the price of a Cuisinart SS-15, we think it is a great deal.
The only complaint we have with the Cuisinart CHW-12 is that it’s not compatible with any kind of pod.
Pros:
● Programmable
● Relatively Cheap
Cons:
● Not compatible with pods
Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 49976
If you like the Hamilton Beach 49980A but wish it was able to work with K-cups, we recommend you check out the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 49976. The 49976 is similar to the 49980A in a number of ways.
● They both have separate reservoirs for the single-serve and carafe sides
● Their carafe sides can brew up to 12 cups of coffee with each refill
● Brew strength selectors allow you to switch between regular and bold
● They can both be programmed for automatic brewing
The only differences are that the 49976 is a bit slow to heat and it's bulkier than the 49980A.
Pros:
● Provides pretty much the same features as the Hamilton Beach 49980A
● Compatible with K-cup pods
● Programmable
Cons:
● Can take a long while to heat up
● Takes up a lot of counter space
Two-way coffee makers are quite useful when you want to brew both single-serve and carafe sizes without buying two separate machines. With the wide variety of makes and models available in the market today, shoppers can easily get option paralysis. Lucky for you, we’ve done our research and picked the six machines that we think are the best you can currently buy.