Kitchen American » One Cup Coffee Makers

Two Coffee Makers Are More Economical Than One

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:07:03 +0000

Two coffee makers may be more economical than one. Standard 10-12 cup coffee makers are not very good at brewing small 1 and 2 cup batches, so for good taste you tend to make more coffee than will be consumed within the 20 minute “fresh-brew” window.

You can extend the fresh-brew window up to 60 minutes with a thermal carafe but in the long run you throw away more coffee than you drink. Single serve coffee makers use coffee pods and are a better tasting way to brew that morning cup or two. Mr. Coffee and Black & Decker are the major domestic coffeemaker manufacturers with Bunn, Krups and Cuisinart leading the European imports and the Zojirushi Fresh Brew the consumers’ choice among the Asian coffeemakers.

There are many ways to brew coffee and not all require a machine.

Making coffee with a French press allows you to control the exact temperature of the water.

Most electric coffee makers are drip coffeemakers with a few other bells and whistles.

Percolator coffee makers are old-fashioned nowadays but no other coffee maker can beat the room-filling aroma.

Vacuum coffee makers are not common in the US. Watching them work is entertaining.

Single cup coffee makers deserve their own category.

Espresso machines are reviewed separately.

One Cup Coffee Makers – Black & Decker DCM7 Personal Coffeemaker

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:54:25 +0000

Black & Decker DCM7 Cup-at-a-Time Personal 12-Ounce Coffeemaker

Black & Decker Cup-At-A-Time in white. Brews one 8-12oz cup of coffee. Lighted on/off switch, auto off, and permanent filter.

Great for at home, in a dorm, or at the office, this compact cup-at-a-time coffeemaker brews fresh, hot coffee directly into any 5- to 12-ounce mug. To use, simply pour a mug full of cold tap water into the water reservoir, insert the permanent filter into the filter basket, add a measured amount of coffee grounds, place the mug or cup on the mug/cup rest, and push “start”. An “on” indicator light will illuminate until brewing has completed.

Enjoy a hot cup of coffee quickly and easily any time of day. The handy appliance can also be used to make hot water for tea, hot chocolate, or instant foods like oatmeal or soup. In addition to its simple, straightforward design, the appliance provides automatic shut-off for safety and peace of mind. The filter basket and permanent filter clean up easily by hand or in the dishwasher, and the base of the unit wipes clean with a damp cloth. The 800-watt coffeemaker measures approximately 6-1/5 by 7 by 9-1/5 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

Black & Decker DCM7 Personal Coffeemaker Reviews

182 of 185 people found the following review helpful:
A lot easier to use and safer., December 25, 2004
By Robert Meeks (Winchester, KY United States)

I bought one of these for my mother for Christmas. Years ago I had gotten her a Black&Decker cup-at-a-time coffeemaker and it finally gave up last year. The only cup-at-a-time coffeemaker at a reasonable price I could find locally was by Toastess. The Toastess paled in comparison to the Black&Decker, not only in build quality but in ease of use. My mother suffers from a neurological disorder which makes it difficult to coordinate the use of her hands; she is okay with general tasks, but nothing which requires fine manipulation. This Black&Decker coffeemaker, like the model before, is easy to use. The power switch is on the front and a little larger than several coffeemakers switches; you just have to push down on it. There is nothing to move out of the way when filling the reservoir; just lift the lid. The reservoir is also a little wider than the Toastess making it easier to fill. Of course, one of the safety features, which the Toastess model also lacks, is the automatic shut-off. When it is finished making a cup of coffee, and it is fast, it just shuts off, which is great for someone who keeps forgetting to turn off their coffeemaker. The only issue I can see that someone may have, and niggling at that, is that this unit cannot hold tall coffee mugs. All of my mother’s coffee mugs fit, which is a lesser concern for me, however, than its ease of use and safety, at which this Black&Decker excels.–Bob

107 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
Super Buy, Super Coffee, June 24, 2005
By Sharon K. Cooper (Oregon)

When I bought this machine I was suspicious. Could something so inexpensive really do the job? I bought it based on the high reviews. I place an additional filter in the filter basket of the coffee pot. This keeps coffee grinds from getting into any of the coffee maker mechanisms and into the cup. I usually use one heaping tablespoon of Folgers or Heritage (local brand) coffee for a semi strong cup of coffee. This is an excellent and worthwhile purchase for the dollar! Enjoy!

I’m going to add another comment here after owning this coffee maker for a while. I would still give this five stars but want to alert people to the following. This is an inexpensive commodity. The back top area of the pot where you put in the water over time can slightly warp due to the steam heat from the water. This means that the water can leak out a little bit and drip down the sides. It’s not a huge problem, however, it is somewhat annoying. The whole unit is so inexpensive, that I just bought another one. I keep the older one stored. Wanted anyone to know this before purchasing. This is **still** an excellent purchase for the money and replacement costs still minimal compared to more expensive units.

One Cup Coffee Makers – Keurig B30 Mini Brewers

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:23:32 +0000

Keurig B30 Mini Personal Single-Serve Brewing System

The Keurig Mini brewer is a great solution for gourmet coffee lovers in locations where a compact size, and minimal features is ideal.

You can make a fresh cup of gourmet coffee or tea in less than three minutes with this one cup coffee maker system. It is an excellent companion for vacation homes, cabins, college dorms, boats, RVs, or home office desktops.

The Mini is compact, easy to use and brews an 8-ounce cup anywhere you can take it along and plug it in. The mini heats 8 ounces of water in about 3 minutes and then brews just like our regular brewers with no water remaining in the brewer. Now you can enjoy consistently brewed gourmet coffee tea and hot cocoa, virtually anywhere without grinding or clean-up.

All Keurig brewers use Keurig’s patented K-Cup (dedicated pod-like) single portion packs. K-Cups are “mini-brewers” that eliminate the hassle of grinding beans, measuring coffee, handling filters and messy clean-up while brewing a gourmet cup of coffee or tea in less than one minute. Gourmet coffees, teas and hot cocoa distinguish Keurig from its competition. With over 200 different coffee, tea and hot cocoa varieties from 13 gourmet partners, Keurig is designed to meet the many tastes of hot beverage drinkers.

Keurig B30 One Cup Coffee Maker Features

Colors: Black, White, Red
Single-serve brewing system for gourmet coffee or tea
Uses patented K-Cups; no messy grinding or clean up
Variety pack of 10 K-Cups comes included
Brews one 8-ounce cup at a time
Ready to drink in less than 3 minutes
1-touch technology
Measures 11-1/2″ by 10″ by 13-1/4″
1-year limited warranty

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 128 people found the following review helpful:
Few tradeoffs for serious convenience, September 6, 2008
By bnpttc (Southport, NC USA)

I previously purchased a B40 for my office. The convenience and selection of coffees immediately made it a favorite among co-workers and myself. Of course this meant that I wanted one for home. One problem with the B40 is the noise. Not bad for an office environment but unforgivable first thing in the morning at home. When the B30 was announced and promised to be quieter, that was just what the doctor ordered. This thing is VERY quiet in comparison. I only drink one cup in the morning prior to going to work so the lack of a reservoir is not an issue. If you want multiple cups 30 seconds apart this is not the machine for you. If you don’t mind the extra step of dumping a cup of water in a hole and waiting 2 1/2 minutes after you press the brew button (if you own the B40 you were already doing this when you turned the power on) then this machine is great. Oh, and the small footprint means you can be very flexible in where you decide to put it. No major concessions in the countertop usage arena. Bottom line, quiet convenience in a small package makes this a winner.

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
Great “second” K-cup brewer!, October 4, 2008
By Thomas Price “tprice1995″ (Decatur, GA United States)

After enjoying my full-size B60 at home for about a year now, I really wanted to get one for my office. However, I didn’t see the need to buy another B60, or a B40 for that matter, since I’d only be using it a few times a week (I’m not “in” my office that much). Once I heard about the Mini 30, my curiosity was peaked.

I think most negative reviews will be from people who plan on using this as their main K-cup brewer, and that’s a shame, because this most certainly is not meant for that job. Reasons why:

1) It has a long brew time (usually around 2 minutes for the 8 oz it holds) and has to be filled with water for each cup.
2) It has only one cup size (8 oz).
3) It has no adjustable temperature setting (but the default is perfectly fine at about 192 degrees).

It has some odd quirks too. For example, there’s a separate “power” button that’s located quite distant from the “brew” button, and the unit will automatically turn itself off after brewing a cup. So for multiple cups, you have to turn it on, then after loading the k-cup and water, press brew. For each cup. Additionally, the light on the power button is not easy to see if the machine is below eye-level, so I have to squint to see if I pressed it on or not. A more powerful LED (like the blue ones on the B60) or a beeping noise might be helpful to know if it’s on, or at least relocate the power button by the brew button!

While not as heavy as, say, a Kitchen Aid mixer, it is quite well constructed. It doesn’t have the metal trim of the B60, but chrome finished plastic for the handle on the head, and the grate for the overflow plate. The machine opens and closes with sturdy hinges, so it seems durable for the future. The size is great and the little beauty sits right on my desk with plenty of room for my computer monitor!

Coffee tastes just as good as with my larger K-cup brewer, though with the smaller water volume the darker roasts have more “punch” – especially darker ones like Coffee People Black Tiger, and Caribou Coffee’s Mahogany. I’m sticking mostly with medium roasts like CP Donut Shop and GM Nantucket Blend with good results.

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