Best Coffee Makers for One Person
Brewers built around a single cup, ranked from our reviews. Making ten cups for one drinker is a choice between stale coffee and wasted coffee, and single-serve avoids both by brewing what you are about to drink. The trade is the one nobody mentions on the box: cost per cup usually goes UP, because pods, sachets and capsules carry packaging you pay for every morning. Worth doing the arithmetic before the machine rather than after it.
Ranked by our review score, which is worked out from the specifications each maker publishes rather than from opinion, so you can open the arithmetic on any product page. Anything commercial is labelled and sits outside that order, and how we score explains what each criterion measures.
Ranked, and why
scored on what the maker publishes · open a row for the working1
AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press8.7- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 10.0
- Value for Money
- 8.3
Weakest link: Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published) — 7.1 of 10, carrying 22 of the 74.2 points scored here.
2
AeroPress Original8.2- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.5
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 9.8
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
3
Ninja CP307 Hot and Cold Brewed System8.1- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 8.3
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 10.0
- Build Quality & Durability
- 6.5
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 8.0
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 10.0
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 8.5
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Value for Money (no price published) — 5.0 of 10, carrying 10 of the 84.6 points scored here.
4
AeroPress Clear7.8- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.5
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 7.4
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
5
Cuisinart Coffee Center SS-4N16.4- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 6.7
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 8.8
- Build Quality & Durability
- 6.5
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 7.5
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 3.5
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 10.0
- Value for Money
- 0.8
Weakest link: Value for Money — 0.8 of 10, carrying 10 of the 84.6 points scored here.
6
Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine6.3- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 5.0
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 8.8
- Build Quality & Durability
- 4.5
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 8.0
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 3.5
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 8.5
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Carafe & Heat Retention — 3.5 of 10, carrying 13 of the 84.6 points scored here.
7
Bialetti Mini Express6.1- Brew Quality (pressurised basket not published)
- 7.1
- Build Quality & Materials (gasket and replacement gasket sold not published)
- 6.3
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 6.5
- Heat Source Compatibility
- 5.0
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Heat Source Compatibility — 5.0 of 10, carrying 12 of the 70.2 points scored here.
8
Braun MultiServe Plus 10-Cup Drip Coffee Maker6.1- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 5.0
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 8.8
- Build Quality & Durability
- 5.0
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 6.5
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 3.5
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 8.0
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Carafe & Heat Retention — 3.5 of 10, carrying 13 of the 84.6 points scored here.
9
Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable6.1- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 1.7
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 7.5
- Build Quality & Durability
- 6.5
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 7.5
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 4.5
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 9.0
- Value for Money
- 3.0
Weakest link: Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published) — 1.7 of 10, carrying 22 of the 84.6 points scored here.
CarafeGlassFilter TypePaper, Reusable metal meshBrew Size12+ cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead review →PriceFrom $84.9910
Bialetti Brikka Moka Pot 2 Cup6.0- Brew Quality (pressurised basket not published)
- 7.1
- Build Quality & Materials (gasket and replacement gasket sold not published)
- 5.8
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 6.5
- Heat Source Compatibility
- 5.0
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Heat Source Compatibility — 5.0 of 10, carrying 12 of the 70.2 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A11
OXO Brew 9-Cup Drip Coffee Maker5.8- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 6.7
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 7.5
- Build Quality & Durability
- 5.0
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 5.5
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 3.5
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 8.0
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Carafe & Heat Retention — 3.5 of 10, carrying 13 of the 84.6 points scored here.
12
Hamilton Beach 2-Way 12 Cup Programmable5.6- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 1.7
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 7.5
- Build Quality & Durability
- 4.5
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 7.0
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 4.5
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 9.0
- Value for Money
- 3.1
Weakest link: Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published) — 1.7 of 10, carrying 22 of the 84.6 points scored here.
13
Arcadia Go Rechargeable Portable Turkish Coffee Maker5.3- Brewing & Foam Control
- 4.0
- Overflow & Safety
- 6.5
- Capacity & Servings
- 4.0
- Handling & Cleaning
- 7.5
- Materials & Warranty
- 5.0
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Brewing & Foam Control — 4.0 of 10, carrying 26 of the 100 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A14
Arzum Okka Automatic Turkish Coffee Machine5.3- Brewing & Foam Control
- 6.0
- Overflow & Safety
- 5.0
- Capacity & Servings
- 4.0
- Handling & Cleaning
- 6.0
- Materials & Warranty
- 5.4
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Capacity & Servings — 4.0 of 10, carrying 16 of the 100 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A15
Ninja CE2514.7- Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published)
- 1.7
- Brewing Control & Programmability
- 6.2
- Build Quality & Durability
- 4.5
- Ease of Use & Cleaning
- 6.0
- Carafe & Heat Retention
- 3.5
- Capacity & Flexibility
- 6.5
- Value for Money
- 2.2
Weakest link: Brew Quality (SCA certified and brew temperature not published) — 1.7 of 10, carrying 22 of the 84.6 points scored here.
Brewing ten cups for one drinker is a choice between stale coffee and wasted coffee. Single-serve avoids both by making what you are about to drink, and the trade is one nobody puts on the box.
Cost per cup usually goes up, not down
This is the arithmetic to do first. A pod, sachet or capsule carries packaging you pay for every single morning, so the convenience is priced per cup rather than paid once. A Nespresso Original capsule works out around $180 a kilo of coffee and a K-Cup in a small box is not much better; a bag of good beans is $40 to $70 a kilo.
Manual single-serve brewers - an AeroPress, a small pour-over, a one-cup press - avoid that entirely, because the only recurring cost is coffee and a paper filter. If you drink one cup a day and want it cheap, that is the answer; if you want it in ninety seconds without thinking, it is not.
Size is the point, so check the actual footprint
A single-serve machine that occupies as much counter as a drip maker has given up its main advantage. Depth matters more than width in most kitchens, because the cupboard above decides how tall a machine can be and the worktop decides how far forward it sits.
Speed is real, and it is what you are buying
A capsule machine is ready in under a minute and finished in another. Grinding, weighing and pouring by hand is five minutes. That difference is the entire proposition of the category and is worth paying for if your morning is short - just be clear that speed, not coffee quality, is what the money buys.
What to ignore
Cup-size buttons on a capsule machine. On a sealed pod the dose is fixed, so a larger cup setting passes more water through the same coffee and gives you a weaker drink rather than a bigger one. The size that tastes right is the one the capsule was designed for.
Common questions
Is a single-serve coffee maker cheaper to run?
Usually the opposite. Pods and capsules carry packaging you pay for every cup, so a Nespresso Original capsule works out around $180 a kilo of coffee against $40 to $70 for a bag of good beans. You are buying speed, not savings.
What is the cheapest way to brew one cup?
A manual single-serve brewer - an AeroPress, a small pour-over cone or a one-cup press. The only recurring costs are coffee and a paper filter, and none of them need electricity.
Does a bigger cup setting give more coffee?
On a capsule machine it gives more water through the same fixed dose, so the drink is larger and weaker rather than stronger. The dose was set when the pod was filled.
How much counter space does a single-serve machine need?
Less than a drip maker, but check depth rather than width - the cupboard above sets the height limit and the worktop sets how far forward it sits. A machine as deep as a drip maker has lost its main advantage.
Is single-serve coffee worse than a full pot?
Not inherently, and it is fresher than the fifth cup from a jug that has been standing an hour. What you give up is control over dose and grind, both of which the pod decides for you.