Every morning I wake up and make myself a cup of coffee. Like clockwork. It’s part of my morning routine and ritual. I’m not sure if it’s the routine that I like so much, or the smell of coffee brewing. But maybe it’s taking that first sip with a little creamer in it that just tastes so good. The whole ritual from start to finish always kicks my mornings off on the right foot.
For the longest time, I owned a Keurig as like everyone else did. But I hated the wasteful k-cups. So for a while, I was doing the refillable ones which are great for being more sustainable. But the machine was bulky and a pain in the butt to maintain. I was over it. Then for a few years, I was using this Ninja Kitchen system which I actually LOVED. However, with a small kitchen and little counter space, it was just too bulky. I was sick of looking at it and wanted something smaller. So off I went on the hunt for a small compact coffee maker. And ideally, if I could, a two in one espresso AND coffee maker. I love my Nespresso Pixi but if I could replace both with one small machine, that would’ve been GOLD.
And forget it, a french press is never happening. This was recommended so much but I hate cleaning them and didn’t want to have to boil water to make a cup of coffee. I want instant, hot, delicious coffee. Period!
shop the coffee makers
The Nespresso Vertuo Coffee Maker
The first machine I tried was a splurge and what I was hoping would solve my issues. The Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine was one that I heard great things about since it was a two in one. It even had a third party refillable pod you could purchase. So I bought the Nespresso Vertuo machine and quickly hated it. The espresso was great though. But a big cup of coffee, not so much.
It took FOREVER to brew a big cup of coffee leaving your cup of Joe warm instead of piping hot. And the refillable pod I bought was a complete fail. Didn’t work, made a mess. I quickly returned this and was so bummed because I really wanted this to solve my problem. Plus, it came with a milk frother which was REALLY nice. If you have someone who likes smaller cups of coffee, and mostly espresso drinks, this is a great machine. But if you want a classic big cup of Joe in the morning, skip it.
Keurig K-Mini Plus
Sure, I was anti-Keurig, but since they do have a GOOD refillable option, I was willing to try this one again. At under $100, it was also a good price point for the quality we all know with Keurig. It was really the perfect size. So small, thin, compact. It looked great on my counter and comes in several colors to match any kitchen. I made my first cup and thought, hmm, that’s not super hot. Maybe I just took too long to get to the cup once it brewed, or put in too much creamer. Then I made another cup the following day. And realized, again, it’s lukewarm. I was downing the cup in no time because it was never actually HOT. I felt like I was chugging coffee and not sipping it.
I thought I was maybe crazy, then read some reviews, and turns out it’s a common complaint. Lesson learned, read the reviews. This quickly went back and I was onto the next.
Black And Decker 4 in 1 Station Coffee Maker
Many of my readers recommended just a good ol Mr Coffee or Black and Decker coffee maker. The kind you find in a hotel room to make a single cup or small pot of coffee. I kind of thought, well that’s silly. The solution can’t possibly be a cheap $20 coffee maker. It must be expensive and complicated, right?
wrong!
Turns out, a simple $20 coffee maker was exactly what I needed. This Black and Decker 4 in 1 station coffee maker have solved all my issues. Well, except for making espresso. But I figured that would be the case with anything I ended up finding. This compact coffee maker brews only the amount of water you put in. So whether you want a cup, or 4 cups (it comes with a pot!) it’s kind of the perfect solution. It has a reusable basket making it more eco-friendly than pods or k-cups. Plus, it’s super compact!
So there you have it, my coffee maker research project. What do you use to make your morning cup of coffee with?
