Sometimes brewing a whole pot of coffee is way more than you need. Or you have a single cup coffee maker, but don’t like the environmental impact of the pods. Well, now enter the convenience of the best single cup coffee maker with a grinder that’ll fit your needs.
Being a coffee enthusiast is trendy nowadays. Like some other beverages, being a connoisseur can add a little bit of a cool factor. But whether your a barista or not there is one known fact when it comes to making coffee. The fact is that grinding fresh beans makes a fresher and better tasting coffee.
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Believe it or not, the oils and quality of the beans start diminishing within 5 minutes of grinding. So no matter how you brew your coffee or how much coffee you brew it’s best to grind the beans before brewing.
A grinder doesn’t have to cost a lot of money if you want something that stands alone on the counter. If you have a drip coffee maker you can also buy that coffeemaker with a grinder, as well. But what if you don’t have a lot of counter space and you only need to brew one cup of coffee at a time? These single cup grind and brew coffee makers might be for you.
Single Cup Grind and Brew Reviews And Buying Guide
1. Cuisinart – Model DGB-1
Product Features
- Grinds & Brews up to 16 oz. at a time
- Blade grinder automatically grinds whole beans and dispenses ground coffee directly into filter basket.
- Simple controls are as easy as 1, 2, 3 – add beans, add water, press “Grind & Brew” button
- Grind-off feature allows you to use pre-ground coffee
- Removable drip tray accommodates travel mug, kindly refer the user manual given below for troubleshooting steps.
- Makes a good cup of coffee.
- Easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
- Brews coffee quickly
- BPA Free
- Need to clean after every use.
- Can’t really make coffee back-to-back because moisture accumulates in the grind chamber. You’ll need to wait for the area to dry or dry it with a paper towel or cloth.
- This machine was discontinued by Cuisinart so it’s harder to find a NEW machine out there.
More About The Cuisinart DGB-1
The Cuisinart DGB-1 single serve grind & brew coffee maker will give you a quick and delicious cup of coffee. The entire process to grind and brew takes about 3 to 4 minutes. It uses a standard No. 2 paper filter for additional ease of use and cleaning.
At 8″ x 10″ x 14″ inches the DGB-1 is small and sleek enough to fit anywhere on the counter. With a black and stainless steel body it’ll look great with other appliances in the kitchen.
One of the nicest features about the Cuisinart DGB-1 is that a lot of the parts are dishwasher safe. We’ve all seen coffee makers that can get pretty gross because they haven’t been cleaned in a while. Well, being able to pop parts in the dishwasher makes it easy for us.
The biggest drawback to this model is that moisture accumulates in the grinder. This makes it difficult to make cups of coffee back to back without drying out the chamber. The moisture also makes grinding the beans a little more difficult since they tend to stick together a little more.
2. Mr. Coffee – Model BVMC-SCGB200
Product Features
- Built-in grinder instantly transforms whole beans to fresh grounds.
- Two ways to brew: grind whole beans or brew with traditional ground coffee.
- Adjustable brew sizes up to 16 oz. for filling large coffee cups or travel mugs.
- Dishwasher safe filter basket lifts out for easy cleaning.
- Stainless steel, BPA-free, double-walled travel mug included.
- Easy to use and gives great taste.
- Fast grind & brew cycle if you’re in a hurry.
- Operates on the quieter side compared to other grind and brew models.
- Can use whole beans or pre-ground beans.
- Double wall travel mug included.
- You can’t use a paper filter with this model.
- Blade grinder can give inconsistency to ground bean size.
- It’ll drip a little bit after the brew cycle ends.
More About The Mr. Coffee – Model BVMC-SCGB200
Mr. Coffee is one of the most reputable names in the coffee industry. With the BVMC-SCGB200 they made a machine that is intuitive, easy to use, and makes a fast cup of coffee. One of the nice things about this model is that it’s quieter than other grind & brew models. Most importantly the coffee tastes really good.
With the Mr. Coffee single cup coffee maker with a built-in grinder they knew that most who use this machine will be quickly on the go. So they included a double wall travel mug with this single cup coffee maker with grinder. The double wall mug will keep your coffee hot for a long time and is an added bonus to buying this machine.
There are two main complaints about the single cup fresh ground coffee maker from Mr. Coffee. The first is there is a bit of an inconsistency in grinding whole beans since the model uses a blade grinder. If you’re using beans that are already ground than this may not be a big deal two you.
The other complaint is that the clean up can get a little messy and time consuming. You can’t use a paper filter with the BVMC-SCGB200 so you have to rely on the mesh filter. As coffee gets caught in the mesh it takes a little bit longer to clean it out after every use.
3. Hamilton Beach – Model 49989
Product Features
- Two ways to brew – with whole beans or ground coffee
- Grinds whole beans and brews for fresh flavor
- Also brews with traditional ground coffee
- Automatic rinse cleans grinding chamber to prevent clogging
- Brew into one or two mugs or up to 16 oz. Into a travel cup.
- Only the basket for the grounds needs to be cleaned after brewing.
- Can use pre-ground or whole bean coffee.
- Self cleaning feature to clean the blades and bean chamber.
- Easy to use. Makes grind and brew coffee with the press of a button.
- Grinder is very loud.
- Some coffee beans usually get in the coffee.
- Coffee beans occasionally jam in the grinder.
More About The Hamilton Beach – Model 49989
The Hamilton Beach Model 49989 is a grind and brew machine that will brew your coffee with the press of a single button. All you have to do is choose whether your using pre-ground beans or if your grinding beans. That’s the hardest decision there is to make.
Out of all the machines reviewed this one has by far the least amount of cleanup involved. After the brew cycle the bean chamber and blades get a quick rinse to remove any debris left in the chamber. You will need to dispose of these later, but it makes the process much easier.
With all the good things this machine has there are a few negatives. The blade grinder can get a little loud making it difficult to use if someone else is at home sleeping and within range to hear it.
As for the taste of coffee, as we mentioned earlier it makes a good cup of coffee. But as you get to the end of your cup you might notice additional grounds in the cup. Although this model doesn’t require a paper filter using a paper filter will help to reduce and eliminate any grounds that can get in your coffee.
Why Buy A Single Cup Coffee Maker With A Grinder
Most people are familiar with single cup coffee makers. And we’re talking about something other than an espresso machine which also brews one cup at a time. We’ve all seen K-Cups or the little pods that easily go into a small coffee machine to brew a single cup of coffee. But why are they all the rage now? Well, there are quite a few reasons.
Not too long ago we were all brewing a full pot of coffee (4, 8, or even 12 cups) even if it was just one or two people drinking it. A single cup coffee maker saves you from pouring a lot of coffee down the drain. Not only is it wasteful for the coffee, but it also ends up wasting money that almost literally goes down the drain.
You’ll also get your coffee quicker with a single serve coffee maker. Since you’re not brewing as much you’re not waiting as long for the coffee. You’ve probably seen someone grab a cup of coffee while a coffee pot is still brewing. Maybe you’ve done that your self. Well, being impatient with a coffee pot while it’s still brewing does impact the flavor. You will get a stronger cup of coffee while everyone else will get a weaker cup of coffee.
Environmental Impact Of Single Serve Coffee Makers with K-Cups
Although some single cup coffee makers can brew K-Cups those cups can have a negative impact on the environment. Not only are the plastic K-Cups worse for the environment, but they’re also quite a bit more expensive than buying whole beans that you can grind on your own. This is because of the additional cost of grinding, packaging, and shipping costs of those beans in the plastic container.
Are K-Cups recyclable? Although Keurig says they are but most cities say that they’re not. The truth is that they are technically recyclable. But in order to recycle them you’ll need to separate all the components apart to properly recycle the K-Cup. That means separating the aluminum, plastic and coffee grounds before recycling them. And let’s be honest, although some will do that most people will not.
That leads us back to the grind and brew single cup coffee makers. There are no K-Cups to worry about, and the only thing to dispose of will be the coffee beans which is organic matter.
Addressing Quality Issues With Single Cup Coffee Makers With A Grinder
If you look at reviews on all of these single cup grind and brew machines you might notice that there’s a lot of negative reviews. There are countless complaints on all of these machines, plus other coffee makers not reviewed, that say their machine broke in a very short period of time. Even full drip pot grind & brew machines have the same exact complaints.
We don’t think all of the coffee machines are bad, but that’s also not to suggest that every machine out there is perfect. However, there is a very important topic to help your coffee maker work well and last long. And that is to make sure that the machine get’s cleaned.
Cleaning any coffee maker is important, but it’s especially important with a grind and brew machine. The beans can clog up any of the hoses or lines and a lot of potential problems can be averted by cleaning the machine.
Please make sure to follow the manufacturers instructions when it comes to how to clean the machine and how often to clean the coffee maker.
Final Thoughts On The Best Single Serve Grind And Brew Coffee Makers
The best single cup coffee maker kind of brings the best of both worlds together. It allows you to grind your beans and serve one cup of coffee at a time all in one machine. This will save a lot of counter space, and these machine won’t hit your wallet too hard.
When you also add in that using your own beans versus a K-Cup will also save you money (and the environment) these coffee makers really are a winner. Actually, the savings of not using a K-Cup is really quite remarkable and the single serve coffee maker with a grinder can pay for itself very quickly.