These Coffee Machines Will Help You Make Your Best Cuppa Joe, Promise

Pros

1. You can set it up the night before, so coffee is ready for you the second you walk into the kitchen.

2. Make coffee in bulk – perfect if you’re fueling an entire household and don’t have time to make individual cups. 

3. Are you running around your apartment to get ready? You don’t have to watch the drip machine to avoid an overflowing cup.

Cons

1. If you accidentally forget about it or sleep through it, the coffee that’s sitting there will taste stale, not fresh.

2. You might have to deep clean it more often than other coffee makers, since leaving filters in for a little too long can result in mold.

Pros

1. If you’re a fan of strong coffee, the French press will give you that punch. Dark roasts are maximized. 

2. It’s eco-friendly because it doesn’t use filters or create waste, while the coffee grounds can be composted. It can also be created using recyclable materials such as glass and stainless steel, rather than cheap plastic.

Cons

1. You have to boil the water separately, adding an extra step to your coffee routine – not ideal for those who prefer the ease of one machine.

2. A step up from a drip coffee machine, the French press has a few extra steps — for example, you may need to grind your own beans rather than buying already-ground coffee. You also have to monitor the boiling water and pay attention to grind size and water temp in the French press, meaning all attention must be on the machine.

3. If you make a simple mistake or are using a lower-quality coffee maker, you might find some gross remnants during the final sips of your cups.

Pros

1. It’s fast and easy. Put a pod in, pull a lever, and boom: you have a cup of coffee that doesn’t taste like hotels’ cheap, instant coffee.

2. It’s more affordable than going to Starbucks or buying full bags of coffee (72 K-cup pods on Amazon are about $30 – compare that to your one $4 Starbucks latte or $18 12-oz. bag), and you’ll never accidentally waste coffee thanks to the set size.

3. You can use whatever coffee you want thanks to its reusable filters, not just K-cups. Buy one that works with regular coffee grinds, so you can fill it with your usual and receive your quality coffee.

Cons

1. K-cups aren’t eco-friendly. About 16 million American households use plastic K-cups, which are then dumped into landfills (and they take 150 to 500 years to break down).

2. If you’re strapped for cash, you might have to invest in a lower-quality machine (which still cost around $80). Because of this, you might have less control over your coffee, like brew or heat strengths.

Pros

1. Like Keurigs, it’s super convenient. Single-use pods mean you’re avoiding wasting good coffee, and they save time. Plus, there’s no clean-up after (but you should be cleaning it now and then!). 

2. You get the silky feel of coffee and rich taste of espresso, rather than a watery texture that vaguely feels and tastes like your average cuppa joe.

3. You can recycle your Nespresso capsules. Simply collect them, then drop them off at a collection point (there are 122,287 around the world). If you don’t have any nearby, you can fill a recycling bag and hand it to your next coffee’s delivery person.

Cons

1. Only the more expensive machines make drip coffee – otherwise, you’re stuck with espresso. If cost isn’t a problem, then it’s worth it; if affordable is the name of your game, skip it.

2. Nespresso listened to the complaints and created bigger capsules. However, their patent lasts for years, so you can only buy these larger capsules from Nespresso.

Pros 

1. A coffee connoisseur will love the taste of the coffee you prepare, because pour-overs allow the beans to sing. Add-ins become optional rather than required for that perfect sip. And unlike Keurigs and Nespressos, you’ll receive the subtle nuances from different roasts and flavors. 

2. Remember those remnants we mentioned with French presses, that can come out a little, well, gross? Pour-overs have bonded filters, so no more bitter after-taste.

Cons

1. Pour overs are more affordable, but they require more accessories (think: scale, grinder, gooseneck spout kettle) to reach the pinnacle of good coffee. It’s definitely an investment, even if it’s cheap right off the bat. 

2. Beginners, please note: making a delicious cup of coffee with a pour-over will take time to perfect, because it requires a degree of precision that may not come naturally. Prepare for a few less-than-stellar cups.