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On the hunt for the perfect Father's Day gift to replace an old worn out French press, I was curious what other coffee makers were on the market. My dad is the only coffee consumer in the household, but does has a daily cup of coffee in the morning. The main driver of the French press over a traditional coffee maker is the capability to brew a single serving of coffee instead of a full pot. Like other purchases, price is an important aspect of the decision. The most obvious single serving coffee machines are K-Cups, but there is plenty of reason to avoid K-Cups.
3 Reasons to Avoid K-Cup Coffee Machines
Since the invention of Keurig Green Mountain K-cup coffee brewing systems, known for quick and no-clean up coffee brewing, a couple of major problems have surfaced:
- The plastic pods are un-recyclable, and therefore bad for the environment. Learn more at killthecup.org!
- Though cheaper than buying a cup of coffee at Starbucks or Peets, it's still much more expensive than brewing your own cup of coffee.
- Limited selection of coffee, some of which can be pretty bad.
Even though K-Cups are admittingly more convenient than coffee makers, the extra few seconds it takes on a traditional coffee maker is worth the cost of the environment. The better alternative to K-Cups is single serve coffee machines.
The Winner: Hamilton Beach Single Scoop Coffee Maker
After some online research, I found the Hamilton Beach Single Scoop Coffee Maker highly rated coffee machine that does not require K-Cups. The price of the Single Scoop is only $35.99 and ships in 2 days with Prime.
Like most reviews, so people give less than stellar reviews, but many of those reviews point to a lack following the instructions stated in the manual.
- No K-Cups-less coffee brewer.
- Coffee filters not required (though some users prefer the coffee taste when brewed with a filter).
- Different brewing settings: Regular and Bold.
- Fairly Easy Clean-up, only rinse two mesh filters.
- Stainless Steel construction means no cheap plastic looks.
- Up to 14 oz of coffee in a tall coffee mug
- Requires cold tap water that instantly heats to 200 degrees.
- A full 8 oz cup of coffee in 90 seconds!
- Automatic shut off after brewing.
For some ideas of solving problems with the Hamilton Beach Single Scoop Coffee Maker:
- Unhappy with the taste of your coffee? Try varying the manufacturer of your pre-ground coffee. Different grinds will result in different outcomes. Better yet, some users suggest grinding your own coffee beans to vary the grind size that works best for your taste.
- Overflowing? Make sure you don't fill coffee grinds past the MAX line. It's all in the instructions!
- Sediment or Sludge in your Coffee? Your grind is probably overly fine. Try a coarser grind... or grind your own beans!
- Coffee Not Hot Enough? Try starting with warmer water instead of cold tap water.