3 Best Low-Cost Single-Serve Coffee Makers

Whether you're searching for a single-serve coffee maker for your home or business, this type of maker can be an excellent choice, thanks mainly to its convenience.

Single-serve brewers can be particularly useful for travelers, occasional coffee drinkers, and businesses.

My wife and I own and manage a number of Airbnb rental properties and most styles of coffee brewers just aren't practical for this purpose. By contrast, low-cost, single-serve machines are ideal for guests who are just staying for one or a few nights and desire a drink of coffee.

I've spent a number of years trying out and experimenting with a variety of budget-friendly single-serve makers, as well as receiving feedback from guests. This article draws on my experience and the conclusions that I've reached regarding the best affordable single-serve coffee machines that are currently available.

I've included a range of machines but my overall priority, as far as my recommendations go, is value for money.

3 Best Low-Cost Single-Serve Coffee Makers

Here are my three recommendations for affordable, single-serve machines (one of them uses just K-Cup pods and the others are compatible with pods and ground coffee):

• Hamilton Beach 49979 FlexBrew: Budget-Friendly and Versatile
• Keurig K-Mini: Compact and Easy to Clean
• Famiworths Single Serve: Reliable and Fast

I explain my decisions and experiences regarding each brewer below:

Hamilton Beach 49979 FlexBrew: Budget-Friendly and Versatile

As its name suggests, one of the best things about the Hamilton Beach 49979 FlexBrew is its versatility. It's compatible with either K-Cup pods or coffee grounds.

We have one of these in a small house we rent out. Short-stay guests are generally happy to use the K-Cup option, while those staying for longer can buy their own coffee grounds and make their brews that way.

When I use the Hamilton Beach myself, I always find it a very straightforward machine to use. It makes great coffee and I particularly like having the water-viewing window.

Hamilton Beach 49979: Pros

• It's easy to use. You essentially just set up the coffee and water, lower the lid and press a button. There are only two settings for the coffee strength, regular and bold, but that's enough for most people and it certainly makes things uncomplicated.
• The flexibility of this machine is great. While I've tried it with K-Cup pods and it works well, I do appreciate that it can make ground coffee too, which is my personal preference.
• The water-viewing window enables you to achieve the correct levels for brewing.

Hamilton Beach 49979: Cons

• While it certainly isn't a large machine, it's not as compact as some other affordable, single-serve coffee makers either. I'd describe it as a great brewer for indoor use but probably a little too large for, say, traveling with in a car or storing in an RV.

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Keurig K-Mini: Compact and Easy to Clean

The Keurig name is synonymous with single-serve coffee makers and the Keurig K-Mini is an ideal, low-cost option for those seeking a compact machine.

As Airbnb hosts, this brewer is our go-to for circumstances where the table, counter, or storage space is limited. It's perfect for use in small rooms and would make an excellent option for travelers and RV living.

The best single-serve coffee machines are reliable, intuitive to use, and efficient. When I make a drink with this maker, I'm always impressed with how straightforward and fast it is to produce a hot brew.

Keurig K-Mini: Pros

• The compact design makes this brewer ideal for small spaces. It's less than five inches wide and has cord storage, making it perfect for taking traveling, as well as home use.
• It's a quick, easy, and convenient way to make a single cup of coffee.
• It has a removable drip tray and is generally a very easy machine to clean, which is essential for my wife and me as we're using it in an Airbnb room and it has to be cleaned regularly.

Keurig K-Mini: Cons

• The low-cost construction of this machine effectively means that it's not going to last forever. Five years is a typical life expectancy for this type of maker, in my experience.

Famiworths Single Serve: Reliable and Fast

Compatible with both K-Cup pods and ground coffee, the Famiworths Single Serve is on my list of recommendations because it's an excellent, all-around, affordable coffee maker that offers great value for money.

I like my coffee to have a rich taste, so my personal preference is for the ground coffee. However, I have also used the brewer with pods and this option works well too.

The Famiworths' compact size is a great selling point for my wife and me, as some of our Airbnb rentals are just single rooms with limited space.

Famiworths: Pros

• The push button controls are easy to use, in my experience, and there are brewing settings for regular and bold beverages.
• It's compact and takes up very little counter and storage space. It can also be taken traveling.
• There's a descaling mode that can be activated, which comes in useful. All-in-all, it's a very easy machine to clean. That's particularly important in my case as we have to clean it regularly.
• It's a reliable and impressively fast brewer, your drink's ready in under three minutes.

Famiworths: Cons

• While it's easy to clean, it can get a little messy during the brewing process with coffee splattering.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Single-Serve Coffee Makers

When it comes to the various types of coffee makers, there are always pros and cons and it's important to choose the right type for your requirements.

The benefits of single-serve makers generally revolve around their convenience, whereas the downsides usually relate to the lack of eco-friendliness of the pods plus certain taste issues.

Below is a fuller list of the advantages and disadvantages:

Positives:

• They are generally easy to use
• These brewers are generally quick, you can produce a beverage in a minute or so
• There's no bean grinding or measuring of grounds involved
• No loose grounds make it a less messy way to produce coffee than using other styles of maker
• The flavor is consistent
• Using pods means that you can specify the roast and flavor for each individual drink

Negatives:

• The pods are often not recyclable so it's generally not the most eco-friendly way of making coffee
• There can be compatibility issues as not all pods work with all single-serve coffee makers
• While grinding your beans and then brewing them in a drip machine or French press takes more time and effort, the flavor produced is fresher than with a single-serve coffee maker

Conclusion

You should choose your maker according to your priorities. For instance, in my case, I grind my own beans and use a French press at home for maximum flavor. However, in the Airbnb properties that my wife and I rent out, we have single-serve coffee makers for maximum convenience.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.