Are you just off to College and you have realised that you can no longer afford your Starbuck’s habit?
Or have you been at College for a while and you have just met the love of your life?
Coffee!
Either way, you are probably on the hunt for a new piece of kit.
A single serve brewer.
But what is the best single serve coffee machine for your dorm?
In the chart below, I have my top six picks.
And if your still undecided about the need to buy a coffee maker, consider this.
If you spend an average of $3-$4 a day in your local coffee shop, then over a year you will spend close to $1300.
Realising that this is an absurd amount of money, this student bought himself a coffee maker and saved himself a stack of cash.
Now, before we take a look in depth at these six different models, I want to think about the types of features that a student might be looking forward in a single serve coffee maker for their dorm.
And I can think of seven- quality, small, cheap, quick and easy, robust and reliable, safe and finally portable
Quality
The coffee maker that you buy must make a decent cup of Joe, otherwise you will just head back to your local coffee shop.
And what a waste of money that will have been.
Small
Most dorms are short on space partly because they are fairly small rooms but also because there will be lots of mess everywhere.
Your coffee maker needs to take up as little space as possible.
Quick and Easy
As a student, mornings are difficult enough.
Your coffee maker must make great coffee quickly and simply.
Safe
As a student, mornings are difficult enough without having to make a cup of coffee…
…and remember to turn the machine off.
Buy a coffee make that has an “auto off” function.
It remembers to turn itself off so that you don’t have to.
Easy to Clean
Another Achilles heel of many young people.
The chosen model must be easy to clean because if things are too difficult it might be left to rot.
Or, like an old piece of cheese, have bits of mould growing out of it!
Robust and Reliable
Your coffee maker needs to be robust and reliable.
It won’t get much TLC because you are just learning how to live on your own.
And you haven’t got the money to buy a replacement for a shoddy model.
So look for a coffee maker that has a longer warranty and that offers free online support via Live Chat and videos.
Portable
Finally as a student you haven’t left home just yet.
You want a coffee maker that is portable enough to take with you when you return home with some washing for your Mom to do.
Right now that I have discussed some of the key features that your coffee maker will need, let’s take a look at these works of art, one by one.
Keurig K- Mini K15
Details
- Dimensions (in.): 7.5 (W) x 10.5 (D) x 11.1 (H)
- Brew Size (oz.): 6 | 8 | 10
- Compatibility: K Cup Pod
- Travel Mug Friendly: Yes
- Auto Off: Yes
- Control: Buttons |
Touch Screen - Strength Control: No
- Temperature Control: No
Description
This coffee maker is designed for small spaces- it is the smallest Keurig model. It even comes with cord storage.
Interestingly though, it is not the smallest machine in this comparison.
Related Post: Best Keurig for College Dorm
It can brew any size of coffee from 6 oz to 10 oz- just decide how much water to put into the water reservoir.
It comes with a removable drip tray which can hold the equivalent of one spilt cup.
And it is travel mug compatible.
It has an auto shut off function which is a great energy saving feature or will help you on those occasions when you forget to turn your machine off.
It is K pod compatible which gives you access to over 70 brands and over 400 varieties of coffee.
What Makes It Unique?
This is the only Keurig device in my comparison and so, if you are a keen fan of big brands, then buy it.
After all, Keurig are the absolute King of Single Serve coffee makers.
Coffee makers are great money savers for people who would otherwise be spending a fortune at their local coffee shop.
And for a fraction of the price you can drink the same brands and varieties of coffee.
Chulux Single Serve Coffee Maker
Details
- Dimensions (in.): 4.3 (W) x 7.5 (D) x 9.8 (H)
- Brew Size (oz.): Brew up to 12.
- Compatibility: K Cup Pod
- Travel Mug Friendly: Remove Drip Tray
- Auto Off: Yes
- Control: Buttons |
Touch Screen - Strength Control: No
- Temperature Control: No
Description
This popular Chulux model has many great features.
It is K cup compatible, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot use your own ground coffee.
It has a very compact design and at only 4.3 ” wide it is remarkably slim.
By removing the drip tray it means that you can fill using your travel cup or favorite thermos mug.
One Touch- put the pod in, close the lid and press the button.
What Makes It Unique?
This model is the slimmest at 4.3″ in my comparison,
Like the Keurig model, this coffee maker comes in a wide range of colors including red and blue.
Hamilton Beach Single Serve
Details
- Dimensions (in.): 9.8 (W) x 7.6 (D) x 13.5 (H)
- Brew Size (oz.): 8 – 12.
- Compatibility: Loose Ground Coffee
- Travel Mug Friendly: Yes
- Auto Off: Yes
- Control: Buttons |
Touch Screen - Strength Control: No
- Temperature Control: No
Description
If you are bored of the black plastic design of so many coffee makers or at best black plastic and stainless steel, then welcome to the antidote.
This puppy is all stainless steel.
And with its stainless steel good looks, this machine doesn’t just look better quality.
It comes with a huge five year limited warranty helping to prove that it is better quality.
This coffee maker doesn’t use pods, it uses ground coffee that you can just scoop into a basket.
This makes single cups of coffee much cheaper to make and it also means that you have a far greater choice of what coffee to brew.
It will brew cups of coffee up to 14 oz. and there is plenty of room for your favorite travel mug.
What Makes It Unique?
Plenty.
It uses ground coffee, it is stainless steel, it brews cup sizes up to 14 oz and it also includes a cup stand.
And don’t forget the five year warranty.
In fact, this device has the most unique features of any of the models in my comparison.
Nespresso VertuoLine Coffee and Espresso Maker
Details
- Dimensions (in.): 8.3 (W) x 11.91 (H) x 11.93 (D)
- Brew Size (oz.): From 1.35 to 14.
- Compatibility: VertuoLine Pods
- Travel Mug Friendly: Yes
- Auto Off: Yes
- Control: Buttons |
Touch Screen - Strength Control: No
- Temperature Control: No
Description
Not only is this machine a class apart in its good looks (yeah I know that it is black plastic!) but it also uses space age technology.
No kidding.
In order to create the best coffee, the coffee pod is spun at up to 7000 revolutions per minute.
And it has a built- in milk frother!
Just think of how good those cappuccinos will taste.
Each pod has a barcode, which identifies the perfect brew size for a drink.
From 1.35 oz to 14 ounces, this machine offers incredible flexible.
And the downside to all of this (and you knew that there was going to be one) is that VertuoLine pods are the most expensive coffee pods on the market.
Oh well, you can’t have it all.
What Makes It Unique?
This is the only coffee machine in my comparison that uses VertuoLine pods.
It is also the only machine that has a built in milk frother.
Black and Decker Single Serve Coffee Maker (CM618)
Details
- Dimensions (in.): 6.14 (W) x 5.47 (D) x 9.41 (H)
- Brew Size (oz.): up to 16
- Compatibility: Loose Ground Coffee | Soft Coffee Pods
- Travel Mug Friendly: Yes. One is included.
- Auto Off: Yes
- Control: Buttons |
Touch Screen - Strength Control: No
- Temperature Control: No
Description
Black & Decker make a huge range of machines, not just DIY tools.
Don’t worry- I am not about to sell you a screwdriver!
If you want to make ground coffee with the Black and Decker then you have two options.
- loose ground coffee
- using soft pods
Soft pods are a different kind of coffee capsule than the K Cup or the VertuoLine. The most famous type of soft pod is Tassimo.
This coffee maker comes with a travel mug.
Other features that it has include an “auto off” feature- for those times when you just forget.
What Makes It Unique?
This coffee machine is compatible with soft pods which no other machine in this comparison is.
And it has a two year warranty which none of the other models have.
AdirChef Grab and Go
Details
- Dimensions (in.): 6.7 (W) x 5.1 (D) x 10.1 (H)
- Brew Size (oz.): up to 15
- Compatibility: Loose Ground Coffee
- Travel Mug Friendly: Yes. One is included.
- Auto Off: Yes
- Control: Buttons |
Touch Screen - Strength Control: No
- Temperature Control: No
Description
The Black and Decker has a twin brother.
Allow me to introduce the AdirChef Grab and Go!
It is also black plastic and stainless steel and there are only fractions of inches of difference in the dimensions.
And like the Black and Decker it comes with a travel mug.
You can only use loose coffee grounds and not soft pods.
What Makes It Unique?
Nothing!
