Many households would benefit from having a single cup coffee maker with an included grinder.
After all, one of the best parts about waking up is smelling freshly ground beans in the morning. With a single cup coffee maker that has a grinder function, every single person in the household will be able to experience the smell of freshly ground whole beans.
Likewise, you won’t have grounded beans sitting out waiting for brewing. Instead, you can get freshly ground coffee beans each and every time you make yourself a cup of coffee. This is important because you never want to grind your beans too soon before you plan on brewing. By grinding your beans immediately prior to brewing, you will be able to ensure that the natural concentrated flavors and aromatics get into your cup before dissipating.
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What Should I Look For When Buying a Single Cup Coffee Maker With Grinder?
Grinding Mechanism
First and foremost, you want to identify the grinder that has the right grinding mechanism.
Blade Grinders
While blade grinders might be easier to use in some cases and even cheaper, they will produce an inferior grind. Blade grinders utilize a sharp blade to chop up the coffee beans.
Because of the imprecise nature of this, you will end up with poor uniformity as it relates to the grind size.
This alone can negatively affect the resulting taste you are able to get out of your brew.
Likewise, blade grinders involve a lot of friction. Because of this, these grinders can produce too much heat which can actually begin to heat up the beans. This can cause you to effectively burn the beans and ruin the natural flavor of the roast.
Burr Grinders
Burr grinders are a much better alternative. While burr grinders will tend to be more expensive, they come with numerous benefits.
Burr grinders utilize two serrated plates that oscillate.
They meet at a point in order to effectively grind the beans.
Because they grind the beans instead of chopping them, they are capable of producing a much more uniform grind in the end. Because you want your grounded coffee to be uniform in size for optimal extraction and blooming, this is a major benefit that can help produce a better-tasting cup of coffee.
Price
The price is going to be a big difference-maker. After all, not everyone is going to be willing and able to go for some of the higher-priced single cup coffee makers with grinders. Ideally, you want to come up with a good budget range that you can work with. From there, you should be able to figure out which coffee makers stand out within that respective price range.
Accessibility
Another major factor that you should be considering has to be the accessibility features included with the coffee maker. Not everyone is going to want to have to worry about weighing their beans, setting temperatures, or even dealing with a messy cleanup. By looking at the accessibility and quality of life features, you should be able to find the coffee maker with the right features that can improve your experience.
Size
The size may be a big consideration depending on the amount of counter space you have available. For those who have minimal countertop space, you may want to identify a coffee maker that isn’t going to necessarily take up too much of the remaining space you have.
Now that you are aware of the different types of grinding mechanisms and the various other factors that you should be considering, the following are some of the stand out single cup coffee makers with built-in grinders.
Top Single Cup Coffee Makers With Grinders
#1 – (Budget Travel Pick) Mr. Coffee Single Cup Coffee Maker with Travel Mug and Built-In Grinder
This Mr. Coffee Single Cup Coffee Maker with grinder is one of the best for those who are not only looking for a budget coffee maker, but also for those who are always on-the-go. While this coffee maker has a built-in blade grinder which isn’t ideal, it produces good tasting brews.
- Two Brewing Methods
This coffee maker isn’t going to pigeon-hole you into buying whole beans. For those mornings you don’t feel like waiting, you can always opt for beans that have already been grounded. This is good for those who cannot afford to waste any time in the mornings when they are running late.
- Adjustable Brew Sizes
You will be able to adjust the brew size based on your needs. This is great for those who are constantly brewing different cups or travel mugs. When you are on-the-go, sometimes you need to use whatever is available. You won’t be forced into a specific brew size due to the height of the machine.
- Easy To Clean
The unit features a filter basket that is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. Meaning, you will be able to clean your coffee maker and get it back up and running before you know it.
#2 – (Budget Pick For Burr Grinder) KRUPS Personal Cafe Grind Drip Maker Coffee Grinder
This Personal Cafe Grind Drip coffee maker (KM550D50) is a stand-out. For those looking for a single cup coffee maker with grinder combo, you will be hard-pressed to be able to find an option that offers as much value as this one. It comes with a range of features that make it an incredible value.
- Stainless Steel Burr Grinder
For a coffee maker that isn’t north of $100, this is a fantastic inclusion. A burr grinder made up of stainless steel is what you would expect from a coffee maker that is much more expensive than this one.
Having a built-in burr grinder means you are going to be able to experience the benefits that only the consistency of a burr grinder can provide. Better yet, it comes with 2 different settings for your grind type including either coarse or fine depending on your preferred bean type.
- Versatility
As with other coffee makers in the marketplace that give you the choice, this one comes with the ability to brew pre-ground or whole beans. This is a good inclusion knowing you won’t be stuck with one or the other. Along with this, it is capable of brewing up to 4 cups and offers an automatic keep-warm function.
- Hassle-Free Cleaning
You will be able to take advantage of hassle-free cleaning with this unit. Any part that makes contact with the coffee is fully designed to be easy to disassemble and to toss into the dishwasher.
#3 – (Best Overall)
This coffee maker from Sboly is another good option to consider if you want to purchase a single cup coffee maker with grinder. This coffee maker comes with everything you could possibly need in a coffee maker with grinder. For those looking for something that is convenient and easy to use, this might be a good option to consider. Best of all, it offers more precise adjustments than most other blade grinders.
- Stainless Steel Grinder
This unit comes with a stainless steel grinder that offers multiple grind settings. You can choose from fine-brew to coarse-brew to ground. Therefore, you will be able to find the right grind setting for your preferred bean, roast, and taste.
- Multiple Brewing Methods
You will be able to use your favorite pre-ground coffee or whole beans from your local specialty roaster. This gives you more ways to use the machine.
- Easy Maintenance
Having a coffee machine that takes a long time to clean and maintain can be a hassle. This one features detachable accessories that will make it very easy to clean. Along with this, you can even remove the drip tray in order to clean it whenever needed. The majority of the parts are safe to throw into the dishwasher for easy and convenient cleaning.
- Adjustable Tray
The drip tray that is included is fully adjustable. This means you will be able to brew into a travel mug or a basic mug. That way, you won’t have to worry about a travel mug not fitting or your favorite ceramic mug leaving splatters all over your kitchen counter.
#4 – (Best Value) Cuisinart Grind and Brew Thermal 10-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker
This Grind and Brew Thermal Coffeemaker DGB-650BC thermal 10-cup from Cuisinart is a really good option for those who are seeking a coffee maker that is capable of doing much more than single serve. While this machine is fully capable of doing single-serve/single-cup coffee, it can produce up to 10 cups when you have larger gatherings.
With this machine, it features a built-in grinder that can be automatically programmed. While it doesn’t include a burr grinder, the convenience it offers along with the included filters helps the machine produce an exceptional cup of coffee.
- Programmable Unit
The fact this coffee maker can be programmed to grind and brew at a specific time, it can make for one of the best smelling alarm clocks you will find anywhere. You can easily program the unit to begin grinding the beans at a specific time and it will automatically dispense the beans into the brewing chamber for fresh brewing.
- Different Settings
As mentioned, this unit is much more than a single-serve coffee maker. However, it can be programmed to produce smaller amounts with its 1 to 4 cup setting. This way, you will be able to brew smaller batches to keep the coffee as fresh as possible. If you do intend to brew more than 1 or 2 cups at a time, the thermal carafe that it comes with will help to keep your coffee hot.
- Filters Included
You are getting both a gold-tone commercial-style permanent filter for the coffee and a charcoal water filter in order to get rid of impurities in the water. This can keep your coffee tasting as fresh and as pure as possible.
- Brew-Pause Function
This is a very underrated feature that is included in this coffee maker. With the brew-pause function, you will be able to pour a cup of coffee prior to the end of the completed brewing cycle. While this may not be something you use often if you are brewing 1 cup at a time, it can be a great way to brew more coffee but pour your first cup sooner than it takes to complete an entire brew cycle.
Verdict
Overall, there are so many different single cup coffee makers with grinders that you can choose from. While the coffee makers with burr grinders will certainly produce more consistent results, you can get great coffee makers with blade style grinders, as well.
While our overall favorite single cup coffee maker with grinder is the , if you need a machine that offers both single and multi-cup selection, the Cuisinart Grind and Brew is the best value for the money.
Choosing the right one comes down to figuring out what you value most in a coffee maker and figuring out which one has the requisite features that will help you extract the most value out of it. All 4 of the coffee makers above are standout options you can consider buying.
Nowadays, coffee makers are expected to do more than make coffee. For more dual coffee maker reviews, click here.