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Best Single Cup Coffee Systems UK 

 October 8, 2016

By  Enda McLarnon

When you want one of the best single cup coffee systems for your home then it is certainly worthwhile doing some research. Most of the leading brands and manufacturers have now created some type of one cup coffee maker.

These brands include Salter, Russell Hobbs, Morphy Richards, Cuisinart and others.

These are also ideal to use in your place of work, if you want to enjoy the taste of real and freshly brewed coffee.

If you also like to try different flavours of coffee. Think of French Vanilla or some of the great Belgian chocolate types and you know what we mean.

Instead of making an entire pot of coffee, these machines can bring you great quality coffee in a matter of minutes. That makes them ideal to try out new flavours without making a full pot.

These single coffee makers save you time by quickly making a hot cup of coffee. All you have to do is grab the ready made cup, hit a button and you’re good to go.

What to Check Before You Buy?

Now most of these are small and compact. As such they should fit easily into a small space. That said, it is always worth taking a note of the dimensions and making a check that it will fit. That is especially important if you plan on having it under a cupboard. Width and breadth are not normally an issue, but the height of the machine can be.

The space that you use will also need to be close to an electrical socket. Most of these type of machines have short enough leads on them, so just be aware of that. For safety reasons, you may also want the place where it will be located, to be out of reach for younger children.

How Many Cups/Mugs Do You Really Want?

Even though the term single is used, quite a number of these machines are capable of producing two smaller cups of coffee or one overly large one, suitable for a mug. 

The basic standard tea cup holds about 8 ounces. Most of the single cup machines are easily capable of making double that amount. In most cases one of these machines will allow you to quickly make enough coffee for two people. It is worth just checking on the capacity to be sure, if that is important to you.

Grains or Pods

Some of these machines are pod only. In other words you have to buy pods that actually fit the particular machine that you end up buying. Others do use regular coffee ground coffee in a reusable filter.

There is considerable debate over a reusable filter versus the pods. No matter which you go for, you will still get fresh tasting coffee, rather than a cup of instant.

Some people prefer the pods as they are convenient, if a little more expensive than buying coffee and filters. At the end of the day the best single cup coffee systems are not an expensive purchase.

Types of Single Cup Coffee Systems

There are a few different types of these available and it can get confusing for the buyer. The different types brew the coffee in different ways, and these are not the same as "coffee pod machines."

The pod machines are from brands like Nespresso and the Bosch Tassimo. (Great machines by the way but they do use pods only)

Below I have covered off the different types and included some of the best single cup makers currently available in the UK market place.

Top 4 Single Coffee Makers

Below you will find our top picks. Beside each product name 

  1. Salter EK2408 Coffee Maker to Go Personal Filter Coffee Machine (90%)
  2. Russell Hobbs 22630 Brew and Go Filter Coffee Machine and Mug (84%)
  3. Morphy Richards Coffee On The Go Filter Coffee Machine (84%)
  4. Cuisinart One Cup Grind & Brew Bean-To-Cup Filter Coffee Maker (84%)

Our Top Picks

#1

4.5/5

Salter EK2408 Coffee Maker to Go Personal Filter Coffee Machine

With this model you place your ground coffee or coffee pod into the reusable filter, place into the brewing chamber and add up to 430 ml of water. The coffee is ready in 3-4 minutes and this comes with a 420 ml stainless steel travel mug with a secure easy-drink slider lid.

#2

4.2/5

Russell Hobbs 22630 Brew and Go Filter Coffee Machine and Mug

This is a big seller and brews coffee from fresh grounds or soft filter coffee pods into a 400 ml stainless steel travel mug. It also has a 24 hour programmable timer, and adjustable drip tray that fits travel mugs and standard sized cups and a permanent coffee filter.

#3

4.2/5

Morphy Richards Coffee On The Go Filter Coffee Machine

The coffee machine fills the stainless steel travel mug directly so once it has done its thing just put on the lid and go. This comes with a thermal travel mug and also has a permanent f. This model also has auto shut off - for peace of mind

#4

4.2/5

Cuisinart One Cup Grind & Brew Bean-To-Cup Filter Coffee Maker

This model is a fully automatic filter coffee maker that grinds the coffee beans immediately before brewing for maximum flavour and freshness. It is easy to use  -  add the correct amount of water and your choice of beans and the machine does the rest. It also has a height adjustable drip tray - suitable for cups, mugs and travel cups without drips & splashes

Gourmet Single Cup Coffee Selections

If you enjoy gourmet coffee, then there are quite a few gourmet single cup coffee selections. As you may know this type of coffee is all about giving you a coffee rich and full of taste.

Filters are probably the most important thing to consider to get the full flavour from your gourmet purchases. Using the right ones really do help give the water the best taste. Some of the better machines will use a charcoal filter system.

This type of filter cleanses the water of any impurities that might impact the taste of the water. It is also worth checking the temperature of the machine will keep the coffee hot long after it leaves the unit.

It is also worth checking if the single maker machine offers you the option to make other beverages such as cocoa or iced tea. Again some of these machines also use pods, so well worth having a look at what types of gourmet coffee are available in pods.

Benefits of Single Cup Coffee Brewers

As you can see there are a number of choices to get a quick cup of coffee in the morning. The built-in cups are designed to keep your coffee fresh and hot longer than ordinary to go cups.

You can set the strength by working out the amount of grains that you want to use. Clearly the more grains you use, the stronger your coffee will be.

One of the best things about these handy single up coffee machines is that they come with built-in filters.

Reading the reviews though would suggest that most users prefer to use paper filters as they do a better job of cleaning the water.

In addition they don’t take up a lot of counter space. When you get this type of coffee maker, the savings add up quickly, as you can stop going to the coffee shops.

Single Cup Coffee Filters

Filters are a royal pain in the head. I was going to use a different term but thought that I had better behave. They are though and mainly because of the cost of them, and the fact that they can often be hard to find. It is also all too easy to forget to buy them.

That said, they do make a huge difference to the taste of your coffee. Most of these machines come with built-in filters and mainly mesh filters. Although these work well enough to filter out the grains, they really do not do that good of a job on cleaning impurities from the water.

With a single cup coffee filter, you get the flavour you enjoy for sure. It is certainly worth trying to use the built-in filter and see if you enjoy the taste. You can then try a paper filter and see if it makes any difference.

Enda McLarnon


Enda McLarnon has a Business Management Honour's Degree and applies his professional insight, to analyse and write helpful product reviews with tips and useful advice. I am also a coffee lover and enjoy tasting all of the coffee types the world has to offer.

Enda McLarnon

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