How We Tested
Coffee makers on this list were tested either at home by members of our review team or in our Lab alongside other options. In an effort to provide the utmost clarity and information on a coffee maker, we assess key areas like brewing time and temperature, coffee quality, ease of use, and more. Our writers detail the pros and cons of every item we test and explain why they would or would not recommend purchasing it.
What to Look for in a Dual Coffee Maker
Drink Options
Dual coffee makers inherently offer a range of drink sizes, from a single cup to a full pot. They are also likely to brew more varieties of coffee than just drip. Many dual coffee makers make drip coffee and espresso, for example. Other options can make cold brew or coffee meant to be poured over ice. If you’re interested in a dual coffee maker to begin with, chances are you’d enjoy multiple drink options along with multiple drink sizes. So keep an eye on what settings these normally versatile machines offer.
Size
Since dual coffee makers combine two devices into one, they tend to be larger than standard drip coffee makers. Many of them have a split design with a coffee pot on one side and a single-serve section on the other, so they can be nearly double the width of a typical coffee maker. It’s worth checking item dimensions if you’re worried about space in the kitchen or the room a dual coffee maker will take up on the countertop.
Grounds or Pods
Single-serve coffee is most commonly brewed with pods, such as Keurig’s K-Cups or Nespresso capsules. Meanwhile, a full pot of drip coffee requires ground coffee beans. If you have a predilection for coffee pods, you should be able to find a dual brewer that uses them on the single-serve side. If you don’t have a preference, the number of dual coffee makers you can consider becomes that much greater.
The Spruce Eats / Isaac Nunn
FAQs
What grind size should I use?
A medium grind is best for drip coffee, unless otherwise specific by the manufacturer of your coffee maker. It gives the coffee sufficient flavor without becoming overly bitter from a fine grind or watered-down from a coarse grind. You can also stick with a medium grind if you use a reusable coffee pod for individual servings. Luckily, most bags of pre-ground coffee are a medium grind.
How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?
Caffeine content varies depending on the type of coffee beans used, the number of scoops added, and even by the specific coffee maker you own. In general, however, a cup of drip coffee contains between 80 to 200 milligrams of caffeine. This is a wide range, but a normal cup typically falls on the lower end, around 100 milligrams.
What is descaling?
Descaling is the process of removing mineral residue that builds up inside a coffee maker over time. If you don’t regularly descale, the device could encounter different issues, ranging from the coffee being too weak to the machine not working at all. Usually, it’s recommended to descale every one to three months. Once a month is certainly a lot, though, and most users should be fine going three months. The manufacturer of your coffee maker will likely note how often to perform this deep cleaning in an instruction manual. Many brands sell cleaning products specifically for descaling, but an at-home combination of vinegar and warm soapy water will also do the trick.
The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore
What is coffee concentrate?
Coffee concentrate is a stronger, shorter serving of coffee, often meant to be a substitute for espresso. While coffee concentrate is a nice alternative to have, it doesn’t have the same consistency, punch, and crema as espresso. Some of the reasons for that are pressure, grind size, and flow rate. Espresso is made by hot water being rapidly forced through finely ground coffee beans with high pressure. Coffee concentrate (not to be confused with cold brew coffee concentrate) is made more like drip coffee, with which water is slowly filtered through more coarsely ground beans. Think of coffee concentrate as a cross between drip coffee and espresso.
Is a thermal coffee pot better than glass?
One isn’t necessarily better than the other—they just have different benefits. The main appeal of a thermal carafe is that it keeps coffee warm without needing a hot plate, like a glass coffee pot. Over the coarse of a couple hours, a hot plate alters the taste of coffee because it’s essentially cooking it. So, coffee brewed in a thermal carafe will retain its original flavor better than that brewed in a glass carafe placed on top of a hot plate. Thermal carafes are also more durable than glass.
That said, there are certainly advantages to a glass coffee pot. They are usually cheaper, easier to clean, and sometimes pour better than a thermal carafe. They are also significantly lighter if you don’t want to pick up a hefty stainless steel pot filled with liquid all the time.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
This article was written by Derek Rose, the Coffee and Tea Expert for The Spruce Eats. To make these selections, Derek assessed testing research of various coffee makers conducted by The Spruce Eats and read third-party articles and customer reviews. He has also interviewed a number of experts about what to look for in a drip coffee maker and pod-based coffee maker. Derek received an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and a BA in Communications from Marist College. He joined The Spruce Eats in 2019.
Sources
Allie Caran, the Product Manager at BaristaValet, was interviewed for this piece. She previously worked as the director of education at Partners Coffee. Caran has been in the coffee industry for more than 15 years.
Peter Giuliano, who was interviewed for this piece, is the Chief Research Officer at the Specialty Coffee Association and Executive Director of the Coffee Science Foundation.