Single Cup Coffee Makers - What Amounts Do They Really Make?

Single serve and one cup coffee makers vary greatly when you look at pod brewing systems. Some pod makers will make as much as a mug full, 8 ounces, or two 4 ounce cups at the same time. Another pod maker uses 7 different T discs with a bar code the maker reads and then brews the product to the exact specifications for that product. Still another pod maker makes brews hot and cold beverages with the touch of a button. These machines make the beverage in amounts of 4 to 12 ounces for a travel mug depending on the operator's choice. Some brewing systems are programmable and even include hot water after a brew is made making more to drink available and with an adjustable hot water temperature.

Consumer reports offer 4 top single cup coffee makers. One brews coffee in a 15 ounce travel mug by adding water and coffee grounds in a brew filter basket. The next one brews 200 varieties of coffee at adjustable temperatures and brews up to 9.25 ounces with a single k cup. The third pod maker brews 1.35 to 3.75 ounces of coffee, tea or hot cocoa all from k cups. It also has a frothing wand like some espresso machines. The fourth is inexpensive and easy to use like the first one, but brews coffee quite differently. Coffee grounds are placed in a filter paper in a plastic tube, which is held over a cup while hot water is poured in to a certain point then a plunger is pushed down until the amount of coffee desired is made. This single cup coffee yields from one to four cups.

Some pour over one cup coffee makers produce a varied amount for different sizes of mugs even when they include an 8 ounce mug. These makers also make tea, hot chocolate, hot cocoa, instant soups and more. Other pour over coffee makers produce from 4 to 12 ounces of beverage in as little as 45 seconds. One single serve coffee maker brews 10 ounces every time for variety of mug sizes. Other pour over makers brew a size- varying single cup through a gold plated filter that pours directly into your mug.

Personal coffee makers usually have a permanent filter. These makers are used to make coffee or hot water for a variety of beverages such as tea. In stark contrast are French press single coffee makers that are usually made for one serving of coffee, but may offer a larger size. Vacuum pots are considered single serving coffee makers, but often make up to three cups at a time.