1. Kitchen
2. Coffee

The Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker (Isn’t a Keurig)

Updated November 4,

By Rose Maura Lorre

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Rose Maura Lorre is a writer who has reported on turkey fryers, composters, body pillows, and more.

For roughly 62% of Americans, according to a survey, starting the day off right means starting with a cup of coffee. But for anyone who’s looking for just a single-serving fix—because you live alone, you don’t have space for a big coffee setup, or you’re the only coffee drinker at home—your options may seem limited to a Keurig machine (which yields subpar coffee) or a to-go order (which can get pricey).

Fortunately, you actually have several lower-cost ways to DIY delicious coffee for one. And figuring out which method will work best for you is really about just two things: “It’s up to the style and flavor of coffee you prefer, as well as whether you prioritize convenience or ritual,” says Wirecutter senior editor Marguerite Preston, who oversees our kitchen coverage. If you run out the door every day balancing a travel mug in one hand, you’re likely to prefer a time-saving appliance that does the work for you. But if you refuse to go anywhere before sitting and savoring a luscious morning cuppa joe, you’ll probably enjoy a more hands-on gadget that lets you craft your coffee just the way you like it.

To help you decide which coffee maker is best for you, we’ve rounded up all the gear we recommend that can produce a well-made, single cup of coffee, including an array of affordable, sustainable, space-saving choices that don’t involve purchasing a so-called “single-serve coffee maker.”

One more thing to keep in mind: “Most manufacturers measure a ‘cup’ of coffee at about 5 ounces, whereas the average coffee mug holds 10 to 12 ounces,” Marguerite says. So make sure your “one cup” isn’t actually two or more before committing to equipment with a smaller capacity.

Get a French press if…

• You want the easiest, fastest coffee without a machine.
• You like experimenting with more exacting methods.
• You want the flexibility to brew several cups at a time.
• You prefer a richer, full-bodied coffee flavor.
• You’re okay with a little daily cleanup.
• You already have a kettle or don’t mind getting one.
• You want a pretty goof-proof coffee-making method.

Top pick

The Espro P3, with its innovative filter, consistently brews bright, grit-free coffee.

Making coffee in a French press can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. If you’re in a rush, “you can just measure your grounds and hot water, dump them in, wait, and then drain it,” Marguerite says. Even though you first need to heat your water in a stovetop kettle or electric kettle, the actual brew time is only about four minutes, so it’s one of the fastest ways to make good coffee while being relatively hands-off.

With more patience and care, plus the right advice (video) and tools such as a kitchen scale, you can also use a French press to compose a more carefully balanced brew, which means the press can accommodate your changing tastes and habits. And if you occasionally find yourself making coffee for a crowd, a full-size French press can brew delicious batches big enough to serve three or four people (which is why we don’t recommend those teeny-tiny single-serve presses).

Because a French press relies on immersion brewing, with the grounds fully soaked in the water rather than the water dripping through the grounds, Marguerite adds, it tends to produce “a cup that is to some people richer-tasting, and to other people muddier-tasting” than what you get from pour-overs. You get some sludginess from fine grounds slipping past the press’s metal filter, which is why we recommend the Espro P3 French Press as our top pick. Its bucket-shaped, fine-mesh double filter does a superior job of keeping that sediment out of your cup, though it still can’t match the level of filtration you can get from a device that uses paper filters.

Speaking of muddy, you have to get your hands a little dirty to make daily use of a French press: You need to scoop wet grounds out of the vessel and wash it after every use. On the plus side, you never have to worry about running out of paper filters, and we’ve found in our testing that our French-press picks are built to last. Other than possibly needing to replace the press’s mesh filter every few years, you’re good to go.

Get a pour-over if…

• You love the ritual of coffee making.
• You have more than a few minutes to make your coffee every morning.
• You’re into a bright, clean flavor profile.
• You buy really nice coffee and want to taste all its subtleties.
• You buy pretty-good coffee but want it to taste more expensive.

Top pick

The Kalita Wave’s flat bottom ensures the most even extraction—and the best-tasting coffee—of all the pour-over drippers we’ve tested.

Also great

As gorgeous as it is usable, the Chemex makes several cups at once, and it produced a delicious, bright brew that our testers loved.

When you want to nerd out with a high-end, hands-on setup, pour-over is the way to go. “Pour-over is the only method that gives you full control over every variable: the amount of coffee grounds, the amount of water, the temperature of the water, and the rate at which you distribute the water over the coffee,” Marguerite explains. You need a small suite of accessories: a kitchen scale, a gooseneck kettle, paper filters, and, if you want a completely bespoke process, a grinder. Once you finish brewing your perfect cup, though, cleanup is pretty simple—because the grounds are contained in the paper filter, all you have to do is grab that from the pour-over and toss it into your garbage or compost.

Handled correctly, a pour-over can yield the most sophisticated joe. Due in part to its use of a paper filter and in part to the way water flows through the coffee grounds, “it produces a cleaner, brighter-tasting cup of coffee than a French press or a moka pot,” Marguerite says. “It’s also less concentrated and espresso-like than from a moka pot or AeroPress, yielding a full mug of true drip coffee.”

We found in our testing that the best-tasting pour-over coffee is made by our top-pick dripper, the Kalita Wave 185. However, if you want something more visually pleasing, or if you want to be able to make more coffee at once, get the Chemex Six Cup Classic Series, an aesthetically gorgeous piece of equipment (it’s in the MoMA) that drips into its own carafe rather than straight into a mug.

Get a moka pot if…

• You love espresso but don’t have the budget or space for an espresso machine.
• You want espresso-style drinks that aren’t quite as intense as actual espresso.
• You want a stovetop option that doesn’t require any other equipment.
• You want something elegant and, ideally, something you’ll own for life.
• You consider yourself a coffee devotee, or you’re interested in joining such a religion.
• You aren’t afraid of some hissing and sputtering.

Top pick

This moka pot—which, of the four moka models we tested, comes closest to Alfonso Bialetti’s original design—has a classic look, is dead simple to use, and brews coffee as rich and flavorful as that of any model we tested.

The cult-fave, Art Deco–ish moka pot, almost entirely unchanged since its invention by an Italian engineer in the s, is an example of inversion-style brewing. Instead of making water drip from the top down through the grounds, the pot forces the water upward from its lower chamber through the grounds as steam. This pressurized method is the closest you can get to making espresso without an actual espresso machine. (Though the resulting brew is a notch milder than true espresso, one expert we consulted for our moka pot guide describes it as “viscous and strong.”)

Marguerite describes the pot as “a coffee maker that’s as much about aesthetics and ritual as it is about flavor.” Like the Chemex, the Moka Express is in the MoMA. And as with the French press, you should be able to go years without needing replacement parts for your moka pot.

Though you can fill a moka pot’s lower chamber with room-temperature water and use it as an all-in-one option, we recommend pre-boiling the water in a separate vessel to reduce the risk of scorching your coffee.

Get a cold-brew maker if…

• You exclusively or frequently drink iced coffee.
• You prefer strong-flavored, low-acid coffee.
• You’d rather prepare coffee in batches instead of making it daily.
• You don’t want to bother with a lot of techniques or accessories.
• You want to make good coffee from cheap beans.

Top pick

OXO's cold-brew coffee maker produced the strongest, boldest coffee of any model we tested. It's also easier to assemble than the competition.

If you tend to wake up 15 minutes before you need to be out the door, having a jug of cold-brew concentrate at the ready in your fridge can be a godsend. All you need to do is pour a couple of ounces into a cup and then mix with water and, if you want, milk, cream, or sugar. You can even make hot coffee if you swap in boiling water for cold or just nuke your diluted concentrate in the microwave.

Cold brew is another immersion style of coffee making, but it uses time (about 12 to 24 hours) rather than heat to extract flavor from the grounds. If you want to enjoy an artisanal style of coffee but you don’t consider yourself skilled at making it, our top-pick cold-brew coffee maker from OXO may be just what you’re looking for. It’s even more set-it-and-forget-it than a French press. Our testers found that the OXO cold-brew maker “produced a more consistent, flavorful cup of coffee” than other models, creating “balanced acidity, a stronger aroma, and a cleaner finish.”

The OXO cold-brew maker can also store up to 32 ounces of concentrate, so you could technically make about two weeks’ worth of coffee with one batch. A cold-brew maker is also worth considering if you have a sensitive stomach or suffer from heartburn, as cold-brewed coffee is typically found to contain significantly less acid than coffees brewed through most other methods.

Get a Nespresso if…

• You want a taste that approximates espresso with the ease of instant.
• You’re willing to compromise some flavor for speed and convenience.
• You want the very simplest coffee-making method.
• You don’t want to deal with equipment cleaning or maintenance.
• You have just a sliver of counter space to dedicate to a coffee maker.

Top pick

The Essenza Mini makes the same espresso as $400 Nespresso machines but has a smaller footprint and no unnecessary features.

Fill a water tank, pop in a pod, press a button. That’s all the human input required to make coffee with our top-pick Nespresso machine, the slender and compact Nespresso Essenza Mini. Whereas other pod-style coffee makers deservedly get a bad rap (ahem, Keurig), we find that Nespresso machines produce comparatively better-tasting coffee with less wasteful packaging. (Nespresso pods are made from aluminum and therefore recyclable, including through the company’s recycling program.) Besides disposing of your pods, Marguerite notes, descaling the machine every three months or so is the only upkeep a Nespresso model needs.

Depending on your palate, though, using this method may still involve a trade-off of convenience for taste. In our Nespresso guide, we note that we “don’t love the flavor” of Nespresso’s espresso and espresso-based milk drinks, rating them as “drinkable,” which certainly falls short of lofty praise.

Get an AeroPress if…

• You want great-tasting coffee fast but don’t mind (or prefer) a hands-on approach.
• You’re into gadgetry.
• You hate the coffee at your office.
• You travel a lot and despise hotel-room coffee.
• You love camping and coffee in equal measure.
• You like all kinds of coffee, from drip to espresso.
• You already have a kettle or don’t mind getting one.

Top pick

The lightweight, compact AeroPress is the simplest way to make an excellent-tasting single cup of coffee, no electricity needed.

You can use this plunger-style gizmo anywhere you can boil water. Aficionados like to do it in one of two ways: The traditional way is to fill its chamber with premeasured grounds and hot water, place the plunger on top, let it steep for a couple of minutes, and then plunge the resulting java juice into the cup. More advanced users often prefer what’s called the inverted method, which entails (among other nifty moves) standing the plunger on its head.

Either way, AeroPress coffee should take only about two minutes to brew, not counting the time necessary to boil water, so it’s one of the flat-out fastest devices for making great coffee quickly. However, unlike the French press’s more hands-off brewing, with an AeroPress you spend most of the time working (preheating all the elements with hot water, measuring, stirring, and so on) rather than waiting.

Though the AeroPress is an unassuming, small piece of equipment, it can actually make coffee in lots of different ways, and if you’re into that, you’re likely to make internet friends with fellow AeroPress-heads who say that it’s a toy as much as it is a tool. “You can find all kinds of recipes online that will allow you to make anything from an 8-ounce cup resembling drip coffee to something that resembles a concentrated shot of espresso,” Marguerite says.

The company also sells an AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press that comes with a scoop, paper filters, and a stirrer, all of which travels compactly, but its capacity is a little smaller than the original’s, and we find both models equally easy to take anywhere.

Get an espresso machine if…

• Price is not an issue.
• You like steamed milk drinks (lattes, macchiatos) or straight espresso.
• You’re into entertaining with flair.
• You’re willing to spend some time learning how to use your new machine.

Top pick

Fast, small, and easy to use, the Bambino Plus impresses both beginners and experienced baristas with its consistent espresso shots and silky frothed milk.

If you insist that your morning coffee whisk you away to a cozy coffee bar in the Italian Alps (credit card be damned), only a true espresso machine will do. Nowadays, some of these gorgeous models of modern machinery are thankfully designed with newbie-friendliness in mind, although we still think a little practice is required before you can call yourself a barista.

Besides having the ability to brew a true cup of delicious espresso at home, the other big benefit of owning an espresso machine is that it’s a showstopper. Our top pick, the Breville Bambino Plus, allows you to “pull shots back to back in very little time,” Marguerite says, and the machine has an automatic milk-frothing function, making it easy for you to serve (and amaze) several guests relatively quickly.

Get a drip machine if…

• You want a machine that does the work for you.
• You like to entertain.
• You don’t mind the price.

Worth considering

A compact cousin to our top-pick drip coffee maker, the 8-cup OXO model brews slightly better coffee but lacks an auto-brew function. It’s the only drip machine we think is worth considering that allows you to brew directly into a mug.

Though it may seem counterintuitive (and pricier than everything but the espresso machine), it is possible to make just one or two good cups of coffee using a drip machine. This method is also as automated as it gets: Add grounds and water to the machine, press the button, go do something else. Though it’s not one of our drip coffee maker picks, we highlight the OXO Brew 8-Cup as another coffeemaker worth considering, especially if you want a machine that can make a pot or a single cup.

The OXO Brew 8-Cup allows you to swap out its carafe and just brew straight into your cup or mug, so it can flexibly accommodate your coffee-for-one habits. It even comes with a distinct, dedicated filter basket for brewing single servings, which creates a cup of coffee that’s not too far off from pour-over. We’ve also found that the 8-cup model makes a full pot of coffee faster than our top pick, the OXO Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker, finishing in just over six minutes, and that the resulting brew even tastes a little better.

If you truly just want your coffee fast, cheap, and for your lips only, one of our cheap coffee maker picks, the petite Zojirushi Zutto Coffee Maker EC-DAC50, which has a 23-ounce capacity, may be your soulmate. As Marguerite puts it, “If your priority is just being able to press a button and have a machine brew you two or three cups at a time, I would get the Zutto.”

This article was edited by Alex Aciman and Marguerite Preston.

Meet your guide

Further reading

• How to Clean Your Coffee Maker

  by Joanne Chen

  Cleaning your coffee maker regularly and thoroughly will help the machine last longer and make the coffee taste better.

• The AeroPress is a Fast, Portable, No-Frills Tool for Making Terrific Coffee

  by Marguerite Preston, Daniel Varghese, and Alex Arpaia

  The AeroPress coffee maker and its travel companion, the AeroPress Go, are the best way to make single cups of coffee at work or on the go.

• Ask Wirecutter: Are There Cheap Products That Are Better Than Their Pricey Counterparts?

  by Annemarie Conte

  You don’t always need to spend more money to get something great.

• The Best Nespresso Machine

  by Ciara Murray Jordan and Sabrina Imbler

  Nespresso machines can make good espresso quickly and conveniently. We recommend the Essenza Mini because it’s compact, efficient, and easy to use.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Single-serve coffeemakers like the Keurig have several big advantages. They're simple to use, convenient, and make the ideal amount of coffee for one person per use. There are also a wide range of pods (commonly referred to as "K-cups") on the market, which makes it easy to be spoiled for choice when choosing what to put in the machine.

We've tried 26 different kinds of K-cups, ranking them from worst to best. The selection of pods we tried includes a number of flavored offerings, alongside plain old coffee. We aimed for a good mix of roasts, manufacturers, and prices, and our choices include pods from several major grocery stores and fast food chains. 

As a rule, we tried each pod "as-is." So regular coffee was sampled black, and nothing was added to each flavored concoction. We did this for consistency reasons, as you may not have access to the same additives or use the same quantities we would use and that might skew the results. So without further ado, here are 26 of the best K-cups you can get in , ranked from worst to best.

Folgers Breakfast Blend promises "mellow and mild with a balanced finish." That is correct to some degree; the flavor is certainly mild — so mild that it isn't really there when you take your first sip. Then there's a taste I can't quite put my finger on. Again, it's mild, but it's also unpleasant. It's artificial and medicinal, like a toned-down version of a weird spoonful of penicillin you had forced into your mouth as a child. If you don't pay attention, you'll miss it because, for the most part, this is just a cup of brown water. Not coffee. I did spot a hint of chocolate in there towards the end, but that may have just been my subconscious trying to comfort me.

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As for the "balanced finish," that's just bitterness. Again, it is a mild bitterness, but it builds. The more of this you drink, the more unpleasant the lingering taste in your mouth becomes. Halfway through the cup, I found myself in need of a palate cleanser. Water did the job of dialing back the built-up bitterness, but it isn't something you should need to consider. As for using this as the base of a flat white or something, it would be pretty useless. You should only use it in an elaborate mixed drink if you really hate coffee because you won't taste any of it. Or you could just use hot water, which is cheaper. That's why this is last on our list.

Adding flavorings to coffee can push the beverage beyond its natural limitations, creating something else entirely. The success of additives like pumpkin spice shows how far this concept can go, and the potential for crossovers is ripe. One such hybrid involves Original Donut Shop coffee and Twix — a popular snack many people have probably enjoyed on a coffee break.

The potential for this one seems high, which makes its subsequent disappointment all the more crushing. This tastes of nothing. Nothing at all. The additives have served to somehow eliminate any coffee flavor whatsoever. All that remains is a weirdly chemical aftertaste. It lingers like the coffee equivalent of increased radiation following some sort of nuclear disaster. Please think carefully before purchasing this one.

This one is very bad, easily the worst regular coffee option on this list. The coffee produced by these pods is quite watery, but that in itself is a blessing when you dig into the flavors that IHOP's K-cup actually provides. The smell gives off some vague tobacco notes, and it's all downhill from there. After the initial warm watery burst washes over your tongue, you'll be greeted by a flavor that will make you double-check the Keurig you're using for mold, and change the water just in case. We did this, tipped the initial 12 oz serving down the sink, and tried again — only to get the same results.

We've had the coffee IHOP served at its locations, and thankfully that's a lot more palatable than this. The flavored offering may mask the shortcomings of the "Signature Blend" with a dollop of flavor, but please don't subject yourself to this particular variant. It's like drinking liquid that was squeezed from the festering seat cushion of a chain smoker's Ford Sierra.

Sometimes a single flavor isn't enough. Keurig's Original Donut Shop line has decided to push beyond traditional flavored coffee and offer some well thought out combinations to its customers. For the purposes of this test, we tried "Nutty and Caramel." When the Nutty and Caramel coffee is brewing, you'll notice a strong caramel smell filling the air. Said smell doesn't linger once the brewing process is complete; it is replaced with a pleasant, equally strong hazelnut smell. There is also a fruity artificial sweetness lingering in the background.

What follows that smell is disappointment. Initially, Nutty and Caramel doesn't taste of much at all. After an initial burst of slightly off-tasting hot water, the ghosts of the original scents will begin to dance around in your mouth. Your tastebuds will detect hints of hazelnut, and caramel, and artificial sweetness but unfortunately, nothing substantial will appear.

Although people can get picky with their purchases, Great Value isn't a brand to be written off hastily. While it's easy to look down on value brands, many of Walmart's in-house offerings have been surprisingly decent in tests we've previously conducted. Great Value's "House Blend" K-cups don't make that list, however; they are genuinely awful.

The only flavor you will notice is that of a greatly over-roasted coffee bean. You can also expect an extremely watery aftertaste. The exact burnt-to-wateriness ratio varies, as the grounds used seem to be pretty inconsistent. The only reason this didn't place last is because it's merely bad instead of downright awful. But this line of K-cups has no redeeming qualities and should be avoided if there are other options available.

A single-serve coffee machine like a Keurig can be a great way to fill a kitchen with that delightful fresh coffee smell. Those who love coffee, however, should probably avoid Shoprite's Bowl & Basket Donut Shop pods. The scent of the coffee produced by said pods is less what you'd expect, and closer instead to a pile of burning bicycle tires.

Thankfully, the taste is a bit better than the smell. Bland and unremarkable is the best way to describe it. Some hints of over-roasting and acidity permeate through the wateriness of it all. This isn't the worst on the list, but it isn't something we'd encourage you to seek out either. Like many other supermarket brands, Shoprite's effort retails for around $5.

This one isn't technically coffee. But it is a fantastic way to get a quick, hot, chai latte with minimal effort. It does very little wrong in the chai department. It's hot, creamy, and sweet — so it ticks all the boxes as far as chai latte flavorings are concerned. It's also a great option if you're looking to lower your caffeine intake. It isn't 100% caffeine-free, but chai in general contains a fraction of the caffeine present in coffee.

While it isn't perfect, if you need a sweet pick-me-up at any point in the day, Café Escapes has your back with this one. You also won't be left cleaning out a milk pan afterward, which is a massive bonus.

As with similarly flavored beverages, the Cinnabon Caramel Pecan K-cup will fill your kitchen with a sweet caramel scent as it's brewing. The caramel flavoring is fairly prominent, and it gives the drink a pleasant, sweet flavor without taking things too far. Unfortunately, the same can't really be said for any pecan flavoring. If it's there, it isn't discernable.

There is also no coffee flavor to this K-cup. This isn't necessarily a negative. If you dislike the taste of coffee but are in need of a natural source of caffeine, then this is a pretty good choice. It can also potentially help the coffee-averse take advantage of the liquids' other benefits. Unlike certain competitors, there isn't a complete absence of flavor beyond a vague sweetness. So, this ranks higher amongst the flavored K-cups on our list.

The good news for Starbucks fans is the company's Pike Place medium roast coffee pods taste very similar to what you get when you order a black coffee from the Seattle-based chain. The bad news for everyone else is this opens the end result up to the same criticism Starbucks' coffee gets from some quarters.

It is very dark and bitter, especially for a "medium roast." There is no complexity beyond the slightly burnt tones that initially hit the palate and the coffee flavor that follows. As with the real Starbucks, this may be a good thing if you like to augment your coffee with milk and sweeteners. The stronger roast will be able to fight through the creams, milk, and syrups you slosh in there. But if you're keen on that, then one of the chain's flavored options may be a better pick.

Cinnabon built its brand around delicious cinnamon rolls. The chain also sells coffee, and combining two of its best-loved products seems like a no-brainer. So, how well does this home version of the combo work? Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll is the best-tasting artificially flavored coffee we sampled. The cinnamon flavor is prominent, and the added sweetness is welcome.

Unlike other flavored coffees, some flavor notes from the java itself are present. If you pay attention, you'll notice some floral notes penetrating through the heavy cinnamon flavor. Cinnamon rolls may be a sweet treat, but thankfully the Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll keeps things in check. It doesn't go overboard on the sweetness and can be categorized as an all-around well-balanced alternative to standard coffee.

Oddly enough, this unassuming, brown-foiled, K-cup was probably the most difficult to judge and write about. There's nothing inherently bad about Pics' Colombian Blend K-cups, but there's nothing good about them either. They're amongst the hardest to rate because of sheer mediocrity. Any positives you can list are basically the absence of negatives. It isn't bitter. It isn't acidic. It doesn't have a weird aftertaste.

If you drink coffee but aren't into coffee, then this might be for you. Without being entirely bland, it's what we would describe as a "plain" option. In terms of actual positives, it is one of the cheaper alternatives on the market. A 12-pack will run you a little over $5 if you head into a Price Chopper supermarket.

Original Donut Shop's other two efforts didn't fill us with hope, but the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Latte may have salvaged some pride for the brand. The latte format adds some much-needed texture and flavor to the drink, and each element is clearly detectable — including the milk itself.

The initial burst of hot milky flavor will stay with you, acting as a platform for the rest of the drink to be built upon. After that initial hit, an intense and increasing sweetness will appear, before a distinctive cinnamon flavor arrives towards the end. In terms of negatives, there is a definite "artificial flavor" hovering around in there. It isn't the worst thing in the world, but it isn't particularly pleasant either. Despite this, the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Latte is a great option if you want a sweet coffee.

When you smell this dark roast from Kirkland, you'll immediately think it's too dark to drink black. Like something from Starbucks, it has those deep, burnt notes that are great when they're fighting through a quarter gallon of cream to hit your tongue but unpleasantly bitter should you sip them neat.

In reality, it's not that bad. It's on the border of where a dark roast becomes intolerable, treading that fine line between smoky and downright unpleasant. You do get a bitter kick afterward, and it lingers in your mouth, so I would say this is for the mixers who need something strongly flavored to add a coffee kick to their Keurig concoctions. But equally, if it's all you have in the cupboard, you can soldier through it. Because not everyone drinks it black, it's not that bad, and there are clear, practical uses for Kirkland's effort, it finds a spot in the middle of our list.

Barista Prima Italian Roast has a surprisingly strong flavor for Keurig coffee, especially if you hit the "Bold" button and opt for a smaller cup size. That strong, bold flavor is also surprisingly complex — though I also noted a fair bit of bitterness that threatens to overpower everything else. It isn't over-roasted, but as with Kirkland Signature Pacific Bold, those smoky and bitter flavors are hard to temper and will dominate your palate from start to finish.

So, as with Kirkland's, I would recommend mixing some cream into this one, using it as the base for some elaborate coffee concoction, or loading it up with sweetener if that's what you tend to like. It's better on its own than Kirkland Signature Pacific Bold, hence, it's placed a bit higher on our list, but black coffee drinkers may be better off looking for a medium roast should they want that neat coffee itch scratched in a truly satisfying manner.

Unlike many donut shop-style coffees, Krispy Kreme seems to have opted for a medium roast for their K-cups. It's still on the lighter side of medium, and just what you need when looking to take the edge off a sweet breakfast treat.

The smell Krispy Kreme's K-cups put out when brewing is sublime, and the flavor is very close to what the chain pours into thousands of cups each morning. However, as with other donut shop-style coffees, the lightness of the roast may make Krispy Kreme's offering seem a touch weaker than other brews. It isn't, and lighter roasts provide the same amount of caffeine as dark, but if you're looking for an intense burst of flavor with each sip then you should go elsewhere.

As with many Newman's Own products, its K-cups are built on an idea. The profits from the company's products go to charity, and the coffee itself is organic. So the customer benefits directly and also knows their money is going to a good place. But as nice as all that may be, it isn't much of a selling point if the coffee is bad.

Thankfully, the K-cups produced by the late Paul Newman's food and beverage company aren't bad at all. The "special blend" appears to be on the darker side of medium — offering a robust flavor and smooth finish, with little noticeable acidity and no odd aftertaste. It isn't the best coffee, but it's better than average and perfectly serviceable if you want a good, versatile, all-rounder.

On paper, Lavazza Classico Medium Roast Coffee promises a lot. Given the brand's reputation and some of its other products, it's not unreasonable to expect that special taste of Italy with every sip. Unfortunately, it does fall a little short compared to actual Italian coffee. Italians tend to like their coffee strong, and due to the limitations of the machine that's brewing it, you won't really get that itch scratched with this offering. There are hints of what could be, but Lavazza's K-Cups don't quite measure up to the intensity you expect from a truly good Mediterranean coffee.

While it's not great compared to the real thing, Lavazza Classico is decent for something that comes from a K-cup. There's that little hidden touch of sweetness seasoned drinkers will get from a medium roast, but you do have to search for it. This is really a coffee that benefits from the "strong" setting, should your Keurig have that. If not, you'll have a solid cup of Keurig coffee and an urge to hit up your closest Italian coffee shop for a nice, strong Americano at the first opportunity.

Hannaford's Colombian Blend is surprisingly rich and satisfying. It is one of the better black coffees we sampled, and the best as far as supermarket-owned-brand K-cups are concerned. It's a medium roast but isn't noticeably acidic. This alone is a huge benefit for heavy coffee drinkers as, in addition to the better flavor, a lower acidity means you can put away several cups without feeling like you've been hit in the stomach.

With other value K-cups, consistency is often an issue. However, Hannaford seems to have somehow solved the problems Great Value and Bowl & Basket encountered and has managed to produce the same superb cup every time. If you're on a budget and like black coffee, you might want to select this one as your daily driver.

Tru-Cup's Low Acid Medium Roast is a refreshing and well-balanced cup of coffee. It's not particularly complex but lacks any kind of unpleasant bitter notes. So, while there isn't a lot going on, there's nothing off-putting about it either. I'd liken it to diner coffee in a way — you won't be waxing lyrical about its flavor profile, but it does the job in an inoffensive manner and will leave you satisfied, especially if you take your coffee black.

The lack of acidity really stands out with Tru-Cup's product. If you're often driven to darker roasts by the prospect of an upset stomach, then this may be the blend for you. It's a solid medium roast and will allow you to enjoy a mellower brew with a smooth flavor. While other brands may edge Tru-Cup a little on taste, the accessibility that comes with the low acidity is enough to make this a top 10 coffee on our list.

Tim Hortons, the beloved Canadian brand founded by a former hockey player, has spent decades honing its reputation north of the border. The chain's hard work seems to have paid off, as its marketing materials proudly declare it "Canada's favorite cup of coffee." Our neighbors to the north may be onto something, as Horton's well-balanced offering is not bad at all.

It's very smooth and incredibly pleasant while hot. In terms of flavor, it isn't too far from what you get when you order a cup fresh from the chain itself. Which is very handy if you're a Mainer or Canadian in need of a taste of home. On the whole, there are no subtle little notes to detect or complex flavors to unpack. It's just a smooth, easy-to-drink, cup of hot diner-style coffee you can use to fend off the winter chills.

Tully's Hawaiian Blend offers a bold, rich, flavor that is great when you want to kickstart your morning and versatile enough to handle pretty much anything. However, it is worth noting that this, as its name suggests, is a "blend" and not pure Hawaiian coffee. So you can experience hints of the floral, slightly acidic, flavors that beans grown in the state's rich volcanic soil are known for — even if those notes will be buried beneath a hefty amount of Arabica used in this blend.

It is more unique than other K-cups, but if you're a fan of Hawaiian coffee, you're better off dodging this and opting for a pod made by Kauai instead. Otherwise, Tully's does a good job with its K-cups and the Hawaiian Blend is superior to most of the single-serve options on the market.

Right off the bat, we would like to state that this doesn't taste like the black coffee you can pick up from your local Dunkin'. The chain puts a lot of pride in its coffee, and its success shows that customers certainly jive with its java, so this may initially come across as a bad thing. However, the non-Dunkin'-like coffee flowing from the branded K-cups is very nice in a different way. We'd describe Dunkin's Original Blend as surprisingly complex. 

It has a milder coffee flavor than some of its peers, and this allows that complexity to blossom. The main thing we noted was a strong, almost perfume-like, collection of floral notes. It's one to enjoy and places high on our list.

The McCafé coffee at McDonalds is a not-so-hidden gem. The stuff you get from the almost omni-present fast food chain is cheap, flavorful, and pretty great value for the money. Now, thanks to this line of K-cups, you can enjoy the flavor of a McCafé without having to travel a couple to a Golden Arches. 

There are many different fast food and chain store K-cups out there, but this effort from McDonalds might be the best. The smoky, punchy, dark roast is nearly indistinguishable from the beverage you receive in-store. There's also a very slight, salty edge to its aftertaste — and a touch of substance to its mouth feel — which again, is just like the real thing. Serve it with a fried egg and sausage patty, encased in a toasted English muffin.

According to Peet's website, Big Bang is its most popular bean — it's a medium roast, offering hints of "Fruit Cup, Milk Chocolate, and Graham Crust." You can buy a bag of whole roasted beans and carefully prepare the brew yourself, or you can grab a box of Peet's K-cups and have it spraying into your favorite mug in seconds.

We didn't exactly get the flavors Peet's website was shouting about when we tried its "Big Bang" K-cups, so maybe it doesn't transition to single-serve perfectly. But we did encounter a refreshing and vibrant drink, with a lot of natural sweetness to it. As an added bonus, the coffee smell that filled the kitchen was stronger and more pleasant than anything else we tested. So at the very least, consider using one of these as an air freshener.

We previously ranked Caribou Coffee's bagged beans as some of the best coffee you can buy. The Minnesotan company translates that excellence into the single-serving format very well. Caribou Coffee has somehow crammed an incredibly rich, delightful coffee-drinking experience into a small plastic cup. It's the top three best K-cup on this list and one of the better cups of standard black coffee we've had in general.

So, what does it taste like? It's basically everything you'd want in black coffee. Strong, without being overpowering or bitter, and packing a deep, almost savory, aftertaste that lingers on the palate. It doesn't get boring either. Stock up on Caribou, it could be a reliable way to start your day for many years to come.

Green Mountain, which bought out Keurig completely a couple of decades ago, may actually be the gold standard when it comes to official K-Cups. Of that gold standard, the Nantucket Blend is arguably as good as it gets. 

Nantucket Blend is a medium roast but feels pretty light in the mouth. In terms of flavor profile, it's not overly strong, but there's a good hint of chocolate in there amongst some indistinct sweet notes. Is it as good as the stuff you get out of a French press or even solid pour-over coffee? No, don't be silly. But it is probably the best cup you'll get from a Keurig, and starting the day with one isn't disappointing at all.

The flagship brand is also very widely spread and not outlandishly priced. You'll find a box pretty much anywhere that sells K-Cups, and even a die-hard java aficionado should probably keep a box in the cupboard for emergencies. It has good quality, consistency, and availability, giving it a slight edge over Caribou Coffee. Though neither choice should leave you disappointed.  

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