First thing in the morning, who doesn’t love a coffee? Let’s be honest that’s what got you to this site. But to find the best dual coffee maker takes some time and research.
Below we are going to explore what a dual coffee maker is, and how to find the best dual coffee maker. Then give our humble option on which is the best dual coffee maker in 2021. So let’s start.
What is a dual coffee maker?
These combination coffee makers are capable of brewing single cups & full carafes of coffee. Depending on the brand of the dual coffee maker you purchased. It could have the ability to brew K-cups and some will only work with ground coffee.
The brilliant thing about these types of machines is that it combines old with new. Single-serve coffee makers are relatively new onto the market, being combined with a traditional coffee maker that brews a pot at a time.
You can get commercial-sized units as well as smaller home-based coffee makers that are perfect for families that love their coffee. If you take your time and buy the right one to suit your lifestyle, you will find one that will keep everyone happy and caffeinated.
What you need to know to buy one
What’s your budget?
When you weigh up all the features and benefits you can get. You will get a sense of how much money you want to spend. It’s pointless looking at the top-of-the-line machines if you can only afford a basic model.
Second-hand is always an option. Take a look at Facebook marketplace or eBay you might find the perfect model at the right price.
Machine size
The more functions usually the bigger the machine is. So depending on where you want to use it, will dictate the size. A small unit can be left out on the kitchen cupboard. A bigger unit you might need to put away in a cupboard after use.
What are they made out of
The majority of coffee makers are made from high-grade plastic and or stainless steel. These days treated high-grade plastic products are just as good if not better than stainless steel.
Our personal preference is for stainless steel. But you can balance that between budget and how does it look. The reservoirs are usually glass or plastic. Again personal preference, but glass is our preference again.
Honestly, one material isn’t necessarily better than the other. You might find that one design might provide specific benefits over the other.
Warranty
Something that is usually overlooked. A decent warranty is important. If anything goes wrong you can get it repaired under warranty. Look for a unit that has at least 12 months as a minimum. A lot of brands will offer up to 60 months.
5 Best Dual Coffee Makers 2021
Hamilton Beach Flewbrew Coffee Maker
The Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Trio 2-Way Single Serve Coffee Maker and full 12 cup pot are perfect for those on a budget. It’s also compatible with K-Cup Pods or Grounds. With 3-Way options for brewing.
You can brew up to 12 cups with ground coffee on the carafe side or use a dual-purpose single serving to brew a pod or ground coffee on the other. It comes with included pod holder and single-serve grounds basket.
The single-cup coffee maker can brew a cup with a K-Cup, pod, other pod brands, or ground coffee. The included pod holder and single-serve grounds basket easily handle both options and the cup rest removes so you can brew into a tall travel mug.
You can brew a full pot of coffee. As the programmable coffee maker has easy-touch programming for wake-up ready coffee.
Once it’s brewed, the coffee stays warm for 2 hours and the power automatically shuts off. It comes with auto pause and pours lets you pour a cup as coffee brews.
It’s come to some programmable controls. So you can control how strong you want your coffee with select-a-brew: regular and bold brewing options. Perfect if you have a friend over that likes their coffee different from you.
It comes with 2 separate water reservoirs that are easy to fill. Both sides of the coffee maker have their own water reservoir.
Pro
- Great for those on a budget.
- Easy to use controls.
Con
- Limited programmable functions
- Model is prone to leaking
- Have to fill each reservoir
$88
Available from
Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker
The Keurig K-Duo coffee maker is the perfect single-serve and 12-Cup carafe drip coffee brewer. It’s compatible with K-Cup pods and ground coffee. It comes with a 12-cup glass carafe and has a nifty heating plate that will keep the coffee hot.
It’s multi-functional as you can use both ground coffee and k-cup pods. It’s a great size with a 30-inch cord length. It can also brew multiple sizes as a 6, 8, 10, or 12-cup carafe and a 6, 8, 10, or 12-ounce cup.
You can also buy a reusable coffee filter, that is sold separately. It’s for a 60-ounce large water reservoir that is shared between single-use and carafe brewing.
It has a great strong brew feature. With its programmable options, you can brew a carafe up to 24 hours in advance. Also with a pause and pour function it is on a 20-second function.
With a smart start function. It makes heat, then brews in one simple process. This is a great function, as you don’t need to wait for it to heat before selecting your cup size.
Pro
- Love the strong brew feature
- Great smart start feature
- Fantastic option brew sizes
Con
- Poorly designed carafe
- Water reservoir is designed at the back of the unit.
$139
Available from
Ninja CFP301 DualBrew Pro
The Ninja CFP301 DualBrew Pro specialty 12 cup drip maker with Glass Carafe is in the middle of the price range. It also makes single-serve for coffee pods or grounds. It can brew four styles with a frother and it comes with separate hot water.
This is the faster model I found for brewing K-cups. With a fantastic 9 grounds brew size. It also does four traditional pod sizes.
The Ninja unit comes with 4 brew style choices either classic, rich over ice, or specialty.
The specialty brew cycle makes a super-rich coffee concentrate. Which is perfect for lattes, macchiatos and cappuccinos. With the independent hot water systems with 2 temperature settings of hot and boil. You can make instant soups, oatmeal, or hot cocoa.
You can actually make the milk froth that fol dit away. It’s also removable for easy cleaning.
The 60 Oz water reservoir can be re-positioned. Which allows you to change the position to the side or rea of the machine. Designed with a thermal flavor extraction, it’s perfect for grounds and pods. This function really brings the best out of the coffee flavor.
With a decent selection of options, it was very easy to clean.
Pro
- Love the temperature options and the extras you can make with it.
Con
- Starting to get a little pricey
$247.95
Available from
Cuisinart SS-20 Coffee Center 10-Cup Coffee maker
The Cuisinart SS-20 Coffee Center 10-Cup Coffeemaker is a very popular model. With a single-Serve Brewer, it comes with a 12-Count Colombian Roast Coffee Bundle. single serve K Cup.
The Cuisinart SS-20 is fully programmable. With a 10 cup capacity on one side, and of course single serve on the other,
It also has a reusable filter cup. With the HomeBarista Reusable Filter Cup, you can also use your own freshly ground coffee if you prefer
A little limited with one 3 serving sizes. Comes with a removable drip tray. Love the stainless steel carafe.
Pro
- Great capacity with 10 cups
- Known brand name
- Easy to use
Con
- Limited in serving options
- Pricey for lack of options
$229.95
Available from
De’Longhi All-in-One Combination Coffee Maker & Espresso Machine
The De’Longhi All-in-One Combination Coffee Maker & Espresso Machine. Comes with an advanced adjustable milk frother so you can make Cappuccino and Lattes. Also comes with a 10 cup glass coffee pot.
You can make espressos with this combination coffee maker. With a dual heating system, you can brew both an espresso and coffee at the same time.
With the 15 bar Italian BAR pressure pump, it will brew espressos at the optimal pressure, giving you the best flavor. The steam wand is perfect for steaming milk, for either cappuccinos or lattes.
It has a handy 24-hour programmable digital timer. So you can wake up to freshly brewed coffee. Love the spill-proof carafe.
Pro
- Love the spillproof carafe
- 24 Hour digital timers
- Trusted well-know brand
Con
- Really up there price-wise
- A little bulky
$409.99
Available from
Features of the best dual coffee maker
True lovers of coffee, usually end up gravitating to one of these coffee makers. Also known as a combination or two-way coffee maker. The dual coffee makers are a very popular machine to have. They are useful if you need a single-serve or a whole pot of coffee made.
Just like anything you get what you pay for. Some brands and prices will naturally have different features. Trust us these little beauties are certainly not made equal.
Here are the basic features that you will find in most dual coffee makers. Work out what you want and the price you can pay, then make your choice.
Water Reservoir size
Unless you want to be filling up your reservoir all the time, pay attention to the size of it. This is probably the most important part of your dual coffee maker.
Pick one too small and you will be constantly refilling it. Got too big and water can get stale as well.
The sweet spot for a water reservoir size is 8 cups of coffee. This allows for single-use and coffee pot sizes. Which should suit individuals or a small family of coffee lovers.
Coffee reservoir
You can brew coffee two different ways – With a traditional coffee filter with ground coffee or K-cups.
Honestly, it’s a personal preference, for us it’s traditional coffee filters all the way. The best dual coffee makers will allow you to make it both ways.
Of course, you can get a coffee maker that has only one method. So don’t panic too much just choose the one you want more. Really think about how you like your coffee. The great thing with a unit that does both methods is the fact you cover both types of coffee.
Yes, buying a unit that makes one type only will save you a few dollars if you are on a tight budget.
What’s the wattage
Any appliance that has a heating element, will have a high number of starting watts. Daul coffee makers will have more watts than a traditional coffee maker.
Most modern homes will have wiring that will cope with starting watts. Today’s electronics will certainly put a load on most older homes that were made before the early ’80s.
If you are in a caravan, RV, or in an older home. Make sure you take the time to find out what wattage you can handle. There is nothing worse than spending money on a dual coffee maker and finding that it keeps tripping the circuit breaker in your home.
Features and accessories
The best dual coffee maker for you will have features and accessories that you will actually use. Don’t waste money on bells and whistles that you really won’t use. Bells and whistles don’t necessarily mean making the best cup of coffee.
Here are some of the best features we wanted in our dual coffee maker.
Permanent filters types
Instead of throwing out disposable paper filters after use. A permanent filter saves you have to buy and dispose of filters all the time. This is more convenience than a cost factor. Paper filters aren’t that expensive.
How strong do you like your coffee?
Strong or light, a decent coffee maker will have this option available. It’s perfect with a single-serve brew. If you have a friend over for a quick cup of coffee. If you like yours strong and they prefer light coffee.
Smart technology
Just about every gadget out, there is now wi-fi or Bluetooth enabled. Which is perfect if you like smart devices.
You can control your dual coffee maker from a device like a phone or a tablet.
Just imagine laying in bed, and starting the coffee maker brewing coffee while you get out of bed. By the time you make it to your kitchen, you have a perfectly brewed cup of coffee ready to go.
If you want this feature you can expect to pay top dollar. Honestly, we also have a Bluetooth-enabled meat thermometer, so yes we went with this feature.
Programming options
The cheaper models all come with some type of programming. The more expensive models will certainly have more program options available.
Some of the programable options you might find are.:
- Brew strength
- Number of cups
- Self-cleaning
- Timer function
The washup
My personal choice is the Ninja Dualbrew pro specialty 12-cup drip maker. It fits in the budget I set. With all the features I wanted. Its quality made, with a decent warranty. If you’ve got the budget then go with the Delonghi it’s just a great model all around.
Oh, if you were wondering K-cups and coffee pods might look the same at the first look. K-cups come packaged inside a small plastic cup. A pod will come in paper or larger resealed bags.