With all the hype about thermal carafe coffee makers, have you ever wondered if it’s good to have a coffee maker without a carafe? In truth, a coffee maker on demand can be quite beneficial, as all you have to do is pour your coffee directly into your mug and enjoy. Keep reading to find out the Best Coffee On Demand Coffee makers to buy.
Contents
- 1 Best Coffee On Demand Coffee Makers
- 2 5 Key Differences between Coffee on Demand Coffee Makers and Single Serve Coffee Makers
- 3 Key Benefit Of Getting A Coffee Maker Without A Carafe
- 4 Does having a carafe make a difference?
- 5 4 Key Factors To Consider When Buying A Coffee Maker On Demand
- 6 Which Is The Best Coffee On Demand Coffee Maker?
Best Coffee On Demand Coffee Makers
#1 Cuisinart DCC-3000 Coffee on Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker
DCC-3000 Cuisinart Coffee on Demand Coffeemaker
Cuisinart DCC 3000 makes a good coffee maker on demand.
Large Brewing capacity
It has a coffee reservoir capable of storing up to 12 cups of brewed coffee. So it’s great for a small office too.
Coffee Gauge
It can really be a bother to open up the reservoir lid to check on the amount of coffee left. So, its nice to see a coffee gauge on this machine which can tell me the amount of brewed coffee left inside.
Removable Coffee & Water Tanks
Both its coffee and water reservoir are removable. This makes cleaning really easy. You can easily detach them and wash them in the sink.
Double-walled Coffee tank
In addition, the coffee tank is double-walled. So it can keep coffee warm for a long time. So there’s no need to brew the coffee in small batches just to ensure they are warm enough when your family members get their coffee at different timings.
Other Key Features of Cuisinart on Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker:
Programmable Auto-Brew: This allows you to set the coffee maker to brew automatically up to 24 hours in advance. This is really a great feature to have. You don’t have to worry about oversleeping and not being able to get coffee ready for your family before they wake up. Just set the timer the night before!
Programmable Auto-Off: To top it up, it also comes with a programmable auto-off. Now you don’t even have to bother switching it off when you wake up. You can attend to the cleaning up at night when the coffee is almost fully dispensed!
Intuitive Control Panels: It is easy to use this machine. It comes with buttons and knobs for the different functions. There’s no need to navigate any complex digital touch screen menus.
1-4 cup option: This option for smaller quantities can be handy when you don’t need to brew 12 cup frequently. And you can actually improve your coffee extraction, the flavor as well as the temperature for smaller quantities using this option.
Related: Best 4 cup coffee makers
Descaling alerts: There’s no need to track when you last did your descaling. Its comes with descaling alerts to prompt you when it’s time to do so. This can help to do your descaling more promptly so as to prolong the machine lifespan and avoid the coffee taste being affected by impurities.
Showerhead feature: This is a feature that spreads water uniformly over the coffee grounds. This helps to ensure that water properly saturated the grounds and leads to a better coffee extraction. And this gives you a better tasting coffee.
Audible tone : There is also a beeping sound to alert you when brewing is done.
Video of Cuisinart Coffee On Demand coffee maker in action
Pros
- Large brew capacity of 12 cups
- Removable water & coffee tanks
- Double-walled coffee tanks, able to keep your coffee hot for hours
- Coffee gauge
- Programmable auto-brew & auto-off
- Has an easy to use interface
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Boxish design – not the most appealing design but serve its purpose.
- Requires to press dispensing lever for the machine to dispense coffee
#2 Hamilton Beach BrewStation 47900 12-Cup Dispensing Coffee Maker
Hamilton Beach Brewstation Coffee Maker Without Carafe
The Hamilton coffee maker is said to be the original inventor of the Coffee-on-demand machines. And, one of its best coffee makers in this particular category is the Hamilton Beach BrewStation.
Large Brewing Capacity
This coffee maker is popular in offices and homes because of its large 12-cup brewing capacity.
Internal heater
There’s also an internal heater which can keep the brewed coffee hot for up to 4 hours.
One-handed dispensing bar
The outstanding feature is this one-handed dispenser. You can just use one hand to press your cup against this dispensing bar to get the coffee into your cup.
Key feature of Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Dispensing Coffee Maker
Programmable Auto-Brew: If you are not a big fan of making coffee in the morning, all you have to do is set the coffee maker in advance, and wake up to a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning.
Programmable Shut-down: You can program it to shutdown automatically. This will save you some energy bills
1-4 cup option: You have the option to make small quantities of coffee if you don’t need so much coffee for the day.
Ice Coffee function: It also comes with a function to make iced coffee. This is great when you just came back from the hot weather and need a cup of cold coffee to keep yourself alert.
Removable water & Coffee tanks: Both tanks are removable. You can detach them easily and wash them under the tap.
Pros
- Large brewing capacity
- Iced coffee option
- Removable water & coffee tanks
- Programmable Auto-brew and auto-off
- Internal heater to keep coffee hot up to 4 hours
- One-handed Dispensing bar
Cons
- The design isn’t very appealing
Full Hamilton Beach Brewstation Review
#3 Cuisinart SS-10 Premium Single-Serve Coffeemaker
Cuisinart SS-10 Single-Serve Coffeemaker
Cusinart SS10 is really a single-serve coffee maker. So it’s not exactly a coffee-on-demand coffee maker by definition.
Nevertheless, you can also get coffee on demand, with a little wait for it to brew.
And there are a few advantages.
- You don’t have to brew coffee in advance. So there’s no chance of your coffee turning cold and stale when you need it
- There’s also no coffee wastage since you only brew coffee for a single cup.
- It saves energy. You only heat the amount of water you need for your coffee.
In addition, Cuisinart SS10 has a few outstanding features to deserve some consideration.
Compatible with K-cup
Besides ground coffee, you can also use K-cup pods on this coffee maker. So you can have access to the large variety of beverage options in the K-cup ecosystem. This gives you the choice to make more drinks with your coffee maker.
Related: Best K-Cup Cuisinart Coffee Maker
Hot water Dispensing Function
This is a coffee maker with hot water dispensing function. This is great if you need hot water for your tea or cereals.
Key Features of Cuisinart SS-10
5 Brew cup sizes: You can make coffee from 4 to 12 ounces.
Huge Water tank: It can hold up to 72 ounces of water. If you hate refilling, this is really nice feature
Fast brewing time: it brews coffee in less than a minute.
Self-Rinse feature: This function cleans the interior of brew chamber when activated. This comes in handy to rinse any residues when you are switching between coffee flavor or even beverages.
Programmable Auto-on: You can set the coffee maker to power on at your preferred time in the morning so that you don’t have to wait for the hot water to heat up.
Auto-off : it shuts down automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity.
Brew Temperature Control: you get 2 options – hot and extra hot. The extra hot will come in handy when you need to add milk to your coffee.
Charcoal water filter: Filters the water to ensure you get the best flavorful coffee at all times.
Pros
- Can use ground coffee & K-cup
- Single serve coffee maker
- No coffee wastage
- Fast brewing time
- Huge water tank
- 5 brew cup sizes
- Hot water on demand function.
- Programmable auto-on & off
- Self rinsing function
Cons
- You can’t brew a large pot of coffee at once
5 Key Differences between Coffee on Demand Coffee Makers and Single Serve Coffee Makers
Many people think that coffee on demand coffee maker are the same as single serve coffee makers. But they are actually not the same. And there are 4 key differences.
1. Brewing Process
Coffee makers on demand, as the name suggests, allow you to have a coffee when you need it. In this manner, it is the same as the single-serve coffee machine which also does the same thing.
However, the brewing process is different.
Coffee-on-demand coffee makers brew a large quantity of coffee at one go and store it in a reserve reservoir. When you need a cup, it will dispense the coffee from this reservoir without you waiting.
However, in a single serve, you have to place the pod in and wait for it to brew before you can drink a cup of coffee.
2. Presence of Internal Reservoir
Instead of a carafe, a coffee-on-demand coffee maker comes with an internal reservoir. This allows the machine to store the extra amount of coffee brewed for dispensing.
However, The single-serve coffee maker, has no internal reservoir, as you only have to brew one cup of coffee at all times.
3. Type of coffee
Coffee makers on demand uses ground coffee while single serve coffee machines uses pre-package coffee pods, although some comes with reusable coffee filters which also allows the use of ground coffee.
4. Cost
As a result of the coffee used, single serve coffee makers can cost more in the long run as pre-packaged pods are slightly more expensive.
Key Benefit Of Getting A Coffee Maker Without A Carafe
The key benefit of a coffee on demand coffee maker, despite without a carafe, is its dispensing function. These coffee makers without carafe allows you to brew large amount of coffee at one go and store them in an internal reservoir for dispensing to a group of people who may need the coffee at different timings.
You can also do the same with a coffee maker with large brewing capacity and brew it into a thermal carafe.
Related:
Best 12 cup coffee maker with thermal carafe
However, I think you may agree with some disadvantages of a carafe such as :
- Pouring from an almost full carafe can lead to wrist discomfort or even injury
- You may spill the coffee, especially when pouring from an almost full carafe
- If the carafe is a glass one, you may break it accidentally or scald yourself.
- some may even dislike the possibility of people (especially strangers in a office settings) opening up carafe and contaminating it.
Does having a carafe make a difference?
Not at all.
It doesn’t matter what coffee maker you use.
The coffee brewing process is still the same.
The carafe just serves the purpose of storing the coffee and keeping it warm.
And in the case of the coffee on demand coffee maker, this purpose is served by the coffee reserve reservoir which also have insulation to retain heat.
4 Key Factors To Consider When Buying A Coffee Maker On Demand
How is the quality of Internal Coffee Tank?
Coffee-on-demand coffee makers largely rely on internal tanks to retain the heat of coffee stored. Therefore, make sure you check its material, as this will indicate its performance and durability.
Is the Coffee & water Reservoir removable?
It is recommended that both reservoirs are removable. Otherwise, cleaning the reservoirs becomes more inconvenient. You can’t simply rinse them under the tap or place in a dish-washer.
Related : Best Coffee makers with removable water reservoir
What is the Brewing Capacity?
If you want a coffee maker for an office or large household, you may consider getting a coffee maker with larger brewing capacity. If the coffee demand is not that high, perhaps a single serve coffee maker will be better, so that you won’t end up with brewing too much excess coffee.
Related: Best Coffee Maker for an Office
Does it have the features I need?
Different coffee makers have different features.
For example, do you need a coffee maker with hot water dispenser? Do you need a coffee maker with timer for automatically brew and shutdown feature?
Do think about what you need beforehand. This can save you a lot of time in narrowing your choices.
Which Is The Best Coffee On Demand Coffee Maker?
If you love having your coffee craving satisfied, then a coffee-on-demand coffee maker is a must-have. It eliminates the need for a coffee pot and allows you to get your favorite beverage directly in your cup. Everyone has their own needs.
If you ask me, I would prefer Cuisinart SS10 as I don’t like wastage. However, if you like to brew a pot of coffee at once, then Hamilton Beach is a good affordable option. I hope this post has helped you decide on the best coffee on demand coffee maker to buy.
