January 12th, 2010 
admin Amazon's Bestselling Coffee Makers
We've all heard the joke about how hard it can be to order coffee nowadays. Among many other gourmet coffee shops, perhaps Starbucks is most (in)famous for giving us terms like "venti," "cappuccino," and "macchiato." For those who enjoy coffee culture, its diverse and specialized jargon is part of its charm. For those who simply want a hot cup of joe to wake up in the morning, sometimes the last thing they need is to learn a new language.
Whether you're a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur or an old-fashioned, just-give-me-a-cup-of-coffee kind of person, one of the quickest and easiest ways to get great coffee at home is the single serve coffee maker. But, like any other coffee accoutrement, you have to learn the lingo in order to make an informed decision about which system is best for you. As it so happens, this article is about precisely that.  The first thing you have to decide is if you want to go manual or electric. This article concerns electric single serve coffee makers; an article soon to follow will explain manual coffee makers.
Electric single serve coffee makers come mainly in three types, according to the brewing and filtering systems they use. Keurig and Tassimo make up two types because they each have their own unique brewing system, while a wide variety of brands, such as Senseo, Cuisinart, and Black & Decker, use standard-sized coffee "pods."
Pods - Single Serve Pod Machines
Pod machines use small disks of coffee prepackaged in their own filter-paper. To brew, you slip a pod into the machine and press a button. The main advantage of the pod machine is the variety of coffee available. Because the pod is standard, many different companies can offer their coffee in pod form, from well-known names such as Lavazza or Millstone to newer entries such as Senseo's Douwe Egberts pods. In addition, you can buy your own pod-maker, such as the Perfect Pod, which lets you choose any brand of coffee and make your own ready-to-use pod.
K-Cups - Keurig Single Serve Coffee Makers
Keurig, from the Dutch for "excellence," uses a special filtration product called a K-cup. A K-cup is a self-contained unit that you place directly in your Keurig coffee maker. The machine punctures the K-cup and sprays hot water over the grounds, which drips through a miniature filter and into your cup in about a minute. Many companies, such as Caribou Coffee, Timothy's, Coffee People, Tully's, and Gloria Jean's, offer their own K-cups, so you actually have a good selection of high-quality coffees that are readily available on-line. But the really cool thing about K-cups is that, since they are self-contained, you can switch beverages without having to clean the machine. That means you can buy Twinings or Bigelow tea K-cups, as well as Ghirardelli hot cocoa K-cups.
T Discs -Â Tassimo Single Serve Coffee Makers
Tassimo machines, like Keurig, use their own, self-contained filtration called a T Disc. T Discs are similar to K-cups but they add a hi-tech component: a bar code on each T disc tells the machine precisely how to make your beverage, be it coffee, espresso, hot cocoa, or tea - that's water temp, brewing time, and volume, all with the push of a single button, one right after the other. Brands making T Discs include Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Maxwell House, Gevalia, Carte Noire, Tazo, and Twinings.
A Note on Espresso Machines
One last note: technically, an espresso machine could qualify as a single serve coffee maker, since it generally produces one or two shots of espresso per brew cycle. The main difference between most espresso machines and what tend to be classed as single serve coffee makers is that espresso machines use loose grounds which you measure and tamp yourself, while the single serve machines all rely on pre-packaged grounds. In addition, single serve coffee makers such as the Keurig or Tassimo machines have the added advantage of making more than just coffee or espresso, so with them you can please all your guests, whatever their pleasure. Â
So, there you go - armed with these basic terms you're ready to sound smart when you talk single serve coffee makers.
Brad Fruhauff is a poet, teacher, musician, and coffee aficionado. He writes about the coffee lifestyle at Single Serve Simplicity & Style
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Costa Rica Espresso Roast Whole Bean Bag 2 lbs (908 Grams) $20.95 Many people mistakenly believe that espresso is a particular variety of coffee. In fact, it is neither a bean nor a blend. Espresso results from the process of roasting and brewing. The best e |
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Krups Cover/Espresso $1.99 Cover/Espresso |
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Krups ESPRESSO DESCALING ACCESSORY $6.99 ESPRESSO DESCALING ACCESSORY |
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Krups ESPRESSO FILTER HOLDER $71.99 ESPRESSO FILTER HOLDER |
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Taylor Classic Instant-Read Pocket Thermometer List Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $2.99  |
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This thermometer instantly ascertains the temperature of foods, whether they're on the buffet line or being cooked. Its 1-inch dial, protected by a shatterproof plastic lens, displays temperatures from 0 to 220 degrees F... |
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Keurig B-40 B40 Elite Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System List Price: $119.99 Sale Price: $90.00 Used From: $75.00 |
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The Elite Brewing System is Keurig's gourmet home brewing made affordable. The Elite Brewing System, the most affordably priced Keurig kitchen brewing system, offers K-Cup® coffee, tea and hot cocoa brewing as the elite choice to any drip coffee maker... |
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illy Caffe Scura Coffee, Espresso, (Dark Roast, Black Band), 18-Count E.S.E. Pods (Pack of 2) List Price: $36.34 Sale Price: $25.95 |
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illy has made it easy to prepare authentic Italian espresso at home with E.S.E., our innovative Easy Serving Espresso. Simply insert a pre-measured serving of illy (a pod) into an E.S.E.-compatible espresso machine, and in less than 30 seconds you have rich, robust espresso... |
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Lavazza in Blu Espresso Ground Coffee, 8.8-Ounce Tins (Pack of 4) List Price: $36.29 Sale Price: $26.70 |
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Lavazza in Blu is a premium ground espresso coffee carefully blended using select 100% Arabica coffees from Brazil and from South America. Lavazza in Blu features a velvety rich, full bodied flavor with a slightly sweet, non-bitter aftertaste that is excellent straight and the flavor also holds up well in cappuccino and latte drinks... |
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Gevalia Signature Blend Coffee, T-Discs for Tassimo Hot Beverage System, 16-Count Packages (Pack of 2) Sale Price: $23.39 |
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16 Individual T Discs. Exclusively for Tassimo System. Gevalia Kaffe Signature Blend is a super-premium coffee created especially by our Master Taster. Years of blending and tasting expertise have culminated in this robust, delightfully dark blend... |
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Honey-Can-Do SRT-01602 Kids Toy Organizer and Storage Bins, Natural/Primary List Price: $59.99 Sale Price: $51.52 |
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The perfect organizer for children's playrooms or bedrooms, these colorful bins make organizing fun and easy, even for small kids. Effortlessly sort matchbox cars, tinker toys, action figures, craft supplies and more into the sturdy plastic bins... |
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Ramsgate Strap Stackable Dining Arm Chair Finish: Espresso, Strap: Textured Sandstone Sale Price: $221.00 |
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160417+Finish: 45Strap: 4B Finish: Espresso, Strap: Textured Sandstone Features: -Suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Dimensions: -Overall dimensions: 24.5'' W x 27.3'' D x 33.3'' H.-Seat height: 17''. |
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