Drip coffee is still the favorite drink of an average Joe. Why not treat yourself to a modern and compact K-cup coffee maker?
I will compare two of the most popular in their respective categories and make it easier for you to pick one.
Or both, if you feel generous to yourself.
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By Jozo Salmanić – Croatian barista with 15 years of experience.
Keurig K-Mini Is The Trend-Starter
This mini single-serve coffee maker is destined for great things. Keurig K-Mini is slim, black, and so simple to use.
Made by Keurig, one of the largest coffee companies ever, it has become increasingly popular due to its durability, small dimensions, and ultimate brew quality.
K-Mini is the most popular Keurig model, which means a lot because this company became a synonym for pod coffee makers.
Cuisinart Single Serve Coffee Maker – The Silver Surfer
Cuisinart coffee makers always come in black&silver colors, and this K-cup maker is no exception.
For this review, I chose the Cuisinart SS-5P1 model because it belongs to the same budget level and has features similar to Keurig K-Mini.
The second Cuisinart single-serve brewer, SS-10P1, is more advanced and has a price to match the extra features, so more on that model in some future review.
It is the battle of the simple single-serve brewers, after all.
Best Small K-Cup Coffee Maker: Cuisinart VS Keurig
Besides the color difference, you can notice one small thing when you look at these machines.
The Cuisinart coffee machine is bulkier than the K-Mini brewer.
Let’s see why.
Water tank: Position And Capacity
K-Mini has a built-in water reservoir located on the back of the machine.
It holds 12 oz, and you will find yourself refilling it for every new cup of coffee, which can be annoying if more people want coffee.
Then again, this is a single-serve coffee maker.
Cuisinart’s water reservoir is also in the back of the brewer, but with one difference – it is detachable. That helps with washing and refilling a lot.
The reservoir capacity is rich – 40 oz – which solves the mystery of why SS-10P1 is a bit larger than K-Mini.
Brew Type And Size
Both these models are single-serve drip coffee makers that use pods to deliver you your cup of deliciousness.
K-Mini will brew you 6 to 12 oz of coffee, depending on how much water is in the tank.
As every brewing cycle will empty the reservoir, the brew size will depend on how much water you put inside.
On the other hand, Cuisinart made it simple. Besides the power button, you will find the buttons for 6, 8, and 10 oz of coffee.
Put the cup on the tray, click the desired size, and that’s all, folks.
User-friendliness is at max here.
What Kind Of Pods Can You Use
K-Mini uses K-cup pods. To avoid confusion with other Keurig products: You can’t use K-Carafe, K-Mug, Vue, or Rivo pods. Only K-cup pods.
More than 400 different official K-cup pods exist. More than 70+ top-class brands make them, including Lavazza, Green Mountains, and many others.
How can Cuisinart compete with that?
Easy. Cuisinart can use any brand of single-serve pods, including K-cups.
Both models are also compatible with their respectful reusable pods, so the choice of coffee you can brew is limitless.
You can buy the reusable pods separately or just learn more about them.
Terms like pods, capsules, and K-cups can sound confusing. It gets worse when people use them interchangeably. Jasper Scott sheds some light in his article for Milkwood Restaurant.
Ease Of Use
I don’t believe anybody can misuse these two coffee makers. However, I might be wrong, so a quick explanation, just in case.
To brew with K-Mini, start the process by putting the desired amount of water into the tank. After that, open the brewer’s head and put the pod inside.
Close the machine head, put your mug on the drip tray, and press the ginormous button with the inscribed K sign.
For the Cuisinart model, the modus operandi is quite similar.
Fill the tank with water, and put your mug on the drip tray.
Feed your machine with a good-quality coffee pod, and then choose the desired size using the buttons on the right.
How To Choose The Best Model For You
K-Mini and Cuisinart SS-5P1 have very similar features, as you can notice in this guide.
To sum it up:
K-Mini’s main advantages are its slim design and the rock-hard reputation of the Keurig company.
This model is excellent for tight spaces and people who drink their Jamoke solo.
Cuisinart SS-5P1’s main selling point is a larger water tank and an option to choose your brew size without fuss.
Its design could be a tad slimmer, but it will still fit into most counters and tables.
Which one is right for you, my fellow caffeine addict?
Photo by Felipe Ciacometti.
