Automatic Drip Coffee Machine

Pros:

By far the most commonly used method in American homes and it's easy to see why. Convenient, efficient, and yes, even automatic. Many of them are fitted with timers, so you can fill the filter with grounds and the receptacle with water the night before, set the timer and voila! A whole pot of hot coffee is ready for you when you wake up.

There’s really no denying the popularity of drip coffee machines. They’re in homes, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels…. everywhere. And why not? They’re engineered for maximum convenience. If you want to see just how popular the drip coffee machine is, check out the 50 Best Coffee Machines by Good Housekeeping. Mind boggling.

Cons:

So yes, convenience is key. But what about quality? There are two fairly large faults at play that prevent the drip method from producing a satisfying cup of coffee. Firstly, the lack of contact (time and surface) between the water and the grounds, and secondly, the paper filters that filter the grounds also happen to take with them the flavorful oils that actually give your coffee taste.

What’s even more frustrating, is that oftentimes you don’t need to brew a whole pot of coffee. What if you’re home alone or late to the office and missed out on the pot?  When you only need to brew a single cup, drip coffee machines aren’t a great solution. Many people also overlook the cleanliness of the drip. If not cleaned properly and regularly, their water receptacles are a haven for mold and mildew. Not exactly the preferred condiments for your morning cuppa!

Keurig “K-Cup” Coffee Machines

Pros:

Perhaps the most loved benefit of the seemingly unstoppable K-cup, that has won the hearts of over 20 million American households, is this: Push. A. Button. Yes, convenience is king in this fast paced world that we live in. From Starbucks to Caribou to Peets, all brands of K-cups line the aisles of every store in the country. They’re also pre-packed and single-serve, which takes all the thinking out of coffee making, and when you’re bleary eyed and late for work, the convenience of K-cups is a Godsend.

Cons:

As convenient as K-cups may be, unfortunately when it comes to taste, the popular vote seems to be unanimous; flat coffee-flavored water. But for most Americans, the convenience of the one button press is unsurpassable, and even if it means turning a blind eye to that (plastic) elephant in the room; those pods that never decompose. It’s been estimated, the number of K-Cups sold in a single year can circle the earth 10 times. Let that just sink in for a while. Last year, Keurig introduced their new recyclable pods. Recyclable but not compostable, which means the company still introduces billions of plastic pieces to the earth every year.

Keurig machines weren’t exactly designed for portability either. If you’re not lucky enough to have a Keurig at the office, at the lake house, or on the mountain you’ve just hiked, you’ll need an alternative.

French Press

Pros:

For those who love to be in control, the European French Press has become increasingly popular in the United States. Not only is it an easy immersion based method, its greatest attribute is that you have total control of steeping time, grounds and water temperature, and thereby the quality of coffee that ends up in your cup.

The French Press gives you the flexibility to brew just one cup or up to eight, and its filter-less technique has experts praising its health benefits. In fact, a Scandinavian study found that those who drank pressed coffee had a lower risk of developing cancer.

When it comes to flavor, the noble French Press does not disappoint either. The coarse grounds used not only release a whole host of antioxidants and nutrients into your cup, but also the most flavor, compared to K-cups and drip machines.

Cons:

The art of the French Press requires patience. You need to allow several minutes for the water to extract the rich coffee flavors and oils from the beans, so if you’re in need of a quick cup, the French Press may not be right for you.  The purest way to brew with the French Press also requires a special coarse grind which can be difficult to find in stores. You may have to grind your own beans, and if you settle for pre-ground options that are often too fine, you can end up with a gluggy brew and grinds in your cup.

Once the brewing process is complete, you’ll face some inevitable cleanup as well. Only the truly conscientious will resist throwing those grounds down the kitchen sink disposal. It's an expensive practice that will eventually come back to haunt you. (If you’ve recently had to call out a plumber to unblock a drain, you’ll understand!) Instead, scatter the grounds in the garden outside, they make for an excellent fertilizer for your plants.

The French Press also has its limitations in terms of health benefits. While there are many perks to drinking coffee in general, some experts say that consuming too much unfiltered coffee from a French Press can have a negative impact on your LDL or “bad cholesterol”.

Pour Over

Pros:

Methodical, artisanal and a true gentleman’s craft, the pour over produces a quality cup every time. Why? Because the beans are freshly ground right before brewing and the water is boiled to exactly 200˚ F. It may be a labor of love, but the pour over is certainly enjoying its day in the craft coffee sun.

Coffee lovers, from coast to coast, have no problem waiting for the perfect brew as their mustachioed baristas pour with precision and chat idly about the organic Arabica beans they’ve just ground. It’s a caffeinated right of passage, and in recent years, pour overs have even been making their way into American homes.

What’s even more noteworthy, is that much of the pour over technique used at home today, actually originated in Japan (yes you read that right). A culture that basks in mastery and attention to detail, that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

Cons:

While we can all agree that the precision of pour overs produces a consistent quality cup, very few of us have the time to indulge in its decadent brewing process. And even more significant, the elaborate pour over comes with a considerable amount of clean up.

Incorporating a great brew into our morning routine is no doubt important, but there’s also the news to read, the dog to walk, and of course that twenty-minute Pilates workout. The pour over’s just not for the time sensitive. Nor is it for travelers, campers and outdoor lovers, for that matter. Imagine packing all that pour over equipment into your Lululemon Weekender? Not likely. One of life’s challenges has always been to equate quality and convenience, and when it comes to coffee, that’s no exception.

One Fresh Cup

Pros:

One Fresh What?! Yes, this is totally new to the American market and has everything we love about pour over coffees without the need to grind your own beans and use expensive equipment. These little gems are ready packed filters of premium coffee grounds that hang on top of your cup. Once the filter is secured to your cup, you simply pour over hot water and then throw the filter away when you’re done. There’s literally nothing to clean up, and no need for machines or plastic pods.

One Fresh Cup takes coffee making back to basics. And when our lives are literally inundated with gadgets and technology, there’s something very therapeutic about returning to a simple and manual way to brew. And the best part is, think about all the places you can take this portable brew!

Cons:

For those who have the luxury of time in the mornings, and can’t live without their high end grinder and gooseneck kettle, then One Fresh Cup’s simplicity may not fit the bill. Similarly, for dinner parties and brunches, where you may need to make a large pot of coffee for your guests, these single-serve filters may not be right for the job.

Otherwise, for anyone who’s ever wanted to brew a single premium coffee (that tastes a whole lot better than Keurig and doesn’t need a machine or pods), One Fresh Cup is a solid option.