I Asked 3 Baristas To Name the Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker—They All Said the Same Thing

As a young server, I poured gallons of coffee a day into the mugs of regulars in my hometown diner, where the height of coffee sophistication was choosing between regular and decaf (if it was even available that day).

Single-serve cups of refillable diner coffee are a vibe, but the times have changed, and so has our collective coffee palate. These days, the world of single-serve coffee makers is as diverse as a barista's Instagram feed. From high-tech machines that look like they could launch a rocket to simple devices that wouldn't be out of place in a chemistry lab, the options are endless.

I wanted to know which one truly delivers that perfect cup of joe without the fuss. To get to the bottom of this caffeinated conundrum, I reached out to three coffee experts who know their beans from their grounds. Unsurprisingly, it's not the ubiquitous Keurig that's won their hearts but a higher-quality, more versatile device that's been quietly revolutionizing how we brew.

The 3 Baristas I Asked

• Enna Grazier: Owner of  Enna Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate factory and cafe in Exeter, New Hampshire
• Lara Americo: Founder of Comic Girl Coffee in Charlotte, North Carolina, and The Ghost Gym & Café; NYC coffee consultant, decade-long barista, and owner of Tea For Tarot (launching 2025)
• Dheanne Zepeda: Longtime barista at Paisley Coffeehouse & Eatery in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada

The Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker, According to Baristas

The Hario V60, Chemex (both of which are known for making excellent pour over coffee) and Moka pot were all celebrated for a variety of reasons, but when I asked these coffee connoisseurs to narrow down their top pick for the average home coffee lover, they sang the AeroPress's praises.

"It's hard to make a bad cup of coffee with an AeroPress," Americo states confidently. Plus, "it's easy to clean, it's portable, and you look really cool manually pushing boiling hot coffee into a cup through the plunger, creating the signature AeroPress hissing sound," she jokes.

The AeroPress combines immersion brewing (like a French press) and pressure extraction (similar to espresso). Coffee grounds are steeped in hot water for a short period; then, you apply pressure by pressing the plunger down to force the coffee through a small, round paper filter. "It replicates the pressure of an espresso machine with a boiler, which helps to maximize extraction from the beans," says Grazier. It's a process known for extracting rich flavors while minimizing bitterness.  

How To Use the AeroPress

Ultimately, all you need is coffee beans and water for the perfect cup. "For the average home coffee-lover, whether they're former Keurig users or seasoned baristas, the same simple recipe will work," says Americo.

You'll need "filtered water as close to boiling as possible with coffee ground to the consistency of sand." Specifically, Americo recommends one to one-and-a-half tablespoons of coffee grounds per cup of water. Grazier also likes a finer grind for the Aeropress. "Sometimes I bring 'mistake' ground coffee beans home from work," she says. "If it's a coarse grind, I'll make it with pour-over; if it's a fine grind, I'll prepare it with the AeroPress."

Though "a new recipe for each variety of bean and roasting profile could be developed," says Americo, "I find that most beans taste great with a ratio of 1:15 (15 grams wet to every one gram dry) at 205°F," so a scale is really helpful. Despite what sounds like a lot of precision, she emphasizes that "the beauty of brewing with an AeroPress is…you don't have to overthink it!" 

One of my neighborhood baristas even said it was the easiest to learn with the lowest barrier to entry. "There's a learning curve to getting the first few cups right, but once you've got your technique down, it's fun to use," says Grazier.

Zepeda's best piece of advice? Don't rush the process! "If you love fresh, great-tasting coffee, let it sit a couple [of] minutes to steep fully and allow the flavors of the beans to truly come forward before pressing."

A Cost- and Waste-Saving Coffee Brewer

One of the biggest flexes of the AeroPress, and something that all three baristas raved about, is that it produces minimal waste compared to most single-serve pod machines. Home brewers have the option to use biodegradable paper or metal filters.

Americo thinks paper filters make a better-tasting coffee but notes that "metal filters last forever." There also aren't any ongoing costs beyond the beans and (inexpensive) paper filters if you use them. And it doesn't require proprietary coffee pods or capsules, which is a huge advantage. 

Practically speaking, the AeroPress is small and takes up a minimal amount of kitchen space. That same compact, lightweight design makes it highly portable. It doesn't require electricity or delicate parts, so it's easy to pack and use anywhere.

"As a camper," said Zepeda, "the AeroPress allows [me] to…brew fresh coffee in the mountains, at a lake, or in the middle of the woods!" From its simplicity and portability to its ability to produce a superior cup of coffee, the AeroPress has been stealing the hearts of baristas everywhere, one perfectly pressed cup at a time.