Here’s the very best coffee maker for one person, why we love it, and how to get one of your own.

Best coffee maker for one person

Need coffee for one? Here at A Couple Cooks, we’re coffee pros. We’ve researched all the best coffee gear so that you don’t have to! So if you’re looking for the best coffee maker for one person…we’ve got it for you. And, we’ve got a video on how to use it! Here’s our best pick, a runner up, and exactly how to use both of them. Bottom line: We love the Aeropress coffee maker!

1. Best coffee maker for one person (one cup): The Aeropress

If you’re looking for a personal one cup coffee maker, the Aeropress is our best pick for you! What’s an Aeropress? It may look like a space-age gadget, but the Aeropress is a coffee making device! You’ll steep the coffee, then force the water through the filter by pressing a plunger through a tube. It makes one great cup of coffee! Here are the reasons we love the Aeropress:

  • It’s cheap: only around $30!
  • It’s small & portable: it takes up very little space and weighs next to nothing. Perfect for travelling!
  • It’s easy to clean: it just needs a quick rinse.
  • It makes a great coffee: enough said. In fact, it’s hard to make a bad cup of coffee using the Aeropress.
  • It’s fast: It only takes a few minutes to make one cup of coffee.

How to use it? Here’s how to use an Aeropress.

Aeropress accessories

Here’s what you need to make coffee in an Aeropress:

  1. Filters: We like these paper filters, but metal filters are also available.
  2. Electric kettle: The water temperature is important. Here’s the gooseneck water kettle with temperature control that we use.
  3. Grinder: This Electric burr grinder is best in class. For an inexpensive option that’s also perfect for traveling, here’s a handheld coffee grinder.

2. Best coffee maker for one person (two cups): the Chemex

If you drink two cups of coffee per day, we’d recommend the Chemex coffee maker! What’s a Chemex? A Chemex is a glass beaker shaped coffee maker. It’s more expensive and a little more involved than the Aeropress, but better at coaxing out the flavor of the coffee beans. This is the coffee maker we use every day. Here’s what’s great about the Chemex:

  • It makes really great coffee. The flavor this method extracts is excellent.
  • It’s perfect for coffee nerds. Because the flavor is superior, it’s what we recommend for the very best cup you can make.
  • It makes 2 cups of coffee at once. If you’re a 2 cup per day person, you’ll get both in one shot.

How to use it? Here’s how to use a Chemex.

Chemex accessories

Here’s what you need to make coffee in a Chemex:

  1. Filters: Here are the Chemex filters we use.
  2. Electric kettle: The water temperature is important. Here’s the gooseneck water kettle with temperature control that we use.
  3. Grinder: This Electric burr grinder is best in class. For an inexpensive option that’s also perfect for traveling, here’s a handheld coffee grinder.
  4. Kitchen scale: Weigh out your coffee and water using this kitchen scale. (It’s also handy to have for cooking, especially baking bread!)

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About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

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3 Comments

  1. I also bought an Aeropress couple of years ago. A colleague of mine was raving about it. While I was using it in the first year almost daily to make my first coffee in the morning I stopped for a while. However, I find it great to bring with us when traveling since it is really compact and light.

  2. I own an Aeropress and love the style, but I also love my moka pot for a stronger espresso tasting coffee. The pots come in a range of sizes, so perfect for 1 or 2 people and they are so quick and easy to use. We use ours at home and take it
    camping too.