Single Serve Coffee Makers vs Automatic Coffee Makers

Whether you drink your coffee straight-up with no sugar or creamer, or you drink only milk-based specialities like Latte’s or Cappuccino’s, the chances are high that you’ve needed a coffee machine in the past to get the level of quality drinks you want.

Some coffee machines are built and intended for one sole purpose – like a French Press or Moka Pot – while others have been made to be largely adaptable to produce a huge variety of our favourite drinks. Two of the most popular coffee machine types are capsule coffee machines (also known as single-serve or pod coffee machines) and bean to cup machines (also known as fresh milk coffee machines or automatic coffee machines).

These two types of coffee machines are fundamentally different, and will suit different needs well. Coffee never has been, nor will it ever be, a one-size-fits-all solution.

Capsule Coffee Machines	Bean to Cup Coffee Machines
Cheap equipment investment.	Relatively expensive equipment investment.
Pre-ground coffee inside of the capsules is not necessarily the freshest possible coffee.	Coffee is ground immediately before extraction, freshest possible taste.
Limited to the brand’s range of coffee capsules.	Can use any type of coffee bean you wish.
Easily available at retail shops.	Usually available through coffee specialists and dealers.
Easy to maintain.	Requires maintenance – more so if it contains a milk frother.
Expensive overall cost per cup (factor in the price of the coffee capsule, add milk and creamer, add sugar)	Cheaper overall product cost (with the use of coffee beans and fresh milk)
If the machine is not fitted with a milk frother, you will need to add that as an additional cost. If the machine takes milk capsules, remember that you will be drinking powdered milk, which has a huge taste difference in comparison to fresh milk.	The machine should come pre-fitted with either a milk frother or carafe to use fresh milk in, to produce milk-based drinks.
Very easy to use.	May take some training to understand how to operate the machine.
Backup support normally offered by retailer includes warranties.	Support offered by speciality supply stores and resellers often includes warranties as well as guarantees
Disposal of coffee pods (if not recycled) can be damaging to the environment.	Only coffee grounds need to be disposed of and are healthy sources of nitrogen for outdoor plants.
While limited to brand-specific capsules, you are also limited to the drink options within the brand range.	With the main ingredients (being coffee bans and milk) – the machine does the work for you. Your range of drinks increases exponentially when using this type of coffee machine.