Coffee makers vary in the type of coffee they brew and the features they offer. It is very common for people to have multiple preferences, but do we really have to buy multiple coffee makers? Getting the best dual coffee maker should put that problem to rest. These machines include the features to brew two types of coffee.
The general shape and design of these coffee makers are often quite similar to coffee makers with hot water dispenser. You could say some of these are modifications, where the single-serve coffee side is working to deliver hot water.
Best 2 Way Coffee Makers Of 2020
- Hamilton Beach 49976 FlexBrew Coffee Maker
- Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker, Single Serve and 12-Cup Carafe Drip Coffee Brewer
- Cuisinart SS-15 12-Cup Coffee Maker and Single-Serve Brewer
- Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer Coffee Maker (49980A)
- Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker, Single Serve and 12-Cup Carafe Drip Coffee Brewer
- Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System, Auto-iQ
- De’Longhi BCO430BM Combination Pump Espresso and 10c Drip Coffee Machine
Editor’s Choice: Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker, Single Serve and 12-Cup Carafe Drip Coffee Brewer
This brewer does an excellent job of putting together the magic of single-serve with the goodness of brewing a carafe. Keurig has put its expertise at single-serve coffee makers to good use.
Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker will happily brew the best K cup coffee you’ve always wanted. And if you’re hankering for a more customized touch, move to the brewer side and make a full carafe. The machine is backed by a 60 oz reservoir to deliver the full 12-cup carafe experience.
Reviewed — Top 7 Dual Coffee Makers To Buy
1. Hamilton Beach 49976 FlexBrew Coffee Maker
As 2 way coffee makers go, Hamilton Beach 49976 FlexBrew is the most cost-efficient coffee maker. That doesn’t reflect negatively on the quality of the brew, which remains pretty good, whether you choose carafe or the single-serve coffee.
What Makes This Coffee Machine Tick
There are separate water reservoirs for each side, enabling users to take their pick with ease. A small window on each side of the brewer lets users see the current water level in the reservoir. Both reservoirs are easily accessed from the top of the machine by lifting the relevant lid. The reservoirs are not removable.
The design is fairly modern and sleek. I like how the display and buttons/control get together seamlessly for convenient operation. As an energy-saving measure, the coffee maker doesn’t continuously heat the water. It only gets into action when you want your brew.
The Carafe-Side For The Coffee Maker
You can brew a full 12-cup carafe with this machine. Simply place the filter and coffee and let the machine get to work. Once it’s ready, it will start pouring your coffee.
There is an automatic stop function if you want a quick cup before it finishes pouring the full carafe. Simply remove the carafe and pour your cup. However, be sure to replace the carafe within 20 seconds to avoid spills. It seems quick, but that’s actually plenty of time to pour a cup.
While brewing, you can also choose the strength of your coffee to be bold or regular. A warmer plate will keep your coffee at the right temperature for about 2 hours. After this time, the machine will shut down automatically.
To make things easier, the coffee maker is fully programmable for up to 24 hours. You can set the preferred time for brewing coffee and have it ready at the set time, without further user intervention.
The Single-Serve Magic
The single-serve side of Hamilton Beach 49976 is fairly impressive. It’s the highlight really and, in my opinion, works far better than the carafe side. It is compatible with K cup pods and also allows the use of reusable K cups so you get a wider choice of coffee.
A pod holder and single-serve brew basket are included with the machine so you can brew your choice of coffee. There’s a storage area in the cup rest that holds the pod holder or brew basket when not in use.
For its single-serve water reservoir, this two-in-one coffee maker has a maximum volume of 14 oz. If you’re using a K cup pod, brew 10 oz of coffee. When using ground coffee, you can brew 14 oz. A travel mug up to 8-inch in size can be placed at this side. The adjustable cup rest will make room for the larger mug when necessary.
Pros
- Attractively priced
- Separate water reservoirs for single-serve and carafe side
- Auto shut off after two hours (including heating plate)
- Carafe side is fully automatic/programmable
- Adjustable cup rest for single-serve side
- Auto pause function allows users to pour a cup of coffee rather than wait for the full carafe
Cons
- Coffee volume on the carafe side cannot be conveniently controlled
- Long brew times – the single-serve side takes about three minutes per serving, the wait is longer for carafe side
2. Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker, Single Serve and 12-Cup Carafe Drip Coffee Brewer
Quality and convenience are happily wedded together for this machine. It’s also the reason why it is our preferred choice for the best dual coffee maker. Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker, Single Serve and 12-Cup Carafe Drip Coffee Brewer fares wonderfully in terms of quality and performance.
Versatility Of The K-Duo Coffee Maker
On one side of this machine, you’ll find a 12-cup carafe coffee maker. Its other side is gainfully employed by a classic Keurig single-serve machine. It’s versatile, yet keeps with the ease of use and quality expected from a Keurig machine. This is pretty much the definition of K cup and pot coffee maker.
There’s only a single, removable water reservoir here. However, at 60 oz, it is more than enough to brew your favorite coffee. Like other two way coffee makers, you can use only one side at a time. So a single reservoir shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Keurig K-Duo’s Carafe Side Coffee Business
The 12-cup carafe with the Keurig K-Duo can work the full 60 oz water reservoir. This side is also fully programmable, so you can set the carafe to auto-brew at your desired time. Once the timer is set, the machine will brew the set number of cups without further need for intervention.
Interestingly, there is an option to set the number of cups you want to brew. It’s a nice touch because having options like a single cup or a full carafe isn’t exactly desirable. All it needs is a push of a button and this machine can be set to brew 6, 8, 10, or 12 cups.
Once the coffee starts pouring into the carafe, there’s no need for it to finish pouring before you get the first cup. You can simply remove the carafe and pour a quick cup. The auto pause function will stop the coffee from dripping and making a mess. Just be sure to keep the carafe back in its spot within 20 seconds!
There’s a Strong button if you want to brew a bolder cup/carafe of coffee. A heating plate is included to keep the coffee in the carafe at the right temperature. The only downside here is the carafe itself. For whatever reason, it can’t help dripping coffee all over when pouring from the carafe.
Just to be clear, the Keurig K-Duo regular ground coffee like conventional drip coffee makers. You don’t need K-carafe pods for this machine to work.
K Cups And The Single-Serve Side
The single-serve side is conveniently set to work with Keurig K cup pods. It pretty much behaves like a regular Keurig coffee maker and can be handled as such. The cup size options here are 6, 8, 10, or 12 oz.
The same buttons are used to select the number of cups for the carafe side. In the single-serve mode, they become brew size selectors. The cup rest/tray is removable and allows enough room to place a travel mug. It can accommodate a travel mug up to 8-inches in length.
Keurig K-Duo dual coffee maker is compatible with Keurig reusable pods. It can work with other pods/K cups as well. However, it has this terrible habit of randomly refusing to recognize non-Keurig K cups and pods.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Removable, 60 oz reservoir
- Carafe side is programmable
- Option to brew 6, 8, 10, or 12 cups of coffee for carafe
- Auto drip-stop function for carafe-side
- Brew size options at single-serve side at 6, 8, 10, or 12 oz
- Convenient to use
Cons
- May randomly refuse to work with non-Keurig pods or K cups
- The included carafe isn’t very useful
- A pattern of buttons needs to be pushed for correct operation
3. Cuisinart SS-15 12-Cup Coffee Maker and Single-Serve Brewer
Cuisinart SS-15 12-Cup Coffee Maker and Single-Serve Brewer is a great pick as a coffee maker with K cup option. This is a 12-cup coffee maker with a single-serve side. Both sides use separate water reservoirs. There’s a 60 oz fixed reservoir for the carafe side and a 40 oz removable reservoir on the single serve side.
What Makes This Cuisinart An Amazing Brewer
Presence of these large reservoirs pushes the size of the machine a bit. On the other hand, they’re simply more convenient. Not having to refill the single-serve reservoir for every beverage is pretty useful.
Another interesting feature is the Clean option. On pressing this button, the coffee maker will run an automatic cleaning cycle. It will still need the occasional deep clean, but the automatic cycle just makes things easier.
The machine also includes Cuisinart’s charcoal water filter for the single-serve side. The filter is useful in removing impurities or odors present in the water. Both reservoirs would have benefited from it, but I guess it’s easier to operate for the removable reservoir.
Working With The Carafe Side
On the carafe side of things, you get the conventional 12-cup carafe sitting on a hot plate. This Cuisinart coffee maker includes controls to manage the hot plate temperature. It can be set to low, medium, or high.
This is a fully programmable coffee maker with auto on and auto off functions. The auto on can be set up up to 24 hours in advance. The auto off function is customizable to last between 0-4 hours. That’s plenty of time to heat the carafe after brew and shut down without hogging power.
Pressing the bold strength control button will have the coffee maker brew a stronger, bolder drink. The only negative here is that the coffee maker will brew a full pot when used.
Enjoying The Single-Serve Goodness
Cuisinart SS-15’s single-serve side benefits immensely from the 40 oz water reservoir. Not having to worry about refills with each cup is a huge convenience. It’s one of the things you never thought you wanted until you actually used it!
There are three buttons on the single-serve side to select the brew size. Hit the 6, 8, or 10 oz button to have the coffee maker brew your preferred volume. It works fine with K cups and a HomeBarista Reusable Filter is included for ease of use.
Pros
- Large water reservoirs for both sides
- Very easy and convenient controls
- Fair range of functions and features
- Fully programmable on the carafe side
- Automatic clean function
Cons
- The carafe side brews a full pot without controls for number of cups
- The coffee maker has a big footprint
4. Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer Coffee Maker (49980A)
Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer Coffee Maker (49980A) is one of the best known and loved dual brewers. It is a bit outdated by now, being the old man of this segment. However, it is still very much capable of brewing an amazing cuppa (or carafe)!
It has a fairly good range of features, though it can have trouble keeping up with newer machines. Even so, Hamilton Beach 49980A is a workhorse that has remained a favorite amongst two way brewers. Though the company has taken a greater interest in the newer FlexBrew line, this one remains an important player.
Looking At The Carafe Side
There is the usual range of features you can expect from the carafe side. It is fully programmable, has a heating plate, and brews 12-cups of coffee. The auto shut-off function will switch off the machine after two hours of inactivity.
A Deeper Look On The Single Serve Side
Hamilton Beach 49980A is somewhat unique amongst its peers on its handling of the single-serve side. This one is not compatible with K cups or similar pods. Instead, it prefers to use regular ground coffee and includes a mesh filter for that purpose.
Not everyone one the single-serve side of things wants to deal with ground coffee. After all, the quick convenience is a big draw for single serve. To that end, the machine is compatible with soft pods like ESE pods.
The cup tray is adjustable and can accommodate anything from a cup to a tall travel mug. A small reservoir feeds the single-serve side, holding only enough water to brew the cup you want. There’s no brew-size selection, so be sure to measure the volume accurately when pouring.
Pros
- Excellent pricing
- Switching between single-serve and carafe side takes a simple switch flick
- Both sides of the coffee maker are programmable
Cons
- Not compatible with Keurig K cups or similar pods
- Can hold a strong plastic smell for a while
5. Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker, Single Serve and 12-Cup Carafe Drip Coffee Brewer
Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker is a more compact touch on the Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker. It is also slightly different from the competition in the sense that there are no separate carafe and single-serve sides. You get the regular, almost conventional-Keurig look.
Top Notch Features Of The K-Duo Plus
Yet, the coffee maker retains the ability to brew a pod or carafe as needed. The overall features of the K-Duo Plus are quite similar to the K-Duo.
It can brew a full 12-cup carafe, but can also be set to brew 6, 8, or 10 cups. Similarly, the single-serve function can handle brew sizes of 6, 8, 10, and 12 oz. You will find this a repeating trend for several of the features. While the form of the two coffee makers is different, they are quite similar in functions.
Features And Observations For the K-Duo Plus
At this point, we generally examine the features of both sides of the coffee maker handle. Since this one has just one side, an examination of features should give us the answer!
There is only a single spot for the coffee to exit, whether you choose single-serve or carafe. However, there are different spots to place the coffee(s), necessitated by the difference in both mechanisms.
Brew basket for the ground coffee for the carafe is placed right at the front of the machine, at the top. Meanwhile, the K cup takes a more central position. It’s slightly behind the ground coffee, but right by the controls. It is easy to add/remove K cups.
Switching between carafe and pod takes a simple touch of a button. Once you’re done, you can select the brew size or the cup number for brewing. The machine has a programmable function, that lets it brew coffee at a specific, programmed time every day. This function is available only for the carafe mode.
There is no heating plate here. Instead, the coffee maker makes use of a thermal carafe to keep the coffee hot.
Another feature worth noting is the presence and use of the water reservoir. The 60 oz water reservoir is removable. More importantly, it can be placed at different spots on the machine depending on user requirements. The reservoir can be placed on the sides or back of the machine.
Pros
- Compact with small footprint
- Easily shifts between carafe and single-serve modes
- Convenient management of single-serve brew size and carafe cup numbers
- Includes thermal carafe and gold tone permanent filter for the carafe function
- Programmable settings for carafe function
- The 60 oz water reservoir can be placed on any side that is convenient
Cons
- Randomly rejects non-Keurig K cups
- Can have a learning curve before use
6. Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System, Auto-iQ
Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System is not a regular dual coffee maker. Its job here is to act as a contrast or a foil to the machines listed here. This feature-rich, yet well-priced machine is an alternative and competition to the average dual coffee maker.
A Kitchen Ninja That Excels In Coffee-jutsu
This machine has six brew sizes, ranging from a single cup to a full carafe. Other choices include common options like travel mug, half-carafe, etc. Ninja’s Auto-iQ feature is notable in this aspect. It measures the volume of water required by the user and delivers the right amount of coffee.
You can also pick from several brew types. The machine offers five brew choices and also works with over ice and cold brew options. For those who want to go beyond coffee, this machine includes a separate filter basket to brew tea.
The included cup tray is adjustable to accommodate anything from a single cup to a full carafe. Unlike the other machines on this list, this one doesn’t have a 60 oz reservoir. Instead, it is content with using a 50 oz water reservoir.
How Does It Compare To Dual Coffee Makers
Dual coffee makers usually offer the capability to work with K cups. The capability to brew regular coffee carafe and K cups forms a big part of the USP of these combo coffee makers. Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System is a feature-rich machine that offers plenty of options. You can conveniently choose the brew size, strength, and even make tea.
If your preference leans towards the brew sizes available, the Ninja could be the better choice. Being able to easily brew a carafe, travel mug, or a single cup comes easy with this coffee maker. However, if the lure of K cups and their flavors is what you have in mind, a dual coffee maker might be the preferred choice.
Pros
- Feature-rich coffee maker with several options
- Removable 50 oz water reservoir
- Can handle six brew sizes
- Several brew type options
- Can make coffee and tea
- Programmable machine
- Built-in milk frother
- Adjustable platform to handle everything from cup to 50 oz carafe
Cons
- Not compatible with single-serve pods’ or K cups
- No warmer plate
7. De’Longhi BCO430BM Combination Pump Espresso and 10c Drip Coffee Machine
De’Longhi BCO430BM Combination Pump Espresso and 10c Drip Coffee Machine is a dual coffee maker with a twist. So far, we’ve been looking at what are essentially drip coffee makers. Sure, they have a single-serve side and a carafe side, but what if the combo you want is a bit different? Something like espresso and drip coffee!
Making The Espresso Maker And Coffee Maker Come Together
This machine is a surprising combo of two very different systems. Putting an espresso maker and coffee machine together is an interesting combo. It’s also a very difficult combination to pull off. A competent espresso machine can easily run to the range of 500 dollars. That range would be super expensive for a drip coffee maker.
So pricing has to be a concern. And this coffee maker handles it deftly. It is well-priced and matches decent espresso with good coffee. While we’re on the topic of machines that can brew drip coffee and espresso, Nespresso VertuoLine deserves a mention. The only reason it isn’t on this list is because Ninja coffee maker took the spot for alternative options!
On The Side Of The Espresso Machine
De’Longhi’s forte lies with espresso – and the company has worked hard to ensure this one works well. The machine works with 15 bars of pressure, which is a significantly higher number than the recommended 9 bars. Like most machines in this price range, it struggles (and fails) to maintain the pressure. However, it does manage to deliver good espresso.
Should you want to take your espresso further and delve into the realms of lattes and cappuccinos, you absolutely must! A steam wand is included for that very purpose. So refresh your knowledge on how to froth milk and get down to business!
The Coffee Experience With De’Longhi BCO430BM
Exactly like the espresso side, the drip coffee maker too has a “front loading” system. The brew basket and water reservoir access are located at the front of the machine. Add water, coffee, and let the machine brew a full carafe. This is a 10-cup coffee maker, so the reservoir is slightly smaller than the other machines on this list.
A programmable function lets you set auto on and brew options up to 24 hours in advance. There’s also a very convenient option to brew 1-4 cups of coffee, rather than going for the full carafe. A warming plate keeps the coffee poured into the glass carafe hot for a long time.
Pros
- Excellent drip coffee and espresso combo
- Separate water reservoirs for both sections
- Includes water filters for better quality
- Attractive pricing
Cons
- Espresso maker drips after use – keep a cup there
- Coffee maker carafe dribbles
- Several consumer complaints of equipment failure
Few Considerations For Your Two Way Coffee Maker
The Choice Of The Dual Coffee Maker
Should you pick the standard or dual coffee maker? It’s an interesting question, considering carafes and single-serve coffee makers are both very popular. I’ll say there isn’t a “superior” option here. However, if you enjoy the carafe and single-serve variants, it might make more sense to take the combo route.
It’s a better choice than getting two coffee makers. It is certainly better than getting one and wondering if you should have bought the other. Most of these coffee makers like to keep the water reservoirs separate for each variant.
My suggestion would be to look for a single reservoir. No machine allows you to use both variants (drip and single-serve) at the same time. So sharing a reservoir shouldn’t be a problem.
There are other combo coffee makers, like the De’Longhi espresso and drip coffee maker listed here. It’s a very enticing option, but I feel this particular niche has yet to mature and offer a truly remarkable product. For now, it’s better to limit the hunt for the two-in-one coffee maker to the drip machine combo of carafe and single-serve.
Size And Room In Your Kitchen
Your average drip coffee maker isn’t a compact machine. These machines can be fairly sizeable compared to the usual drip coffee maker. The reason is simple – the larger water reservoir and additional hardware need more space. Straightforward as the reason is, counter space isn’t that easily malleable or beholden to reason!
Some dual coffee makers can easily be larger than comparable carafe and single-serve machines put together. So before you buy, carefully check product dimensions. Then see if you have enough space to place that machine somewhere!
Images don’t really do justice to the size and scale. So rather than “visualizing” if the machine will fit in a spot, take actual measurements. And if doubt persists, consider visiting a store to see the machine in-person.
If space is a big concern, something like Keurig K-Duo Plus might be a good fit.
The Combo Coffee Maker To Pick
Now that we’ve gone into full details of the combo coffee makers and their features, picking one should come easier. These are all excellent machines with a great track record. Yet, individual considerations may put one to be better than the other.
Our top recommendation for the best dual coffee maker is the Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker. If you need something different, try Hamilton Beach 49976 FlexBrew. And when space considerations are important, take a look at the Keurig K-Duo Plus.