Growing up, coffee was a big part of my life. My mother is Colombian, so she gave me my first cup of coffee when I was 11 or 12 years old. Ever since then, no matter how loudly my internal organs scream for water in the morning, a dark cup of mud is the first thing they get. When I visit my parents, my father always puts on a massive, 14-cup pot of coffee first thing in the morning. Once I eventually wake up at the crack of noon and snag the last mug or two, all the coffee is gone and the carafe is empty. (Good work, team!)
But now that I’ve been living on my own (with roommates, that is) for some time, I don’t need a massive coffee machine, especially since I’m the only one in my apartment who drinks the stuff. That’s why I’m such a diehard evangelist for the Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Mini Brew Switch Coffee Maker.
This bad boy makes up to 25 ounces of coffee at a time — the ideal amount for two 12-ounce cups. That’s about as much bean juice as I like to have on any given morning, anyway. With larger coffee makers, it feels so wasteful (and expensive in the long run) to pour half-finished pots of coffee down the drain. While I’m happy that the sewer rats are getting their daily dose of caffeine, I can’t stomach the idea of letting high-quality coffee go un-guzzled. That’s why I am sorta obsessed with this Mr. Coffee game changer.
I’m a big fan of pour-over coffee, but the time-intensive process is a little much for mornings when I’m in a rush, hungover, or know I’m going to need more than one cup. That leads me to another reason why I love the Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Mini Brew Switch Coffee Maker: its simplicity. While most drip machines these days have what seems like a million different settings and knobs, this spartan model is easy to use and gets the job done every time. It literally has one button: the “on” switch. Just pop in your filter, pour in your ground coffee, add water to the reservoir, flip the switch, and voila — coffee is served.
It’s also the perfect size for small apartments like mine. The lightweight, compact design means I can tuck it away on my countertop, and because it’s only about the size of a football, I barely even notice it’s there. The ergonomic carafe makes for easy pouring and handling, and thanks to the auto-pause feature, I can sneak a cup before brewing is finished. And, while I admittedly have never cleaned my coffee machine — don’t judge, you know yours is due for a scrub, too — all you need to do is unplug it and remove the brew basket, filter carafe, and carafe lid; wash them with soap and water; and let them dry. Easy peasy.
I’m not the only one who digs this little kitchen workhorse, either. “This machine is a TOTAL improvement over my last Mr. Coffee model which I’ve had and used every day for over three years!” one five-star reviewer writes. “This one makes the coffee in a short amount of time and comes out HOT whereas my old one took longer and leaked water through the back or bottom where I had to keep a towel under the machine.” If you’re in the market for a simple, no-frills coffee machine that’s great for small spaces, this, my friends, is the way.
Buy: Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Mini Brew Switch Coffee Maker, $19.99 (normally $24.99)
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