The Best Coffee Makers for the Dorm Room

Moving out on your own, whether you’re moving into your own first apartment or into a dorm room, means that you have to furnish your new digs with all the important things that you’re used to having on hand. The coffee lover will be leaving behind all the comforts of home – fresh coffee first thing in the morning, usually made by mom before you even roll out of bed. If you’re going to get your coffee before you head out the door each morning, you’ll need to invest in some coffee equipment of your own.

Obviously, the most important piece of equipment you’ll need for the dorm room is a coffee maker. The family coffee maker is probably not the best choice. Most college students don’t need a 12 cup coffee maker – even if they’ll drink 12 cups of coffee, it will usually taste like mud by the time they reach the bottom of the pot.

Instead, opt for a Keurig B30 Personal Coffee Brewer. The Keurig Mini is the ideal coffee brewer for the dorm room for a lot of reasons. It makes coffee the way most people drink it – one cup at a time. It’s simple to use – just pop in a K-cup, push a button and wait for the cup to fill. It’s fast – you’ve got a cup of coffee in just about one minute. And the best part – clean up is a breeze. Just eject the K-cup and throw it away.

If you do opt for a Keurig B30, sign up for a Green Mountain Coffee Club subscription. The Coffee Club allows you to set up delivery service at the frequency you need with the coffees that you want. There’s an incredible selection of coffees, teas and hot chocolate in K-cups, so you can stock your favorites all the time, or you can sign up for one of their signature collections and get a different limited edition coffee each month.

If you’re just not a single serve brewer type of person, then opt for a coffee maker that lets you make small batches. There are a number of 1-4 cup coffee makers on the market from makers like Mr. Coffee, Hamilton Beach and Zojirushi. If you shop around a bit, you’ll even find small coffee makers in your choice of color.

One of our favorite small coffee makers is the Mr. Coffee 4-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker, which allows you to set up your coffee for the morning before you go to bed. Just plug in the time that you want your coffee to start brewing, and wake up to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee first thing in the morning. That’s world’s above waking up to the cold, mechanical buzz of your alarm clock.

If you’re a make ‘n’ take kind of coffee drinker, grabbing your coffee in a mug before you head out the door, consider one of the coffee makers that brews directly into one or two to-go travel mugs. I love the Cuisinart TTG-500 Two to Go coffee maker, which dispenses the coffee directly into your coffee mug through the lid—and shuts itself off when the brewing is done. You don’t even need to take the time to put the lid on – just grab your coffee on your way out the door and enjoy.