Is it time for a new coffee maker in your house? Maybe you’re trying to decide between two brands, like Cuisinart and Keurig, and it would help to have an honest comparison.
If you love your Cuisinart appliances but aren’t sure about their coffee makers, or you like Keurig’s K-cup varieties, we’re here for you.
"The best coffee pod I've ever tasted"
Yes, we mean that. Finally, specialty coffee for your KCup machine, roasted fresh to your order by our friends at Atlas Coffee in Austin, TX! Get 50% OFF to try it with code ROASTYPODS
If you don’t have an endless money supply and want to get the best deal, read on for the Cuisinart vs. Keurig showdown featuring everything you need to know about both brands and products to make the best decision for your kitchen’s morning routine!
Cuisinart Overview
Cuisinart made a name in kitchen appliances with its impressive food processor. But then, thanks to celebrity chefs like Julia Child, Cuisinart quickly gained prestige as a top product for creating healthy, delicious meals.
The American company expanded its product offerings to encompass everything you could ever need in a kitchen. Cuisinart even offers tips and techniques to get the most out of their products and improve your culinary skills.
Cuisinart Coffee Products
Cuisinart recognized the importance of a good cup of coffee for many home chefs and developed several coffee makers and related accessories, including grinders. As a result, it’s possible to create a complete coffee bar in your home using nothing but Cuisinart products!
Coffee Makers
Cuisinart makes more than two dozen coffee makers ranging from eight-cup capacity up to 14 cups. Aside from capacity, you can choose coffee makers with basic functions or various features, including programmable options, thermal carafes, and built-in grinders for the freshest beans.
Single-Serve Brewers
Keeping up with the trend for single-serve coffee and pod-brewing, Cuisinart developed a range of appliances to meet your needs. From a basic brewer to premium options with a range of features, you can select the one that fits your kitchen.
Coffee Centers and Combos
Do you have several people in your household who like different hot drinks? Cuisinart aims to solve the issue with coffee centers and combo units featuring hot water systems.
Coffee centers feature full-size pots and single-serve options in one machine so that you have more choice. In addition, some of the combination machines feature full-size pots plus a hot water feature for brewing tea or hot cocoa.
Coffee Accessories
In the quest to create a complete kitchen experience, Cuisinart even developed coffee accessories to round out your home cafe. For example, Burr grinders and coffee grinders allow you to use whole beans at home without compromising freshness loss from stored coffee grounds.
Why Cuisinart?
With hundreds of coffee makers to choose from, it helps the discriminating coffee drinker to know what sets one brand apart from the next. Sure, Cuisinart makes some incredible food processors and other small kitchen appliances, but are the coffee makers truly worth it?
- More than two dozen products to choose from with something for every price range
- A wide variety of sizes and features to fit any home cafe needs
- Produces excellent quality coffee
- A trusted brand with excellent customer service
Downsides of Cuisinart Coffee Products
While Cuisinart has a lot to offer, there’s no such thing as a perfect company or product line. Most users seem to like the taste and convenience of Cuisinart coffee products, including us. However, there are a few issues mentioned on several sites, including:
- Water reservoirs can be difficult to access for refilling
- Cleaning some components could be easier
- Though Cuisinart is an American company, some components come from China
Keurig Overview
More formally known as Keurig Dr. Pepper, Keurig represents a massive merger that brought together several North American beverage companies. Featuring more than 125 hot and cold beverage options, Keurig Dr. Pepper has dozens of partners and employs more than 27,000 people.
Keurig Coffee Products
Keurig coffee machines became synonymous with pre-measured single-serve coffee makers. With sleek single-cup coffee makers and some K-cups, you can feed your coffee cravings, among other things. In addition, Keurig managed to offer single-serving pods in tea, hot cocoa, ciders, and more through partnerships.
You can choose from a selection of brewers, including combination systems. The combination systems range from espresso makers to coffee makers with actual carafes.
Why Keurig?
Choosing a Keurig coffee maker isn’t just about the brand, though that’s a solid start. Keurig established itself as a reputable company early on, and the mergers only enhanced that reputation. They practically created the entire K-cup coffee maker market. Some of the top reasons to choose a Keurig for your coffee center include:
- With K-Cup coffee makers, you don’t need a grinder unless you choose reusable, refillable coffee pods.
- With so many beverage options available, you don’t have to get your entire household or office to agree on one choice of coffee. You can even stock non-coffee options.
- Multiple colors and profiles mean you can choose a machine that matches your space.
- Keurig machines brew coffee fast, as in 60 seconds for one eight-ounce cup. Plus, it’s ready to brew the next cup in less than a minute.
- Day-to-day maintenance is easy, just fill the reservoir and toss each pod after use.
Downsides of Keurig Products
Keurig remains an insanely popular option for homes, offices, and more, but there’s no such thing as a perfect product. So let’s discuss some of the most common problems Keurig users encounter.
- The single-serve machines tend to clog. Of course, you have to clean all coffee makers, so this shouldn’t be surprising, but it means figuring out where the clog is located.
- Like many coffee makers, Keurigs can have leaky reservoirs, possibly requiring problem-solving skills to correct the issue.
- The price of pre-ground and portioned coffee could turn off some coffee drinkers, especially multi-cup enthusiasts.
- While Keurigs deliver a decent cup of joe, coffee gurus may prefer alternate brewing options that highlight the flavor profiles in each cup.
- If you don’t choose a reusable, refillable K-cup or pod coffee, the pods add up and contribute to the landfill problem.
Cuisinart vs. Keurig: Battle of the Top Products
Though both brands offer unique products, there are some parallels for comparison. So let’s take a look at some pairings of each company’s top options for a single-serve coffee maker and combination systems.
Single-Serve Coffee Makers: Cuisinart Premium vs. K-Elite
For the first showdown, let’s compare Cuisinart’s Premium to Keurig’s K-Elite single-serve brewer. Unfortunately, this pair comes in at comparable pricing and size. With little cost difference, we have to dig deeper into function and features.
Cuisinart Premium Single-Serve Coffee Maker (SS-10P1)
This machine is the most advanced single-serve brewer by Cuisinart. Since the Cuisinart SS-10 can use all Keurig-compatible single-serve pods and ground coffee, you have quite the selection for drinks.
One handy feature of this machine is the removable 72-ounce water reservoir, making it easy to refill. It’s also fully programmable with a backlit blue LCD display.
- Color: white, cream, robin’s egg blue, light gray, or silver
- Serving sizes: 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12-ounces
- Dimensions: 11.03 x 9.33 x 12.13 inches
- Accessories/Extras: reusable filter cup, charcoal water filter
Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker
Keurig’s K-Elite demonstrates why the company rules the roost in the single-serve world. You have options galore in this sleek machine featuring buttons and a convenient touchscreen.
This machine features a range of functions that could revolutionize your home cafe. The hot water option makes the K-Elite more versatile as you can brew tea, make hot cocoa, or even instant soups and oatmeal. Plus, you can adjust the brew strength or choose to make iced coffee with the flick of a button.
- Color: brushed silver, brushed slate, or brushed gold
- Serving sizes: 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12-ounces
- Dimensions: 12.7 x 9.9 x 13.1 inches
- Accessories/Extras: removable drip tray, hot water on demand, iced coffee feature
The Bottom Line
The Cuisinart Premium is elementary to use and maintain, and though it’s large, the K-Elite is larger. On the other hand, the K-Elite features an iced coffee setting, hot water option, and brew-strength control.
Combination Coffee Makers: Cuisinart CHW-12P1 vs. K-Cafe Special Edition
The second showdown features two combination systems that allow you to do more with one machine. If you’re short on space and need a more versatile coffee maker, these may solve your problem.
Cuisinart CHW-12P1 12-Cup Coffee Maker and Hot Water System
When you usually have several cups of hot coffee each morning, but you also like the occasional cup of tea or hot cocoa, this machine may help you out. The combination system has everything you need from a coffee pot, including water filters, brew pause, and automatic shutoff, but it also features a hot water system.
The CHW-12P1 hot water system allows you to make other drinks and even oatmeal or soup. It has a fast warm-up time and dispenses directly from a spout that’s separate from your coffee pot, so you don’t have to worry about coffee taste in your hot water.
- Color: black, black/stainless, brushed metal/red, or light gray
- Serving sizes: up to 12 cups of coffee
- Dimensions: 10.25 x 9.5 x 14.3 inches
- Accessories/Extras: charcoal water filter, gold-tone water filter, hot water on demand, removable drip tray, adjustable heat plate
Keurig K-Cafe Special Edition Single-Serve Coffee, Latte, and Cappuccino Maker
Do you love the occasional latte or cappuccino but dread the cafe pricing? Keurig’s K-Cafe machine allows you to whip up your favorite fancy drinks at home.
This coffee maker uses K-pods to brew coffee, but you can select your size and brew (coffee vs. latte or cappuccino). It’s compatible with reusable K-cups, and you can remove the 60-ounce water reservoir for easy refills.
The dishwasher-safe milk frother sets this coffee maker apart. To craft lattes or cappuccinos, pour milk or a milk substitute into the milk frother, select the proper setting, and let the machine do the work. You can now create latte art at home!
- Color: nickel or charcoal
- Serving sizes: varies based on the drink
- Dimensions: 12.5 x 15.3 x 11.7 inches
- Accessories/Extras: dishwasher-safe milk frother, accommodate travel size mugs, removable reservoir
The Bottom Line
Two combination machines with unique functions make this showdown a tie. If you want hot water on demand to expand your beverage offerings, then the Cuisinart may solve your quandary. However, if you prefer to make fancy espresso drinks on occasion, you may prefer the K-Cafe.
The Verdict: Cuisinart vs. Keurig
Cuisinart offers more variety and versatility in coffee makers, while Keurig delivers on the single-serve brewers with an impressive range of beverage options. In the end, it’s a toss-up because the decision depends heavily on your needs.
If you face no disagreement about coffee blends and consider yourself somewhat of a coffee snob, then you may prefer the Cuisinart line. On the other hand, homes and offices with coffee lovers seeking a wider variety of beverage options with quick turnaround should seriously consider a Keurig.
The truth is, you can’t really go wrong with either brand. Both have stellar reputations and excellent product offerings. However, Cuisinart and Keurig each have pros and cons, so it helps to see side-by-side comparisons. We hope this post helped you reach the best decision for your space!
Happy Caffeinating!
