The 5 Best On-Demand Coffee Makers (with No Carafe)

There are times when you just want to enjoy your coffee without actually doing all the prep work like grinding the beans, brewing and cleaning up instantly. Sometimes, it’s just wonderful to push a button, put your cup under the spout and wait for the machine to fill your cup of coffee. Such convenience would be a welcome treat.

Before this kind of convenience is just a dream. Now, you can readily buy an on-demand coffee maker and enjoy brewing coffee and drinking it when you need or want it.

Why do I need an on demand coffee maker with no carafe?

  1. It is very convenient.

If you have a traditional coffee maker with carafe, you will need to brew coffee in the morning, take the carafe and pour it into your cup. After an hour or so, the coffee becomes cold. You will need to brew a new batch and consume it as soon as possible or store it in an insulated travel mug.

With an on-demand coffee maker, you don’t need a carafe to store the coffee. You can brew up to 12 cups of coffee in one process and just dispense coffee as you go. This will be enough for your coffee needs even if you have guests at home.

If you happen to own a single serve coffee, you will soon feel that it can be tedious to always make a new batch of coffee if you need to more than 12 ounce of coffee. It also means you need to wait for about a minute for the next cup of coffee.

With an on-demand coffee maker, no need to wait for your coffee. You can get it anytime. Just put your cup under the spout and dispense.

  1. It is very practical.

In the long run, you can save time, energy, and electricity charge when you use the on demand coffee maker. This is especially true if 3 or more people in your household love to drink coffee at any given time of the day. You can brew coffee in the morning and it will dispense just enough cups of coffee for the whole household without needing to brew another batch.

  1. It is a good investment.

If you love brewing coffee at home and are known to entertain guests often, or you have a small office with 5 to 10 people working for you, this is a good investment.

The Best On Demand Coffee Makers Without a Carafe

There are limited options when it comes to on demand coffee makers with no carafe. Here are 5 of the best models you can choose from.

Krups KM9008 Cup on Request Programmable Coffee Maker with Precise Warming Technology

Best features:

  • Highly programmable coffee maker with efficient timer, cup size selection , aroma selection and more settings to customize your coffee to your preference
  • No need to worry about stale coffee since it has a Precise Warming Technology to keep your coffee hot and fresh for up to 4 hours
  • It can hold up to 12 cups of coffee
  • Three options for cup dispensing system – small, medium and large
  • You can set the brew to weekends and weekdays, so you can schedule your coffee exactly when you need it
  • Water window is front facing so you can see clearly the water level
  • Can accommodate even travel mugs
  • Has a built-in water filtration system

Cuisinart DCC-3000 Coffee On-Demand 12-cup Programmable Coffeemaker

Best features:

  • Highly programmable coffee maker with 12-cup capacity
  • Visible coffee gauge that shows amount of available coffee
  • Easy to remove drip tray
  • Can accommodate travel mugs and other mug sizes
  • Has 1-4 cup settings so you can adjust temperature, coffee strength if you are brewing less than 5 coffee cups

Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12 Cup Coffeemaker with Removable Reservoir – 47900

Best features:

  • Has 12 cup capacity for large volume brewing at home
  • Removable water reservoir for easy refill and use
  • It can fit most sizes of mug as wells as travel mugs
  • Options for hot and cold coffee

Hamilton Beach 12-cup Coffee Maker, Programmable Brewstation Summit Dispensing Coffee Machine – 48464

Best features:

  • Convenient one-hand dispensing unit with no carafe
  • Enclosed brewing system and keep-warm heater to keep your coffee fresh and hot
  • Coffee is dispensed directly to cup to avoid spills and leaks
  • It has a versatile brewing option – regular and bold flavor
  • Has 1-4 options for brewing less than 5 cups
  • Programmable timer and auto shutoff and you can choose between 0-4 hours
  • Stainless steel for elegant look

Cuisinart DCC-2000 Coffee on-Deman 12-cup Programmable Coffee Maker, Brushed Metal

Best features:

  • Has a simple “press-to-serve” lever that delivers up to 12 cups of hot coffee
  • Has a double-wall reservoir for better heat management
  • Visible coffee gauge to count down remaining number of coffee cups
  • Has a 24-hour programmability for better scheduling of coffee on-demand
  • Has auto-shutoff feature when not in use for 4 hours
  • Elegant look with a professional brushed metal housing
  • Contemporary look perfect for modern homes

Other Important Features of a Coffee Maker

While having an on-demand coffee maker with no carafe is very helpful at home, there are other features that you may want to consider to ensure that this coffee brewing machine is perfect for you.

Multi-function – If you love different kinds of beverages, aside from coffee, it will help if your coffee machine can make espresso, latte and cappuccino. Plus, if it can fit your travel mug, it is really a good buy.

Capacity – How many cups of coffee do you need in a day? Most people choose 8 to 12 cups for maximum brewing.

Programmability – Do you want to have your coffee before going to bed or first thing in the morning? You can easily set the time and schedule of your coffee brew so you can wake up to a fresh cup of coffee easily.

Strength and temperature selections – You can control both the water, temperature and time it takes to bloom the coffee. You can create regular or bold brew.

Built-in coffee grinder – Do you need a coffee maker that has built in grinder? It comes handy if you want to fully automate all your coffee brewing needs. Simple pop the beans, grind it, press brew and you have everything in just one press.

Automatic shutoff – This is an important safety feature that will really come handy on days when you are too busy and you forgot to turn off your coffee maker.

Pause function – A cool new feature that allows you to pause midway of the brewing process. Usually, the first two cups are often stronger than the rest.

Filter basket or paper filter – It is a personal preference. Machines will filter basket do not need paper filter and are cost-efficient in the long run. However, you will need to clean it often and some grounds can end up in your coffee cup.

Some Tips to Keep in Mind

If you are planning to buy an on-demand coffee maker with no carafe, here are some things to keep in mind.

  1. You will need to always clean it. It will be a challenge since you do not see a typical carafe and it is easy to forget that you have used it and there are used coffee grounds inside. Make sure to check it every night before you sleep and clean it to get ready for the next day.
  2. Some models may not easily show water level, make sure you have enough water for the brewing to avoid any electrical problem and machine failure.

Our 5 Favorite ‘No Carafe’ Coffee Makers for On-Demand Coffee

no carafe coffee makerWho needs a carafe anyway?

A coffee dispensing brewstation gives you coffee just by putting your cup under the spout. You can do that with only one hand!

Our favorite is the Hamilton Beach 47900 mostly due to price but the Cuisinart DCC-3000 us pretty nice too and it doesn’t cost much more.

Check out these two top of the line coffee makers without a carafe that accommodate your favorite cup, mug or any drinking container of your choice.

Read on and be ready to be impressed with and the Cuisinart DCC-3000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker and the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12 Cup Coffeemaker w/Removable Reservoir-47900 just to name a couple bestselling machines.

These are the Best Drip Coffee Makers that Don’t Use a Carafe

You can either brew your on demand coffee with a Keurig pod, or with a Nespresso capsule, or with regular scoop coffee grind but you’ll never need a coffee pot. These coffee makers are made smaller for on demand coffee and brew straight into your cup or travel mug.

Cuisinart DCC-3000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker

no carafe cuisinart coffee makerCuisinart DCC-3000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable CoffeemakerThe DCC-3000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker is one of the most in demand product from Cuisinart. It holds up to 12 cups in the double wall reservoir, a sure way to have a freshly brewed coffee anytime of the day.

The program function is user friendly where in you can easily set the machine to automatically on, select brew start time and holds the program until you reset it at your own convenience.

The removable reservoir makes it easy for water filling any time there is a need. It also has a self clean feature with a charcoal water filter that removes water impurities to assure you that you will be getting the best tasting coffee.

click here to check pricing

Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12 Cup Coffeemaker w/Removable Reservoir-47900

Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12 Cup Coffeemaker w/Removable Reservoir-47900Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12 Cup Coffeemaker w/Removable Reservoir-47900The Hamilton Beach originally invented the “coffee maker without a carafe” and one of the top of the line when it comes to this kind of coffee maker is the BrewStation 12 Cup Coffeemaker with Removable Reservoir-47900. Who really needs a breakable carafe when it is easy to refill the removable water reservoir of this unit.

You can conveniently fit a cup or a mug with any sizes into the drip chamber. What’s more to this coffee maker, you have an option between drinking a refreshing iced coffee or a relaxing hot cup.

So get your very own BrewStation 12 Cup Coffeemaker with Removable Reservoir-47900 and share a cup with a loved one.

click here to check pricing

Here Are a Few More Good Coffee Machines Without a Carafe

Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffee Maker, Programmable Brewstation Summit Dispensing Coffee Machine (48464)Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffee Maker, Programmable Brewstation Summit Dispensing Coffee Machine (48464)Cuisinart DCC-2000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Brushed MetalCuisinart DCC-2000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Brushed MetalHamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffee Reservoir Brewstation Summit Ultra - Coffee Dispensing Machine (48465)Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffee Reservoir Brewstation Summit Ultra – Coffee Dispensing Machine (48465)

Difference Between Coffee Reservoir Machines & Single Serve Coffee Makers

In case you didn’t realize it there is a big difference between single serve coffee makers and these coffee-on-demand machines by Cuisinart and Hamilton Beach.

These coffee makers brew full 12-cup carafes of drip coffee but instead of storing that coffee in a carafe it is stored in a reservoir within the machine. You can then dispense coffee from the reservoir just by placing your cup under the spout.

How is this Different Than a Carafe?
With a carafe you need to actually pick the carafe up to pour it in your cup whereas with dispenser coffee makers you don’t have to do this. They make refillign coffee in the kitchen a snap.

The cons however have to do with clearning the coffee reservoir which is sometimes a little more challenging and easy to forget about since you don’t see the carafe all day at a passing glance.

With a single serve coffee maker you don’t brew a bunch of coffee all at once and dispense it all day – you litterally brew 6-12 ounces of coffee at a time, each time you want a cup of coffee.

This means that each time you want coffee it will take a new coffee pod, k-cup, or measured scoop of grounds and then you’ll have to wait a minute for the cup to brew… ohh, and there’s no top offs with single serve brewers either.

Obviously there are perks to each of these setups. That’s why we sometimes recommend our customers pick up a coffee maker that brews full pots of coffee and single serve portions. Those can be the perfect balance you are looking for in your morning routine.

The Different Types of On Demand Coffee Makers

Of course anyone brewing coffee directly into a mug or thermos is doing it for convenience usually. Coffee on demand drinkers unite!

Regularly keep your coffee maker’s inner tubing clean and you’ll enjoy perfect coffee cup after cup for a very line time to come!

If you fall into this group there are a few single serve coffee makers on the market that don’t have carafes that also work with a water line hookup. See our post on water line coffee makers to see what is available right now.

Brian Mounts

Head blogger, editor, and owner of "Top Off My Coffee", a website that has been educating readers about coffee brewing techniques and equipment since 2012.

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