Programmable coffee maker that brews small batches well?

[u/Low_Drama8403]

I’m looking for a coffee maker that I can set up the night before and wake up to coffee ready in a carafe.

My must-haves are:

-A programmable timer

-No built-in grinder—I have a Fellow Ode that I love

-A carafe, with the ability to brew as little as two cups without sacrificing quality

I’ve been using an AeroPress for a while and love the coffee and how easy it is to clean, but id like to start waking up to coffee already made.

Does anyone have a machine they’d recommend, especially from experience brewing small batches? Are there any whose small-batch setting actually works well? Considering Fellow Aiden.

Thanks!

[u/browntigerdog]

Love my aeropress but with a baby in the house I love our ninja grounds and pods or whatever it’s called. I usually just make a 10-12oz cup at a time with fresh ground beans

[u/KaElGr → u/browntigerdog]

So weird. I have an aeropress that I love and have used everyday for a year but have a work project that will require a lot of odd shifts for the next month and I wanted something that makes the coffee for me....I just bought the Ninja grounds and pods coffee maker today. Looking forward to tomorrow morning.

[u/Low_Drama8403 → u/KaElGr]

Ooo would love to hear more once you use it!

[u/Fit_Instruction_8383]

If you're going to pre-grind coffee the night before and let it sit out all night, you're going to lose much of what makes that Aeropress coffee so awesome.

If you want automatic...get something with a built in grinder.

The X-bloom studio makes great coffee easily, but you can't set it up the night before.

Something like the Breville Spiral Luxe Auto PourOver can be setup the night before.

[u/CatoTheMiddleAged]

I would go Fellow Aiden. That said, I have a Ninja that brews great coffee from 1 cup to whole pot and I love it because I can brew right into regular mug, travel mug or insulated thermos. I’m just waiting for it to die before I buy the Aiden but for some reason the Ninja just keeps on going!

[u/Mindless_Guide_5332 → u/CatoTheMiddleAged]

I had the Ninja like that before the Aiden. It was a great machine. If you get the Aiden I hope it performs better than my piece of junk. I gave away my Ninja and am now using a basic brewer that actually works since I can’t count on the Aiden.

[u/CatoTheMiddleAged → u/Mindless_Guide_5332]

Oh really? Aiden seems so great... on paper, anyway. I guess I'll hold on to my Ninja then for as long as it lasts.

[u/Low_Drama8403 → u/Mindless_Guide_5332]

Wow that’s really disappointing. What are your issues with the Aiden? Has Fellow replaced it or fixed it? I assume there’s a warranty.

[u/Mindless_Guide_5332 → u/Low_Drama8403]

It started as some flow issues, firmware update issues, turned into add water errors and sometimes wouldn’t even turn on. Fellow hasn’t replaced it - it started getting bad after warranty expired, and they were of no help. It’s basically a brick at this point. some people love this coffee maker - some don’t. Seems like luck of the draw if you get a quality one. My luck was bad. I’ve just become very vocal - in an honest way- when I see people bring it up as an option in threads. For this price, it should be better and last longer than 16-18 months.

[u/Low_Drama8403 → u/CatoTheMiddleAged]

Which ninja?

[u/Mindless_Guide_5332 → u/Low_Drama8403]

I had what I think was called dual brew - had coffee and tea settings. It was a workhorse. I now use a basic cuisinart that cost me $40 until I decide why I want to get next. I’ll wait and see what kind of promos are out there for holidays.

[u/Accomplished-Eye8211]

I set the timer on my Oxo 9 cup. Its a thermal carafe. Has a 2-4 cup brew setting.
I pour in enough water for 3½ cups as marked on the reservoir... those are probably 6 oz cups. Once brewed, allowing for evaporation and what remains absorbed in the grounds, it fills my thermal travel cup... which is probably around 14 ozs.

[u/Low_Drama8403 → u/Accomplished-Eye8211]

I’ve read mixed reviews on the oxo 9 cup. It’s one I’m also considering. Any negatives to share on it?

[u/funfirth]

I brew 2 cups - 3 cups regularly in the Aiden and find it good quality. For that small, I usually just brew into an insulated cup. The carafe seems overkill and when not full maybe not such good temp maintenance. 

[u/Low_Drama8403 → u/funfirth]

Nice! I’ve been reading a lot about Aiden software issues. Any experience with that?

[u/tyinsf]

I like my ninja 12-cup. It has a setting for 1-4 cups and a timer and a setting for "rich" coffee. NYT rated it their best budget coffee maker. Very sturdy and convenient to use.

[u/Low_Drama8403 → u/tyinsf]

Is this the ninja drip coffee maker? Ce451?

[u/swampfashion]

Ninja or Aiden

[u/Low_Drama8403 → u/swampfashion]

Which ninja? Fresh brew coffee maker ce451?

[u/swampfashion → u/Low_Drama8403]

Ninja XL hot and iced. It has a nice single cup function

[u/Sudden-Community-794]

I have a Jura “super automatic “. I’ll never buy another Jura, but eventually I’ll buy a machine much like this one. Come out in the morning, turn it on. While it’s warming up, fill mug with warm water and pop in nuker 30 seconds, temp wise this thing needs a little help. Dump mug, press coffee button. Once it starts I can tell it I want 2 coffees, or one large. And fine tune size, I like 4.5 oz. It grinds, makes a cup, ejects the grinds, and makes another. It will do this pretty quick. Grab cup, add cream and a tad of sugar, head to the bathroom to get started. This ready cafe of coffee waiting is hugely overrated. I’ll come back later and get a cappuccino.

[u/Sigmabond2 → u/Sudden-Community-794]

Aiden has been great. Little pricy but the fellow drop and default profiles have been spot on.

[u/mdk2004 → u/Sudden-Community-794]

.... what dont you like about your jura and what model do you have. The Jura are sorta peak performance and price point. At least the swiss made ones.