Programmable one cup coffee makers are a type of coffee maker that is becoming more and more popular not only in the workplace, but in homes as well. Many companies, such as Keurig specialize in this type of coffee maker, and make separate ones for home and office use. Their advantages are many, but they are not necessarily ideal for everyone.

The basics of a one cup coffee maker are simple. You add water to a holding tank, put a single K-cup (the coffee) in the maker, and hit a button. In about 15 seconds, you have a cup of coffee. No clean up, no preparation (other than making sure the maker has enough water) and very little waiting. You don't need to worry about making too much coffee either, since one cup is usually from 5-8 ounces.

The coffee itself comes in what are called k-cups. These contain enough grounds for a single cup of coffee, and are then disposed of after it is made. No measuring is required, and there are a wide variety of flavors to choose from. Previously, only a select few companies made k-cups, but recently more and more coffee makers are adding k-cups to their traditional beans and ground choices, so limited selection is no longer a big issue.

What may be an issue for some is the extra waste one cup brewers create in terms of plastic. Every cup means that you have a plastic cup you'll be throwing away, so instead of having just paper and some used coffee grounds for a few cups, you'll have 3 or 4 used plastic cups. This may be an issue for some, but others may not care.

A more central issue is the question of coffee quality. Many people won't notice much, if any difference, but there is a trade off of quality versus convenience. You cannot grind your own beans prior to brewing, so you may lose some freshness and taste, even though the cups are sealed. You also have less control over coarseness because of this.

On the whole, single cup coffee makers are a great solution for those who may not feel like grinding and preparing beans every time they want coffee. It isn't something for everyone, but for those that just want a quick, no hassle cup, it's a great solution.