Simply put, a dual carafe coffee maker is like having two independent coffee makers in one machine. You load each one up with the filter, coffee bean grounds, and water. Each pot will independently brew it’s own pot. So, you can have one pot of decaf going, and then another pot of your regular coffee. I’m not much of a decaf person. So, in our home it would be one pot of a bold coffee, and then another pot of a milder bean.

Dual carafe coffee makers for the home are a relatively new product. Until recently, you only saw these kinds of coffee machines at restaurants and offices. And, until recently, the only way you could get one was to purchase one of the large Bunn Coffee Makers. Those Bunn machines can be as much as $2,000. In contrast, the new dual brew coffee makers are about 10% of the cost, and you can find one from Krups (my personal favorite) or Kitchen Selectives, to name a couple.

In my kitchen, I keep my red KitchenAid out on the counter. It has a clock, programmable timer to begin brewing at a set time, auto shut off, and other nice features. I bring out my Krups machine when we are entertaining, have our small group over from church, or I take it to a meeting. In contrast to my KitchenAid, the Krups Dual Carafe Coffee Maker does not have all of these features. It is more of a basic machine. There are some new models on the market, like the Krups XP2070 Programmable 10-Cup Coffeemaker/15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine which is fully programmable. I may go for this one some day and trade in my other Krups. This one, rather than being dual carafe, has an espresso machine too.

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If you are in the market for a two carafe machine, I don’t think you can go wrong with the stainless steal dual carafe shown above. It is solid, going to last you forever, and is great for parties, small offices, and other gatherings. If you need something more, you’re going to have to pay for it. You’re going to have to step up to a Bunn and pay about $2,000. If you read the customer reviews on Amazon, most people who were unhappy with their Krups machine expected some of the same functions as their old machine. They should have read things a bit closer. However, if you read the other reviews, you will find people who are very happy with their purchase of the dual carafe coffee maker.

If you can’t find a good coffee pot on Amazon (which is about the cheapest place you’re going to find them), then you might want to consider ebay. I can find brand new or like new items on ebay for 50-60% off at the store. This will be true of a good Dual Coffee Pot too.

The Kitchen Selectives dual coffee pot is getting harder to find, except maybe on ebay. The Krups Dual Coffee Pot is more readily available. It has the 2 individual, stainless steel coffee pots, which are thermal to keep your coffee hot for hours. There are multiple settings depending upon if you are brewing a small pot or a full pot. One of the reasons I like the Krups is for their “Deep Brew” technology. It brings out more flavor in my Coasta Rica or Kenyan coffee. You get extra rich, robust flavor.

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You aren’t going to see too many of these machines on the shelves at Walmart or Target. You may find one at Kohls or some kitchen store. Currently the best place to purchase one is online. You need to shift your thinking from that old Bunn Coffee Maker (besides those are about $2,000!) Getting a quality Dual Coffee Pot will cost you about 10% of that. You can look at the Krups or the Kitchen Selectives. I know many small businesses are also buying these machines today. So, it is ideal for a little company, office, or for the house with multiple cafe drinkers. For home use, when we have a bunch of people over to your house, being able to brew for 20 cups of coffee from your dual coffee pot is very convenient. At my last party, I brewed one pot of Starbucks Coasta Rica and one pot of decaf. It’s extremely nice.

This has got to be one of my favorites… although I am biased towared Wolfgang Puck. The Wolfgang Puck dual-coffee maker brews your coffee so it is always fresh with nothing to waste. This is a very unique pod-style dual cup coffee maker. It is commerically rated and is quite ideal for your home or a small office when you don’t need to be brewing a large pot of coffee. You can set it up for one or two cups using either the Wolfgang Puck pods or your own coffee. There is an indicator light and beeper signal when coffee is ready. It is easy to clean and care for, and looks very attractive on your counter.

The Black & Decker Dual Coffeemaker is one of the most popular on the market. It is similar to the Cuisinart, using the travel style mugs. On Amazon, it is consistently rated with 5 stars. In fact, one guy has stated that every cup comes out consistent once you learn how much coffee to put into basket for the amount of water you put in. That shouldn’t take too long to figure out the correct ratio. One of the features many people like (besides the price) is that it brews your coffee fast. You can brew just one cup or two cups. There is a knob on the top of the machine to make that selection. It comes with filter baskets, or you can use the #1 size paper filters inside the baskets for easier cleanup.

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A 2 Cup Coffee Maker is not going to be the choice for a home that consumes gallons of coffee per week. It is for the home that may have one or two cups per day. Dual Cup Coffee Makers are actually rather fun, and can help avoid friction in relationships by having two independent cups of coffee. One of the nice features of this style of coffee machine is that it not only cuts down your preparation time, but clean up is much faster as well. There is no carafe or pot to be cleaned, just the mugs. Most people notice very little, if any ddifference in the quality of the coffee.

There are quite a large number of people who are beginning to use 2-cup coffee makers. They are great for busier life styles or those who don’t drink a lot of coffee. If you are on the go a lot, you may wish to get one of the travel mug types of dual cup coffee makers. As I’ve mentioned before, my kitchen is red, and I would personally go for the Wolfgang Puck model with the 2 actual cups of coffee (see the photo in the top right). Either way, it’s a great little machine to have. This would also be great as a second machine in your finished basement, movie room, personal office space, or in an entertainment room away from your kitchen.

The two most popular dual coffee makers on the market right now are the Krups dual coffee maker and the Kitchen Selectives dual coffee maker. The Krups is the model you see below. It is available at Amazon, and usually at a very good price. Amazon can usually beat any other company’s price by at least $25 – $50. I believe the Krups probably outsells every other brand by about a 10 to 1 ratio.

The DuoThek (pictured to the right) is also great when you are having gatherings at your home. Many people like to server both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee for their guests at dinner parties, entertaining, or maybe in a small home office.

In some reviews we have read online, many people are buying their second or third machine because they were happy with their first one. You will see on the Krups that they use Stainless Steele carafes, rather than glass. This usually provides a better thermal carafe to keep the coffee hotter, longer. The main thing you are giving up with the Krups Dual Coffee Maker is the extra little things, like timers, clocks, programmable brewing, etc. that you would get with a single pot model. If those extras are not important, then this may be a good choice.

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There are many variations of dual coffee makers to choose from. I know that Black and Decker, Cuisenart, Toastess, and Kitchen Selecitves make dual coffee makers. Bunn is probably THE #1 brand, but you must be willing to pay big bucks for those. They are designed more for large offices and restaurants than small business and consumer use. I would stick with the consumer brands if you are going to buy dual coffee makers.

You will find a price range from about $30 to $300. Some of the cheaper models are just that. I’m still holding out for my Kitchenaid model, but for now I’ll stick with my Krups. I’m a happy coffee drinker… as well as my family and friends. Like anything, if you take care of it, use filtered water, follow the cleaning instructions, and use quality coffee grounds, you’ll have this machine for several years to come. Maybe I can just paint my Krups dual coffee maker “Kitchenaid Red.”

Most people think of the big Bunn Dual Coffee Makers that they see at their office. Those are usually much more expensive ($500 on up). But, having a Dual Coffee Maker that is much less expensive, such as the Krups or the Kitchen Selectives, is ideal for a small business, office, or for the home with multiple cafe drinkers. Personally, I mostly just brew on the one side, but when we have small group gatherings at our home, being able to brew for 24 cups of coffee is hard to beat. Like it was just mentioned, I usually do one regular (like a Kenyan coffee) and a pot of decaf. It’s very nice.

The Krups Dual Coffee Maker has 2 independent coffee brewing systems. The 2 carafes are thermal, brushed stainless steel. One of the popular features is the flavor selector for choosing optimal flavor when brewing smaller pots of coffee. Krups is known for their “Deep Brew” technology to heat water to an ideal temperature, then pulses the hot water through your coffee grounds at precision timed intervals. This results in coffee with a more rich, robust flavor. It is double-walled and stainless steel inside and out of the thermal carafes to keep your coffee hot for hours.

For a small business, the Krups or the Kitchen Selectives Dual Coffee Maker couldn’t be more ideal. A small business of 10-20 employees is not going to want to spend $2000 for some Bunn 4 pot machine. The Krups pictured on the right is one that is probably the most popular.

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There are many variations of dual coffee maker to choose from. There are even a couple machines on the market that brew regular coffee on one side, and have an espresso machine on the right (see ths photo at the top). While owning a dual coffee maker was something that was only for businesses in the past, many companies are targeting consumers these days. It’s not out of the question to own one in your own home… especially if there are multiple coffee drinkers with different tastes.

I still remember when I was working at a credit union and going into the break room for the first time. They had a dual coffee maker, but were only using one side of the machine. I began bringing in my Starbucks Kenyan bold coffee to brew on the left side of the machine. It was great. Having one at home now has been nice. I usually use the single pot, but when our small group from church comes over, it’s nice to brew some decaf on the other side (a couple of folks just can’t have regular coffee). Browse around the site. There are some great machines available.