The Keurig's main appeal is how freaking simple it is. You just fill up the water tank, pop in a pod, press start, and you'll have coffee in less than a minute. This means you won't have to grind coffee beans, figure out how much coffee and water you actually need, or wait for a whole pot to brew. It's that easy.

CR's take: The Keurig K-Express Essentials Coffee Maker offers impressive performance at a low price. This little K-Cup brewer outperforms $200 machines with very good overall performance, including excellent ratings for first-cup speed and size consistency. You won't get many bells and whistles at this price, though.

Despite all of these issues, this early Keurig model was growing in popularity in commercial settings. Employees loved the convenience and seldom chose to go back to a traditional drip style brewer after using this revolutionary unit.

Like Tassimo, Nespresso and Keurig machines focus on single-servings (one cup) of coffee. Where they differ is in that the Keurig can also make tea, hot chocolate, and other hot drinks, while the Nespresso only brews coffee, espresso, and cappuccino (in models with milk systems). Keurigs cannot brew espresso.

Single Serve Machines versus Carafes One of the main differences between Keurig and drip coffee makers is the serving size options. Keurig machines are designed as single-serve coffee makers, utilizing K-Cups to provide users with a convenient and quick way to brew a single cup of coffee.

K-cup coffee machines and capsules are available in Europe now. You can easily find these items on Amazon, the brand name is Dolché.

The design of the machine drives up the price The main appeal of the Keurig is that it provides a cup of coffee or hot chocolate in an incredibly short amount of time and comes with many various features and settings - for example, you can select the size of your cup on the display screen before it's poured.

Unlike drip coffee makers, Keurig® single-serve coffee makers brew one serving at a time, so every cup is guaranteed fresh. This is especially true when you use K-Cup® pods. Their vacuum-sealed design locks out air to preserve the flavor and aroma of the freshly roasted and ground coffee beans inside.

Keurig's first competitive advantage is its business model, which combines the expertise of a retail beverage company with that of a high-tech appliance company.

The Keurig K-Cup pods are less expensive, averaging from as low as $0.35 to as high as $0.65 per serving. Due to its larger pod sizes, the Nespresso VertuoLine now costs $0.90 to $1.35 per serving. With Keurig, you'll have the option of a reusable filter, which allows you to brew with your own ground coffee.

Nespresso machines and capsules are both more expensive than Keurig machines and K-cups, and there aren't as many options to choose from. However, Nespresso does produce espresso-style coffees (which Keurig can't), and its pods are more recyclable.

All About Nespresso Nespresso capsules come in a wide range of flavors and intensities, and can make standard cups of coffee, espresso shots and specialty drinks, like lattes and cappuccinos. Designed with style in mind, Nespresso offers sleek and modern designs that bring a touch of European elegance to a kitchen.

Keurig manufactures machines that do single-serve coffee using pods. The pods used in its machines are known as "K-Cups." (They are not sold in Germany.)