There's something special about the ritual of making that first cup of coffee in the morning, and if you're reading this, you probably know exactly what I mean. And since I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy my morning (and afternoon) cup, I tested both the Drip Coffee Maker and the Perfect Grind Single Serve Coffee Maker from Drew Barrymore's Beautiful line at Walmart.
While there are so many machines, devices, and pour overs out there that can make a specialty drink, I find the simpler, the better. And a good 'ole drip coffee machine that's brewing coffee with one press of a button is music to my ears. Regardless if I'm just making enough for myself, or a whole pot for some friends who are coming over, it's easy to do, and has a warm, homey feel to it.
How the Drip Coffee Maker Performed
I've had my eye on the Drip Coffee Maker from Drew Barrymore's Beautiful line for quite some time. It's super chic, sleek, and looks pretty simple and straight forward to use.
Upon pulling my new coffee maker out of the box, I appreciated how well-packaged it was considering I had it shipped. Plus, the instructions inside were pretty straight forward with a lot of photos and references that were easy to understand. Despite being familiar with a lot of different coffee makers, I did have to read the instructions pretty closely since this one uses a touch screen instead of manual buttons. And since I got mine in the color White Icing, it was a bit hard to read the light color of the buttons.
The Touchscreen Coffee Maker came in a decently sized box with pretty much everything assembled and ready to go.
After I pulled the coffee maker out of the box, all I needed to do was plug it in and run a cleaning cycle before it was ready for the first carafe of coffee.
The coffee maker comes with a reusable filter basket, a measuring scoop, and a charcoal water filter. For the first initial setup, there are a lot of steps to walk through before that first brew. I had to go back and double check the instructions several times to ensure I was doing everything correctly. You can customize your brew strength with regular, gourmet, and bold options. I chose regular and was surprised at how strong it was.
It took about 5 minutes to brew 3 cups of coffee, which is a little slower than I expected. However, the coffee itself was super hot, strong, and had a great taste. I haven't even needed to test the strong option because I love the flavor the regular setting produces. I drank it black first and really enjoyed the taste. Later, I had a cup with a bit of vanilla creamer, how I usually drink it, and loved it even more. It holds up to 14 cups and has a brew pause feature, meaning the coffee pauses brewing if you take the carafe out to pour yourself a quick cup. Another safety addition I appreciate is it automatically shuts off after 4 hours, however, you can adjust it to turn off within 30 minutes of use if you prefer.
Pros:
- Fair price at $59
- Brews extra hot
- Beautiful design and multiple color options
- Regular, Gourmet, and Bold strength options
Cons:
- Difficult to setup
- The brew time is on the slower side
- It's a bulky size measuring at H10.78 x W12.95 x L17.44
- There are no measurements on the outside of the water basin, just the inside, but they're kind of hard to see
How the Perfect Grind Coffee Maker Performed
Next, I tried the Beautiful Perfect Grind Single Serve Coffee Maker, and this one really wowed me. I've tried a handful of single serve coffee makers before and rarely had good experiences with them. However, this one is super customizable, and makes some of the strongest iced coffee I've ever had.
I got the Single Serve Coffee Maker in Cornflower Blue, (how Country Living of me) and I love how fun yet neutral the color is. It's also super compact which is great for those who live in small spaces. Similar to the Drip Coffee Maker, this one does have a bit of a learning curve that required me to pay attention to the directions.
What sets this single serve machine apart though is it comes with an auto-grinder on the top if you want to pour your own beans in and get fresh ground coffee. However, it also includes a reusable filter basket if you prefer that. And no special pods are necessary for this — hallelujah!
I went through the programming and cleaning process per the instructions and brewed a regular cup of coffee first. It's important to note that anytime you're using regular grounds, you must press the "Grinder Off" button, otherwise, the bean grinder will automatically begin and process coffee that way. There are three different strength settings, regular, bold, or over ice. I chose regular, selected how many ounces I wanted, and waited for my cup to brew. This one took about a minute to begin brewing so at first I thought I hadn't done something correctly. However, once it got going it took about 2-3 minutes to brew an 8oz cup of coffee. Again, a little slower than I prefer, but not bad.
The Perfect Grind coffee maker right after installation and ready to brew a single-serve cup of coffee.
Coffee beans in the grinder located on the top of the coffee maker.
However, when I took a sip from my mug, I was shocked at how strong and well-balanced the flavor was. It tasted nothing like the usual watered-down cups single serve machines often make. According to the website, this coffee machine extracts 2x more flavor than the Keurig Classic Model with a basic pod.
The next day, I tested the bean grinder. I poured in some beans I had on hand, selected my preferred ounces, and the grinder began just a few seconds later. It was a little loud, but not any louder than the typical bean grinder I normally use. When I tell you I could taste the freshness, I mean it! This black coffee was delicious, super strong, and very hot. I was shocked at the difference the ground beans made. I often grind my own beans, but typically the night before. Having them ground instantly without pulling out a separate machine is a game changer. That afternoon was my final test — the iced coffee.
This machine has an Iced Coffee setting that I was pretty apprehensive about. Most coffee machines I've tried that do both hot and cold coffee never pull off the cold drinks well. However, this one created one of the strongest cups of iced coffee I've ever had.
The bottom tray is removable so you can fit taller glasses under the coffee spout, a feature I greatly appreciated.
Adding a bit of creamer gave the iced coffee the perfect level up to make it truly Starbucks worthy, if I do say so myself.
I poured in my grounds like normal and selected the Over Ice option. And for ounces, you want to double the amount you're actually drinking. That's because it's going to brew incredibly strong, cold coffee, and the ice in your cup is going to help dilute the strength of it. I filled my cup with ice all the way to the top, let the coffee pour out, which took about 3 minutes, and stirred it around. I did notice the ice was already starting to melt a bit and expected to take a sip of lukewarm, watered down coffee. To my surprise, it was a bold, strong, and super delicious.
Pros:
- Fair price at $99
- Brews extra hot
- Iced coffee brews cold
- Compact design at 5 inches
- Beautiful design and multiple color options
- Regular, bold, or over ice options
Cons:
- Difficult to setup
- The brew time is on the slower side
Final Thoughts
All in all, I think these coffee makers do a good job for the price. I've used them both for about two weeks now and haven't had any issues with them. I like the drip coffee maker, I just wish it was a bit smaller. Meanwhile, I absolutely love the Single Serve Coffee Maker. I rarely see a coffee maker with so many functions for such a low price. And the coffee coming from these machines is delicious. You truly get a great brew from a machine that works well, looks nice, and won't break the bank.
Anna Mahan
Associate Commerce Editor
Anna Mahan is the Associate Commerce Editor for Country Living. She finds and shares a variety of the best lifestyle products, from fashion and beauty to cast iron skillets.
