Are you searching for a coffee maker that can keep up with the demands of several people at once without sacrificing precision?
Then what you’ll need is a coffee maker that can brew carafes or cups.
In this guide, we’ll be putting the Keurig K Duo vs Cuisinart Coffee Center. By the end, you will have a better idea of how to choose between these carafe and single-cup coffee makers.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- What’s the same between these coffee makers
- What’s different between them
- How to decide which one to buy
Quick Summary
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Attribute | Keurig K Duo | Cuisinart Coffee Center |
---|---|---|
Image | ||
Water Tank Capacity | 60 ounces | 40 ounces |
K-Cups | Yes | Yes |
Ground Coffee | Yes | Yes |
Brew Pause | Yes | Yes |
Adjustable Coffee Strength | Yes | Yes |
Drink Sizes (Single Cup) | 6, 8, 10, & 12 ounces | 6, 8, & 10 ounces |
Drink Sizes (Carafe) | 6, 8, 10, & 12 servings | 12 servings |
Ideal Uses | Home | Home |
Pricing |
With Smart Start technology that combines the warm-up time and brewing into one step, the Keurig K Duo is a remarkably user-friendly machine. Choose this one if you’re a beginner when it comes to coffee and you need something intuitive.
The Cuisinart Coffee Center’s cord storage and slender water tank make it easy to pack up. Get this coffee maker if you need something to occasionally prepare batches of coffee for guests or something that can be easily transported.
Similarities
Cup or Carafe Brewing
One of the best features in either the K Duo or Coffee Center is their range of serving sizes. Both of them can brew either single-serving cups or large carafes.
For instance, if you need just a little for yourself, you can make one cup exactly as you like it.
But if you’ve got a group of friends over, you can prepare an entire carafe to serve them all at once.
Not only do these size options allow you to get everyone their drinks, but they also eliminate waste. That’s because you’re able to brew strictly the amount you need every time, instead of being limited to sizes that are too much or too little.
K-Cups or Ground Coffee
Serving size is just one area where these coffee makers are flexible. Likewise, they’re also adaptable when it comes to what you use to brew your drinks.
Both the K Duo and the Coffee Center are compatible with Keurig’s K-Cups or with ground coffee.
K-Cups work by providing users with pre-ground and portioned coffee, cocoa, or tea to brew with. They’re particularly great for beginners, since all you need to do with them is choose your K-Cup flavor and put it in the coffee maker.
Yet some prefer a specific kind of coffee blend not available as a K-Cup, or to freshly grind their own. If that sounds like you, then you’ll appreciate the ability of both these coffee makers to use coffee grounds.
If you want to make truly professional quality coffee by freshly grinding your own beans, you could also consider buying your own grinder. We have a solid selection of home grinders
By and large, being able to use K-Cups or ground coffee translates to a limitless brewing experience.
Adjustable Coffee Strength
It’s no secret that everyone has different tastes when it comes to their drinks. Some like stronger flavors, while others may prefer milder.
Moreover, some have preferences that vary at different times. The K Duo and the Coffee Center were each designed to support these variations in taste with their Strong or Bold brew buttons.
When you need a stronger taste, whether for yourself or someone else, just press the Strong button on the K Duo or the Bold button on the Coffee Center.
What you’ll get is a more potent and aromatic cup to enjoy, perfect for those times when you need a little extra to pull through the day.
Brew Pause
For those days when you’re busy and don’t have time to wait for a carafe, the K Duo and Coffee Center each have Brew Pause functions.
What this does is temporarily stop brewing in the middle of a carafe. Then you can pour yourself a mug and let the coffee maker finish making the pot for you.
Above all, this is ideal for when you’re rushing. You don’t always have time to wait the several minutes it takes for a pot to complete the brew cycle.
Energy Efficiency
Both the K Duo and Coffee Center were designed to be energy efficient, although the ways they accomplish this goal are slightly different.
With the K Duo, the coffee maker will automatically power off after 5 minutes of idling. This protects your machine from the strain of running unnecessarily and helps lower energy consumption.
By the same token, the Coffee Center will dim its lights after 30 minutes of inactivity. If you’d like to turn it completely off, you would need to turn its switch into the off position.
On the whole, the effect is the same: reduced energy consumption, while also protecting the longevity of these coffee makers.
Programmable Carafe Brewing
With the programmable carafe brewing on the K Duo or Coffee Center, you can wake up to a fragrant pot of coffee already waiting for you.
On either of these machines, you can program the time for them to start making a carafe beforehand.
Unsurprisingly, this has an unbelievable number of uses. You can set the coffee maker to brew for you before you wake up, or to have a pot ready for you to relax with in the evening.
All in all, you’ll get a pot whenever you need one with minimal effort on your part.
Differences
Number of Drink Sizes
While the K Duo and Coffee Center each have multiple drink sizes to brew, the amount both of them have varies between them.
On the Coffee Center, you’ll have the ability to make 6, 8, or 10-ounce cups. If you use the carafe, you’ll get 12 cups of coffee each time.
On the contrary, you’ll get a bit more flexibility when it comes to sizes on the K Duo.
You’ll be able to brew 6, 8, 10, or 12-ounce single servings. Using the carafe, you can brew 6, 8, 10, or 12 cups at a time.
In essence, the K Duo size options serve to even further reduce your waste. Particularly with the carafe, which allows you to brew a few different serving sizes depending on how many people need coffee at once.
It won’t be necessary to dump out frigid leftover pots of coffee on the K Duo.
Water Tank Capacity
The size of your coffee maker’s water tank directly correlates to how many drinks you can make in a row.
So if you’ve got a family of coffee lovers or a group of friends to provide coffee for, you’ll need a big water tank.
In this matchup, the K Duo’s water tank capacity wins out. At a substantial 60 ounces, you’ll have no issue brewing a large carafe or several cups in a row before it needs a refill.
In contrast, the Coffee Center’s reservoir can hold up to 40 ounces of water. It’s a bit smaller, but it will still allow you to comfortably brew a carafe or a few cups at a time.
Keurig K Duo Smart Start
Do you often have too much to do in the morning? Do you wish you could pare down your morning routine?
If that sounds like you, then the Keurig K Duo’s Smart Start is a match for you. What it does is combine its heat-up time and brewing into one step.
Instead of having to wait for your coffee maker to warm up before you can choose what kind of drink you want, you can turn the K Duo on and choose right away. The machine will warm itself up for you, then start making the drink you chose.
No more minutes wasted waiting around the coffee maker while it heats up. Just turn it on, pick your brewing preference, and walk away.
Cuisinart Coffee Center Adjustable Heater Plate
Either the Coffee Center or K Duo come with heating plates designed to keep your coffee pots toasty for as long as possible, but the Coffee Center has a little extra in this regard.
Rather than simply keeping your coffee at a pre-programmed temperature, you’ll get control over how warm the heating plate is. You’ll be able to choose low, medium, or high for plate temperatures for your carafe.
If you’re the kind of person who likes a lower temperature cup of coffee, this is the feature for you. You’ll get to enjoy your pot at a moderate heat level without having to worry about it cooling quickly.
Keurig K Duo Simple Button Controls
Aside from K-Cups, what makes the Keurig K Duo so simple is its streamlined button controls.
With only a few options right on top of the machine, you won’t get confused with the K Duo. You won’t be left with a headache as you search for obscure buttons here.
This adds up to it being particularly well-suited for beginners. Even if you have no experience at all, you’ll be brewing cups like a master in no time.
Cuisinart Coffee Center Power Loss Back-Up System
Inconvenient breaker trips or power failures won’t be an issue for the Cuisinart Coffee Center.
It’s built with one-minute protection, so if it loses power for any reason, it will retain all the programmed information it had. This includes time of day and auto on or off times you’ve programmed into it.
You won’t need to deal with the hassle of inputting the time again if the power goes out with the Coffee Center. On the whole, it’s a thoughtful little touch that’s especially valuable in areas with unreliable power or children who might unplug the machine.
Which one should you buy?
At the end of the day, there’s still one big question to answer when it comes to the Keurig K Duo or the Cuisinart Coffee Center:
Which one should you buy?
At a glance, their functions are similar: they are coffee makers that can make single cups or multiple-serving carafes. But there are some key variations between them.
If simplicity is what you’re looking for, consider the Keurig K Duo. Its number of buttons is pared down to the basics, so you get exactly the functions you need to brew and nothing more.
This is also the machine for you if you’re going to be brewing for large groups of people often, or need to use your coffee maker heavily. Its 60-ounce reservoir is massive, and will stand up to rigorous use without needing frequent stops for refills.
However, if what you’re looking for is a reliable machine that you’ll use only occasionally, the Cuisinart Coffee Center is a good pick. A smaller water reservoir and a built-in cord storage compartment will make it easy to put away between uses.
Beyond that, its heating plate with adjustable temperature will keep carafes warmer longer, so you won’t need to brew as often when you need a toasty cup.
The bottom line is:
Pick the Keurig K Duo if you’re going to be brewing a lot, or if you need something with simplified, basic controls.
But if you’re only going to make the occasional pot or cup, or will need to store the coffee maker after use, pick the Cuisinart Coffee Center.
Find out more about either one of these coffee makers, including their current prices, here: