Best Single Serve and Individual Pour Over Coffee

Most coffee lovers and especially coffee snobs who are often on the go are used to having to compromise when it comes to brewing. the dilemma often involves finding a balance between quality and convenience. however, innovations in the coffee industry are now making it so that you don’t have to sacrifice taste and flavor just to save time. Enter the travel-friendly world of single pour coffee or sometimes referred to as single pour coffee or drip bag coffee. And for those wondering, no, this is not the same thing as instant coffee. actually it’s quite the opposite.

The term may sound fancy and intimidating, but it really isn’t. in this article we take a closer look at the benefits of this unique and trending form of delivery. But before we get started, I’ll briefly cover our top 3 picks for the best single-serve coffee available.

Reading: Best single serve pour over coffee packets

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coffee blender

What tops our list of the best singles on the market are coffee blenders. They offer three different beers, each from some of the most renowned coffee growing regions in the world: Rwanda, Guatemala and Ethiopia. Of this group, their Ethiopian coffee is the most notable offering delightfully bright and floral notes worthy of being served in a coffee shop or café. it would be easy to justify drinking such a nice coffee at home. but given the fact that it’s so portable, I’d personally keep it for a camping trip or when I’m on the go. Its packaging, like most single serve coffee pour-overs, is 100% renewable and compostable. With coffee blenders, you get the exceptional flavor that comes from a pour-over without the need for any special equipment.

buy coffee blender

copper cow coffee drip bags

copper cow coffee needs little introduction as a single-serve coffee brand. it has garnered countless positive reviews for its robust flavor. Easily one of the best Vietnamese-style coffees available, this coffee offers a breathtakingly exotic and unique experience using only 100% natural ingredients. The company offers its high-quality beers in 6 different flavors, from salted caramel and vanilla to its best-selling classic black and decaf coffee for those looking to reduce their caffeine intake. Whether you’re a specific fan of Vietnamese coffee or not, Copper Cow Coffee offers a brew worth trying… whether at home or on the go. their drip bag coffee is a perfect example of the comfort and quality that coexist in the world of coffee.

buy copper cow coffee

kuju coffee drip bags

kuju coffee is another highly rated single serve coffee that has earned the respect of diehard coffee lovers on the go. Their premium coffee is USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, and Single Origin. For those who don’t know, single origin coffee is coffee that comes from the same farm. this generally produces a higher quality brew compared to blends that can contain grains of all quality levels. As a bonus, their pour-over bags are nitrogen flushed to ensure the highest level of freshness possible. kuju offers 6 different flavors including light, medium and dark roast.

buy kuju coffee

why use single serve coffee or drip bag coffee?

A single pour is just a little bag of ground coffee that can be suspended over the opening of a cup. simply pour hot water through the grounds and typically within 90 seconds, you’ll be enjoying cafeteria-quality coffee with no equipment required. it’s simple yet amazing and, in my opinion, a game-changing form of delivery. Another great benefit of single serve coffee is that the packaging is 100% recyclable and therefore good for the environment. Unlike plastic k-cups and coffee pods, these won’t leave a huge environmental footprint.

benefits of single serve pour over coffee

fast and convenient
uses the pour-over brewing method which produces a superior quality brew
packaging is recyclable
individually wrapped pods mean a fresher coffee experience (less exposure to oxygen)

cons of single serving poured over coffee

more expensive than regular ground coffee
pre-measured amount of coffee, so you have less flexibility to adjust the strength and amount of coffee

Please note that this form of delivery is different than tea or coffee bags such as those sold by Nostalgia Coffee. instead of allowing water to pass through the coffee grounds, the coffee in the tea bag should be steeped in hot water.

more on single serve pour over coffee & coffee drip bag

I was intrigued by the single-serving coffee delivery format, and wondered for a while how good their coffee really was when brewed this way. Having drunk countless coffees using this method, I can say that it is one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread.

For those who don’t know, many coffee connoisseurs consider the pour-over brewing method to be the method of choice. this being the case, I was especially interested to see how this coffee compares to coffee made in something like a chemex. In my experience, single pours produce coffee that is just as impressive as any other pour-over method. after all, it’s all about chemistry.

In addition to convenience, another benefit of single-serve coffee is that because they’re individually packaged, you’ll enjoy a fresher experience.

Ground coffee in a reusable bag becomes less fresh each time the grounds are exposed to oxygen. every time you open the bag, the coffee turns stale. If you think that’s no big deal, you’d be wrong. With single serve coffee you don’t have this problem and you get the freshest coffee possible every time, every time.

related article: tips for storing coffee

final thoughts on the individual pours & coffee drip bag

In many ways, single serve or single serve pour over coffee offers the best of both worlds. you get all the convenience of having coffee on the go without having to sacrifice quality. that is an immensely important benefit for coffee lovers. I am sure that we will see more and more coffee available through this method. While it’s true that single-serving coffee bags are more expensive than ground coffee, I think it’s worth the expense.

If you’re looking to explore other unique yet convenient ways to deliver coffee, consider giving the cometeer coffee a try. have created a patented extraction method that basically involves flash-freezing brewed coffee. Unlike instant coffee, this is coffee in its purest form, preserving all its natural aromas and flavors. add water and essentially melt the coffee back to its previous state of freshness. is a fascinating new invention. soon we will write a full article about the cafe cometeer.