Marriott Hotel Single Serve Coffee Maker

I stay in Marriott Hotels a lot and each room comes equipped with a single serve coffee maker.

In fact I’m staying in the Boulder Marriott and sipping my second cup of coffee as I write this. I stay in Marriotts quite a bit, not because I went to college with Chris Marriott and drank at least a few beers with him or because Bill Marriott blogs, but because I like the amenities like coffee makers in each room AND real cream – a couple of Mini Moo half and halfs and I like a wee little bit of coffee in my cream. Non of that powdered crap please!

For a fair test, I used their coffee for my first cup (“pure elevation™” which is a Columbian, Nicaraguan and Sumatran blend which comes in a single serve filter pack with a plastic basket that slides into the coffee maker), and my own coffee for the second, La Minita Costa Rican from Breaking New Grounds in Durham, New Hampshire (ground yesterday).

First, the coffee maker. It’s a drip style coffee maker. You pour in a cup of water, slide in the plastic basket with a little pack of coffee, and press the button. A couple minutes later you have a hot cup of joe. It’s Courtesy Products LLC of St Louis, made in China, and black and silver.  I’m guessing made especially for Marriot and you can’t buy one for yourself.

But how is the coffee that comes out of this little beast? How will I start my day if I stay in a Marriott?

Well, it’s damn good. The first cup, made with their “pure elevation brand” of coffee was impressive. It was rich and robust and just a very good cup of coffee. I had it both with and without cream, and I’m sure as good as the coffee downstairs in the hotel. As I’m speaking in the hotel to a group all week long and having coffee delivered endlessly, I’ll amend this if the coffee downstairs is significantly better.

My concern was, was I testing the coffee or the coffee maker? The coffee was good so clearly the coffee maker was decent, but I needed another data point.

My second cup, which I’m finishing up right now I made by taking a bit of the Costa Rican I mention above, wrapping it in a Mr Coffee coffee filter I brought along for the purpose, and making coffee. I placed about a tablespoon of coffee in the middle of the filter, folded it neatly, slipped it into the plastic tray and into the coffee maker. This usually works with coffee makers of this type, although sometimes a few grinds will escape, clog the holes in the tray, and you’ll get a coffee mess. It happens, but not this time. (It is worth it to bring your own preferred coffee at least for me.)

The second cup was better than the first to my taste, not surprisingly, as the La Minta Costa Rican is one of my favorites. The coffee was rich and much creamier than the previous cup with some nutty overtones.

Overall the Marriott Single Serve Coffee Maker gets two thumbs up. It makes an excellent cup of coffee, the provided coffee was very good, and the fact that they give you real cream is excellent too! Yes, I like staying in Marriott hotels. The in room coffee is excellent, and sometimes that matters. For example, I woke up at 4AM today being on East Coast time, and could quickly brew a great cup!