Manual drip coffee cones have some very tough competition right now. When it comes to making just one cup of coffee, all the attention is now focused on electronic one cup coffee makers.

With the new, high-tech coffee makers, ground coffee is pre-sealed in a K-Cup or pads, and you simply insert one of these into the machine, close the lid and start brewing.

No grinding. No messy filters to get rid of.

Its convenient...theres no doubt about that.

But its expensive too. The machines are expensive to buy, and so is the coffee. You pay dearly for the privilege of having the coffee ground and packed in those handy little containers.

So if you look at the cost of buying the machine, and buying the coffee, youll end up paying a lot more for every cup.

A manual drip coffee cone makes better coffee at a fraction of the cost...

If you dont have one, your parents probably did.

A manual drip coffee cone is the original one cup coffee maker.

What are they? Youve seen them in your local supermarket, or even your nearest dollar store. They are simply a plastic or glass cone, with a small opening at the tip, into which you place a cone-shaped paper filter.

Place the cone on a coffee mug or carafe, depending on its size, then add the coffee grinds, heat water in your kettle and pour the hot water over the ground coffee.

The coffee drips through the filter and into your mug or carafe.

And you get a better cup of coffee than with a fancy, electronic one cup coffee maker...

How come?

First, you can buy any kind of coffee you like, either ground or as whole beans. But if you buy a K-Cup or pad machine, you are limited to the coffees they package and offer for sale.

But also, and this is a simple but important tip, when you use a manual drip coffee cone, you can stir the water and coffee grinds as the drip process is taking place. This means all the coffee is thoroughly soaked, and also results in a fuller, richer tasting cup of coffee.

So...if you really want to pay big bucks, both for the machine and the coffee, go out and buy a new one cup coffee making machine.

But if youd rather spend just five to ten dollars on the machine, and spend less on the coffee you buy, get yourself a manual drip filter cone.

They take up a lot less counter space too!