Along with deodorant, good coffee is one of the things that makes civilized life possible in the modern age. Honestly, can you imagine a workday without them?

In many offices, the supplied coffee is either instant or the cheapest brand they could find. Even if somebody actually remembers to make a pot, it sometimes sits on the hotplate until you could use it to degrease an engine. And how many of your coworkers can you actually trust to get the measurements right? When you use a shared percolator, you often have to content yourself either with some kind of watery bean soup or a beverage that will leave your cup (and teeth) stained until the end of their days.

Personal and Portable

All things considered, having a personal coffee maker on your desk is a very good idea if you’re serious about your caffeine intake. This little machine takes up hardly any space, yet can brew up to 15 ounces at a time, which happens to be the capacity of the included cup. This mug is well-insulated, easy to hold, and will fit into most vehicle cup holders.

It’s small enough (7 by 5 by 10 inches) to fit into a suitcase, and you can buy a separate carry bag for it that also has space for a few utensils. It weighs about one and a half pounds, which is quite portable, and it should be able to withstand most of the bumps and scrapes involved in getting from point A to B. Having to wake up in a hotel room without a coffee machine can now be a thing of the past for you.

That having been said, it’s also a good choice for people who live alone and rarely need to brew more than a pint of coffee at a time. This is especially true if you have a smaller kitchen.

For Pods, Cups, or Grounds

It can work with coffee pods and K-cups. Most real coffee and espresso drinkers will prefer grounds, though, and this is what this permanent-filter machine was designed for.

Unfortunately, you might find that the mesh is not really fine enough: the water seeps through a little too quickly and actually carries some sediment with it into the cup. If this bothers you, you could always use it with paper filters.

You have no fewer than five color options to choose from, so you should have no problem matching it to your kitchen décor (or that of the person you’re buying this for).