The one cup coffee maker is the latest, most exciting innovation in the coffee world.

With the holiday season upon us, you may be thinking about purchasing a single serve machine for yourself, or as a gift. Here are five key points you should consider when buying a one cup coffee maker.

1) Price

You'll find a wide range of prices among single cup brewers.

You can get a simple machine such as Mr. Coffee Home Cafe for less than . Other, more elaborate machines, such as the Braun Tassimo Hot Beverage System, run around 0.

I suggest setting your budget from -0. This will get you a quality machine, with lots of features.

2) Appearance

Single serve coffee machines are some of the most attractive kitchen appliances out there. Why not get a model that will look fabulous standing on the kitchen counter top?

Senseo one cup coffee makers are known for being stylishly designed. They're available in white, black, blue, red, and chrome.

Most other one cup coffee makers are available in a black finish.

While you're looking at appearance, pay attention to the dimensions of the machine, too. Most single cup machines tend to be compact, but you'll want to make sure that it will fit under the kitchen cabinet, or wherever you or the gift recipient will likely store it.

3) Features

Pod coffee makers often include a bewildering array of features, but there are a few fundamental areas to consider.

Check out the capacity of the water reservoir. In general, look for a coffee maker that holds enough water to brew at least 5 cups of coffee. If it holds less than that, you'll have to refill the tank often, slowing down the brew cycle.

Examine the brew size options. If it brews only a 6oz cup, will this be sufficient? For versatility, look for machines that brew larger sizes.

Is there a brew temperature control? How about a programmable clock?

Can the single serve machine brew other hot beverages, such as tea, hot chocolate, espresso, and lattes? This is a very nice feature to have, so don't overlook it.

4) Ease of use

Get a coffee machine that offers little initial set up, and easy daily operation. To get your daily cup of coffee, the system should not be any more complicated than filling the water reservoir, adding a coffee pod, T-disc or K cup, positioning your mug on the drip tray, and pressing the start button.

5) Variety and availability of coffee pods

Look for a one cup coffee maker that offers a good selection of coffee pods that will be readily available.

For example, the Keurig kitchen brewer uses only their K Cups, but there are over 70 varieties of coffee, tea, and hot cocoa K Cups available.

Other single cup machines, like the Senseo and Melitta, can use any 62mm coffee pod, which is the industry standard. You can often find Senseo coffee pods in your local supermarket.

A one cup coffee maker is a wonderful holiday gift. With these shopping tips, you'll hopefully be prepared to make the best choice.