I've not utilized the single serving side other than to clean it out when I first unpackaged the system.  The carafe side brews coffee quickly and pours with no mess.  Very easy to set up and looks pretty nice on the counter.  The only issue I have is the fill area is fairly narrow and about once every other week I spill some when filling from being in too much of a hurry (3:30am getting ready for work, imagine that).  Too bad we can't make this product in America.