Logically speaking, a specialty coffeemaker will probably never be as economical as one that can use any brand of coffee you choose. Now, I consider myself a coffee snob. I have a few brands I like, and that’s it. Yes, I pay more (usually about $5 per 12 ounce bag), but because the brands I like are available in my grocery store, I have the opportunity to get them on almost monthly “Buy one, get one” offers. That means, I get 2 weeks’ worth of coffee for $2.50. The specialty coffee that is specific to your maker will never have those deals, because they know full well the users of their product are “fish in a barrel”, as it were, and they have the choice of buying their product or going without.