KEURIG? What's all the hype?

[gadgetgary]

Everyone I know is getting a Keurig?
What is the attraction?
Any specific models better than others?
Is it more costly than brewing a pot?

I still prefer my 4 cup Farberware percolator. It makes 2 mugs of piping hot coffee.

Should I upgrade?

 

[countryguy]

I have a Keurig at home and at work. I would never have bought one for home but my ex bought it for me. It is convenient for making a quick cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate but it is more expensive depending on how much you pay for the individual k-cups. Around here the price averages anywhere from $0.65 to $0.75 per cup which is more expensive than making a pot of coffee. I do like it at my workplace however - much more convenient.

Gary

 

[maytagbear]

I had a cup of Keurig

decaf (no idea what brand of coffee) at my friend's on Thanksgiving. The "K cup" of coffee might have been less than fresh. I was not too impressed with the taste of the coffee. Water was from the same city system I am on, so it wasn't that.

Plus, the brewer itself (a Keurig,) and not a licensed Cuisinart, seemed a little loud.

However, it appears to be an idea for a person living alone.

Although, for me, I'm going to stick with my Krups drip, or my Melitta single cone, or my Corning Electromatic and a Thermos.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[spiceman1957]

This machine would never work in my home.

My partner and I consumed about 2 (10 cup) pots a day. Think of the price we would pay for the pods!
John

 

[petek]

My concern is how long are the k cups going to be around and there are 3 competing type machines on the market now..
Keurig, Braun Tassimo and Nestle Dolce. All use different type cups/pods and are non-interchangable. Like the Beta/VHS deal.
5 or so years ago we bought a pod machine, The Melitta One and pods are NLA now so that was a waste.

 

[spankomatic]

My sister has one in her Tahoe house. I like because it is quick and a varity of flavors to choose from. They are good if you have guests in your house. One guest can have coffee,another hot chocolate in just minutes.

Jim

 

[alr2903]

Gadget Gary, QVC had the "Keurig" on this past weekend. Stick with your percolator. Kerig, brews, hot chocolate, coffee, hot apple cider. It looks "trendy", and expensive if you use lots of product. Its kind of like a glucometer, get the machine, but they make the payroll selling the strips and supplies or in this case the Convenience pods of different flavors. alr2903

 

[Sanisonic]

There is the ability to brew loose coffee. I have a Keurig and while I do use the K cups when in a rush, my favorite coffee is Eight O'Clock Colombian Whole bean that I grind myself. When you brew the loose coffee in the special container, you do forgo some of the convenience and it probably does defeat the whole purpose, but just stating that it is an option.

 

[passatdoc]

Senseo vs. Keurig

I have the Philips Senseo in my office. It makes a decent cup of coffee, and the pods (made by a number of manufacturers) are more reasonably priced than K-cups made for Keurig. The Senseo is somewhat temperamental: the flexible pods (made of a tea bag-like material) have to be loaded just right into the pod holder or else you will have leaks. The end product tastes good, and is tenable for a household in which only one person drinks coffee, or in an office environment where someone wants to make one cup at a time without the waste of coffee sitting on a burner, decomposing. However, proper use requires a learning curve.

My dentist has a Keurig machine in his waiting room. The cups just fit in the holder, you push a button, and you have good coffee. I also have used them several times in hotel rooms which used Keurig rather than a drip machine as an in-room coffee amenity. It's pretty much foolproof vs the Senseo; I'd never put a Senseo in a hotel room or waiting room due to its learning curve.

K-cups are expensive, this is the main drawback. However, you can buy (Amazon, etc.) refillable K-cups which you fill with your own coffee. Using a refillable K-cup might present a more reasonably priced alternative for someone who wants one cup at a time without wasted, unused coffee sitting on a drip burner.

 

[jetcone]

Its a CULT! Pure and simple!

Everyone I know is HOUNDING me to get one! "jon you need a Keurig" "jon your're a gadgetguy you need one of these" PUHLEEZE!
I go take my dog for his daily walk, and there at the head of the lake, in big electric letters, is the KEURIG building glowind down at me.

Keurig- Keurig- Keurig everywhere! I refuse, I reject you Keurig!
Coffeemaster all the way!

 

[nmassman44]

We have had all three and currently have Cuisinart Keurig machine that is silent. I mainly use it to brew iced tea.Scott uses it for coffee. He loves the Coffee People's Donut Shop Coffee. I buy the box at Costco and 80 K cups cost around $30.
We also have a Tassimo that we retired since when you get used to liking a coffee they will discontinue it. There isnt much to choose from for Tassimo and the pods go out of code fast. Case in point was they had Yuban coffee...Scott loved that and the only way to get it was from online. No sooner than 6 months go by and we get notified that its being discontinued. That has happened to alot of the coffee that they used to carry. So no more Tassimo.
The Senseo wasnt used much and it was fickle...that went to Scott's nephew.
We do use the Keurig's pod to use our own coffee in a pinch.

 

[joeekaitis]

It all tastes like instant coffee to me. Why are consumers so willing to sacrifice quality for coolness or convenience (see also: landline phone versus cellular for sound quality and connection reliability)?

 

[sudsmaster]

I tried a Keurig at my local bank (free) last spring and was impressed. I then got a Platinum (which I think is top of the line for the residential variety) at Costco a month or two later. I haven't yet gone back to my more conventional machines.

Yes, it is more expensive. But it does brew excellent coffee, IMHO. I use mostly the Paul Newman brand K-cups. They are rich and flavorful. Donut Shop is ok too, but I prefer the Newmans, which are only slightly more expensive than the Donut Shop ones.

I've also tried the adapter that allows one to put in any loose coffee grounds. It's ok too, but does take away one of the prime benefits of the Keurig: the convenience.

As far as being inundated with ads, haven't seen that here. I believe that Keurig's patents are running out in a few years, after which anyone (like China?) could start making and selling them, so maybe Keurig's management is busy trying to amp up sales before that happens.

As for the machine, it's very well made and designed, really a joy to contemplate. They did a very good job on this one. I've even been tempted to get a second one to bring to work, since it's so much more convenient and makes so little mess (loose coffee can get all over the place).

In any case, I give the Keurig a thumbs up for those who drink only one or a few cups a day. If you're in a pot or more a day habit, then I would suggest a more conventional method.

 

[gadgetgary]

And speaking of disappearing.....

Does anyone remember the 'pods' that you could buy to brew a whole pot of coffee?
Where did they go?

 

[petek]

Whole pot pods..

Now those were nasty tasting. I think they all went to the Super 8 motels LOL

 

[mistereric]

I've had a B100 brewer at work since they were still in the $400 range. We use it to produce hot water as well as for coffee. Its been a great machine and has far outlasted our expectaions.

We used to use it for all coffee but now that the staff is up to 13 from 2, we have a Bunn VPR and we make a pot on that in the AM. When that's gone, we augment with k-cup coffee.

My parents and many of my friends have the Keurig, and love 'em. I have a Mini at home which is nice but it has no reservior, and I feel like it doesn't get hot enough for a good extraction. Its the only Keurig I've not been completely happy with, and I am thinking of upgrading.

Yes, Keurig system costs more than brewing a pot, but it has NO cleanup and no muss/fuss when you're stumbling around at the butt-cracka-dawn. Also, its cheaper than buying coffee at D&D and gawd knows its cheaper than 'bucks.

I just wish there were 8 O'Clock k-cups. My life would be complete.

 

[roto204]

Keurig

One of my clients had one of these a couple of years ago, and theirs would even chuck the spent K-cup into a holding bin within the machine. So, you stuck a K-cup in, put your mug underneath, pressed the brew button, and then it ejected the brew tray with nothing in it. Magic!

I told people that the reason for the disappearance is that the K-cups are made of cornstarch, and the reason that the brew-tray was empty afterward is that they were really just drinking the dissolved brew-container in their coffee.

 

[blackstone]

Keurig brewing temperature?

Does a Keurig brew hot enough? I used one in a hotel room, and was not impressed with the temperature. I checked their website, and this particular model uses 700 W; while other models (including the Mini) use 1400 to 1500 W. Does this necessarily mean a hotter brew? Would it be as hot as DD coffee?

 

[sudsmaster]

The Platinum machine has two temperature settings: 192F and I think 188. I use the 192 setting. I believe this is the ideal temp for brewing coffee. Hotter than that can make coffee bitter, as far as I recall. The problem with a lot of automatic drip coffee makers is that the water is too hot - basically boiling over at 212F.

The Platinum Keurig is a 1500 watt appliance.

Coincidentally 190F is also ideal for brewing many types of Oolong tea. As I recall, lower temps (like 160) are better for brewing green tea. There is such a thing called the first, second, and third boils of water. You can hear them if you listen carefully to a pot of water being heated slowly. First boil, as I recall, is around 160. Second, around 190. Third, a full boil at 212.