KEURIG? What's all the hype?

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gadgetgary

gadgetgary

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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?
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.

:-)
 
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?
 
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.
 
We currently have the Juan Valdez pod machine attached (which I think is similar to the Melitta one), but we are thinking of upgrading. The Keurig has many varieties of coffee available, and also offers the refillable k-cup to use one's own coffee. We are considering buying a Keurig, but I am curious - do you need to clean it after each use?

With our current machine, after brewing, we remove the pod and then brew plain water through to rinse out the pod holder, spout, etc. I run the removable parts though the dishwasher once in a while, but not after every use.

joe_in_philly++12-3-2010-14-09-16.jpg
 
No the Keurig does not have to be cleaned after every use.

I have the Keurig mini brewer (B30 I think) at work. I've had it just over a year and yesterday it decided to not work. It heated up the water and then just shut off. I thought maybe the pin spout was plugged so I cleaned it with a paper clip but it still won't work. Any ideas?

How does the Tassimo compare to Keurig? better/worse?

Gary
 
brewing and boiling temps

I have a Cuisinart drip machine at home (not the one with the chrome in front and black sides that everyone seems to have; I have a simpler all white machine) that has a "1-4 cups" button on it. As I understand from the manual, pushing the 1-4 cups button produces water at a hotter temperature, the reason being that brewing only a few cups means a much shorter cycle, and if the button isn't activated, you get water coming out that's not hot enough to brew the small amount of coffee in the filter. It also takes a extra minute or two to start brewing, since the start temperature is hotter.

Using the regular (1-4 button inactivated) cycle supposedly starts with cooler water to wet the grounds, then the water gets hotter as the cycle progresses. I suppose that someone making a small amount who felt the product was too bitter with 1-4 activated has the option of not using it, so as to use cooler water.

At work, we have a Tefal Vitesse electric water kettle. It has an adjustable thermostat, and we keep it on the low end (about 180) for making hot water for tea. We get the "first boil" but it shuts down before we reach second or third boil. The model has a fully heated steel bottom rather than just a coil, so that more hot metal contacts the water. The result is that it boils in about half the time of my Bodum Ibis kettle at home. I think the Tefal is 1800W vs 1500W for Bodum. The Bodum has only a coil at the bottom of the kettle (it is however a great space saver with its elliptical base).
 
The value of Keurig and other such gadgets is frankly lost on me. For years, I just used a small filter assembly that sat on top of a cup for my single cup needs. It worked well, it lasted and lasted with no heating elements to break, and it used coffee cheaper than the pod stuff. A pod system would be easier to clean, I guess, but it's not so easy that it's worth the extra expense to me.

I guess I can see a Keurig as a general purpose coffee maker for work environments, although--again--if it's my dollar that's needed to buy the coffee, I'd go with a simple, easily stowed brewing system, or Thermos brought from home.
 
Keurig

I love the Keurig machine. I never thought that I would ever get away from a delicious cup of perked coffee, but once I started to use a Keurig, I was impressed. You get a fresh piping hot cup of coffee in less that 30 seconds every time. My home brewer is four years old, and is somewhat loud. The machines made today though, have a redesigned pump, and is quiet. You get the convenience of choice of coffee per cup, decaf, light, medium, or dark, roasts, or flavored. You don't have to brew a whole pot of coffee, so there is no waste, and you don't have to drink the whole pot in less than half an hour before it starts to get bitter, burned, or Rancid. I am employed by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and we also own Keurig. We roast and package some of the finest coffee you can buy. There are so many varieties and flavors of coffee that there has to be something to please the pallet of everyone. Just have to take the time to find your favorite. I suggest purchasing an assortment box of k-cups so you can compare tastes to your liking. Some are very robust and bold, and others prefer lighter blends. Once you find your preference, then you know what you will want to purchase in the future. If the cost of k-cups is the issue, then there is a reusable k-cup basket that you use whatever coffee you wish to use. If you purchase your coffee at the dollar store, that's up to you. Just put a spoonful or so of your own coffee into the basket, and load into the Keurig brewer. Once done, dump the grounds into the trash, or compost, or rinse down the drain, and it is ready to reuse. The brewer also brews tea, hot chocolate, cider, or just a cup of hot water if you want to have an instant soup or whatever. I think it is quite a remarkable system.

http://www.gmcr.com
 
Keurig Appeal

The reason I want one is that I need a single cup of coffee in the morning to get me going during the week. No time to brew a pot and even less chance it will get consumed. Now the weekend is a different story of course.

We had a demo machine in our office at work for a week. It was amazing compared to the standard crap we are provided. Alas, the company didn't want to pay for it. Too bad. They could have put a coin-op in and sold it for 50c a cup.

Malcolm
 
Since my mini brewer (model B30) quit last week and I've had no success in getting it working even after going through the descaling process, I decided to get another machine. I opted for a Tassimo this time around - the B65 model. It is quick, quiet and easy to use. It has the LCD display that gives step by step directions. I have found that the T-discs are less expensive than the k-cups (at least around here). It works out to about $0.50 per cup whereas the Keurig was anywhere from $0.65 and up. There don't seem to be nearly as many varieties however.

Gary
 
I've recently cup down on my coffee consumption. I drink a large (12 oz) mug in the morning and that's it. My Cuisinart drip machine has a 2-4 cup setting (heats water to higher temp before pumping water over grounds). I use the mug to measure the water, so I add only enough water to fill the mug, and there is thus no waste. Very occasionally I will make more than this, and store the excess in a preheated commuter thermos for use later in the day. The machine has a glass rather than a thermal carafe, so I either have to drink the coffee right away or place in a thermos.

When the current machine gives out, I think I'd either choose between a drip machine with thermal carafe (as long as it has a 2-4 cup switch) or a Keurig and use fill-it-yourself K-cups.

Question for those who know: what's the largest amount of coffee you can make at one time with a Keurig? Can you make enough for a large mug or commuter mug?
 

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