Keurig, any thoughts?

[mum5]

Hi all. My coffe pot is about to die, and I am kind of thinking about the Keurig, mainly for the fact that I feel like we waste coffee. Dh and I get up at different times, so sometimes the coffee is left over, and tastes really nasty. Also he makes it REALLY STRONG!

When he gets up late, he will make a pot, drink a cup, or 2 and the rest goes to waste.

That is why I thought the keurig would be good. But I would be using the K cups that you fill your self, as the others as probably $$. Also the unit is $$ too, imo.

Do you like yours? Tell me what you think.

[ScottyG]

Just wanted to pipe in a plug for the Senseo machines instead of the Keurig.  They're not as popular anymore, but you can still buy the pods at most grocery stores, and lots of places online.  Some advantages, IMHO:

1. The coffee totally tastes better.  It makes a smaller cup, sort of halfway between a weak espresso and a regular cup of joe.  It's very tasty.  In my experience, the Keurig coffees are often watery tasting, even when the beans are good.

2. MUCH more economically wise.  The machines are half as much as the Keurig machines, and the pods are way cheaper.  The Keurig pods generally go for $10 a 20-pack.  The Senseo pods go for around $4.50 for a 18-pack.  Half as much!

3. No plastic waste.  The Senseo pods are essentially little round teabags, and are fully compostable.

Maybe others have better experiences with the Keurig, but I fear that the Senseo is falling out of favor, and I can't for the life of me understand why.  

[mommaof3boz]

the keurigs do have a refillable cup to use in the machine online so the refills can't be factored in.

we LOVE ours.

[PatienceAndLove]

if you are buying beans at a shop like Starbucks, the grind setting is setting #2

[Orionsmama]

I received the Keurig as a gift and was a little skeptical due to all the waste from the pods. But they do sell an insert that acts as a filter (pod) and you can grind your own coffee and make it as strong as you want. This solves the plastic waste problem and it saves tons of $$ on wasted pots of coffee. I love my Keurig because it is so quick and easy without the fuss of a full pot coffee pot. 

If you do get one, just a little helpful hint. Descale it with white vinegar every few weeks. It keeps it running smoothly.

[RainbowTurtle]

We have one at work, with the refillable pod, and I like it so much that I'm considering one for home.  Everyone can make their coffee the way they like using the refillable pod, it just takes a few times to figure out just the right amount of coffee for your tastebuds. 

[mum5]

Thanks guys! Yes, the only way that we would do the keurig would be w/ the refillable cup, for waste purposes and also for $$ too. I do believe that they are pricey, and that is defeating the purpose of getting the expensive machine, versus the $30.00 coffee pot.

Now I have to look around for a great deal. I am a bargain shopper :)

[zebra15]

We have a Keurig (sp) my roommate is the only one who drinks coffee. She got her machine at Costco before the holidays for about $139? its the new, huge machine and came with a 'bonus' k-cups.  She always uses filtered water and swears by that thing.  She uses both the k-cups and the refillable.  (from a non coffee drinker it seems really excessive) however I can get a cup of super hot water really fast if I need it  LOL.

[NikonMama]

We have a Keurig Platinum.  We received it as a gift for Christmas.  While I love it, we are on our second one.  Our first one stopped brewing full cups, and no matter what we tried to do (descaling, etc) nothing worked.  We ended up calling the company and they sent us a new one.  A month later, that one started doing the same thing.  We figured out by accident, that if we leave it unplugged in between uses (like from day to day, not every single use) it works fine, but if we just leave it on and sitting there, something screws up and it stops working.  The water pours back into the receptacle rather than into the cup.  Weird.  We love it, otherwise.  We especially love the refillable cup.  The coffee tastes WAY better (smoother, less bitter) out of the refillable cup than the k-cups that are made for it.

I suggest go for it and get one, and if you start having problems with it...just unplug it for a day or two and then it should work again.  LOL 

[bezark]

We have the poor man's Keurig, a Mr. Coffee brand smaller machine.

We LOVE it. I got it from Bed, Bath and Beyond, so with a coupon it was about $60, I think.

We got a ton of K-cups for Christmas so we're still working through those and haven't tried the refillable cup yet.

The flavors are hit or miss, but the ones we like, we really like.

We were also huge coffee wasters before we got this, even though we previously used a small french press.

[plantnerd]

I say they are a major rip off.  Buy a french press, you can make one cup or 12, for 12 bucks.  I have not been impressed with them, also the disposable coffee packs are waste to me.

[jtbuko]

We have been tempted to go the Keurig route lately. I would buy it intending to use the refillable cup, but I think it would be very tempting to get the disposable ones when we are hosting lots of family. That is the main thing holding me back.

For now, in order to reduce wasted coffee or over-drinking by making a full pot I often make it on the stove top with a plastic mug top filter holder and filter or when I make a pot I turn it off right away and poor leftovers into a mason jar and put in the fridge to reheat later. Neither of these methods are particularly energy efficient, but they do save coffee.

[Think of Winter]

If your main reason for a new pot is to not waste coffee, I suggest a 12 oz press.  I've been using one for years.  I make a cup at a time, and there's no waste.  It takes up a tiny space on the counter, and the coffee cannot be beat.  I have a really nice Bodum, but Ikea sells a similar model for $6.

[Teensy]

I wanted to second the advice to clean with vinegar often if you do get one.  Once there is mineral build-up, the machine is toast and you can't do anything but throw it away.  Yeah.  I learned this the hard way.

I do love mine. It is especially nice when I have guests and everyone can brew whatever they like - cafe, decafe, tea, apple cider, etc.  

While I do like my french press for really good tasting coffee, when I just want a quick cup of joe to wake me up, the Keurig is the way to go.  

[SAHDS]

We have the B70 Platinum and we LOVE it! 

And, yes, it is pricey but it is SO quick and there are about 200 different coffees and teas, you can choose your cup size, they're nice to look at, so convenient.  DH and I were wasting coffee, we drank our coffe so differently (I like BOLD coffee, he likes sweeter, flavored,less robust), I was drinking way too much coffee (for fear of wasting the pot), etc.  It made sense for us. 

[chel]

love mine.  got for the holidays when we were having lots of family visiting.  i drink about 1c a day and never owned a coffee maker before.  just used instant or coffee in tea bags.

i feel very comfortable with my 10yr dd using it (mostly cocoa rarely de-caf)

we host gatherings (poker parties, dinners, etc) about 2x a month and the ability to let everyone pick their own drink is great.  as a decaf drinker, i often feel i am the only one.

[Drummer's Wife]

I also love my Keurig coffee maker!  It makes me so happy. :D  I'm the only coffee drinker in my house (besides the 5 yr old who likes a sip here and there), and it's nice to not have to brew a pot of coffee - and wait for it - when I only want one fresh cup at a time.  Definitely worth the money, in my opinion.