Biting the bullet - Keurig advice

[Sarabi's Cubs]

So I never thought I'd join the club, but my husband (always impossible to buy for at Christmas) said last night "you know, I'd really like to have a Keurig for hot chocolate and tea." I jumped right on that and went online and of course there are a bunch of different kinds. Any recommendations from you experts???

Laurie

 

[MOpGrad2013]

Not an expert, but we have a small hotel type that does not have the attached water reservoir. This Christmas makes 2 years since it arrived. As you have seen, most models have a capability to hold a good amount of water. Ours we have to add water for each cup we make.

I was reading on another thread about the 2.0. It takes a special pod so it can't use just any k-cup you find.

We try to keep an assortment of coffee, chai tea, chamomile, Snapple, cold brew coffee and yes hot cocoa. In fact, last night DS3 helped make a cup of cocoa for himself. (Needed a lot of milk to make it cooler.)

The one drawback to our model: cup type and size. We can not put a travel mug underneath--regular mug and transfer carefully. And no clear mugs. The sensor doesn't recognize the cup is there. Trick was to wrap a napkin around the mug and it worked.

Oh: If you buy an assortment of k-cups to begin, write them down so they can be remembered (good or bad). My DH always forgets what he liked. I found if I wrote them down and then kept the list by the maker, he is more likely to sip and check his rating.

 

[rlduvall]

My DH and I just spent several weeks researching this. Like you, I was overwhelmed with all the Keurig choices. We finally decided on the 2.0 K450 because it gives you both individual and carafe sized drinks. It has an attractive digital display and a large water reservoir. It was priced @ $169. at Kohls. With my 30% coupon and receiving $20. in Kohl's cash, we estimate it only cost around $100.

We have had it over a week and my husband loves it. Actually, I am not a coffee drinker but will enjoy using it for tea and hot chocolate.

 

[HizMinnie2015]

I have had a Keurig since its inception and i love my machine. Most of the Keurigs do not fit a travel mug so there is a bit of a hassle when I want to make a 24 oz cup of coffee before leaving for work. I tend to buy my kcups in bulk at Costco... i get a better deal that way for Starbucks coffee.

I have a model B60 i think. It has a 40oz reservoir. It takes standard kcups.

As far as the new keurig 2.0 goes... it will take standard kcups to brew a single cup of coffee. However it also comes with the carafe and a special kcup is needed to brew into the carafe. It will hold 4 cups.

I have asked Santa for one of these since it would be nice to not stand in the kitchen making 4 separate cups of coffee when I have company lol.

Keurig.com should answer most of your questions...

 

[samsteele]

I've had the Keurig Mini Plus Brewer for the past 2 years and it is still going strong. It has a smaller foot print than others & so takes up less counter space. There are no fancy features, just a simple 1 cup at a time brew. It comes in a number of bright colours . . . I have red and still love. Only two downsides that I can think of . . . you can't fit a larger/tall coffee mug in it (must use a smaller, standard coffee mug) and the needle will plug after using a couple of hot chocolate k-cups or if using coffee pods in the basket instead of k-cups. The pods also like to burst which is not fun. With the hot chocolate, I always run a mug of H2O after to clean out the needle and to avoid the mocha effect with my next cup of joe. If necessary, the needle assembly is easy to take out and clean. I would also second the earlier suggestion to keep note of your first k-cup purchases so that you can track what you enjoy or not. Good luck!

 

[safetymom]

Welcome to the Keurig family. Just a word of advice, when you brew hot chocolate and certain teas be sure to run a blank cup of water through afterwards. It can clog it up otherwise.

The new one with the carafe requires you to only use certain K cups. There is a hack for it to allow you to use all the flavors.

Look at how you would use the Keurig when deciding which one to buy. If you are looking for something small get the one with no tank. If you like different sizes of coffee or would like to have a hotter cup of coffee buy that model.

You will love the Keurig!!

 

[1Grumpy9]

I have a Mini and the Elite versions. The Mini my parents use in our camper and the Elite we use at the house. It is nice not to have to get the water every morning and just have it in the reservoir. If you belong to a bulk club (Sam's, BJ's or Costco), check there to see what they have. I know they have the brewers and they usually have extras thrown in to their brewers.

I guess it is all depending on how often you would use the brewer. If two of you are going to use it daily, then I would buy the bigger brewer. If it is going to be used sporadically, then get the smaller one.

As another poster mentioned, if you can get your k-cups in bulk it is cheaper in the end.

The one piece of advise I would say is register your brewer. If you have an issue with it you can call Keurig and they can help you with the problem. I had an issue with my Mini and called they sent me a brand new brewer. All I had to send them was the pod that holds the k-cups (with the needle in it).

 

[wilkeliza]

I've had 2 Keurigs in the past 4 years, not due to breakage due to upgrade. First we received the standard Keurig mini as a gift. It was okay but we found ourselves never using it because you have to fill the cup, pour the water in the back, wait for it to heat up and then it brews. When we moved to our new place earlier this year we invested in a Keurig K45 Elite. I absolutely love it! It holds quite a few cups worth of water, you can buy a filter for it, and you can preset it to turn on and heat up and turn off. Right now I have mine programed to turn on a 8 am so that I can get a cup and go as I leave the house at 8:30. and it turns off at 10 so it is still ready to go while my boyfriend gets up and ready around 9. Then if we want to use it when we are home not during those times you just turn it on and leave it. Some people just have theirs turn on in the morning and turn off at night for even more convenience but we are big on energy savings and didn't like it just sitting there on when we typically use it in the morning.

 

[skunkvette]

Hi Laurie!

I have been through six or seven Keurigs, and as a two cup a day coffee guy, I love the convenience.

Cathy uses it for tea, ice tea and cocoa.

My advice -


Go with Cuisinart's Keurig brewers, they seem to last longer.

Either way try to purchase at Bed Bath and Beyond if possible, with one of their coupons, and save your receipt.

I tape the receipt to the owners manual with the UPC code from the box.

When the machine dies (and they all do so at some time or another), return it to BB & B for a brand new machine at no cost. Just show the receipt at customer service.

Just returned one that died that we had for a year and a half, no problems.

Have a great Holiday, Frank!

 

[GAN]

It will hold 4 cups. I have asked Santa for one of these since it would be nice to not stand in the kitchen making 4 separate cups of coffee when I have company lol. Keurig.com should answer most of your questions...

Funny -because this is exactly why we like it. Around the holidays we put out all the different options and everyone chooses their own ...rather than making a carafe of one type.

 

[WebmasterKathy]

Hi, Laurie!!! Long time Keurig user here.

First, I would avoid the 2.0 models and stick with the "classic" Keurigs.

I love my K75/Platinum model. You can choose various cup sizes (tiny to travel mug), and the reservoir holds a pretty good supply of water. They're sold EVERYWHERE... Sam's, Costco, Target, JCPenney, Kohls, Amazon. It's frequently bundled with an assortment of k-cups, too.

I've also used the Mini at work, and given them to my mom and my inlaws. It's good for the occasional user who is okay with pouring water in the machine every time they want to brew a cup:

I would avoid the 2.0 because it uses a scanning technology to identify the pod to decide how to brew. This means it won't work with some of the generic K-cups or the ones you can fill yourself.

I like being able to have a variety of coffees (flavors, decafs, strong brews, breakfast blends) and teas and chocolates for guests and for me. And I LOVE not having to clean a filter basket and wash out a pot of cold coffee every day.

 

[rlduvall]

I would avoid the 2.0 because it uses a scanning technology to identify the pod to decide how to brew. This means it won't work with some of the generic K-cups or the ones you can fill yourself.

You are definitely correct, but did you know there is a work-around for this? You can take a generic k-cup adapter, cut out the top of a true k-cup and glue it on [yes, I agree that's slightly ridiculous, but it does work]. :Supposedly, Keurig is coming out with their own "generic" k-cup adapter for the 2.0 models.

 

[lugnut33]

I've just entered the coffee drinking generation and bought a 2.0 and it works great for me.

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

Thanks for all of the great advice!! I knew this was the place to come for it!

Laurie

 

[OKW Lover]

We've had Keurigs for several years now. We would agree with the others who say to avoid the new "2.0" machines. No reason to be saddled with restrictions about what pods you can use.

We've got a K75 edition that has served us well. Bought it at Bed Bath & Beyond with one of the ubiquitous 20% off coupons. They are also a good place to buy the pods.

 

[DisneyKevin]

we just bought the 2.0 and it was unceremoniously boxed back up and returned.

Didn't like that you had to use specific pods.
Didn't like the display.
Didn't like the size.
And John said it sound like a sick person clearing their throat every time it made a cup.

Sticking with the one WebmasterKathy uses.

Newer doesn't necessarily equal better.

 

[HizMinnie2015]

Funny -because this is exactly why we like it. Around the holidays we put out all the different options and everyone chooses their own ...rather than making a carafe of one type.

I can understand that but my company is generally my folks and kids. We aren't big flavor people so all I have is black coffee in my house.

 

[North of Mouse]

Love my 'Mini' that I have had over two years with no problems - was told to remove the kcup immediately after each use to avoid coffee grounds drying on the 'needle'!

Unlike some pp's, don't have any issues with filling it each time for my cup of coffee - and also will not be buying a 2.0 and have limited (costlier) kcups available. I buy ahead and get my favorite coffee at very low prices with sales and coupons.

 

[jennbunn]

i have had mine for 3 years and love it. Just make sure to descale it every 6 months.

 

[HillPete]

I've had mine for five years. It makes three sizes and that's about it for fancy features. DH makes hot water for tea and I usually make two cups of coffee with the My K Cup adapter each day. I only use Brita filtered water in it and run a tank of vinegar thru about once a year. Maybe twice. I love it. Wouldn't change a thing. Use filtered water in whatever model you choose!!