Today we’ll discuss the Keurig coffee maker and your options and choices when it comes to purchasing one of the several Keurig coffee makers that are out there and available on the market. We’ll look at some of the features of the different Keurig coffee machine models and I’ll give you Keurig coffee maker reviews including my own Keurig K cup coffee maker review. We’ll also look at the benefits of the Keurig coffee maker over other single serve coffee makers like the Senseo pod coffee maker, which is one of the other leading brands in the single serve coffee machine market. So let’s get to it.
An overview of the Keurig coffee maker
A quick over view of the Keurig coffee makers for those of you who are new to them. Keurig uses coffee pods, or Keurig coffee pods which are more commonly known as Keurig K cups. Unlike the Senseo coffee pods, the Keurig K cup is a proprietary system to brew fresh coffee from single serve containers. You’d think that because they use proprietary single serve K cups that there wouldn’t be a large variety of flavors and coffee roasts to choose from, but you’d be wrong. Keurig K cups are available from a variety of coffee roasters. Keurig has done a great job with licensing their K cup technology. Just like with espresso pods for the Senseo coffee machine you can get espresso K cups, tea K cups and all sorts in between. However, this is not about the K cups but about the Keurig coffee maker so let’s look at some of your options.
Keurig coffee makers are available from a few different manufacturers. I’m only going to stick with the Keurig brand coffee maker. But you can get a Breville coffee machine or Breville coffee maker that makes use of the K cup technology. I’ve written about them elsewhere, and I’m not the biggest fan because I find them overpriced for similar features that you can get in other Keurig coffee makers. They work well though. Another offering in the Keurig K cup market is the Cuisinart coffee maker or Cuisinart brewing system. I am no familiar with this one, but my Cuisinart coffee grinder works well and the Cuisinart grind and brew coffee maker is quite reliable so you may want to research this one if you’re interested in the Cuisinart brand. They are similarly priced to the Keurig coffee makers.
The best 2 options in the Keurig coffee maker
First up is the Keurig B70 coffee maker which you can see to your left. By the way, you can find Keurig coffee makers on sale at Amazon. This Keurig Platinum brewing system for example is available at Amazon for 30% off retail if you click here. This Keurig coffee maker features a large one panel with LCD display a digital clock and is programmable to turn on and off. You can also have your choice of up to 5 brewing size options from the 3 ounce (90 ml) iced brew option, the small 5 ounce (150 ml) going on through 7 ounce (200 ml), 9 ounces (260 ml) and topping off at 11 ounces (325 ml). The Keurig B-70 Platinum coffee maker also comes with an ample 60 ounce (1.75 liter) water reservoir and a 1 year warranty. It usually comes with a 12 pack variety of K cups but I’m not sure if that is still a current promotion. You might want to check on that if you order it so that you don’t get your Keurig coffee maker home only to realize you have no coffee for it.
The other Keurig coffee maker that I wanted to talk about is the Keurig B60 coffee maker which again is pictured to your left. The Keurig B-60 Special Edition coffee machine offers the same features as the B70 including a 2 hour automatic shut off. Where it differs is in the size of the water reservoir which in the Keurig B60 is 48 ounces (1.4 liter) which is still fine if you live with your spouse or you don’t entertain too often. Bear in mind that both units take about 4 minutes to get started in heating the water for first use. This coffee maker is available at Amazon for your full review by clicking here. This Keurig single serve coffee machine also differs by offering only 3 brew sizes which are the 5 ounce, 7 ounce and 9 ounce. Sufficient for most of us, though I’d probably end up brewing a double 7 ounce for my coffee press cup!
I know some of you are wondering what are the Keurig coffee maker problems and no coffee machine is without it’s bugs or quirks. Overall these single serve coffee machines work extremely well, but a few folks have complained of the lackluster flavor of many of the K cup coffees. This is especially true if you’re used to French press coffee or you like your espresso coffee beans and the darker roasts. Some folks have also suggested that the Keurig B70 is not as reliable as the other Keurig coffee makers although this seems to be limited to perhaps some bad “lemons”. My recommendation is to get the Keurig B60 coffee maker although I do prefer the greater features of the Keurig B70. And you can also reuse the K cup filter and make your own K cups with a coffee pod maker. This way you reuse the K cup which is more environmentally sound and you can pack your own prefered coffee roasts in it to enjoy a stronger a flavor profile. To have a look at this method of re-using K cups take a look here.
Overall, the Keurig coffee maker is worth a look if you’re interested in convenience at a slight sacrifice of real, robust strong coffee flavors. But like I’ve mentioned that can be overcome by using a K cup filter and using any coffee you like!