Another New Coffee Brewer: Keurig K-Cup

A while back I posted this thread: http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=540

I'd like to revisit the coffee brewers because I got another new coffee brewer.Coffee roasters who participate in the K-cup production are some of the best names in the roasting business. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Dietrich, Gloria Jeans, and Timothy's Coffee are four brands that we sell. There are also gourmet quality Teas and other hot drinks available.

I've be playing around with Timothy's and Green Mountain coffees and find that the consistency of the brew is very very good. There are literally DOZENS of roasts that are available from very light to very dark, plus flavors. Honestly I've found some that I can't drink, and others that I really like. Compared to the TASSIMO system, I would say the K-Cup system is superior in delivering a consistent brew from cup to cup. I found the TASSIMO system would occasionally blow coffee grounds through the filter pod and into the cup of coffee!

• Tassimo allows for the brewing of milk based drinks. Keurig does not.
• Tassimo is clearly a consumer oriented product line. Keurig is a commercial line that has expanded its offering to consumers; it has both commerical and UL approved consumer grade equipment.
• Tassimo has a total of about 18 different offerings, Keurig K-Cups are available in SEVERAL DOZEN different coffees, plus many more teas and other drinks.

Overall, I think the K-Cup is the superior choice for anyone who wants a very good coffee maker that makes coffee 1-cup at a time. The key is that you get a freshly brewed cup each time, and it takes less than 60 seconds to get that fresh brewed cup. The major advantage with the K-Cup system, other than its greater consistency and lack of blowing coffee grounds into the cup, is the very wide selection of coffee that is available.

K-Cup systems are now widely available at retailers, I've even seen K-Cup coffee for sale in some supermarkets.

There is a 3rd system that has entered the marketplace, it stumbled when it was first introduced by offering inferior products, but now is regaining some market. That system is the "POD" system. I also own one of these brewers and have pod coffee. I believe that it may become the dominant system in the future, but currently is still generally inferior to the K-Cup. It does offer greater economy per cup than either the Tassimo or the K-Cup.

So the consumer has to buy some little pre-measured things ?

I can't grind my own and use it ?

That doesn't sound very economical.....

Joan, It is NOT an economical option. These are the most expensive cost per cup of any brewer I know. However, what they do provide is no waste. You only brew what you need. I think I probably reviewed the Tassimo system that I referred to in the above post long before you joined, but it explained the "logic" of these types of brewers.

I suppose I should also point out that I use a traditional drip brewer at home too. When I am working in the morning, if I will be at home for more than 2 or 3 cups of coffee, I will brew a whole pot. But the beauty of these 1 cup systems is that if you want a fresh cup of Dark French Roast and your spouse/friend/guest wants a cup of De-Caf Light Blend, you both can get a cup, enjoy them together, and not have to brew & waste a couple pots of coffee. There are plenty of times when I just want 1 cup. These brewers allow that. But no, they are not economical choices, they are convenient choices.

Thats an interesting coffee maker concept, Bob. I prefer to grind my own beans though. I like mine with half-n-half and don't care for the flavored coffees. I like to drink the different African and South American coffees. We have some local coffee houses that sell beans from all over the world.

This is the best coffe maker I have ever owned:

http://www.goodmans.net/item.asp?n=FA-FCP512S&k=FA-FCP512S&sc=FRGL

It was a gift from my MIL last Christmas. It is a cordless, stainless steel, 12 cup percolator. The temperature of the coffee is perfect. Most of the drip coffee makers I have had in the past were not hot enough and the Bunn drips were too darned hot, plus the water sat heated until you used it and just tasted nasty. As most coffee connoisseurs know, fresh cold water is 50% of a good pot of coffee, and the other 50% is the correct amount of freshly ground beans brewed at the right temperature.

Cityboy said:

Thats an interesting coffee maker concept, Bob. I prefer to grind my own beans though. I like mine with half-n-half and don't care for the flavored coffees. I like to drink the different African and South American coffees. We have some local coffee houses that sell beans from all over the world.

This is the best coffe maker I have ever owned:

http://www.goodmans.net/item.asp?n=FA-FCP512S&k=FA-FCP512S&sc=FRGL

It was a gift from my MIL last Christmas. It is a cordless, stainless steel, 12 cup percolator. The temperature of the coffee is perfect. Most of the drip coffee makers I have had in the past were not hot enough and the Bunn drips were too darned hot, plus the water sat heated until you used it and just tasted nasty. As most coffee connoisseurs know, fresh cold water is 50% of a good pot of coffee, and the other 50% is the correct amount of freshly ground beans brewed at the right temperature.

Click to expand...

Try some Kopi Luwak.

Guess I'm just simple....

My coffeemaker is cordless, brews one cup at a time and works anywhere

CB, the Keurig is definately a niche product. Just like the Tassimo it is aimed only at the 1 cup at a time consumers. In an office setting, it is definately for the low volume office, where a pot sitting on a burner will burn, -or- and office with drinkers who perfer all sorts of different roasts/grinds because it allows several people to make cups, one right after another, but each to his own taste.

One thing that is very nice is that there are all sorts of varietal K-Cup grinds so if you favor Ethopian, or Kenyan, or Jamacian Blue Mountain you can get those, and you can get them in light, medium or dark roast or even medium dark or lightly medium, etc.

I do agree with your observation about most brewers. A couple years ago I got a great gift from my wife, it is a Capresso drip brewer that drips into an vaccuum pot so it stays hot but can't burn. The Capresso brews it hotter than many of the other brands, perhaps close to a commercial Bunn unit. But if you have had coffee from a Bunn that was too hot, then you should be aware that the Bunns have internal thermostats that can be adjusted by a technician so it can be turned down.

DaveNay said:

Try some Kopi Luwak.

Click to expand...

I think I'll pass. They should call that stuff Tree Dwelling Critter Turd Coffee. Tha's probably the English translation of Kopi Luwak in Sumatra.

Have you tried it?

B_Skurka said:

I do agree with your observation about most brewers. But if you have had coffee from a Bunn that was too hot, then you should be aware that the Bunns have internal thermostats that can be adjusted by a technician so it can be turned down.

Click to expand...

Never knew that about the Bunn, but it makes perfect sense now that you mention it. The thing about Bunns for the home is the water sitting heated. Bunn does this so you coffee will brew faster. The second pot always tastes better than the first one of the day, but I generally only brew one pot in the morning so I want fresh water and fresh ground beans. If I get to craving a good cup of coffee during the day, I head to the coffee shop across the street at work.

Those one-cup brewers are interesting though. What is the cost of one cup of good quality coffee using one of those?

Cityboy said:

If I get to craving a good cup of coffee during the day, I head to the coffee shop across the street at work.

Those one-cup brewers are interesting though. What is the cost of one cup of good quality coffee using one of those?

Click to expand...

For me, Starbucks or Panera are about 3 blocks away and with traffic that is a PITA so its an easy 20 minutues round trip, and about $3 or $4 for a cup.

A Keurig brewer is roughly $100, some a little less, some a whole lot more. The 'list price' per cup is roughly 50-cents per unit, you can buy a box of 18 to 25 k-cups for roughly $9 to $12 at the stores. However, prices are often lower than that by roughly 30% to 50% if you shop on the internet. The advantage ot a K-cup is you can get several dozen different roasts, and several dozen different varietals so if a gourmet cup is your drink of choice, K-cup offers many choices. K-cup also offers dozens of flavored coffees. Teas and some other hot drinks are available.

A Tassimo brewer is also roughly $120, but can be found for less than $100 on sale at retail. It is harder to find T-Disks on sale, so the cost per cup of the T-disks averages closer to 50-cents. Again the advantage to the T-Disk is you can make a milk based drink like a cappuccinio. The choices of roasts and varietals are very limited. At the time I was using my Tassimo there were no flavored coffees available. A limited number of teas are available.

Another option is a POD brewer. These are far less expensive and typically range in price from $30 to $100. Pods are commonly found in supermarkets from Maxwell House and Folgers. When the Pod brewers were introduced, most of the pods sold were very low quality coffee and consumers didn't see the point of paying more per cup for a lower quality drink. There are now very high quality Pods available, roasters making pods include a couple premium roasters like BARONET and TIMOTHY'S and they individually vacuum pack their pods in nitrogen flushed foil, they also offer varietals, and various roasts. Look for the consumers to begin to become more accepting of Pod brewers and Pod packed coffee over the next year or two.

The BIG ADVANTAGE to the coffee pods is that they can be produced by any coffee roaster, the machines can be made by any manufacturer. Both the Keurig and the Tassimo are "licensed" systems and both are regulated and controlled by a coffee roaster. Keurig is a division of Green Mountain Coffee. Tassimo, I believe, may be owned by Maxwell House.

pixie said:

Guess I'm just simple....

My coffeemaker is cordless, brews one cup at a time and works anywhere

Click to expand...

Hey.. that look's just like mine. I grind the beans.. boil water on the stove.. poor in the filter that sits right on top of my mug. The hard water here put's a coffee pot out of commision in about a year.

Cityboy said:

Thats an interesting coffee maker concept, Bob. I prefer to grind my own beans though. I like mine with half-n-half and don't care for the flavored coffees. I like to drink the different African and South American coffees. We have some local coffee houses that sell beans from all over the world.

This is the best coffe maker I have ever owned:

http://www.goodmans.net/item.asp?n=FA-FCP512S&k=FA-FCP512S&sc=FRGL

It was a gift from my MIL last Christmas. It is a cordless, stainless steel, 12 cup percolator. The temperature of the coffee is perfect. Most of the drip coffee makers I have had in the past were not hot enough and the Bunn drips were too darned hot, plus the water sat heated until you used it and just tasted nasty. As most coffee connoisseurs know, fresh cold water is 50% of a good pot of coffee, and the other 50% is the correct amount of freshly ground beans brewed at the right temperature.

Click to expand...

I'm looking for a perculator like this but the common complaint seems to be grounds in the coffee pour?

When I saw skurka's thread, I lit up, cause I have been through 3 different coffee makers, the last being a new Mr. Coffee techno gadget that cannot even put the coffee in the pot properly.... I almost threw it through the window.

The best coffee I've had at home is from a french press, but it is a lot of work. Anyone prefer a french press at home?


Surely there can be some middle ground!

HELPPPPPP

DAP said:

I have been through 3 different coffee makers

Click to expand...

Doug look for a good quality "drip" style coffee brewer. Capresso, Braun, Kitchen Aid and Bunn make some pretty good ones, there are other brands. You will get what you pay for, so expect to pay $100 to $200 (you can easily spend more but I don't see a need for it unless you find a feature or style that you really want) for a nice quality unit that delivers a consistent brew. The upside is that they typically last for many years and I've never been tempted to throw one out the window. The last one I threw away was because it was so old I could not find a pot that worked with it when I had broken the one that came with it. My current Capresso unit is probably 5+ years old. Been married 21 years, durning that time only owned 2 or 3 drip brewers.

Get one with an insulated pot rather than the heater in the base because the heaters can burn the coffee. I don't believe in programmers and all the other do-dads on coffee brewers but most seem to have them. Ground beans, exposed to the air for more than 10 or 15 minutes go stale and the flavor starts to change very quickly so the programmers that allow you to put the grounds in the machine at night and brew the coffee in the morning are nothing but gimmicks of convenience.

I do like some of the 1 cup units out there, but therein lies the rub. I like coffee and when guests come who also like coffee, I enjoy putting an excellent cup in front of them ...

So I need to find me a good drip machine then ....

That farber ware old style server looks like it might work, but I'd have to take a closer look at one ..

DAP said:

I'm looking for a perculator like this but the common complaint seems to be grounds in the coffee pour?

Click to expand...

They make filters for them. They are just round paper discs and work great. I have used them, but the Faberware pot does very well without them. Either way, it has worked great for me.

Bob, point me in the direction of your coffee pots please. One of the things in our new dream home will be built in, one cup, or pot auto coffee maker, with of course timer, water hookup, etc.

We had one of the commercial units at one place I worked at.........very nice machine and it was free to us! Cups were small though...............I have a very large coffee mug!

ddrane2115 said:

Bob, point me in the direction of your coffee pots please.

Click to expand...

Danny, if you are interested in them go to the Keurig website and look around to see the features of each of the machines : http://www.keurig.com/index.asp

However, I've been told the best thing to do AFTER you know exactly which model you want, is to shop on-line at Ebay and other on-line sources. I got my machine free when I challenged the sales man to prove over time that I would be happy with the product, he gave me a model B100. Its a nice machine but I use it as a pour-over. I doubt it would be the machine I would buy for home if I actually had to pay for one. If you want to see the machines, take a look at the nearest Linens-N-Things store or similar retailers, those stores typically sell a couple models of the Keurig machines and often have Tassimo and Pod machines side by side so you can see and compare all 3 types of brewers. The Pod machines may be made by several differnt companies, I believe Tassimo machines are all made by Braun and Keurig machines are all made by Keurig.

Ok Bob ... I took your advice and now your reputation is on the line!

I just bought a ($100) http://www.bunn.com/images/prodlibs/jpgs/GRX_W.jpg
and am throwing away the http://www.mrcoffee.com/productdeta...or=&FilterType=&Ecommerce=&Specialty=&Search= which I had for about 6 months.

Jury will report back in a coupla weeks or so ...