Single Serve Coffee Recommendations

[Dav]

My 3 year old Keurig coffee maker died, I know a few friends with broken Keurig coffee makers so I am looking for another option. I saw the Hamilton Beach single Serve Flex Brew But Ive seen mixed reviews on it, I like the fact that I can use the Keurig Pods or grind my own coffee. Is there anything else with those options or is there anyone else that owns that Hamilton Beach Flex brew that could give me their opinion on it?
Dav

 

[PinkRose]

My 3 year old Keurig coffee maker died,

Do you still have the broken Keurig?

You can call their customer service and explain that it's not working, but you don't recall how long you've had it. They'll walk you through some troubleshooting options to see if you can get it to work. Go along with it even though you know it won't work. Then, they'll offer to send you a new machine if you agree to mail them a small part (I forget which one) from your old machine.

I have several friends who did this, and they received a new replacement machine. Keurig would prefer to keep you as a customer who buys their K-cups than take the chance of you going with a different brand.

Rose

 

[nomadmobilecoffee]

Have you considered other brewing methods like French Press or Pour-over? Proper brew temperature should be in the 195F - 205F range and I am 99% sure neither of those machines can achieve that, which means the coffee is never properly extracted. And as a barista, I don't recommend them to anybody.

A Kalita 155 pourver brewer will allow you to brew 1 cup of coffee, and this is usually what I make my morning coffee with. And the Kalita 185 will make 2, maybe 3 cups. May not be as convenient as pushing a button on a Keurig, but the quality (assuming you buy good quality coffee) will be much better than anything that comes out of the K-Cups.

 

[Dav]

I called Keurig, they have my name on record so they knew the coffee maker was 3 years so they offered me a deal of buying the $130 machine for $100 - not a great deal

 

[PinkRose]

I called Keurig, they have my name on record so they knew the coffee maker was 3 years so they offered me a deal of buying the $130 machine for $100 - not a great deal

It's a shame that the Keurigs break down after only a few years of use. I bet if you tell them that you'll never buy a Keurig again, and that you're planning to buy some other brand instead, they'd play ball with you.

Just a thought.....

Rose

 

[peterjschmidt]

Allow me to echo what nomad said...

If all you want is a single cup, and can stand just a tad more complexity - grind, heat water, pour, as opposed to grind, add water, and turn on a switch - you'll find incredible improvements in taking control over all the brew parameters. Leaving those things in the hands of a machine that's geared toward convenience rather than great coffee is the path to mediocrity.

 

[Dav]

After reading this, I am thinking of going back to ground coffee, and getting a pour-over. I have a french press as well, but that takes more time and clean up, might use that on the weekends.

 

[peterjschmidt]

What do you have for a grinder, Dav? Are you OK with paper filters?

For years and years, my daily go-to was my press pot. I switched to a Clever Coffee Dripper for about a year, but ultimately came to dislike what I considered the over-clean taste using paper filters. Then for a few years it was a Kone filter in a Chemex; learning a precise pour w/ gooseneck kettle is fun. For the past couple weeks, I've gone back to the Clever Dripper, but am now pairing it with a Frieling Gold filter. Pourover is fun, and it brings back memories of how my German grandma make coffee in her Melitta. But something keeps telling me that a full immersion brewing method will have a better chance at extracting more flavor.

I'd give the nod to the siphon pot for overall perfection, but that's consigned to the weekend when there's more time.

 

[Dav]

I do have a grinder, I've been using a Braun Thermos drip coffee maker with a gold filter. I have a nephew that loves the pour over method. So I guess I have to get a cone filter that fits on my cup, should it be a flat bottom as opposed to the cone?
I'll take any suggestions.

 

[Dav]

A friend of mine suggested I take my Keurig back to BB&Beyond and plead my case so this morning I thought I would give it a try, walked in with my 3yr old keurig placed on the counter and told the saleperson that it died, she said would I like the same model, I said yes and before I knew it I had a new Keurig - much better service than with Keurig, why is that? my problem solved. I still am going to experiment with the pour over method.

 

[mmmcoffee85]

My single cup coffee maker only lasted for about a year. I loved the convenience of it, but was never truly satisfied with the coffee I got out of it. And my biggest complaint was that even the largest cup setting was not a big enough cup of coffee for me! I have since switched to French Press, and I absolutely love it. Having more control over all the elements, as Peterjschmidt said, makes a huge difference in your result. I've been seeing some better options for good coffee coming out recently in the k-cups, but the local roasters that I have come to love will never go that route.

 

[PinkRose]

A friend of mine suggested I take my Keurig back to BB&Beyond and plead my case so this morning I thought I would give it a try, walked in with my 3yr old keurig placed on the counter and told the saleperson that it died, she said would I like the same model, I said yes and before I knew it I had a new Keurig - much better service than with Keurig, why is that? my problem solved. I still am going to experiment with the pour over method.

Wow! That salesperson went Above and Beyond in customer service!

It's good that the same model is still being sold there. The store probably has a way to return damaged goods to Keurig and get some sort of a credit for it.

Nice work!

 

[monstro18]

Hi Dav, I see you want to experiment with the manual pour over. Check this site out The Art of Coffee Dojo, how to brew the best cup of coffee , at the bottom of the page is a link to a video tutorial of a Manual pour over. Give it a shot!

 

[Dav]

I bought a pound of dark roast coffee beans and have been drinking my coffee using the pour over method all this week, my coffee is tasting fantastic! Thank you everybody for all the suggestions and video tutorials, keep them coming.