Keurig?

[c3powil]

Hey guys, I know you probably get these kinds of threads a lot, hope you don't mind answering mine.

My girl's b-day is coming up and she and I both enjoy a nice cup of coffee quite frequently, so I was thinking of getting her a Keurig machine. My reasons for choosing Keurig is because It seems simple to use and I know they are quite popular so there wont be much trouble finding coffee for it. However, as my research of the brand progresses, I can't overlook the stunningly negative reviews that I have seen here and there along the way. I don't want my money to go to waste, and, more importantly, I don't want my girlfriend's gift to turn out a lemon.

Here are some of the things that I've read so far about Keurig machines:

They don't last long. I've read many reviews that stated that the writer had purchased as many as three of the machines, only to find that each would die fairly soon, long before any reasonable due date for such a machine.

Defects in many of the systems create malfunction that is hard, or impossible, to resolve. Many people state that their machine would start to produce only small amounts of coffee no matter what selection size.

The taste of the coffee is bad. Many reviewers seem to think that the coffee used in these systems, or the process of the system, leads to an unsatisfying taste or texture.


Now I like coffee. I frequent my local Café Campesino at least three times a week, so taste of the coffee is a weighty factor. Ultimately, I just want to make sure that what I'm giving her can hold it's own compared to other coffee alternatives out there. I know that she will definitely require one of the machines that is big enough to support a travel mug, and Id also like for it to be able to accept other coffee brands/customization. Isn't that what the k-cup ekoadapter is about?

Fill me in on these, and other problems that I may not have mentioned. Also, if there is a better alternative to Keurig, let me know.

Thanks!

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "c3powil"

Welcome to the Coffee forums website! If you haven't already used our search feature for information about Keurig machines, the search box is at the top of your screen on the right.

Are you absolutely sure your girlfriend wants a coffee maker for her birthday??? After reading your post, I can't help but wonder if the Keurig coffee maker is going to be more of a gift for you than for her. You say you don't want your girlfriend's gift to turn out to be a lemon. If she hasn't been asking or hinting that she wants a new coffee maker, you may want to reconsider your choice of a gift, otherwise it's sure to be a lemon!

With that said....I know several people who have Keurigs and they really love them. However, I have also read a lot of reviews where people have problems getting their Keurigs to produce more than a dribble of coffee. If you buy the machine, get it from a store where you can easily return it (and then you can buy her something she really wants).

Good luck.

Rose

 

[c3powil]

Hello "c3powil"

Welcome to the Coffee forums website! If you haven't already used our search feature for information about Keurig machines, the search box is at the top of your screen on the right.

Are you absolutely sure your girlfriend wants a coffee maker for her birthday??? After reading your post, I can't help but wonder if the Keurig coffee maker is going to be more of a gift for you than for her. You say you don't want your girlfriend's gift to turn out to be a lemon. If she hasn't been asking or hinting that she wants a new coffee maker, you may want to reconsider your choice of a gift, otherwise it's sure to be a lemon!

With that said....I know several people who have Keurigs and they really love them. However, I have also read a lot of reviews where people have problems getting their Keurigs to produce more than a dribble of coffee. If you buy the machine, get it from a store where you can easily return it (and then you can buy her something she really wants).

Good luck.

Rose

Thanks for your response, PinkRose. I appreciate your concern, but she has expressed to me multiple times that she would like a Keurig. She and I have very similar tastes, so I'm just using that to try and find the very best possible thing to get her.

 

[c3powil]

Guess no one has much experience with these here...

 

[eldub]

I bought my wife a keurig machine for christmas a number of years back. She wanted it for making a quick cup on the way out the door before work. Unfortunately it didn't hold up very well. The electronics crapped out after a year or so and that was the end of that. Maybe they have improved in the last few years.

lw

 

[chast]

If you want old coffee and not fresh ground roast and something with no fuss then the Keurig might work out. Want a nice brewer for the money? Try a Technivorm for 279.00 made with a quality boiler, Bonavita is pretty close only made cheaper in China for 149.00 or the Trifecta for the home at 400.00. I use the Technivorm in my lab and you can make it act like a single pour over by using the slide switch with the filter is. Watch that fresh roast bloom!

 

[PinkRose]

Hello again "c3powil"

What did you finally decide to get your girlfriend for her birthday? Did you buy her a Keurig?

Rose

 

[VicVinegar]

Might be late to the party here, but I've been searching this forum after using a Keurig.

My Keurig B60 lasted about 2.5 years before it developed a leak inside of it somewhere. It still "works", but I don't consider an electronic device that creates a pool of water around it to be something I want to be using. I've started tearing it down to see if there is an obvious fix, but it is not the easiest thing to get at, let alone reassemble. Keurig cannot offer any suggestions for repair, just offered me a replacement for $100. I'm thinking my $100 is better spent elsewhere at this point. According to what I've read, the fact my machine lasted this long is fairly remarkable for a Keurig. On the plus side, I guess Keurig's warranty service is pretty good.

Keurig makes a decent cup of coffee if you buy the right k-cup. My favorite, the GMCR Espresso Blend was discontinued. The "short cupping" you are talking about with it not making full cups is usually due to the owner not cleaning it out. You need to run white vinegar through it every six months or so (depending on how hard your water is) to clean the deposits out. Mine only did it once, and then I learned I needed to clean it.

K-cups are expensive, but you can catch deals and use coupons to make it less expensive. Costco's 80 packs is a decent option that is always available. The idea of making multiple kinds of drinks is nice, but if you use it for coffee 99% of the time, you really need to clean it out if you plan to make tea or something, or else you'll get coffee flavored tea. Hot chocolate has a stronger flavor and isn't affected as much. Making multiple types of coffee for guests could be a plus too. I like dark roasts, so if anyone came to my house and wanted a light roast, they'd be out of luck.

The My K-cup to use your own coffee is useless IMO. The Ekobrew was the best option if you want to use your own beans, but it kind of eliminates the convenience factor since you have to clean the thing out. Taking a coffee filter with used grounds is more "convenient" than trying to get the grounds packed into that Ekobrew out over the sink.

Ultimately I've always continued to use my Melitta pour over single cup despite having the Keurig, so I've never gone "all in" on the Keurig. Also the amount of waste the Keurig creates started bothering me as I looked in my kitchen trash and saw a pile of plastic cups, all for one cup of coffee each.

For the price, I've decided to get a nice drip machine instead and use the Melitta if I just want one cup. I might buy an Aeropress to play with too. For tea, since the Keurig made everything taste like coffee, I've been making it from loose leaf tea and a tea ball or Bodum tea pot for a while now. We can go back to making hot chocolate with water from my electric kettle. It really isn't all that inconvenient.

 

[goody]

I just dumped my experience with Keurig in this forum. Since Jan. this year, 3 have crapped out & they are now sending me no. 4.
Nuff said.

 

[ellenkarty]

With that said....I know several people who have Keurigs and they really love them. However, I have also read a lot of reviews where people have problems getting their Keurigs to produce more than a dribble of coffee.

 

[pello]

Out of 10 i give them a 5

 

[LeCoffeeSnob]

So, did you a) get her a Keurig? b) still together with her sipping your coffee in tandem?

 

[Jeremy]

I am curious what you ended up getting.

Here are my thoughts in case you haven't made a decision. I've had very mixed results with the Keurig B60 and B70. It's not unusual at all for them to quit working, especially with water pump issues. The flip side of this is that Keurig is great to work with. They have fantastic customer service.

As far as quality goes, I never got into k cup coffee, even after drinking several hundred cups of coffee. I think I tried every k-cup possible. To me, the coffee always seems thin and devoid of character. It's not bad, it just isn't very good.

You asked if there were any alternatives to Keurig. I'd suggest looking at the Bunn MyCafe pod brewer (or Grindmaster OPOD if you can get a hold of one) and go with pods. There are some really great ones by Fratello and The Coffee Artisan that I think make k cup coffee taste like Folgers. Even pods, however, aren't going to match what you'd get from a Technivorm and freshly ground coffee.

However, since your girlfriend asked for a Keurig, you may be wise to go with that. A lot of people like them, just not many coffee snobs like the ones on this forum .

 

[pmcardle]

I have had my "original" Keurig for 6 years now and it has yet to fail me. I don't know, seems like the new models aren't as sturdy.. they tried to make them quieter and they seem flimsier now. Still love it and would have to run out and buy another immediately if this one crapped out. Also love my French press and Clever coffee dripper.. great during those power outages!

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

If you're buying a K-cup coffee maker, the one to get is the Breville version. Breville makes quality equipment, and their K-cup machine will last for years. We have one that has been used daily for both tea and coffee for the past 4 years and it works as well today as when new.

As far as the quality of the coffee and tea that come out of it - it depends on the maker of the K-cup product itself. Some of the coffee is quite good, while others are just average. The same with tea. However, if you want a cup of tea or coffee in a hurry, this is the machine that can serve that need.

The machine has an insert to use ground coffee, however, the problem with using it is that the coffee extraction and flavor are very sensitive to the grind level. You have to grind the coffee to nearly espresso grind to get it to work properly. If you don't have a grinder capable of extremely find grind, the ground coffee insert is useless.

If you're looking for a K-cup coffee maker, the Breville is a quality machine - and that is reflected in the price.