Keurig's Single Cup Coffee Wonder
Rarely are reviews easy- simple, functional, excellent products don’t come along all that often, and when they do, they are often expensive or aimed at a very specific market.
Coffee makers are a technology that should’ve been perfected by now, considering how much of the caffienated beverage we drink on a daily basis. But brewing coffee has long been a painful process- messy, uncertain, time-consuming. Worst of all, unless you are a massive javahead or have a large family, you usually end up with more than you need and waste that last 1/3 of the pot.
Which is where “pod” coffee makers come in. It seems every major vendor has created their own proprietary system for these individual, cup-at-a-time coffee brewers. There are Senseo pods, T-Discs, K-cups, and other systems- each incompatible with the other, locking you into the manufacturer you choose.
All the more reason to choose carefully! We’ve tried several of these machines before, and they all perform their basic function well: they brew decent-to-excellent coffee, quickly and cleanly. Which means that other criteria become important: do you want a machine with an automatic timer function? Do you want one with a built-in filtration system? How about variety of coffees (and teas) available? Finally, what about price?
Keurig’s system, K-cups, turns out to have a wide selection of coffees and teas, in a huge number of flavors- from fair trade organic Rainforest nut, to plain, excellent, dark roast. And their B50 machine is one of the classiest: sleek, black and silver, it fits nicely on our counter. It’s a bit large, but contains a super fast heating system that also filters the water. Best of all, it’s got a built-in timer so you can set it and wake up to a fresh cup- just make sure you put your glass in position before you got o bed! Not very useful to us, but perhaps it would be to some, was the ability to make smaller, stronger cups or larger, weaker ones- even the “weaker” ones were plenty strong for most of our reviewers.
The downsides to the K-cup system are the same as any pod-type brewer- added expense (between 10 and 50 cents per K-cup depending on the brand and type) for the extra convenience. The machine we tested will set you back around $150, though it comes with 18 K-cups included (and a cheaper $100 model is available). If we had any other complaints, it would be that the cord isn’t quite long enough- about 6-8 inches longer would be perfect.
A perfect, easy cup of coffee is available at home, cheaply and without any messy grinding or needing to clean the pot- it’s definitely worth considering if you don’t mind smaller portions than a thermos-full.
