The Keurig Line of Small Coffee Makers
When it comes to small coffee makers I’m all about simplicity. In fact, two of the devices I recommend and use on a daily basis rely on nothing more than hot water and ground coffee to produce some of the finest coffee in the world; no electronics, no fancy buttons and no fuss. Of course, I realize that there are other small coffee machines out there besides my humble Aeropress, and one of the coolest are the pod coffee makers produced by Keurig. For those that don’t know the name, these are those machines that use the individually sealed portions (pods) of coffee to brew a single cup. I had heard of these machines before, but never truly respected them until I had the opportunity to use one at our local jeweler while my wife waited to have her ring repaired.
I walked up to the machine and recognized the Keurig name immediately. To make things simple, the jeweler had printed out some very basic instructions, which essentially said “insert pod of choice into holder, place cup underneath the downspout and press the brew button.” I decided to select the pod labeled “medium roast,” since I prefer my coffee not to taste of charcoal. I followed the simple instructions that were so kindly provided and just 30 short seconds later I was drinking the finished beverage. The coffee was hot; the aromas were good and the flavors surprisingly intense. Coming from someone who roasts his own coffee beans I must admit I was impressed by what this small coffee maker could do. I had to find out more about these machines and decided to follow up on Amazon once I got home.
Upon entering “Keurig” into the search field on Amazon I was presented with several different options. Sorting the options by “bestselling” led me to the Keurig B60 single cup system, which is priced at just over $120.00 and qualifies for free shipping through their site. The B60 brewing system has more than 600 unique reviews averaging close to 5 stars, so I must not be the only one that thinks it has potential. Apparently, the Keurig machines use a patented pod design referred to as “K-cups.” These cups (or pods) are meant to fit perfectly within their machines and are also designed to dispense just the right amount of finished beverage. And speaking of beverage – there are many different flavors available to suit just about any preference. There are dark roasts, light roasts, medium roasts, decaf blends and even hot cocoa pods. The pods themselves cost about 90 cents each, which actually seems quite high considering the initial cost of the machine. However, it’s important to consider that a drip coffee from one of those fancy “coffee shops” can cost nearly twice that amount. Plus, you have to wait in line and deal with the very real possibility that the coffee you buy will not satisfy.
In the end, I will stick with my simple methods of brewing coffee, but not because I think the Keurig machines aren’t capable. On the contrary, these machines are great, particularly for people that don’t want to invest a great deal of time in the brewing process. Because they produce coffee one cup at a time there is no risk of brewing too much coffee and having to throw it out. I will look forward to the next trip to the jeweler’s office when I can once again be swept away by the magic of the Keurig small coffee machine.
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