Anybody own a Keurig coffee machine?

[sarahb1863]

If so, can you tell me what the appeal is? A friend of mine brought one into work yesterday so those of us who were thinking of buying one (like me) could try it out.

I tried two different kinds of coffee pods and a hot cider pod.

The coffee tasted like plastic vending machine cr*p. The hot cider tasted OK, but just like the powdered stuff you mix into hot water. Completely unremarkable.

The coffee was just a step above instant and nowhere near as good as fresh-ground drip coffee. The cider wasn't even close to the jugged stuff you get at the supermarket.

And the cost!! The machines START at $100, and the 'pods' run about $1 APIECE. Put another way, for $12 you can either buy two bags of Eight O'Clock coffee (about 140 cups) or not quite two boxes of Eight O'Clock coffee pods (12 cups). And judging from the comments on Amazon, a lot of people spend a lot of time just trying to find coffee that's "close" to the drip coffee they're used to.

All this to save 4 1/2 minutes? I mean, it's not like it takes hours to make a pot of coffee or tea. It takes, like, 5 minutes. I can only speak for myself, but I'd rather spend 5 minutes making a beverage that I truly enjoy, instead of saving 4 1/2 minutes using one of these pod machines and then spending the time I saved trying to convince myself that buying the machine was a great idea despite the fact that my VERY expensive cup of coffee tastes like vending machine cr*p!

Am I missing something here? Is there coffee/etc. out there that actually tastes good coming out of this machine? Any opinions??

[Blank]

No, and neither do I own a Nespresso. I have a Philips Senseo (big in Holland) cos it was a present, and the coffee is pretty ok in that one. But generally, we make coffee the good old fashioned way, and that's how it's supposed to be. Nespresso is pretty popular because it makes an expresso, but it's really not that great compared to the expresso made by a Cimbali or similar machine, used in cafés. And even then, the coffee has to be of a certain origin and roasted a certain way, and the person making the coffee needs to know how to take it. It's not that simple a thing.

[karenduran]

I have the Keurig by Mr. Coffee. I bought it for around $60 to replace my two-year-old drip maker that had cost $15 less and was leaking water.

The key is to get medium- or dark-roast pods. The lighter roasts taste weak. I tried drip coffee recently and found it bitter in comparison.

The appeal of the Keurig for me is easy or no cleanup. And the K-Cups can be found for 50 cents or less apiece. I go to coffee shops a lot less since buying mine, so it has saved me money.

[sarahb1863]

Thanks for the info, Karen. Where do you get your pods? I can't find them anywhere for less than 50¢ apiece.

[Durana T]

My husband recently got me the Mr. Coffee version as an early Christmas present (I've been very sick recently & due to have a bone marrow biopsy done early in December - but that's something to be discussed later!). He said that it's a cleaner way to fix my coffee when I want it - don't have to worry about coffee grinds being left in the machine & going moldy (yuk!). I found a My K-Cup adapter ($15) that fit the machine where you can use your own coffee in the machine instead of buying those expensive K Cups. I've also been told by my dad & sister that they find marked down boxes of K Cups at their local Big Lots store. If I want to fix tea, I run hot water through & pour it over my teabags in my mug. Cheaper than using the K Cup versions! He also said that he may be able to bring home a few hot chocolate K Cups from work on occasion so I can fix that when I want it as well.

[karenduran]

sarahb1863, I usually buy mine at Bed Bath and Beyond. Get on their mailing/email list, and they will send you lots of coupons. I just picked up an 18-pack and a 3-pack with a $5 off $15 coupon. So the price ended up being 47 cents a pod. Discount stores like TJ Maxx and Big Lots are also good places to check.

[illumination70]

Sarah-A friend of mine got a Keurig Coffee Machine for Christmas & he totally loves it!!

[sarahb1863]

Thanks for the input, everybody! I took a chance and bought a Hamilton Beach Flexbrew - it can use the K Cups, but it's a drip coffee maker rather than using the Keurig technology. So, it basically drips the hot water through the K Cup rather than forcing it through the way Keurig does it.

IMO, that makes the coffee stronger because the water stays in the grounds longer. The other advantage to the Flexbrew is, it's only $50 and can use K Cups OR ground coffee (it has a built-in mesh filter so you don't need a special adaptor).

One word about hot chocolate - be aware that the Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate K Cups use hydrogenated vegetable oil and sucralose. I tried some and really noticed the 'artificial sweetener' flavor. The same goes for the "Cafe Express" line of flavored beverages - they're almost exactly like the General Foods International Coffees, basically instant flavored coffee in a pod flavored with sucralose. I didn't like the taste of either.

If you want hot chocolate, skip the K Cups and packets (both use hydrogenated oil and sucralose) and make your own 'instant hot chocolate' using cocoa, powdered milk, and sugar (recipes exist online). I do that, and just use the brewer as a hot water dispenser. The gourmet hot chocolate mixes also use better ingredients.