2009-12-27

My Keurig coffee maker

Yesterday wasn’t the only Christmas I had. Before the GF headed to California for the Holidays, we had our own Christmas around a very cute Christmas tree.


Among the things I got was a Keurig coffee maker. The Keurig uses prepackaged pods of coffee, and a reservoir you fill with water. When you want a cup of coffee, you drop in a pod, put your cup under the spout, and press the “brew” button. In less than a minute you have a cup of coffee.

The great thing is that it requires virtually no maintenance. Unlike a regular coffee maker, you don’t have to clean it each day. The pods don’t make a mess. Each pod is good for one cup, then you throw it away and put in a new pod. I don’t have to deal with a separate grinder, the kitchen sink, the stove, the 15 parts of my other coffee maker, or any of those things.

It’s perfect for those times and days when I just want to drink my coffee and don’t want to think about it or strategically plan my consumption.

This is important, because as we all know, the most difficult part of making that first cup of coffee can be making that first cup of coffee before drinking the first cup of coffee. The Keurig makes the process as simple as pressing a button, which even the most caffeine deprived can manage.

It’s clean. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s simple. But how does the Keurig coffee taste?

Not bad. It’s a little weak or watery compared to my French Press or my Cuisinart coffee maker. Overall, I’d rate the coffee quality as “adequate.”

The pods come in a variety of flavors, and I’ve tried a bunch. These are pretty good:

  • Tully’s French Roast
  • Timothy’s Colombian Blend
  • Caribou Blend

These are not so good:

  • Green Mountain Nantucket Blend
  • Coffee People Organic

And this is just awful:

  • Van Houtte Café French Vanilla

For my day-to-day coffee needs, the Keurig is just right. For lazy Sunday afternoons with the newspaper, when I want really good coffee, I’ll still break out the French Press. It’s still the best way to make coffee when you are willing to take a little time and care, and you are willing to do a few dishes.

The Cuisinart still has the most pieces and is the biggest hassle to clean. But it does have an automatic grinder and timer. And a 10-cup thermal carafe. When I want to make a larger quantity of coffee at once, the Cuisinart is that way to go.

But for when I realize I have a conference call in 5 minutes, the Keurig can’t be beat.

4 comments:

Mom's Cafe Home Cooking said...

Lucky you! I'm sure you will enjoy your new Keurig coffee maker. One of our kids replaced their One:One with a Keurig and love it. We were considering doing the same thing but our One:One works most times without leaking so we went with an espresso machine instead. There is a reusable pod that you can fill with the coffee of your choice available for the Keurig too. Happy Holidays :)

Lynne said...

I got my husband the Keurig for Christmas. I like the ease of use and the fact that it's fairly maintenance free. He'll be using it in his office at work, so those things were key!

ms/sss said...

I love the Keurig! Try this and I think you'll be happy with the results:
Newman's Own EXTRA BOLD a Green Mountain Coffee pod. (No other really appeals to me.)
Use the small mug size, 7.25 oz serving. (That's my factory set default brew size. It might be yours, too.)
It's a wonderful investment!
ms/sss Mom's Friend

Cromely said...

@Moms Cafe: I've had an espresso machine too, but the maintenance got to be a bit of work. I do have to separate pod, too, so I'll have to try that at some point. I think the Kona will still be relegated to the Press, however.

@Lynne: Seems like a good office solution.

@ms/sss: I'll have to give it a try. I would think the smaller cup wouldn't necesarily be be stronger, since it's not like the water is just watering down the coffee, but should be picking up more flavor from the grounds. I'll have to try that, though. I guess the trick would be do see if there is some way to slow the pace of the water as it goes through.