Coffee drinkers, help my GF, Keurig alternative?

[Zeze]

It means that Keurig is introducing a new kind of cup and machine.

No seriously, they did.

Yes, Vue.

But doesn't this mean generic brands will come out for Kcups?

 

[Ksyder]

Regarding coffee storage, you want a vacuum storage type of container as seen here:

http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/accessories/storage-containers?SID=3352fgvokd6pr15luh50188ba4

Also a burr grinder is the way to go, definitely avoid the blade grinders as they result in a poor quality grind with too much powder and big chunks. Burr grinder is a consistent grind size generally.

http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/grinders

and I'd recommend the Baratza Encore at $129 although the Capressos may also be decent.

Personally I skip the k-cups and use a cheap espresso machine for single cups of coffee. Not steam driven cheap, but $200 range with a pump. Something like a Saeco Poemia can be had for a very good price. With the resultant espresso you can make Americanos (espresso + hot water) which tastes better than regular coffee and then you also can steam milk and make lattes.

http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/saeco-poemia-espresso-machine

Pressurized portafilter on this price range, which is good for beginner espresso setup as you can use any grind size with good results.

Regarding the Keurigs, my mom bought me one for christmas and while I think they are o.k., I much prefer an espresso setup such as described above. Standard drip-type coffee such as seen in the Keurig or any other coffee pot just doesn't have a rich flavor compared to espresso based drinks. Plus, you get more flavor out of your coffee gram for gram with espresso, due to the high pressure extraction.

But, getting into the espresso world can get expensive and somewhat unnecessary. I kind of enjoy the lower end stuff described above.

Also on the seattlecoffeegear.com, they have a youtube channel with lots of product demo videos. You can learn a ton from them.

 

[OverVolt]

I really despise keurig but for 1cup/day its probably your only option.

I do drink 2/cups a day for cheaper than keurig does one cup a day, so whatever. I keep my coffee maker really clean and run a little water through it to rinse it out almost everyday. If you take care of a drip brew it tastes fine.

 

[OverVolt]

Beans will last longer than ground(always grind just enough for each use). I've never had coffee longer than a month, but it's kept fine in that amount of time.

Yup.

 

[MrColin]

keurig always taste like plastic to me. I think you get a big dose of PCB's every time you drink it.

This: http://remodelista.com/products/alessi-9090-espresso-coffee-maker

There are functionally similar, cheaper ones out there, but you get what you pay for.

 

[ponyo]

Buy automatic espresso machine. It's worth the one time fee to get years of convenience. You can get decent machine for well under $1k. Think about how many cups you'll make over the span of 2, 5, or 10 yrs.

 

[mizzou]

There are SEVERAL long threads on this forum supporting Keurig brewers. The reason they flourish is because they fit a specific market very well.

Coffee is such a subjective thing, one thing is heaven to one and hell to the other.

Find the right K-Cup and stick with it, that's my opinion and advice to you.

If anything, you will have an expensive hot-water dispenser sitting on your shelf lol.

You can have anything from imitation K-Cups (notice they never say K Cup anywhere) filled with instant grinds to some pretty solid medium-dark brews (I like Newman's Own)

 

[mizzou]

Yeah, someone already pointed it out, better check out what Keurig is doing with their new machine. You don't want to buy something and find out you could have bought a more current model.

 

[Leros]

I love my Keurig. I know the k-cups are overpriced and the coffee it makes is nothing special, but you can't beat the convenience. I have it programmed to heat up before I wake up. I can go downstairs and make my single cup of coffee in 30 seconds. I wouldn't drink coffee very much if it was more complex.

My dad is too cheap to buy k-cups, so I bought him this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GUGBS4. It's kinda neat. The scoop is the coffee filter. You scoop up some grounds, put it in the machine, and brew a single cup. He likes it enough to use it every day.

 

[Ksyder]

I really despise keurig but for 1cup/day its probably your only option.

Its funny that you say this when there are things like this commonly available-
http://www.target.com/p/black-decke...=appliances&ci_sku=14076859&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=

not to mention the whole slew of more complex options described by me and others in this thread.

 

[rockyct]

Never had Turkish coffee. Would like to try it though.

It's really good, but it's a lot thicker consistency.

Just get the Keurig machine. It's zero work and if you find the brand you like, it will taste great. If she likes drip coffee, I can't see it tasting worse than that unless she tries to fill up a travel mug with one cup.

I have a few guesses for when people think Keurigs make horrible coffee: 1) bad strength level (they selected too large of a cup size or they are used to very strong coffee), 2) they didn't find a good brand of coffee, or 3) they've moved on past drip coffee to higher end stuff.

Anyway, I love the Donut Shop variety by Coffee People. http://www.amazon.com/Donut-K-Cup-pa...4850736&sr=1-1
It's a good place to start when you first get a machine.

 

[Xyclone]

It's really good, but it's a lot thicker consistency.

The thicker consistency of Armenian/Greek/Turkish coffee can be really good if you're not in a hurry and just want to sip on the coffee for a while. Just don't drink the grounds at the bottom, lol.

The way I make it is really strong, both in terms of taste and caffeine content. I would say one of those tiny cups (~3 oz?) is stronger than 8-12oz of regular coffee, and my mom used to drink a whole 8 oz of it! Strung out on caffeine...

 

[Zeze]

We bought a Keurig yesterday!

We were on the fence about the pros (super convenience) and cons (price, not as tasty, etc). The B44 model is $115 on Amazon.

We went grocery shopping, and there was an in-store special for the same model at $90. I couldn't resist and bought it for my GF. She's a real down-to-earth frugal kind.

She kept saying, "you sure? you sure". Then was ear-to-ear smiling.

She loves it so far! After she gets the K-cup out of her system, she'll get the filter and start using ground beans.

 

[slsmnaz]

I have no complaints about our Keurig. If we drank more coffee we might want something different but it works great for us. Plus it's great when we have guests so they can get whatever kind they want without making too much. For example, my in-laws drink decaf and can easily make that without wasting a bunch we won't drink

 

[CraigRT]

French press.

This is what I do... It's a lot cheaper than a machine to do the same thing, it saves you very little time.

I have a single mug french press. Boil water, add to coarse ground coffee, steep for a few mins, serve.

It's a lot more fresh and a lot less wasteful.

 

[JTsyo]

I also suggest a variety pack and see if there's something you like. From Amazon you can get $.50/cup which isn't bad if you're only drinking one cup a day. By next year, the price should drop a bit.

 

[DrPizza]

I cannot fathom why people will buy a keurig with the intention of using the refillable k-cups. Keurig = convenience. Getting the refillable cups defeats the reason why you get a keurig in the first place.

Instead of spending $100 or more, if you're willing to refill the pods, why not just get a single serving drip coffee maker. They make them with reusable filters as well. I think they cost about $9.99, make just as good a cup of coffee as a Keurig, and require the same amount of effort - minimal effort.

 

[OverVolt]

Its funny that you say this when there are things like this commonly available-
http://www.target.com/p/black-decke...=appliances&ci_sku=14076859&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=

not to mention the whole slew of more complex options described by me and others in this thread.

Ya know what? I've used one of those before at a friends house. I like them actually 🙂

They are more of a pain than a regular drip brew machine though. If there was an easy version of one of those that is pretty cool. AFAIK it also makes tea. Oh and its cheap.

I cannot fathom why people will buy a keurig with the intention of using the refillable k-cups. Keurig = convenience. Getting the refillable cups defeats the reason why you get a keurig in the first place.

lol

 

[blackdogdeek]

we love our keurig. so convenient. Donut Shop is our favorite k cup.

 

[vi edit]

My only real complaint about Keurig is that their machines have a terrible history with the pumps failing. Consider the device disposable after a year and you'll be buying a new one. New devices/cups are a major flop to this point and even the company itself is internally very nervous about the long term success of them. (This coming from a person who is heavily involved in the k-cup production & supply chain)

 

[Ksyder]

I don't mind the keurigs and I'll enjoy them when I'm at a family member's house (& I didn't buy them :sneaky🙂 ... sort of a novelty to me and very quick and easy.

At home, though, I'm kind of obsessed with getting freshly roasted coffee so I'm going to whole foods where they roast beans daily right in front of you and you can see when the coffee was roasted. Plus they have organic whole bean coffee for as little as $8.99/lb.

I'm going to order some green coffee beans from sweet maria's and roast them in a popcorn popper, and then I can finally decide if all of the trouble is worth it to roast your own beans. I can tell a pretty big difference when I get coffee that was roasted 1 or 2 days ago versus what is sitting on the shelf in terms of flavor. But fresh ground always tastes better IMO, whether fresh roasted or not.

 

[blackdogdeek]

my co-worker gave me a packet of this:

http://www.starbucksstore.com/coffe...c.html?cm_mmc=Google-_-Brand-+VIA-_-VIA-_-VIA

it was surprisingly good for being a packet of coffee to which you just add hot water.

 

[dabuddha]

For Keurig owners, how quite are the machines? I got a Senseo quite a few years back to use at work at my desk and the damn thing sounded like my lawnmower when it brewed a cup. Was unable to use it at work because of the noise.

 

[nageov3t]

For Keurig owners, how quite are the machines? I got a Senseo quite a few years back to use at work at my desk and the damn thing sounded like my lawnmower when it brewed a cup. Was unable to use it at work because of the noise.

I've never thought of mine as loud.

a little buzzing as the water heads, and the actual coffee pouring sound doesn't feel much different than a drip machine.

 

[vi edit]

For Keurig owners, how quite are the machines? I got a Senseo quite a few years back to use at work at my desk and the damn thing sounded like my lawnmower when it brewed a cup. Was unable to use it at work because of the noise.

Loudest part is the mechanical noise on the intial pump draw to prime the line. That's maybe 5 seconds or so. Then during the brewing there's certainly some more muffled noise as it pumps water through. If it was a quiet environment it would be disruptive. If was somewhat noisy/chatty you probably wouldn't hear it more than 15 feet away.