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Finally getting a coffee maker, after 46 years on this planet.

VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
www.walmart.com

Proctor-Silex 49961 Single Serve Ground & Single Serve Pod Coffee Maker, Black - Walmart.com

Buy Proctor-Silex 49961 Single Serve Ground & Single Serve Pod Coffee Maker, Black at Walmart.com
www.walmart.com

Yep, big-spender am I. ~$20 for a single-serve coffeemaker, that takes "K-cups", as well as "brew basket" for grounds.

Never been a huge coffee drinker, though for a while I was getting an iced down at the local HoneyDew.

Just one small step on my way to Manhood, I guess. (A little delayed, admittedly.)

Got some K-cups to go with it.

So, anyone else get into the "K-cup economy"? It seems like a whole new world to me, like Beanie Babies or something.

Edit: Also looking for hints and tips for those of you out there with similar coffee-making equipment, and ways to economize. I'm curious what sort of cleaning / prepping process I should go through to make my first few cups. Run empty cycles with just water? Brew a few K-cups and throw the brew down the sink? I'm sure that there is probably some "finishing oil" on the coffee maker, at least there was on my Rubbermaid 1Gal rounded Pitchers. (I washed them out with Hot Water and Dish Soap.)
 
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k cups are super wasteful. unbleached filters and grounds, then they go in our compost. i should get a screen basket. the K cups are just full of coffee crystals that dissolve in hot water, just like nescafe powder.
 
herm0016 said:
the K cups are just full of coffee crystals that dissolve in hot water, just like nescafe powder.
Click to expand...
Can someone confirm? I thought that they were little pods, containing grounds, with like an integrated coffee filter, that the hot water dripped through, like grounds. Am I wrong?

K-cups are really just instant coffee crystals? That's the first that I've heard of that.

Edit: If they're really just instant coffee crystals, then why the whole Kurig Machine / K-cup thing? Printer tax? Why not just sell those flavors in little 12/16-oz glass bottles that you can fit a teaspoon into, and then just microwave a cup of hot water, and drop in a teaspoon of crystals, and stir? Why the whole setup with the machine? Doesn't make any sense to me.

IOW, why are these "K-cup" third-party mfg's, paying Kurig's tax for the chips that go on them, if they could be selling their product in glass bottles direct to the public / consumers-at-large, and cut out Kurig? Doesn't make economic sense to me.

So I'm going to go with "not true", at least tentatively.

delishably.com

How Do Keurig Coffee Brewers Work?

Wondering how exactly how a Keurig brewer works? Here's what you need to know. Includes information on how to clean (or "descale") your Keurig.
delishably.com delishably.com

Yes, K-cups contain fresh coffee grounds, not instant coffee crystals.
 
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Had a keurig for a couple of years. Once you find a brew you like, and get the strength where you like it, it's pretty good coffee. But the enormous waste involved in using one every day saps your soul. In my house we went back to ground coffee and filters. I don't feel guilty every time I have a cup now.
 
My $20 machine should be able to do both, K-cups and grounds. I thought that I would "try" the K-cups, but now that I'm pricing them out, it's like $0.40-$0.50 or more for just one 12oz cup of coffee. If I don't mind driving down the street, I can get hot or iced coffee at the local convenience store for $0.99, any size. (They have 32oz for iced.)

Edit: But that requires driving. And I'll want to amortize the cost of the trip, and buy more stuff, like energy drinks and sandwiches and fruit.

I told my Mom that I would get off the energy drinks if I got a coffee machine. She's the one the actually loaned me the money to get one. (No, I don't live with her, thank goodness.)
 
herm0016 said:
k cups are super wasteful. unbleached filters and grounds, then they go in our compost. i should get a screen basket. the K cups are just full of coffee crystals that dissolve in hot water, just like nescafe powder.
Click to expand...

IMO, the screen baskets made muddy coffee.

I agree the k-cups are wasteful. The way we go through coffee, it would cost us hundreds of $$$ every month.
 
Dude, seriously, get a french press.
You will save more money if you buy a french press now and stop investing in the "K-cup economy." You could probably save the $20 you have already spent in less than a month, depending on how much coffee you drink, of course.
K-cup style machines are primarily for lazy people or people in a hurry.
Seriously, get a french press. Go ahead google how they work, what the pros and cons are, and check out the selection on Amazon.
 
LurchFrinky said:
Dude, seriously, get a french press.
You will save more money if you buy a french press now and stop investing in the "K-cup economy." You could probably save the $20 you have already spent in less than a month, depending on how much coffee you drink, of course.
K-cup style machines are primarily for lazy people or people in a hurry.
Seriously, get a french press. Go ahead google how they work, what the pros and cons are, and check out the selection on Amazon.
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Maybe if I become a "serious coffee aficionado" or have aspirations working as a Barista at StarBucks, then I'll consider that.
But for my purposes, right now, I'm happy with a $20 machine that takes K-cups, makes me single cups of coffee, and doesn't take a lot of counter-top space. (I basically have none available in my kitchen, I have a very small apt.)

And yeah, the bolded describes me perfectly.

Edit: I'm not saying that you're wrong, you might be right, in terms of costs longer-term, but I just don't have the counter-top space, nor the stamina in my back to stand up working a machine to make coffee for 10 minutes. Something that I can stick a mug in, stick in a K-cup, pour some water in, and push a button and go sit down until my coffee's ready, is just what I need right now.
 
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French presses are neat and make very good coffee. It takes longer though since you do have to boil water or heat water to a certain temperature... Plus, you have to make sure you have coarse grounds otherwise, you'll be having a lazy man's Turkish coffee (grounds in the coffee).

If you ever start getting into coffee more, you can get a small (13 oz) french press from IKEA for 7 bucks, and then you can test the waters with that.

Enjoy your adventures in coffee!
 
dlock13 said:
French presses are neat and make very good coffee. It takes longer though since you do have to boil water or heat water to a certain temperature... Plus, you have to make sure you have coarse grounds otherwise, you'll be having a lazy man's Turkish coffee (grounds in the coffee).

If you ever start getting into coffee more, you can get a small (13 oz) french press from IKEA for 7 bucks, and then you can test the waters with that.

Enjoy your adventures in coffee!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I was imagining a big coffee-bar like machine, that was shiny stainless and wood, and cost $200.
 
"Printer tax" is a good way to describe the K-Cup ecosystem. Another giveaway is that you felt comfortable describing it as an "ecosystem." Companies like Apple have "ecosystems." That's horse hockey to hide the fact they sell single-serving containers of instant coffee for Starbucks takeaway prices and still make you provide the water and mug.

Just get a reusable filter and a bucket of pre-ground Maxwell House from Walmart and you'll be good to go.

Should have gotten a 12-cup, too. You've been drinking Mountain Dew your whole life, thinking it was a stimulant. It ain't ****, buddy. After your first half-pot of coffee, you achieve a new level on consciousness.
 
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I'm anti Kcup. Got one for mother a few years ago for jul. She wanted it, so... Anyway, she said it broke, and she bought another. I took it home, and it Works For Me®, but I can't bring myself to use it. Too wasteful, too expensive.

I'm currently using a pourover with a mesh filter. Pretty happy with that, though it does leave a lot of sediment. I throw out the last couple ounces in the pot. Cost me $4 at the thrift shop. I also have moka pots and French presses. I use those when I want "nice" coffee. I think I'm done with electric/automatic makers. They aren't that much easier, and they can have problems, one of which is me. "Did I turn the maker off?!". I pretty much always did, but... Heating water makes my head feel better. I can be certain when it's off.
 
K cup is bad for the planet, period.

Well, I'm against over packaging in general.

I really can't understand why a lot of candies, even small ones, need to be wrapped in plastic?
 
Just say no to K-Cups.
French press will be your friend if all you truly need is a single cup every day. It's really not that time consuming or hard to make a cup. I mean it's harder than pushing a button and walking away, but it might take all of 1 min to make the cup.
 
For k cups it isn't bad... assuming you don't use k-cups heh. You're simply nuts if you're buying non-reusable ones. It's a way to turn a $10 large tub of coffee into $200 magically.

Every single day I just use these reusable baskets: https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-K-C...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl


Personally I say just get a normal drip pot for less than $10. The only reason I have a Keurig is someone gifted it to us for christmas like... 7 years back.
 
Well, it appears that K-cups actually are grounds inside, and not instant crystals. I just brewed my first cup of coffee, and the K-cup still had "stuff" inside when it was done.

Kind of messy, really. Throw away the K-cup, rinse off the tray that holds it in, and then unplug the coffee maker.

Folgers Med. Roast K-cup is fine for basic coffee. Kind of uneventful, really. Coffee! I added some ice cubes to it, I don't like mine burning-hot.
 
Wow, two 10-12oz mugs of Folgers Med. Roast a day, and I'm flying, kind of too much caffeine.

Edit: But it's not "harsh", like energy drinks or Mt. Dew.
 
I suspect Kcups may be an instant/ground hybrid. They use similar systems in some restaurants. Don't know that for sure, but it makes some sense given the setup.
 
lxskllr said:
I suspect Kcups may be an instant/ground hybrid.
Click to expand...
I may be wrong in saying unequivocably that they have grounds in them. I was just thinking, Walmart has some Hot Cocoa K-cups under their "Great Value" house brand, and you don't make Cocoa from grounds. So, possibly, you're right, and it depends on the coffee / drink type, whether the K-cup contains grounds (like regular coffee K-cups), instant crystals (like Hot Cocoa) that dissolve, or possibly even both (flavored coffee, like Caramel or Pumpkin Spice).

I stand corrected on my statement that they are made out of grounds. I only checked one flavor, Folgers Med. Roast.
 
VirtualLarry said:
Wow, two 10-12oz mugs of Folgers Med. Roast a day, and I'm flying, kind of too much caffeine.

Edit: But it's not "harsh", like energy drinks or Mt. Dew.
Click to expand...

Sheesh...that won't even get my heart started in the morning.

It's rare for us to go through fewer than 2 10 cup pots daily...usually 3.
 
BoomerD said:
Sheesh...that won't even get my heart started in the morning.

It's rare for us to go through fewer than 2 10 cup pots daily...usually 3.
Click to expand...

Christ, some of you guys here REALLY need to cycle your caffeine.

Just go about 1.5 weeks without caffeine.

Next coffee drink you have all of a sudden you will wake up on 1 cup of coffee instead of 20.
 
I just tried re-brewing the same Folger's Med. Roast K-cup. Left it in the machine, filled it up with another cup-full of water, put the mug in position (after rinsing it out, of course), and hit "brew".

Ended up looking like coffee, but missing a lot of the flavor. Sort of coffee-flavored water, mostly. It looked like coffee though.
 
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