Refillable K Cups

[modhatter]

I have resisted purchasing a Keurig Coffee Pot as I am TRYING to live frugally in my retirement years. I love the concept, but not the $150 pot which according to reviews has a short life span, and most important the $.50 cups of coffee-small ones at that. (figuring for two people drinking maybe 2 to three cups a day each could get expensive)

The refillable cups seem to come with mixed reviews also. Seems half of the people hate them and the other half like them. There are some others made by other manufacturers beside Keurig as well. But in contemplating this, I feel like if I have to take a small filter apart, and then clean it out after each use, and then reassemble to use again, it kind of defeats the purpose of the Keurig Coffee pot in the first place.

Are any of you using these refillable cups? If so, what is your experience with them? Are you really saving any time (I know you save money) using them? Or is it simply a way to make a single cup of coffee without having to make a full pot (even a small pot) I know I can make a single cup of coffee using a porcelain cone and filter, at a fraction of the cost, and clean up is easy, but the pouring process and waiting can be a pain.

And I know there are other gadgets out there that make single cups of coffee. But the main appeal of the Keurig, as I see it is the simplicity of using it. What say you people? I know a lot of the people on this board are pretty well set financially, so cost compared to convenience may not be a factor.

 

[HFWR]

I received a Keurig as a gift. I only use it for one off cups, so the cost isn't that much of a factor. Still use the drip machine when I want to drink mass quantities. Have not used the reusable; I drink so much coffee, that messing with a filter for 4-6 cups is too much hassle...

 

[rodi]

my DH got a Keurig system when he still had an office to go to. It was a 2 person office with no common sink/break area - and he was skeeved by the idea of having to wash coffee pots in the restroom. For a year he'd walk the 3 blocks to the closest coffee shop - but since he's paid by billable hours - that was effecting his income.

A few months ago he started working at home. We're going to sell the machine (and costco size case of k-cups) at our next garage sale. The reusable cups are messier than just making some espresso strength coffee in a moka pot... and the output isn't as good.

 

[Marita40]

I have the $99.00 mini Keurig and like it just fine. I make two single cups in the morning rather than waste a whole pot. Sometimes I use the Keurig cups and sometimes I use the refillable cup. The refillable cup works very easily: open little lid, fill with coffee, insert into Keurig--takes seconds. Afterwards take out of Keurig, open lid, tap grounds out in garbage, rinse in sink to get rid of any remaining grounds--again, takes seconds. I pop it in the dishwasher every few days as well.

I buy the filled cups on amazon and they usually come out to about .40 cents each when you buy a big bunch. I also bought the refillable cup on amazon.com, although I can't remember now which one it was. Do some reading of the reviews: some seem to be better than others. I think it cost all of $4.00 or so and is certainly worth having.

 

[aja8888]

We have had the K machine for several years. My wife loves it and she only uses Southern Pecan blend cups. They cost about $0.50 each and we go through a bunch of them every 2 -3 months. I order them online and save a bit.

It's for her pleasure and she deserves that pleasure after working like a dog for many years and raising three successful children. That cost is part of the deal....no matter what.

I use the refillable plastic ones and they are fine. I buy a bag of Dunkin Donuts Hazelnut coffee and fill three of the plastic re-useable cups with that coffee. I am fine with that. Actually, my wife cleans them and refills them for me each day. I take a traveler cup with me on the way to the office each morning. Once in a while, the lid breaks off the refillable coffee cup and we just order a few more for a couple of dollars.

All this is good. I'm sure we could get by without the K machine, but it's a small pleasure and we deserve it.

 

[Marita40]

I like the idea of having more than one refillable cup, ready to go and filled by someone else! Alas, I live alone. . .

 

[pb4uski]

I received a Keurig as a gift. I only use it for one off cups, so the cost isn't that much of a factor. Still use the drip machine when I want to drink mass quantities. Have not used the reusable; I drink so much coffee, that messing with a filter for 4-6 cups is too much hassle...

+1. Gift and it is handy for one offs.

 

[happy2bretired]

I'm very happy with my trusty 4 cup Mr Coffee. It does make fewer than 4 cups...just takes a little less water and coffee...

 

[aja8888]

I like the idea of having more than one refillable cup, ready to go and filled by someone else! Alas, I live alone. . .

Believe me, that's worth the price of admission...

 

[jon-nyc]

Oh, man, what a disappointment opening this thread.


Who knew it would be about coffee?

 

[aja8888]

Oh, man, what a disappointment opening this thread.


Who knew it would be about coffee?

It's actually about the cups...

 

[W2R]

I'm very happy with my trusty 4 cup Mr Coffee. It does make fewer than 4 cups...just takes a little less water and coffee...

After giving it some thought, this is exactly what I chose and like you, I am very happy with it. I bought the permanent (reusable) metal filter for the Mr. Coffee, too, so I don't have to deal with paper filters.

Mine brews enough to fill my favorite 10-oz mug twice and not a drop more (which for me is good because I should not drink more). It is faster than I need, because I do need a minute each morning to take my medications and turn on my computer.

Originally I intended to buy a Keurig because I can easily afford one, but then I read the reviews on Amazon. Based on those, I chose the Mr. Coffee instead.

 

[tgotch]

I have been using the Ekobrew cup for a couple years now, and love it:
Reuseable K Cup Filter | Ekobrew

I only drink one cup (sometimes 2) per day. Easy to use, and refill - I simply bang it against the side of the sink to clean it out, and refill by scooping out of my coffee can with the ekobrew cup.

I see they have a stainless version now...not sure how it works, but I would highly recommend the plastic one I have. It has a lid that is attached, and simply snaps closed.

Much cheaper solution than the individually filled kcups.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We have a Keurig with one refillable cup and lots of different kinds of coffee in the "real" k-cups--DH loves different flavors. I think he's used the refillable cup less than 10 times in 3 or 4 years. We also have a Nespresso espresso maker that uses its own special cups (and darned hard to find--DH gets those online, and if k-cups seem expensive....) and the milk foamer thingie. Again, DH loves coffee. As vices go, it's pretty harmless and pretty reasonable (he doesn't play much golf, he doesn't go boating, no smoking, no alcohol, etc., etc.) and maybe $50 a year goes toward the special coffee stuff.

Most of the time though we just use an electric drip coffeemaker with a reusable filter. He's not a very discriminating coffee lover!

 

[bUU]

which according to reviews has a short life span

In my experience, true.

The refillable cups seem to come with mixed reviews also. Seems half of the people hate them and the other half like them.

I think some of that is buyers' remorse, because of the price (exacerbated by the fact that, due to the price, some folks try to get a tall's-worth of coffee out of a short's-worth of ground coffee), and some of it is the fact that some of the k-cup blends suck. However, some of the blends are quite good.

There are some others made by other manufacturers beside Keurig as well. But in contemplating this, I feel like if I have to take a small filter apart, and then clean it out after each use, and then reassemble to use again, it kind of defeats the purpose of the Keurig Coffee pot in the first place.

Agreed. I tried several, but found that besides the inconvenience, I could never manage to get the sucker to not leech grounds into the coffee.

Are any of you using these refillable cups?

We aren't anymore.

We have switched to San Francisco Bay brand. They have k-cup compatible pods: Much less plastic and much less expensive. We get 80 pods for $29 from Amazon.com or $27.99 from BJ's club. The French Roast is excellent, even pulling a tall from one pod. We also like the Rainforest Blend. I suspect the other blends are good too.

Because they're not k-cups, you have to store them in an airtight container as soon as you breach the outer bag. They pack 8 to an outer bag, so we use a small plastic container that has clips on the side to aid in keeping the seal tight. Regardless, we go through 7 pods (the 8th pod we use immediately of course ) in a day or two, max.

What say you people?

I'm normally pretty frugal, but there are some things I won't compromise on, and a good cup of coffee, made for me while I'm still half-asleep in the morning, is one of them. Call it one of my life's little joys. Unlike so many other things I could "waste" money on, this is the only one that I am sure I'm going to use and enjoy using practically every single day.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Wife bought the Keurig Platinum five years ago on Home Shopping or one of those shows and it was a good deal at the time. I think it was $160 and you got a 80 cup box of coffee to boot. She loves it as she can brew any flavor she wants any time without brewing a whole pot, and it's easy.
Actually, it's my job to fill the Keurig every night. It's set to come on at 6:30AM and go off at 9:00AM. She and I use different size cups so it's handy for that also. We've had this one for about five years and I think it's bitten the dust. We're heading out tomorrow to get a new one. For me, I could just as easy go back to a Mr. Coffee, but to her it's a luxury which she deserves.

For a long time we bought our coffee through Green Mountain and then got away from if for some reason. Been going to Sams or COSTCO's recently and buy it for about $38 for 80 cups but you only get the flavor they are stocking. I know she'll go back to Green Mountain because in the fall she has to have Pumpkin Spice and those flavors. A little luxury in life.

 

[LRDave]

For the reusable K-cups, I have found that you need coffee ground fine or even expresso fine.

I agree with bUU above, the San Francisco Bay Fogcutter is pretty darned good, less expensive, and less packaging.

 

[bUU]

Fog Chaser! I couldn't remember what it was called, earlier. Yes, that's our other favorite, along with French Roast.

 

[Gumby]

Our Keurig machine is at least 7 years old (we got one well before they were popular) and it still works like a champ. We have the refillable cups, but we usually just use the pre-packaged ones. As others have mentioned, it's a small extravagance for our one daily cup of coffee.

 

[Chuckanut]

I recommend a device such as this, if you have room for it on your counter top. It makes one cup at a time, using whatever coffee you like. I get my coffee at Costco for about $6 a pound. Just about any coffee tastes great when it comes out of this machine. And, IMHO, this machine will make much better coffee than a k-cup gadget.

Amazon.com: Philips Saeco RI9737/20 Vienna Plus Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver: Kitchen & Dining

The comparison between the above machine and a k-cup gadget boils down to the cost of the machine versus the cost of the consumables. How many k-cups do you have to drink to make back the extra cost of the machine? And, IMHO, this machine will make much better coffee than a k-cup gadget. Did I already say that?

 

[Amethyst]

The picture just shows espresso-sized cups. Can you use the machine to brew regular 8+-oz cups?

(For that price, it oughta wash the dishes while it's at it, ha)

Amethyst

I recommend a device such as this, if you have room for it on your counter top. It makes one cup at a time, using whatever coffee you like. I get my coffee at Costco for about $6 a pound. Just about any coffee tastes great when it comes out of this machine. And, IMHO, this machine will make much better coffee than a k-cup gadget.

Amazon.com: Philips Saeco RI9737/20 Vienna Plus Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver: Kitchen & Dining

The comparison between the above machine and a k-cup gadget boils down to the cost of the machine versus the cost of the consumables. How many k-cups do you have to drink to make back the extra cost of the machine? And, IMHO, this machine will make much better coffee than a k-cup gadget. Did I already say that?

 

[Chuckanut]

The picture just shows espresso-sized cups. Can you use the machine to brew regular 8+-oz cups?

(For that price, it oughta wash the dishes while it's at it, ha)

Amethyst

Oh yes. It can produce anything from a espresso to a full cup of coffee. Sorry, it does not wash the dishes, and it does have to be cleaned from time to time.

 

[Al in Ohio]

We have a Kuerig in an office of 8. It is convenient since no one has to clean or start a pot. We have a service contract. It's good that you can have a variety of coffee styles, plus each person can choose strength per cup by adjusting the water to grounds ratio.

The cons are that it's not as smooth as a nicely brewed drip carafe of freshly ground roasted coffee because the amount of tannins and stuff the comes out in the k cup process makes a harsher cup of coffee. My espresso maker at home or java from Starbucks is still superior to me.

IMO you trade some finished quality of the brew for convenience.

We don't use the renewable cups, but there's plenty of opinions on the pros and cons on the web.

 

[smileydog]

Saeco Super automatic

I recommend a device such as this, if you have room for it on your counter top. It makes one cup at a time, using whatever coffee you like. I get my coffee at Costco for about $6 a pound. Just about any coffee tastes great when it comes out of this machine. And, IMHO, this machine will make much better coffee than a k-cup gadget.

Amazon.com: Philips Saeco RI9737/20 Vienna Plus Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver: Kitchen & Dining

The comparison between the above machine and a k-cup gadget boils down to the cost of the machine versus the cost of the consumables. How many k-cups do you have to drink to make back the extra cost of the machine? And, IMHO, this machine will make much better coffee than a k-cup gadget. Did I already say that?

We got a similar model from Costco when they went on sale. We fell in love with these on our trip to Europe and now we are spoiled. My old K-Cup machine is about to end up on ebay.

I like the fact that all you need is beans - and a small amount of daily maintenance.

 

[modhatter]

I love my coffee in the morning, but in the last year or so, I find I can't take the acidity of it. So I have tried to compensate by making it weaker (which I normally don't like)

I'm wondering what method reduces this acidity the most. I don't want to give it up. Just would like for it not to upset my stomach so much. (hense my new interest in a different coffee method)

I have always preferred the taste that comes from using good beans and a French Press. But I don't like the clean up and mess. Not sure what reduces the acidity. I have been trying different coffees from Costco.

I prefer a medium roast and my son likes a bold strong coffee, so individual is good in that sense.