# how many times could you actually use a k cup? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723 "2017-03-08T19:39:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/1 "2017-03-08T19:39:50Z")
inspired by this thread [What Would Happen If I Used Coffee (Instead of Water) to Make Coffee? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=672638) we also have a k-cup machine and I wondered if you could use the cups more than once and if so how many times ? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/2 "2017-03-08T20:00:22Z")
Aack! _Coffee purist runs screaming from the room._ They make handy, dandy refillable k-cups that you can use as many times as you like (or until the lid snaps off, which happens eventually for most). If you mean re-use a pre-filled k-cup, I’m guessing each successive cup would become more and more like brown tap water, similar to coffee only the in the sense that it is hot and made in a coffee cup. Remember, all you’re doing is re-using grounds. In this case, the grounds were subjected to injected water under some pressure, so there’s likely not a lot of coffee left to extract. How many times would you normally re-use grounds? I wouldn’t do it even once myself. Others might re-use once? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/3 "2017-03-08T20:13:52Z")
ahh k just wondered ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/4 "2017-03-08T21:20:30Z")
Sunny Daze got it in one. I tried reusing one once. Once. The second cup was terrible. Brown water, almost no coffee taste at all. I forget the brand name but it wasn’t the typical Amazon knock-off. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/5 "2017-03-08T22:32:33Z")
How many times could you actually use a k cup to produce coffee? One. The 2nd cup will look like tea and have a subtle coffee flavor. The 3rd cup looks like weak tea and have a hint of coffee flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/6 "2017-03-09T11:57:23Z")
“I’ll go put in another crayon.” ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/7 "2017-03-15T18:02:54Z")
The only (sort of) successful way I’ve ever reused a pod is here at work when I wanted a FULL mug (20 oz cup) of liquid. The ‘large’ (10 oz) setting didn’t full my cup up, so I immediately followed that up with the medium or small setting on the same cup, same pod. slightly watered down but about that same quality as you get anyway… which is only slightly better than the ‘free’ stuff in the office break room. I can’t imagine it would be drinkable as a stand alone pour. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/8 "2017-03-15T18:50:25Z")
One k-cup isn’t even enough for a larger sized mug of coffee, let alone two. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/9 "2017-03-16T03:25:22Z")
If you make hot cocoa k-cups, you need to run water through afterwards to clean out the cocoa or else it’ll eventually get clogged since there’s no filter for hot cocoa - the solids directly dissolve in water (mostly). The package says you should, but doesn’t tell you why - I had to experience that part on my own. Anyway, last time I didn’t take the k-cup out before running another batch of water through. What was in the second cup certainly looked like hot cocoa, but tasted pretty much like water. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-could-you-actually-use-a-k-cup/781723/10 "2017-03-16T06:11:23Z")
It’s going to depend on the size cup you make and the brand/flavor of coffee you use. Using a smallish mug and a strong brew you can maybe get by with a second run. But a third is right out by any stretch.