I have just purchased a Keurig k cup coffee pot. Does anyone ‘reuse’ the k cups? Do you use caps? What is the best way to save money on the k cups?
thanks so much.
Edited title to be more descriptive.
- Gukumatz
Moderator
I use one of the refillable k cups and put my own ground coffee or loose tea. I’d never reuse a regular k cup as the coffee isn’t that string to begin with.
There are a bunch of k cups I like, but the refillable one keeps the price down.
Buy bulk if you know which coffee you like. It might take awhile to find the one(s) you prefer.
My wife will drink most of their offerings. Yuck. I use the “My K-Cup Reusable Coffee filter” by Keurig and fill it with Gevalia coffee (Stockholm Roast mostly with an occasional touch of ground cinnamon). I’ve seen some TV adds for another reusable cup that fits the Keurig but I’ve never tried them.
The basic K-cup consists of the plastic cup, a bit of filter paper, the coffee, and a glued paper lid. The coffee machine punches a hole in the paper lid to let water in and punches a hole in the bottom to let coffee out. There’s nothing “reusable” about it.
Do not re-use the commercial k-cups.
At Wal-Mart you can buy the refillable kind and put your own coffee in it.
If saving money is your primary goal, the Keurig is not the way to go. I like it because it’s quick. But I have several other coffeemakers, too.
We have the mid-sized Keurig … not the cheapo small no-frills version, but not the programmable bells-and-whistles one either. It does give you two size options to brew, for big mugs or smaller cups.
Here’s my typical usage: I put in a K cup and select the big mug button. I enjoy about half or two-thirds of my mug. I then open up the Keurig and turn the already-used K cup a quarter turn, so the needle will punch a fresh hole in the top and bottom. I then select the small cup button, which reheats and refills my one-third-filled mug.
Works pretty good for me. That gets every bit you can out of a K cup. There’s no way you could use one more than twice and get anything more than hot water out of it.
“Keurig”, great for single use multiple people flavors…great place would be in the meeting room with clients or somewhat the like situation.
I think over-use causes “China Syndrome”, with them. (sroo srorry no wrorki)
A cheap drip pot, made “per cup”, is just as quick.
Get these -
Use any brand of coffee you prefer -
Thank YOU
And something like a Chemex is cheaper, makes better coffee (some say the best, but you have to watch your water temperature), has only one disposable, bio-degradable element, uses no power (you can heat the water many efficient ways), is easy to wash… and is as fast for a pot as a Keurig is for a cup.
The Keurig is a great machine for servicing a family or businesses that like different blends/flavors. I don’t like “flavored” coffees but the rest of my brood does. The convience of the Keurig and the multiple varieties works for us but I only use it to produce hot water. It sets next to the stove and microwave which also produce hot water.
The biggest cause of “China Syndrome” is lack of proper cleaning. Nobody want to do it. Recommended Keurig maintenance “includes” using a paper clip to clean out the sharp pointed tube that punctures the Kcup.
Another tip that I’ll pass along to no one in particular is to use a measuring cup to establish how much water is passed thru the machine at each setting. On mine, the smallest cup equals 4oz of water. Brewed coffee will be slightly less depending on how much water is absorbed by the Kcup filter. The other settings equal 6, 8, 10, and 12 oz. If periodic testing indicates that less water is being passed, it’s time to straighten a paper clip and start cleaning.
For those who use a refillable k-cup, how to clean it and or dispose of the grounds? The obvious answer is to dump as much as possible in the trash and then rinse it. For some reason I have a vague idea that coffee grounds shouldn’t go down the sink…
Just be careful that you check compatibility with your specific type of Keurig machine before you buy it. We have a Keurig coffeemaker at work and I bought a refillable Solofill cup to use, only to find out it doesn’t fit in the breakroom model. I gave it to a friend to use in her machine at home, and it fits perfectly fine there! Just read the fine print - the product you buy should list what model numbers it’s compatible with.
I bought a Keurig for many reasons:
I’m the only coffee drinker in our household. I like a variety of coffees
I can make two cups in the morning, and I’m happy.
Occasionally, I’ll have a cup of decaf in the evening.
There are several different refillable cups you can get that fit the Keurig. Maybe when I get tired of my variety, I’ll be in the market for that. But at two cups of coffee a day (sometimes three), the extra expense is really quite small.
And oh, I’m having so much FUN!
~VOW
Good question. I don’t put coffee grounds thru the garbage disposal but I know people who do. Can’t remember them saying the grounds damaged the disposal?
I wipe the My Kcup out with My Napkin (not a trade name) or My Finger (not a trade name, either) to remove most of the grounds. I do run very hot water down the non-disposal sink and rinse whatever remains in the My Kcup down that drain.
Any plumbers here? Have they had to fix plumbing, drains, or disposals because of coffee grounds damage?
Grounds won’t damage the plumbing, but they can cause clogs, especially if you’re the kind of person who shuts the water off as soon as they turn off the disposer.
One trick for getting better results with a My K Cup is to dissect a used K cup by cutting the cup just below the rim and putting it into the My Cup body. This causes the water to stay on the grounds a bit longer as the resulting exit hole is smaller. It won’t last forever though - the used cup will only last a dozen uses or so.
I have a Keurig, the smallest model. I like it because it saves me time in the morning - just pop in a K-cup and I’m good to go. Also, I like flavored coffees and my dad doesn’t, so this way we each get a cup of the coffee we like without having to fire up the big 12-cup coffeemaker and waste coffee and water in the process. I like the idea of the My K-cup, but wonder if it can be used with loose leaf tea. The Princess loves iced tea, and is always begging me to get her the Celestial Seasonings sweet tea K-cups. With dad’s Caribou Blend, my flavored coffees, and her sweet tea, those K-cups can get kind of pricey.
Oh yeah, thanks for the paper clip cleaning tip! I wouldn’t have thought of it.
We get tolerably good results by doing tea in a double shot in the My K Cup. That is, for a 12-ounce mug, we put loose tea in the Cup, then do a 6 ounce brew, wait a minute, then do another 6 ounce brew.
Of course, tea is better off brewed with a tea ball or the you-fill pouches such as T-Sacs, and with water that’s actually HOT. Most Keurig machines only go to 192, which is on the cool side for brewing tea.
There’s no need for wastage.
What doesn’t get drunk in the morning is poured over ice in the evening, and enjoyed with dinner.