# What's the appeal of Keurig? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576 "2012-12-19T21:32:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/1 "2012-12-19T21:32:12Z")
This was on a family member’s Christmas wish list. So I go to Walmart and see it for $99. :eek: OK, this thing, which didn’t look very sturdy, makes one cup…ONE CUP… of coffee. The Mr. Coffee displayed next to it makes 4 cups and costs $20. So, what’s the appeal of the Keurig? Maybe if it grounded the coffee and then brewed it, I could somewhat understand, but it’s instant. I’m a tea drinker, not a coffee drinker, so maybe I’m missing something. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/2 "2012-12-19T21:35:30Z")
Because you can have a bunch of different flavored or types of coffee and each person can pick what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/3 "2012-12-19T21:35:58Z")
Convenience. It’s easy to stock flavors that appeal to everyone in the house, it makes a cup relatively quick and you don’t have left over coffee sitting around getting cold or burnt. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/4 "2012-12-19T21:46:49Z")
I think it is good if you are not a big coffee drinker, but like a cup every once in a while. I read in a NY Times article (or maybe Wash. Post), that coffee with those type of machines averages about $50 a pound, so it would be prohibitively expensive for a heavy coffee drinker. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/5 "2012-12-19T21:46:54Z")
It’s another “system” that for all its purported convenience and features, locks you into buying a proprietary disposable. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/6 "2012-12-19T22:02:16Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Convenience. It’s easy to stock flavors that appeal to everyone in the house, it makes a cup relatively quick and you don’t have left over coffee sitting around getting cold or burnt. We microwave old coffee, and it is fine. Keurig would be great for someone who doesn’t drink a lot of coffee and wants some easy way to make for guests. We, mostly my wife, go through a pot a day easily. It would be wasteful for us. My work used to have a per-cup maker. It was great, but they got rid of it, probably because of the expense. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/7 "2012-12-19T22:03:13Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > It’s another “system” that for all its purported convenience and features, locks you into buying a proprietary disposable. Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! Someone figured out how to sell for a profit - water, space, air, and now one of the most (otherwise) affordable household consumables - coffee. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/8 "2012-12-19T22:06:50Z")
Exactly. It’s horseshit. You can make a mug’s worth in a drip pot, or better yet a French press. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/9 "2012-12-19T22:08:26Z")
We used to have a single cup Melita filter holder and filters. You put in a scoop, boil some water, and _voila._ I suppose it failed from not having any buttons to push and because it seems half the people nowadays have never learned to boil water. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/10 "2012-12-19T22:15:57Z")
There are reusable “pods” for the Keurig. I have one and it works fine. I use it with ground coffee and loose tea. Not a big coffee drinker, maybe two or three over the course of a day. It’s convenient to have different kinds of coffee and tea for friends. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/11 "2012-12-19T22:18:57Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > We microwave old coffee, and it is fine. Keurig would be great for someone who doesn’t drink a lot of coffee and wants some easy way to make for guests. We, mostly my wife, go through a pot a day easily. It would be wasteful for us. > > My work used to have a per-cup maker. It was great, but they got rid of it, probably because of the expense. You have no idea how excited I am for you. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/12 "2012-12-19T22:22:10Z")
We had to suck on old coffee grinds. And we were thankful for it. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/13 "2012-12-19T22:24:04Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I read in a NY Times article (or maybe Wash. Post), that coffee with those type of machines averages about $50 a pound, so it would be prohibitively expensive for a heavy coffee drinker. My beloved keeps wanting to get one - to them, the above mentioned is a feature, not a bug. le sigh… ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/14 "2012-12-19T22:30:28Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > It’s another “system” that for all its purported convenience and features, locks you into buying a proprietary disposable. To be technical, it’s no longer proprietary as of not long ago. Everyone and their mom has come out with a standard Keurig cup replacement, or their own variety which fits in a Keurig machine, or their own machine. ---
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/15 "2012-12-19T22:35:27Z")
For me, it’s the convenience. I can toss a cup in, press a button, make my bowl of cereal, and have my daily cup of coffee ready to go–no messing with filters, measuring scoops of grounds, cleaning up the used grounds and scrubbing out the pot, etc. I make sure to get my K-cups from Costco, where they average $0.40/cup (compared to $0.65/cup at the supermarket); this is more expensive than ground coffee, yes, but it’s a whole lot faster, while still saving a ton of money relative to a stop at Dunkin Donuts every morning on the way to work. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/16 "2012-12-19T22:43:00Z")
I only ever drink one cup at a time, if I brew anything else it’s wasted money and product. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/17 "2012-12-19T22:46:00Z")
I bought [something like this](http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-BeachStay-Digital-Thermal-Coffeemaker/dp/B000R8E7UO/ref=sr_1_77?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1355956987&sr=1-77&keywords=cuisinart+coffee+maker) years ago. You had to use a filter & grounds but it was easy to fill the travel mug with water, dump it in back, and turn the thing on. Seems like a cheaper solution than the Keurig. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/18 "2012-12-19T22:49:34Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > I only ever drink one cup at a time, if I brew anything else it’s wasted money and product. Same here. I am the only one in my home that drinks coffee. I go with a one-cup cone filter and I grind whole bean. That is the way I learned how to make it. If I got a Keurig it would either be returned or end up next to the fondue pot and bread maker. However, I can see the convenience factor with the coffee machines, as **Reyemile** states. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/19 "2012-12-19T22:58:07Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > We microwave old coffee, and it is fine. I ice mine. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576/20 "2012-12-19T22:59:36Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > We had to suck on old coffee grinds. > > And we were thankful for it. At least you had old coffee grounds. We had to stand outside of Starbucks and inhale. And we hated the smell. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-appeal-of-keurig/644576.md?page=2)