My company is in a small office building with five other companies. All six have Keurig machines. We have the K75 Premium Brewer.
For us it is all about convenience; being able to offer a range of beverages with no fuss.
When clients visit, it is appreciated that we can provide the beverages they want, and quickly.
Looking back on what I wrote, I’d say that “almost every” is an exaggeration. In sure there are many reviews that differ.
I also live alone and drink one cup in the morning. When I make a pot, thinking I’ll drink more, I usually throw it out.
I’m curious as to whether the OP feels his question was answered satisfactorily. IOW, do these many reasons make sense to him?
Fuck, I don’t even like drip pots. Get ready for some snobbery:
I agree; they’re ridiculous and wasteful. My coffee routine is a french press and locally roasted beans. If I want coffee later in the day, I make more and pack it along in one of two kick ass thermoses. I’ve got a classic giant Stanley one and a Nissan flip-top backpacker sized one. I would sooner drink Wite-Out than office coffee. When I open a thermos a rich and powerful aroma flies out from the oily brew you can only get from a french press. If anyone is around, there’s always positive comments like, “holy shit, that smells awesome.” “You’re goddamn right it does.” French press coffee is the only way for me. All other coffee is a bland, caffeinated medicine by comparison.
+1 to this! If you’re looking at choosing between a 4 cup coffee maker and an Aeropress, no contest. It makes fantastic coffee, is easy, looks cool, and if you get the java jug accessory, completely portable!
Aas to the OP’s question, I think they nailed it. They are super useful in an office setting, but I still bring my Thermos of coffee in every day because I have yet to have a K or T cup that was anywhere near as good. Nespressos are pretty good machines though. If you like your French Press try an aeropress Drastic, I think you’ll like it more. I haven’t touched my Bodum since I got the Aero…
We have four coffee drinkers in the house with four different preferences. The Keurig allows my husband to have his wimpy light roast, me to have my medium roast, my daughter to have her god awful flavored coffee, and my son to drink whatever…Add my in laws and parents (dark roast people) or anyone who just drinks decaf - and a single brew system makes a lot of sense.
Because I’m not really really picky, I grind up coffee and throw it in a airtight tupperware and use the self fill filter. So it isn’t any more expensive than using a traditional brewer or French press - although messier and more of a bother than a kcup. My husband uses the k-cups so it is “fresh” - probably not as fresh as a French Press or Aero with freshly ground beans - but we had a French Press for years and he never used it.
I appreciate good coffee, but the Keurig isn’t for that. The Keurig is a way to get coffee in my system while I am half asleep, holding the baby, and almost about to miss my train to work. It’s not great, but it’s the best solution so far for the problem
I’ve seriously been considering getting one, our local doctor office has one and it is easier and far better tasting than a community drip pot or a thermos that was filled hours earlier. But mostly I’m trying to find an easy way to skirt the draconian office workplace facilities policies for “no unauthorized electric devices to be used in outlets without blood sacrifice to the State Fire Marshal, Board of Directors, Human Resources, Union Affairs, and Bob at this hotline phone number that just rings and never gets picked up.”
Seriously, there are surprise office sweeps that confiscate peoples desk fans, cup warmers, reading lamps, wall-chargers, it’s absurd. USB ports are ok though…
So…if I can find a way to trickle enough USB current (or maybe from the phone jack POTS line? Note to self…) into a separate stand-alone universal power supply backup or capacitor bank, and then power the Keurig that way, I can do an end-around of the facilities Gestapo. I bet I could also wire up a nifty zap cage out of coat hangers to also deliver a nice shock to anyone that touches it, as long as it doesn’t drastically cut into the recharge-per-cup time. I’ll have to run the numbers…
Sounds doable. A friend of mine got his wife to go camping with him by re-purposing a weed-whacker to run a blender so that she could have Margaritas in the woods.
Hey, why not just light a can of Sterno on your desk? Or better yet, use a hibachi? No electricity there! :rolleyes:
Does anyone use a stove-top espresso machine like one of these?
I find I can get a stronger, tastier brew using less coffee than a drip machine or cafetiere. I’ve got a 2 and a 6 cup model so I can brew as much or little as I like. Combined with my bean grinding machine it keeps me a happy bunny.
I’ve been using one since before the pod machines came out, otherwise I’m pretty sure I’d have one of those instead.
I don’t understand the difference in price between a K-cup coffee maker and a standard one. Snob appeal? Yeah, I understand the convenience appeal; there’s not much clean up and if you enjoy a variety of coffees, it’s a good choice. Also if you’re just an occasional coffee drinker.
Me, I invest the 4 minutes every night to clean and set up the coffee maker and set the auto-brew and there’s coffee for me and roomie the next morning. And it’s more economical.
I think it boils (no pun intended) down to another Gibson vs Fender/Ford vs Chevy/.45 acp vs 9mm debate.
Never used a Keurig. However, before I married a coffee addict, I had something like this Mr. Coffee. Reusable mesh filter, so I could put in a scoop of coffee or a coffee bag like a Senseo (cheaper than Keurig, I think, but it was a while ago) or even a plain old teabag. Less mess than a regular coffeepot, very small, brewed right into my cup, and not (necessarily) any more expensive than any other method. I highly recommend them. Don’t know what happened to mine…
Now we use a somewhat PITA kettle and French press arrangement. It’s ok, but I don’t always like the coffee (we’re probably doing it wrong).
My colleague keeps a small French press on her desk, as long as you can get hot water, you can make a really good cup of coffee at your desk without electricity.
I get up an hour or two before my wife most weekday mornings. I was perfectly happy with our Mr Coffee set to 5:45; but she pointed out that she was getting stale and lukewarm coffee at 7:30, long after I’d gone out the door. And she was throwing out 1/3 of a pot everyday.
So we got a Keurig and everybody’s happy. And we bring out Mr Coffee on weekends when we get up at the same time.
We had something similar at work. While it was fun, they pulled it out no doubt due to the cost and because it was always running out of the popular cups. If you have two good carafes with your coffee maker you seldom run out.
My daughter, who rarely drinks coffee, has one for guests.
For us, we like the same kind, and we have a grinder/drip coffee maker, so a new pot is really fresh. We can set it to run in the morning, or put the beans and water in the night before so all you have to do is push the button. Since it stops dripping when you remove the coffee pot, you don’t have to wait for the machine to finish to get a cup. And since we compost the grounds and filters, no waste at all. In fact you can turn in the Starbucks package for a free cup, so no waste there either.
Yeah, I have a couple of versions in the house (oh wait. I gave one to the step daughter). They make a much better cup of coffee than the Keurig, if you like espresso. You lose the foam top aspect if you let it sit so I really only use it 1 cup at a time. It is more of a hassle though. It’s not as simple, requires clean up and you have to keep an eye on it.
Keurig coffee is to weak,thats pretty much my only complaint
The problem is you have only 1 choice for amount of coffee, so if you make a big cup it’s gonna be weaker.
I have one…well it looks a wee bit different. I use it on occasion .