First, some background: my wife and I have been searching for a good coffee maker since our Delonghi died about 2 years ago. We tried many different brands and styles (everything from Mr. Coffee--yuck!--to Aeropress, which wasn't too bad after a steep learning curve). Brews turned out too weak, burned, watery, plastic-tasting, the list goes on and on. The best we found was an Aeropress single-cup dispenser, which we used until deciding that it was just too much work (mostly the cleanup). In continuing to look for a suitable solution, we had hoped to get away from the single-serving Aeropress, because it took so much time and effort just to fix a cup for each of us in the morning, and going back for refills took almost all the joy out of a morning cup of coffee.
After more than a year of disappointments we had resigned ourselves to paying the extortion-like $5 per cup at the local coffee shop. There had to be a way we could both enjoy coffee for less than $10 per morning! Finally, we saw the reviews for the Keurig, which had high marks similar to the Aeropress, and decided to give single-cup one more chance. Wow, am I glad we did!
The K-cups took almost no adapting, and we were "experts" by the second cup. I must admit that I don't miss the mess and hassle of grinding my own beans! We got some specialty coffees for Christmas, and had no problem using the "My K-cup" adapter included with the brewer.
Cleanup is extremely simple, making multiple servings quick and easy. It takes less than a minute to brew two cups and clean up (as simple as removing and throwing away the used K-cup). Note, however, that there is considerably more cleanup if you use the "My K-cup" adapter--similar to cleaning the filter from a drip coffee maker. Still, it isn't a big deal to us, especially as rarely as we use the adapter.
The coffee strength and flavor is what really sold us on the Keurig. We were able to "test" the machine at Costco on demo day, and were hooked from the first taste. I prefer extra bold, and my wife enjoys medium blends, so using a single-serving brewer is perfect to suit both our tastes. We have found that using the large cup setting (you can select small 8 oz, medium 10 oz, or large 12 oz cups) brews coffee that is too weak for either of our tastes, so we typically use the medium cup setting, which brews a perfect cup.
While some have said that the K-cups are expensive, we have been able to buy them in bulk for less than $0.50 each, which seems like a bargain to us. There are many blends and brands available, including Tully's (our favorite).
We have yet to find a downside to the brewer, after 8 weeks of use. Get more detail about Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System.
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