Straight to the Stage
Keurig machines won’t wow every espresso critic or please the environmentally conscious, nevertheless their consolation and velocity would possibly attraction to casual espresso drinkers. My favorite brewer was the Okay-Supreme Single-Serve Espresso Maker. It had a relatively small countertop footprint and can make iced espresso along with scorching. For a machine that’s every compact and great moderately priced, I prefer to advocate the Okay-Mini.
I’ve a confession to make: I’m not a espresso skilled. Don’t get me mistaken—I just like the craft of it, and I acknowledge it after I can benefit from a cup brewed by anyone who’s conscious of what they’re doing. Nonetheless, I uncover it arduous to remember the intricacies of pulling an trustworthy shot on our espresso machine, and I’ve to seek for the very best coffee-to-water ratios for each methodology every time. My ineptitude is particularly embarrassing because of I pleasure myself on being a perfectionist inside the kitchen—my probe thermometer has its private carrying case, and baking by the gram supplies me a thrill. Nevertheless after I’m staring down the barrel of a French press or making an attempt to remember what variety of tablespoons of grounds in order so as to add to a drip machine filter—poof! My ideas goes clear.
What I am profoundly accustomed to, though, is the need for espresso. I is more likely to be a morning particular person, nevertheless I’ll fade by noon if I’m not adequately caffeinated. That’s the place the Keurig brewer is on the market in. Although we at Extreme Eats have been important of these machines beforehand for his or her grind prime quality and single-use plastics (all reliable arguments), Keurigs can nonetheless brew an acceptable cup for lots of espresso drinkers. Plus, they do it with velocity and ease.
To go looking out among the best Keurig espresso makers, I examined seven fashions ranging from $60 to $200. Some solely brewed cups of scorching espresso, whereas others had distinctive choices like built-in milk frothers or inside chilling packages for freshly brewed iced espresso. I assessed how rather a lot counter space each machine took up, the usual of espresso it brewed, and any further options it had. Whereas all the Keurigs did successfully, I found two I would advocate for his or her intuitiveness and affordability.
The Winners, at a Look
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The Okay-Supreme had a up to date design and would possibly brew six- to 12-ounce cups of scorching espresso. It moreover had an chance for making extra-strong espresso and a mode for brewing instantly over ice. I favored that its water tank may presumably be adjusted to sit down on the aspect or behind the brewer to swimsuit my counter space.
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The straightforward Okay-Mini brewed scorching espresso with the push of a button. It saved counter space by forgoing a water reservoir; as a substitute, it may presumably be filled with merely the water wished to your cup sooner than each brew. At beneath $100, it was moreover basically essentially the most moderately priced Keurig I examined.
The Assessments
Extreme Eats / Ashlee Redger
- Medium Roast Espresso Check out: I inserted a popular medium roast espresso pod into each machine and timed how prolonged it took to brew an eight-ounce cup. I tasted the espresso with and with out cream and recorded my style notes.
- Darkish Roast Espresso Check out: I repeated the medium roast test with a darkish roast Okay-Cup pod.
- Totally different Capabilities Check out (Winners Solely): I used all the capabilities of the top-performing fashions I hadn’t explored inside the totally different exams, like brewing iced coffees and using built-in milk frothers to make lattes and cappuccinos.
- Cleaning and Usability Assessments: I cleaned the Keurig machines in accordance with their instruction manuals after each use. I moreover paid shut consideration to how intuitive each model was to perform and if it was adaptable to fully totally different sizes of cups and drink preferences.
What We Found
Keurig Machines Aren’t for Connoisseurs, Nevertheless They Had been Fixed
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Keurig brewers work by pumping pressurized water by enclosed pods of flooring espresso, chopping brewing situations from spherical 5 or 6 minutes (the time it takes for our favorite drip espresso makers) to decrease than three. Espresso skilled Jesse Raub has coated the strategy in further depth, along with some criticisms of single-cup brewers. As he explains, Keurigs will not ever have the flexibility to current the usual of skillfully roasted beans which have been freshly flooring correct sooner than brewing. The espresso in Okay-Cups tends to be oxidized as a result of it is flooring weeks or months sooner than use. Plus, it is flooring too finely, portioned too low, and brewed too shortly, making it liable to bitterness. Keurigs are moreover programmed to brew at 192°F, slightly below the very best differ (194º to 205°F) determined by the Specialty Espresso Affiliation. This will likely forestall a couple of of the flavors of sweetness and caramelization inside the grinds from reaching the cup.
There are an entire bunch of varied kinds of Okay-Cups. All the principle espresso producers have gotten into the game, along with some neutral roasters (to not level out tea and scorching chocolate producers). All through testing, I found that an eight-ounce cup of espresso brewed from the equivalent sort of pod tasted an equivalent whether or not or not it bought right here out of the modest Okay-Mini or the souped-up Okay-Cafe SMART. Although Keurigs can extract undesirable flavors from some espresso, I found the medium and darkish roast pods I tried have been light- and medium-bodied (respectively) and by no means overly bitter or acidic. Normal, they’ve been fully drinkable and even pleasurable, if a tad unexciting.
Brew Sizes and Choices Varied
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Offered that pods bought right here out the equivalent regardless of which model was used to brew them, I based totally my comparability of the machines on their brewing capabilities. Whereas all the other brewers might produce six- to 12-ounce cups, the Okay-Fundamental might solely brew as a lot as 10 ounces. It and the Okay-Mini have been moreover basically essentially the most restricted in numerous choices. Neither model had a Sturdy brew mode, which elevated the extraction time of the pod to yield a further robust style.
Not having a Sturdy brew perform moreover meant the machines could not brew over ice. The Over Ice setting meant totally different fashions similar to the Okay-Elite might start scorching on Sturdy mode, then swap to a lower temperature on the end of brewing to cut back ice soften (albeit solely barely). I was skeptical of the Over Ice perform (no person likes a watery espresso), nevertheless I was pleasantly shocked. The stronger brew wasn’t noticeably bitter and held up successfully after some preliminary ice had melted (a minimum of whereas it was reasonably current). The Okay-Brew + Chill was explicitly designed for making iced espresso. It maintained a relaxing tank of water to shortly cool freshly brewed espresso sooner than meting out it into the glass. It did this job successfully and might be applicable for people who like their espresso chilly without having in order so as to add ice, nevertheless it was one in all many priciest fashions of the lineup and took up about 70% further countertop space than the profitable Okay-Supreme (which had an Over Ice setting).
| Keurig Machine Brewing Capabilities | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Brew Sizes | Constructed-In Milk Frother | Iced Espresso | Energy Administration | Temperature Administration | Countertop Footprint (sq. inches) |
| Okay-Supreme | Six, eight, 10, or 12 ounces | No | Over Ice mode (brews scorching on Sturdy mode; dispenses warmth) | Sturdy mode | No | 89 |
| Okay-Mini | Six to 12 ounces | No | No | No | No | 49 |
| Okay-Fundamental | Six, eight, or 10 ounces | No | No | No | No | 124 |
| Okay-Elite | 4, six, eight, 10, or 12 ounces | No | Over Ice mode (brews scorching on Sturdy mode; dispenses warmth) | Sturdy mode | 187 to 192°F | 130 |
| Okay-Brew + Chill | Six, eight, 10, or 12 ounces | No | Quick-Chilled mode (brews scorching; dispenses chilly) | Sturdy mode | No | 151 |
| Okay-Cafe | Six, eight, 10, or 12 ounces, plus two-ounce espresso “shot” | Positive. Chilly or heated latte or cappuccino decisions | No | Sturdy mode | No | 170 |
| Okay-Cafe SMART | Six, eight, 10, or 12 ounces, plus two- or four-ounce espresso “shot” | Positive. Chilly or three ranges of heated froth | Over Ice mode (brews scorching on Sturdy mode; dispenses warmth) | 5 ranges: balanced, rich, robust, strong, and intense | Six ranges: warmth, hotter, scorching, hotter, further scorching, max scorching | 120 |
Additional choices weren’t merely geared in direction of iced espresso lovers. The Okay-Cafe and Okay-Cafe SMART had built-in milk frothers to make latte- and cappuccino-style drinks. They couldn’t make true espresso, nevertheless they did have the facility to make two-ounce strong-brewed espresso “images,” which may presumably be bolstered by way of using an espresso-roast Okay-Cup. I found the milk frothers disappointing, though. In its place of an outstanding microfoam, they every created thick, meringue-like foam that was arduous to pour. It might be unimaginable to utilize for latte art work and appeared further applicable for making spoonable, bone-dry cappuccinos than sippable, velvety espresso drinks (even when utilized in latte mode). The Okay-Cafe SMART did have an extra adjustable frother stage, nevertheless my testing didn’t yield an excellent middle flooring between barely and overly frothed. For cafe-style drinks, I would advocate one among our favorite milk frothers to utilize on the aspect considerably than a built-in one.
The Value of Okay-Cups Can Add Up
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Searching for espresso in pod kind could also be further dear in the long run. As an illustration, the medium roast Okay-Cups I used for my testing value about $0.51 per pod when bought in bulk on-line on the time of writing. Comparatively, an 18-ounce bag of the equivalent flooring espresso would value about $0.34 per cup (if brewed with the Specialty Espresso Affiliation’s advisable 14 grams of espresso for eight ounces). In any case, the exact costs to your situation would differ counting on what kind of espresso you like and the best way rather a lot you drink, nevertheless on this event, one cup a day would add as a lot as about $61 further per 12 months using Okay-Cups. Although not a deal-breaking distinction for lots of, it’s one aspect to ponder when deciding on your go-to brewing methodology.
Espresso Pods Aren’t Very Recyclable
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It’s moreover essential to ponder the environmental affect of Keurig machines. All Okay-Cup pods have been made out of amount 5 polypropylene plastic since 2020, which is technically accepted by many single-stream recycling purposes within the occasion that they’re peeled and emptied first. Sadly, it’s an increasingly open secret that plastics recycling within the US falls shockingly in want of what consumers are led to think about. Moreover, acceptance at a facility would not suggest they’re going to even be recycled. A 2022 report from Greenpeace calls the exact recycling costs of these kinds of pods “low to negligible” at decrease than 2%. Keurig was moreover penalized $1.5 million by the Securities and Alternate Charge in September 2024 for making misleading statements regarding the recyclability of Okay-Cup pods, an issue that Keurig resolved by together with an advisory to consumers to look at instantly with their native recycling facilities to see if their used pods could also be accepted (or recycled). For a lot of who want the advantage of a Keurig with out the waste, ponder a reusable filter. They’re typically filled with any flooring espresso, allowing you further administration over the usual, value, and plastic use of brewing with a Keurig.
The Requirements: What to Seek for in a Keurig Espresso Maker
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Even given Okay-Cups’ elevated value, varied prime quality, and recyclability (or lack thereof), Keurig was nonetheless estimated to be the go-to for 40 million households worldwide on the end of 2023. The “why” isn’t any shock; all through testing, all the machines might brew a cup of espresso in about two-and-a-half minutes or a lot much less with almost no cleanup, wasted dregs, or effort previous deciding on the pod and brew dimension. Whereas choices like single-serve espresso makers or reusable filters could also be cheaper and produce a lot much less waste, Keurig brewers and their applicable Okay-Cups can current unmatched consolation for people with restricted mobility, time, and vitality. Since pods come out concerning the equivalent in each Keurig brewer, I prefer to advocate discovering a model that is inside your funds and would possibly brew in sizes that match your favorite mugs, then ponder further choices to suit your preferences. Seek for fashions with Sturdy and Over Ice brewing for individuals who like further daring or iced espresso. Take into consideration brewers inside the Plus or SMART line for further temperature and energy customizations and add-ons like app connectivity.
Our Favorite Keurig Machines
What we favored: I appreciated the clear aesthetic of the Okay-Supreme and hottest it over the hulking designs of the Okay-Fundamental and Okay-Elite machines. I moreover favored the intuitiveness of this model, which had buttons that listed the brew sizes in ounces and clear indicator lights for when the machine wished to be refilled or descaled. It had a dual-position water tank that would presumably be positioned on the left or behind the machine to fit your counter space greater.
What we didn’t like: Whereas this machine was solely $100 on the time of writing, the worth fluctuated by about $40 by way of the course of my testing. If you happen to’re on a funds, it might be value prepared until it goes on sale, or deciding on a comparable brewer similar to the Okay-Elite.
Key Specs
- Dimensions: 7.75 x 11.5 x 12 inches
- Weight: 5.5 kilos
- Wire dimension: 31.5 inches
- Water tank functionality: 66 ounces
- Cup prime allowance: 6 inches (as a lot as 7 inches with the drip tray eradicated)
- Brewing sizes: 6, 8, 10, or 12 ounces
- Additional brewing modes: Over Ice and Sturdy brew modes
- Totally different choices: Twin place water reservoir which may be positioned on the aspect or behind the brewer; extreme altitude mode; non-compulsory water reservoir filter insert; descale and add water indicators; auto-off after 5 minutes
- Care instructions: Flip off and unplug brewer sooner than cleaning. Use a moist, non-abrasive, lint-free materials to clean exterior, drip tray, and water reservoir. The drip tray and water reservoir may be eradicated and washed with warmth, soapy water and dried with a lint-free materials. Run a rinse cycle after brewing drinks like scorching cocoa to forestall style change between drinks. Change the water filter every two months, and descale with Keurig descaling decision every three to six months.
What we favored: This streamlined model coated the basics with none further frills. It had a single-brew water reservoir on prime that was designed to be filled with merely the proper amount of water (between six to 12 ounces) sooner than each use. It took up about half the counter space of various fashions, making it a implausible choice for small kitchens, dorm rooms, and people who don’t drink espresso repeatedly and want to retailer the machine between makes use of. The Okay-Mini was great moderately priced, too; it was successfully beneath $100 on the time of publishing.
What we didn’t like: The Okay-Mini took about two-and-a-half minutes to brew its cups all through testing, a couple of minute longer than totally different fashions. It moreover didn’t have decisions for Sturdy or Over Ice brewing. Since its water reservoir was stationary, it couldn’t be eradicated for cleaning.
Key Specs
- Dimensions: 4.25 x 11.5 x 12 inches
- Weight: 4.4 kilos
- Wire dimension: 27 inches
- Water tank functionality: 12 ounces (to be filled with desired quantity sooner than each use)
- Cup prime allowance: 6 inches (as a lot as 7 inches with the drip tray eradicated)
- Brewing sizes: 6 to 12 ounces
- Additional brewing modes: None
- Totally different choices: Wire storage behind the machine; auto-off after 90 seconds
- Care instructions: Flip off and unplug brewer sooner than cleaning. Use a moist, non-abrasive materials to wipe the surface, water reservoir, and drip tray. The drip tray may be eradicated and cleaned using warmth, soapy water. To rinse, run a 12-ounce brew cycle and never utilizing a pod inserted. Run a rinse cycle after brewing drinks like scorching cocoa to forestall style change between drinks. Descale with Keurig descaling decision every three to six months.
The Opponents
- Keurig Okay-Fundamental Espresso Maker: On the time of writing, the Okay-Fundamental was costlier than the profitable Okay-Supreme (though the two seem to vary in value). The buttons have been obscure since they confirmed nonspecific cup icons considerably than the brew volumes. It moreover took up extra room than the Okay-Supreme and couldn’t brew higher than 10 ounces at a time.
- Keurig Okay-Elite Single Serve Espresso Maker: This model had just some further choices that initially appeared fascinating, like adjustable temperatures and auto-on scheduling. Nevertheless it could solely be adjusted 5 ranges (from 187º to 192°F), and its auto-on did not allow scheduled brewing—it merely preheated the machine, saving two minutes at most. The Okay-Elite moreover had ambiguous cup icons on its buttons considerably than ounces.
- Keurig Okay-Brew + Chill Espresso Maker: This model had a tank of chilled water that it used to shortly cool brewed espresso sooner than meting out it for iced drinks. It did what it talked about (and efficiently, at that), nevertheless I didn’t uncover an enormous distinction inside the style or energy of the chilled espresso and the cups I made using the Over Ice mode of various fashions. It required further space and was in all probability the costliest fashions inside the lineup. Nonetheless, I might even see this being an excellent match for anyone who prefers their espresso chilly with out the prospect of it getting watered down by ice.
- Keurig Okay-Cafe Single Serve Espresso, Latte, and Cappuccino Maker: Together with its frequent espresso decisions, this machine included a strong two-ounce “shot” brew to imitate espresso for latte- and cappuccino-style drinks. It moreover bought right here with a dishwasher-friendly milk pitcher that nested into the machine and can heat and froth 4 to six ounces of milk at a time. I found the frothed milk it produced to be foamy, thick, and arduous to pour.
- Keurig Okay-Cafe SMART Single Serve Espresso Maker: The great mannequin of the Okay-Cafe added some techy choices, like six temperatures, 5 brew energy settings, and programmable favorites. Additionally it is paired with a smartphone to make adjustments and schedule brews remotely (though I was torn on the practicality of this since brews took decrease than two minutes). Its milk pitcher allowed for 3 froth ranges plus a cold foam mode; even so, I found the frothed milk each too skinny or thick for my liking and never utilizing a great middle flooring. Although the Okay-Cafe SMART offered basically essentially the most customization of the lineup, it was moreover the priciest. This model needs to be an excellent chance for households with fully differing types of espresso drinkers or those who want to dial in on their wonderful cup.
FAQs
Are Okay-Cups recyclable?
Whereas Okay-Cups, which can be constructed from amount 5 polypropylene plastic, are technically accepted at many recycling facilities in the event that they’re peeled and emptied, most of them won’t be processed for post-consumer use. Even when a facility accepts amount 5 plastics on the entire, it might be unable to course of Okay-Cups attributable to their dimension. Take a look at collectively along with your native recycling coronary heart to search out out within the occasion that they accept—and recycle—Okay-Cups sooner than placing them in your blue bin.
How do you descale a Keurig?
It’s advisable that you just simply descale your Keurig brewer every three to six months or every 250 brews for machines which could be used intently. Some brewers have an indicator gentle that may let you realize when it’s time to perform repairs. You’ll desire a bottle of descaling decision, nevertheless search the recommendation of Keurig’s web page for specific instructions about your model because of the steps differ counting on the water reservoir type and brewing modes.
How do you make iced espresso from a Keurig?
Fill an enormous cup halfway with ice and brew your required espresso pod over prime. Use a non-glass cup, as untempered glass would possibly shatter from the temperature modifications. Many Keurig machines, like our profitable Okay-Supreme model, provide a particular Over Ice brew mode that lowers the heat partway by brewing to attenuate the amount of ice that melts, preserving your espresso colder and additional robust.
Does a Keurig make espresso?
No. Keurig machines use some pressure to push water by espresso pods and brew ahead of drip espresso makers, nevertheless they don’t exert ample energy to recreate true espresso. Nonetheless, there are espresso roast Okay-Cups, and the fashions inside the Okay-Cafe line can mimic traditionally brewed espresso with two-ounce “images” of extra-strength espresso. If you want a machine that routinely brews espressos considerably than espresso, ponder a Nespresso machine as a substitute.
Why We’re the Consultants
- Ashlee Redger is a meals creator who’s been reviewing gear for Extreme Eats since 2022. She has interned at America’s Check out Kitchen, created consumer merchandise and restaurant menus for nationwide producers, and developed an entire bunch of recipes for residence cooks.
- She has written many critiques for Extreme Eats, along with Nespresso machines.
- For this analysis, Ashlee examined seven Keurig machines. She in distinction the usual and intuitiveness all through the lineup by brewing two sorts of Okay-Cups with each model. She moreover used machines with further choices to make iced coffees, lattes, and cappuccinos.
- We’ve reviewed all forms of espresso gear, along with drip brewers, small space-friendly machines, and even journey mugs.