Most appropriate thread this forum has ever had?

[Cochese]

I bought a coffee maker last year, and I've been pretty happy with it. It's a single serve Hamilton Beach, which uses Senseo pods and I use two to fill a travel cup and I've enjoyed the flavor.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Senseo system is no more. Sara Lee announced in November it was being discontinued in the US and the pods are starting to dry up, or increase in price dramatically. It doesn't make sense for me to import them (especially since my favorite was the Kona), or to roll my own (I wouldn't drink it if it weren't for the convenience).

I'm considering a Keurig. I debated buying one last year, but I went with the Senseo for startup cost ($20 vs $100+), cost of coffee and the fact the pods would decompose.

Would appreciate your thoughts on those who own or use one. My parents have one, but haven't had the chance to try it out.

[toolguy1000]

got a keuring premium unit recently and haven't regretted it once.

[leehljp]

Looong:

I have the Cuisinart SS-700 and really like it . . . but . . .

First the Good for K-cup machines overall:
1. Fast,
2. Good choice of K-cup coffees.
3. Cuisinart K-cup machines are very quiet machine as compared to what I have heard or read that others say about some of the Kureig models.
4. I use the "make your own" EcoBrew Brew K-Cup filters for my own coffee brands that I like.
The EcoBrew allows about 15% more coffee which makes just a tad stronger coffee than the standard coffee filter that comes with it or the Solo-Fil or the E-Z cup filters.
5. This model (SS-700) offers a wide choice of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz cups.


Bad or not so good:
1. Expensive K-cups (50 to 75 cents) if you drink lots of coffee. We average 6 a day in our household, which will cost us $3.00 to $4.00 daily or roughly $100.00 a month! Too much! So we use the "make our own" cup filters.

2. K-cup coffee or make your own requires each person to adjust the cup size for the proper strength. I like 10 & 12 oz cups but many of the K-cups are too weak at the 10 or 12 oz setting.

3. Expensive machines for the reliability percentage of them. Read below.

4. A side problem of the "brew your own" filters is that the courseness or fineness of the coffee affect the flow of water and eventually the amount of coffee you get. IF the filter is filled to the top and there is little room for the hot water to move freely, it will flow through slow and after about a minute the machine will stop, leaving the cup with about 6 oz of coffee even when 10 or 12 oz was selected.

Don't fill the filters to the top, - about 80% filled at max works OK.

5. It seems like about 3 or 4 in 10 owners of either Keurig or Cuisinart machines have problems with them. Not Good! I started having problems with my SS-700 one year after buying it. I nursed it along and finally called Cuisinart. I did not register mine when I bought it, but with the Serial Number, the lady knew when it was made and that it was in warranty - It had a 3 year warranty. So, they sent me a new one, but I had to pay the shipping, and had to ship the old one back at my expense. I like the coffee maker so well, that the shipping was well worth it to me.

There are three basic problems with the machines:
Electronics, pump, and end user.
Electronics - in some cases, if 10 or 12 OZ is chosen but it only gives 4 to 6 oz on a cup, the next one cup will get the remainder of the previous cup in addition to the choice for that cup!
Pump, sometimes, it just refuses to pump.
I changed the water filter regularly. Our water in this area is very soft, but still the "de-scale" light came on a few times. When it started going bad, I de-scaled it (with vinegar according to total adhearance to instructions) 3 times in one week.

As a note, I de-scaled according to the instructions about once every three months even when it did not need it. I changed water filters about every other month. Still I had problems after a year.

The little coffee 'spike' that punctures the bottom of the k-cups often stops up for some people and causes problems. I never had that and always made sure it was clean. The one "user" problem that I discovered on my own part - was the filling of the "make my own" filters with too much coffee. The coffeemaker pump does like for a little space for water inside of the filters. To test this theory, pick up some K-cup coffees and shake them. There is space in those plastic K-cups that have coffee in them. Pack your own "make your own" too tight, and there will be problems. I never packed mine tight but I did fill them close to the top, and have since backed off.

IF a person likes strong coffee and large cups, buy "BOLD" coffee.

I buy K-cups of different varieties on occasion but use them primarily when company comes. For myself and LOML, I buy our favorite coffees and put them in the Eco-cup filters.


I love the QUICKNESS in which I could get a FRESH cup of coffee at any time of the day. When mine started acting up last month, it disrupted my day! IT was worth it to pay shipping to get a new one. A week after the first one started acting up, I bought a cheap small $15.00 regular coffee maker. It was a pain going back and the waiting on the coffee to brew for a single cup. I am caught in the "on-demand, instant gratification, want my FRESH coffee now" syndrome!

After using this "instant FRESH" cup for a year and brewing my own specialty blends that are not available in K-cups I do NOT want to go back to the old slow 4 to 10 cup and wait, wait, wait! Regular brew coffee makers are not bad until one gets used to the instant fresh coffee on demand!


I got the Cuisinart 700 just after Christmas of 2010 when it was on sale in Bed, Bath and Beyond, and I also had a 20% off coupon that BB&B sends out to first time sign-ups on-line. I think I spent about $160.00 + tax on it.


IF there are other questions about what I wrote, I will be glad to answer them.


SUGGESTION: Read the reviews on Amazon for both the Keurig and the Cuisinart. Also do a search online for reviews outside of Amazon. There seems to be a 25% chance overall of problems down the line. Some of that is user end, some is machine problems. I know the risks and take my chances. The companies do honor the warranties fairly well. Be sure to register it.

[dbhost]

I have a small 4 cup Mr. Coffee. Easy operation, doesn't make too much coffee, and the entire waste stream ends up as compost. Simple operation. Fill tank, drop in filter, throw in 1 scoop coffee, push button...

I am too cheap to even consider K cup makers / coffee, not to mention a wide variety of the specialty blends I love simply aren't available in the K cup format...

[greenacres2]

Got my Keurig 5 years ago, perfect for the 1 or 2 cups i normally drink at home before going to work. Was never worth making a pot for that--so i'd switched to instant for several years prior. Overall, good machine with excellent customer service.

They have pump issues on occaision. My first one lasted about 6 weeks before it quit pumping. Called keurig, walked through a few attempts at priming with no luck. After 15 minutes of troubleshooting, the rep said they'd send a new one. No need to send the original one in, no waiting, got it 3 days later. That one worked for a month--same symptoms and problem. Second time i didn't even have to go through the diagnostics on the phone, had a new one coming after a 5 minute call.

The third one worked great for 4 1/2 years, when poor maintenance, hard water and daily use killed it. If i'd have de-scaled it even once i think it would have outlasted me. LOML got me a replacement for my birthday this year, and so far so good. I think the lower end model might be a little more bullet-proof (my first was a premium version prone to bad pumps, this one is the most basic).

If you get the Keurig--get it from an authorized dealer and register the machine. If it fails--pretty smooth sailing.

Earl
Heaven is an Apple Fritter and a good cup of coffee!!

[Cochese]

Looong:

I have the Cuisinart SS-700 and really like it . . . but . . .

First the Good for K-cup machines overall:
1. Fast,
2. Good choice of K-cup coffees.
3. Cuisinart K-cup machines are very quiet machine as compared to what I have heard or read that others say about some of the Kureig models.
4. I use the "make your own" EcoBrew Brew K-Cup filters for my own coffee brands that I like.
The EcoBrew allows about 15% more coffee which makes just a tad stronger coffee than the standard coffee filter that comes with it or the Solo-Fil or the E-Z cup filters.
5. This model (SS-700) offers a wide choice of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz cups.


Bad or not so good:
1. Expensive K-cups (50 to 75 cents) if you drink lots of coffee. We average 6 a day in our household, which will cost us $3.00 to $4.00 daily or roughly $100.00 a month! Too much! So we use the "make our own" cup filters.

2. K-cup coffee or make your own requires each person to adjust the cup size for the proper strength. I like 10 & 12 oz cups but many of the K-cups are too weak at the 10 or 12 oz setting.

3. Expensive machines for the reliability percentage of them. Read below.

4. A side problem of the "brew your own" filters is that the courseness or fineness of the coffee affect the flow of water and eventually the amount of coffee you get. IF the filter is filled to the top and there is little room for the hot water to move freely, it will flow through slow and after about a minute the machine will stop, leaving the cup with about 6 oz of coffee even when 10 or 12 oz was selected.

Don't fill the filters to the top, - about 80% filled at max works OK.

5. It seems like about 3 or 4 in 10 owners of either Keurig or Cuisinart machines have problems with them. Not Good! I started having problems with my SS-700 one year after buying it. I nursed it along and finally called Cuisinart. I did not register mine when I bought it, but with the Serial Number, the lady knew when it was made and that it was in warranty - It had a 3 year warranty. So, they sent me a new one, but I had to pay the shipping, and had to ship the old one back at my expense. I like the coffee maker so well, that the shipping was well worth it to me.

There are three basic problems with the machines:
Electronics, pump, and end user.
Electronics - in some cases, if 10 or 12 OZ is chosen but it only gives 4 to 6 oz on a cup, the next one cup will get the remainder of the previous cup in addition to the choice for that cup!
Pump, sometimes, it just refuses to pump.
I changed the water filter regularly. Our water in this area is very soft, but still the "de-scale" light came on a few times. When it started going bad, I de-scaled it (with vinegar according to total adhearance to instructions) 3 times in one week.

As a note, I de-scaled according to the instructions about once every three months even when it did not need it. I changed water filters about every other month. Still I had problems after a year.

The little coffee 'spike' that punctures the bottom of the k-cups often stops up for some people and causes problems. I never had that and always made sure it was clean. The one "user" problem that I discovered on my own part - was the filling of the "make my own" filters with too much coffee. The coffeemaker pump does like for a little space for water inside of the filters. To test this theory, pick up some K-cup coffees and shake them. There is space in those plastic K-cups that have coffee in them. Pack your own "make your own" too tight, and there will be problems. I never packed mine tight but I did fill them close to the top, and have since backed off.

IF a person likes strong coffee and large cups, buy "BOLD" coffee.

I buy K-cups of different varieties on occasion but use them primarily when company comes. For myself and LOML, I buy our favorite coffees and put them in the Eco-cup filters.


I love the QUICKNESS in which I could get a FRESH cup of coffee at any time of the day. When mine started acting up last month, it disrupted my day! IT was worth it to pay shipping to get a new one. A week after the first one started acting up, I bought a cheap small $15.00 regular coffee maker. It was a pain going back and the waiting on the coffee to brew for a single cup. I am caught in the "on-demand, instant gratification, want my FRESH coffee now" syndrome!

After using this "instant FRESH" cup for a year and brewing my own specialty blends that are not available in K-cups I do NOT want to go back to the old slow 4 to 10 cup and wait, wait, wait! Regular brew coffee makers are not bad until one gets used to the instant fresh coffee on demand!


I got the Cuisinart 700 just after Christmas of 2010 when it was on sale in Bed, Bath and Beyond, and I also had a 20% off coupon that BB&B sends out to first time sign-ups on-line. I think I spent about $160.00 + tax on it.


IF there are other questions about what I wrote, I will be glad to answer them.


SUGGESTION: Read the reviews on Amazon for both the Keurig and the Cuisinart. Also do a search online for reviews outside of Amazon. There seems to be a 25% chance overall of problems down the line. Some of that is user end, some is machine problems. I know the risks and take my chances. The companies do honor the warranties fairly well. Be sure to register it.

Lee, that's a **** of a post and I mean that with all compliments. Long doesn't matter if it's helpful.

I am aware of what seems to be to how the machines seem to be fairly fragile. I'm surprised my parents haven't had to replace theirs, because it seems almost everyone has to at some point. I was planning on buying it from Costco, since they have a very generous return policy. Also, since I was looking at the B70, it helps that it comes with almost two months worth of coffee.

I drink my ~12oz of coffee, with about 3oz of creamer (I know, too much) and I'm set for the day, so a coffee pot would honestly put me off drinking it. I don't need the caffeine to wake up, but it has made a decent substitute for breakfast.

I'm drawn to the K Cups primarily for the ease, but also there are a few many things that would be great to try. Hot cocoa and cider for the kids, the occasional cappuccino for myself...as far as flavors, some vanilla creamer is better than most flavored coffees I've tried. Iced coffee sounds worth a try as well.

Speaking of the latter, plus the larger 12 oz size is why I'm leaning toward the B70. With the 60 K-Cups and a My K-Cup filter included, $160 at Costco goes down to more like $100 + coffee in my mind. Makes it a bit easier to spend 8x what I did on the Hamilton Beach. Ugh, but it beats spending more on the Senseo product.

I calculated out my per cup use of the Senseo to about $.51 a day (or cup). From what I've seen on Amazon, I can get K Cups for about $.60 a cup if I buy in bulk like I did with the Senseo. It would be more if my wife drinks on any days, because she was just cycling my pods through again.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts thus far. I'll hold off on ordering it for a bit.

[BadeMillsap]

I too have the Cuisinart SS-700 ... just about 1 year now with no problems.

I don't drink "a lot" of coffee" but I have tried to clean the machine with vinegar when it has set unused for a few weeks. No problems "so far" but I too have read the reviews that cite pump problems ... fingers crossed.

As far as cost of k-cups ... we buy 80 k-cups from CostCo for about $34 ... I usually get 20oz of coffee per k-cup (it's Newmans Own Bold - I run a 16oz run and then a 4oz run on each k-cup) and am very satisfied with the flavor/taste. .. just over $.02 per oz of coffee cost (water and electric "free") ... I'm happy with that for the convenience and not wasting coffee I would make in a pot and not drink. YMMV

[leehljp]

As far as cost of k-cups ... we buy 80 k-cups from CostCo for about $34 ... I usually get 20oz of coffee per k-cup (it's Newmans Own Bold - I run a 16oz run and then a 4oz run on each k-cup) and am very satisfied with the flavor/taste. .. just over $.02 per oz of coffee cost (water and electric "free") ... I'm happy with that for the convenience and not wasting coffee I would make in a pot and not drink. YMMV

I too bought the Newmans Bold and it was TOO bold for me. I ended up doing what you did basically but a little different: I run the first cup at 6 oz, take the K-cup out and run the 6 oz again for just the hot water. Does just right for me. Then I put the Newman's K-cup back in and run 8 or 10 oz!


My favorite K-cup coffee is Timothy's Italian blend. It gets very favorable reviews. Not too strong but just a little more than morning blend.


You bring up a point - I doubt that I have wasted the equivalent of one pot of coffee in a whole year. In that way, I am saving. At least it is the most effecient in the "wasted coffee" category.

[tommyt654]

I use a french press and fresh beans when I do drink coffee which is seldom,I drink lots of tea instead. My wife however drinks lots of coffee and she used to get the senseo pods before Publix started discontinuing them, Now she goes to Wallyworld and buys Mellitta pods instead and when asked she said they are the same as the senseo if not better in taste in her opinion, just though I might pass that on to you senseo drinkers , https://shop.melitta.com/search.asp?SKW=JPODS

[Cochese]

I use a french press and fresh beans when I do drink coffee which is seldom,I drink lots of tea instead. My wife however drinks lots of coffee and she used to get the senseo pods before Publix started discontinuing them, Now she goes to Wallyworld and buys Mellitta pods instead and when asked she said they are the same as the senseo if not better in taste in her opinion, just though I might pass that on to you senseo drinkers , https://shop.melitta.com/search.asp?SKW=JPODS

Thanks for that tip. I did consider that, but based on how I was using the pods, these would have still been fairly expensive compared to what I was paying. May consider it again, though.

[Cochese]

I went and purchased the Keurig B70 from Costco this afternoon for $150. I have about 10 days worth of coffee left in my old machine, this will give me time to evaluate this thing and see if it's a long term solution.

[tommyt654]

Should have held out for this instead,http://www.wimp.com/coffeefaucet/ Personally I think more than $40 is a waste for a coffee machine , but thats just my opinion as a little hot water goes a long way with teabags or the french press. Its not the machine thats as important as the coffee you are brewing that makes the difference, kinda like Walnut vs Pine, they both cut fine on a saw and make wonderful furniture but the Walnut looks soooo much better even tho they were cut with the same saw.

[Cochese]

Should have held out for this instead,http://www.wimp.com/coffeefaucet/ Personally I think more than $40 is a waste for a coffee machine , but thats just my opinion as a little hot water goes a long way with teabags or the french press. Its not the machine thats as important as the coffee you are brewing that makes the difference, kinda like Walnut vs Pine, they both cut fine on a saw and make wonderful furniture but the Walnut looks soooo much better even tho they were cut with the same saw.

Haha. Yup, paid a bunch. However if I don't like it I did find a way to make my own pods.

[tommyt654]

Now that sounds interesting,momma has resorted back to the ol HB for use for now, could have saved you some bucks on that Keurig tho, I walked downstairs and spied one we still have sitting ona shelf after only a few months use.