Why is everyone buying Kuerigs?

[bdub]

I received a Keurig as a birthday gift 2.5 years ago to try and "break" my Caribou Coffee habit.  It didn't work.  I drink lattes and the weak coffee from the machine did not cut it.  The only thing it has accomplished is to turn my wife into a coffee drinker :-)

2.5 years later, the machine is leaking water like crazy (4oz of water leak for a 12oz drink).  After quite a bit of internet research, I have found the Keurig is nearly  IMPOSSIBLE to fix yourself.  I am mechanically inclined and it takes about 18 steps (including using a hacksaw) to disassemble the damn thing.  Also, the parts to fix the machine are not readily available because they want you to buy a new machine.

We were able to keep our per cup coffee costs down to about $0.30 over the years but if I include the cost of the now dead machine, the cost is more like $0.65 per cup.  Definitely cheaper than a store bought cup but NOT cheap. 

Now, I rely on work swill during the week and french press on the weekends.  Will likely get the Moka stove top cap maker for X-mas with the Aerolatte milk frother.

[Bakari]

My point is a counter to yours -- that coffee is useless AND bad for you. Coffee itself is well established to not be bad for you. Furthermore, I enjoy drinking it. I don't pretend to drink it because it is healthy -- it just happens to be healthy on top of my enjoyment.

You paint coffee as a dangerous substance tha only has downsides. It should therefore be treated the same as partially hydrogenated oils and corn syrup. The science does not back up your position.

Nonsense.  I never said it was unhealthy.  I said it was pointless.  And I meant that from the perspective of the reason most people drink it - to help them feel more awake and alert first thing in the morning.  I was just pointing out that if you drink it every single morning (or most mornings), you build tolerance to it, and it no longer provides those effects.  It just feels like it does, subjectively.  Most people believe their subjective feelings are fact, which is why I posted links to studies that confirmed that this common perception is mistaken.

None of that has any bearing on any potential health benefits (or risks).  I even suggested previously that if you didn't drink it every day, then you could actually get the intended stimulant effect from it by drinking it occasionally.  I wouldn't have suggested drinking it occasionally if I thought it was harmful.

The only downside to drinking it regularly, assuming a person's primary reason for alertness, is wasting money.

Also, I don't agree with the implication that partially hydrogenated oils or corn syrup are dangerous substances that only have downsides.

[grantmeaname]

And I meant that from the perspective of the reason most people drink it - to help them feel more awake and alert first thing in the morning.  I was just pointing out that if you drink it every single morning (or most mornings), you build tolerance to it, and it no longer provides those effects.

I drink coffee in the mornings, and the heat and the bitterness help wake me up, in addition to being something I enjoy greatly. I know it's not the caffeine, because decaf doesn't have caffeine in it. And while I guess you could build a tolerance to heat and bitterness, it's not like I've started waking up less over time. Maybe you could concede that there is some benefit in it for some people even if the caffeine part isn't all it's made out to be?

[Nords]

-- Aeropress -- takes me about 1 minute to set up, 1 minute to clean, makes excellent coffee
-- Bialetti moka pot -- takes me about 1 minute to set up and 2 minutes to clean, makes excellent coffee

People actually clean their coffeepots? 

Why?

This is not a coffee pot with a paper filter you throw away. You have to remove a metal screen, dump the grounds out and rinse out the apparatus. You might find it difficult to make more coffee if you don't wash it out.

I was with you until the "rinse out the apparatus" and "wash it out" parts.  I'll have to try that sometime.  I just hope it doesn't spoil the flavor...

[okits]

The only downside to drinking it regularly, assuming a person's primary reason for alertness, is wasting money.

I think caffeine inhibits calcium absorption/increases calcium excretion.  I wonder how much milk a latte would have to have in order to balance this effect out.

[Tom Reingold]

The Keurig seems pretty wasteful to me. Keep the water hot? That's a useless luxury. And how about all that packaging? Wasteful, too.

And what does it achieve? Come on, cleaning up from a drip maker is super easy. Lift the filter (with grinds in it) out of the basket, and toss it. I put it in my compost. Worms seem to like it. Rinse the pot. Done. My God, we need to waste more materials to avoid that? It makes no sense to me.

Coffee has been studied extensively. Excessive consumption is bad. Moderate consumption is not. It's a pleasure, too. I love the taste. I brew it extra strong, and I drink it black. Life without coffee would be poorer.

[Sparky]

I didn't' realize till now that these machines were call 'Kuerigs'. I prefer to call them a 'free punch in the nuts every time you put in the #Q$!$ overprice garbage cartridge'.

My family are always asking me to fix their machines for them. Many of these machines are poor quality; everyone I know has had to return one or two before they find one that actually works properly and doesn't taste like plastic. They take up way too much counter space, often more space then some smaller industrial sized units that will brew enough for a small office. $0.50 a cup? Fu@k that, I can drink 10 cups with milk, sugar using high end coffee for 1/2 as much with a filtered machine.

Another product in 5 years that will be collecting dust in somebodies basement if their lucky, or worse, in a landfill being crushed with all the iPhone 5's and this years plastic 'must have' toys.

[Self-employed-swami]

I don't have mine plugged in, unless I am about to use it.  Mine only takes a cup of water at a time, and so it heats it right when I want to brew, but then again, I have the most basic model.

[Fetlock]

I think caffeine inhibits calcium absorption/increases calcium excretion.  I wonder how much milk a latte would have to have in order to balance this effect out.

I was under the impression that milk actually leaches calcium, rather than replacing it.

"women consuming greater amounts of calcium from dairy foods had significantly increased risks of hip fractures, while no increase in fracture risk was observed for the same levels of calcium from nondairy sources."
12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women American Journal of Public Health 1997;87

"Calcium intake demonstrated no protective in preventing bone fractures. In fact, those populations with the highest calcium intakes had higher fracture rates than those with more modest calcium intakes. "
Calif Tissue Int 1992;50

"Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, were associated with an increased risk of hip fractures...metabolism of dietary protein causes increased urinary excretion of calcium. "
American Journal of Epidemiology 1994;139

"Countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis, such as the United States, England, and Sweden, consume the most milk. China and Japan, where people eat much less protein and dairy food, have low rates of osteoporosis."
Nutrition Action Healthletter, June, 1993

a 1994 study of elderly men and women in Sydney, Australia, showed that higher dairy product consumption was associated with increased fracture risk. Those with the highest dairy product consumption had approximately double the risk of hip fracture compared to those with the lowest consumption.
Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. Case-control study of risk factors for hip fractures in the elderly. Am J Epidemiol. 1994;139:493-503.

Since 1975, 140 clinical trials have explored calcium’s effects on osteoporotic fracture risk. Two-thirds of these studies show no benefit from high calcium intake. Overall, the clinical trials dealing with fracture prevention run two-to-one against calcium
Building Bone Vitality by Amy Lanou, UNC Asheville assistant professor of health and wellness, and noted health writer Michael Castleman

[TomTX]

Nonsense.  I never said it was unhealthy.  I said it was pointless.  And I meant that from the perspective of the reason most people drink it - to help them feel more awake and alert first thing in the morning.  I was just pointing out that if you drink it every single morning (or most mornings), you build tolerance to it, and it no longer provides those effects.  It just feels like it does, subjectively.  Most people believe their subjective feelings are fact, which is why I posted links to studies that confirmed that this common perception is mistaken.

I enjoy coffee, though I don't drink it every day.

I also find that hot coffee is most effective at cutting through mucous - apparently I have a nose sensitive to a variety of pollens and molds, and at the risk of being indelicate.... there tends to be overnight accumulation much of the time. Hot tea also works - though not as well.

I find the Keurig silly, and the flavor of the resulting product poor to mediocre. I use a french press.

[sheepstache]

People actually clean their coffeepots? 

Why?

This is where the Keurig argument originated at my workplace.  We had a 12-cup machine and people would make a big communal pot each morning.  After a particularly caffeinated and ocd employee left we realized he was the one who'd always made sure the filter was emptied afterwards and we didn't have a system to make sure that happened.  After a couple times of the grounds molding after having been left over the weekend, someone threw the machine out.  Someone else brought in a Keurig they got free from another job but the cafeteria had been providing us with free grounds so you would have to buy your own keurig capsules and as far as I know no one does.  Instead they buy coffee from the cafeteria.  Which seems strange to me because, as a coffee addict, free coffee on the job was a big perk; not quite as valuable as a company car or phone plan but that sort of thing.  We still get free tea so I switched to that.

But yes, beyond avoiding obviously unhygienic situations I never really understood cleaning the machine.  I consider the residue "seasoning" that improves the flavor over time.  My spouse disagrees.

[eyePod]

Have one as a gift.  My wife and I stopped buying the disposable little cups.  We have a re-useable mesh filter and insert that we each use once a day in place of it.  I can use whatever coffee I get on sale (generally the next step above folgers/maxwell house).  Not sure about the electricity/water costs, but we are definitely under 10 cents per cup of coffee using this machine.  The coffee makers just make too much.  I wake up a few hours earlier than my wife for work, and I don't want more than 1 cup.

[NWstubble]

 We still get free tea so I switched to that.

Mustachian logic, awesome. I switched from coffee to tea several years ago and never looked back. A good quality black tea can hold it's own with coffee in my opinion.

[Mactrader]

I know it's not the caffeine, because decaf doesn't have caffeine in it.

This is actually a misnomer, decaf does have caffeine in it, just reduced amounts. A Starbucks grande decaf has 25mg, which is about 10% of the regular.

[grantmeaname]

That may be the case for starbucks, but from my very exhaustive internet research, that's like the extreme end of the range that may extend down to 1.5% of the full-strength caffeine content. It looks like you can't easily find a lab test for your given brand of coffee (I drink Kirkland Signature decaf, which is the best cheap coffee in the entire world, but couldn't find lab results for its caffeine content specifically.

I didn't mean literally caffeine free, but effectively caffeine free. If there's less caffeine in it than in black tea, we're well past the point of any substantial effect.

[mindaugas]

I'm on day 4 without coffee and doing fine.

[okits]

I don't own one but have enjoyed playing with other people's. Was tempted to get one a few years ago, but it's not practical due to cost and lack of counter space (and I don't need to drink more coffee.) More people buying one just means I'll have more chances to play with their Keurigs. :)

Just wanted to report back that I spent a night at a nice hotel (company paid) and the room had a small Keurig so I had fun playing with that. :)  The coffee was quite hot, though, so I couldn't really judge how good/how much I liked the Timothy's coffee k-cup (I rarely drink their stuff anyways.)  After this thread I think half my enjoyment was simply that I got to play with it for free/on the company's dime. :) Yay, mindless (caffeinated) gadget fun!

[chucklesmcgee]

They look cool, don't require much cleaning, it's easy to try a bunch of different flavors and it's much faster than any other method of coffee making at getting a decent uniform cup. Not saying they're a good idea, just that's why people like them.

[Fyction]

I'm on day 4 without coffee and doing fine.

As long as you keep repeating that over and over. ;)
I take breaks from my coffee habit once I feel my tolerance has gotten a bit high, the first week is usually really rough (headaches, etc). Then I can resume drinking coffee and use a weaker recipe to get a stronger effect.

I see the Kuerig as really wasteful, my last job had them and the coffee for free. After two years of the stuff, all the different flavors started to taste the same (like the packaging). I wouldn't have ever used one if I had to pay for it.

[mindaugas]

As long as you keep repeating that over and over. ;)
I take breaks from my coffee habit once I feel my tolerance has gotten a bit high, the first week is usually really rough (headaches, etc). Then I can resume drinking coffee and use a weaker recipe to get a stronger effect.

It really hasn't bugged me but I only drank about 2-3 cups in the morning. My stomach is thanking me though.

[lr]

Keurig makes sense if you buy your own reusable cup and skip the entire disposable coffee thing.  It's still the easiest way to brew an occasional cup.  No extra coffee, no trashing filters, very little to clean.

Pro-tip:  Keurig is not the only company with k-cup compatible brewers.  You can get much less expensive brewers from other companies with similar performance and simplicity.

[matt_g]

I think Jimmy Kimmel figured it out.  Here is a video of people comparing regular starbucks coffee to it's new premium $7 per cup coffee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HxlGI4OzeBk#!

[Khao]

Keurig makes sense if you buy your own reusable cup and skip the entire disposable coffee thing.  It's still the easiest way to brew an occasional cup.  No extra coffee, no trashing filters, very little to clean.

Pro-tip:  Keurig is not the only company with k-cup compatible brewers.  You can get much less expensive brewers from other companies with similar performance and simplicity.

Mhmm.. sounds interesting! I'm the only one drinking coffee at home and every morning I have to do my little filter + coffee + water + turn on the coffee machine and wait 5 minutes routine for my coffee. I also always pour too much water just in case I want a second cup (not that often) and end up emptying the extra coffee in the sink. Cheap k-cup compatible brewer + reusable cup could be a good option just for the hassle-free experience (even though it wouldn't save me that much money in the long term)

Do you know of any good k-cup compatible machine? I figure they must be pretty cheap since they seem to be using the same business model as printers do. Cheap to buy the machine, expensive to buy the refills (coffee cups in this case)

[lr]

We picked up a Mr. Coffee k-cup brewer for about $40 on sale, and it lists for $60+.  That's still a big discount from the Keurig brand, which ranges $99 to hundreds.

While looking it up, I also discovered our older unit was recalled! We're getting a new model by mail that supposedly can't explode. 

So, thanks!

[Khao]

We're getting a new model by mail that supposedly can't explode.

That seems like a nice feature!

[lauren_knows]

This just happened in my office and I immediately thought of this thread:

The standard coffee machine (big pot, basket filter) is entirely funded by employees at my office. It's $5 a month to participate, and one employee is in charge of the money and buying the filters and grounds.  It turns out that the coffee fund is floundering, because either it costs too little to cover costs and/or there is rampant stealing of the coffee.

Their solution? They're considering getting a Keurig machine for the office, and having people buy their own cartridges for it.   So, there are sneaky people out there that are too cheap to pay $5/mo for unlimited coffee, but they think people are going to pay $0.50/cup in the Keurig?  I think this office is about to have a major caffeine withdrawal...

[Otto Pilot]

The small Keurig with the refillable k-cup and a large tin of Tim Hortons is, for me, the best solution for office coffee.  I usually bring in a travel cup from home in the morning, but for afternoons, when I usually alternate between tea and coffee, the Keurig allows me to make a cup without having to go heat up water or deal with the mess of cleanup.  The Keurig was a gift, and the Horton's is $14 for a huge tin, with about a spoonful filling the k-cup, which makes it a pretty good value for what is without a doubt my favorite coffee.

[lauren_knows]

My mind got racing about my last post here about how you could possibly lower the costs of a Keurig, if that was the only option in the office.

Other than the fact that I have a french press, they apparently sell a miniature re-usable keurig filter that lets you sprinkle in your own grounds. Awesome. http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-Reusable-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000DLB2FI

[Russ]

I just wanted to share that my housemate, the least Mustachian person ever, just bought a Keurig (variety pack of k-cups and all) during last night's trip to the grocery store. I'm saving most of his un-mustachian stories for after I move out, but I'll share this one:

-This was the first time I've seen him go to the grocery store in over 3 months. He doesn't have to go more often because if he isn't eating pizza, he's eating some infinite-shelf-life marvel of food science such as pop-tarts, reese's puffs (no milk), or snickers bars.
-This trip to the grocery store generated 1 full bag of trash...before anything was even eaten!
-and of course the Keurig, which is less expensive than the Waffle House coffee he normally buys on the way to work, but we already have a programmable drip coffee-maker in the house which he could program before bed to have a fresh cup ready every morning.

I wasn't awake this morning when he tried it out for the first time, but I'll be curious to see how he likes it when I get home.

[ShavenLlama]

Just wanted to report back that I spent a night at a nice hotel (company paid) and the room had a small Keurig so I had fun playing with that. :)  The coffee was quite hot, though, so I couldn't really judge how good/how much I liked the Timothy's coffee k-cup (I rarely drink their stuff anyways.)  After this thread I think half my enjoyment was simply that I got to play with it for free/on the company's dime. :) Yay, mindless (caffeinated) gadget fun!

A hotel seems like the only place a Keurig makes sense. I work in a hotel, and I have to say that in 7+ years, I have never seen the dishwashers working on coffee pots from the rooms. And we all know what kinds of shenanigans go on in hotel rooms.

Onto a bigger problem- What is Bed Bath and Beyond going to do with the huge swaths of sales floor real estate dedicated to the Keurig when the fad ends?

[themush]

Inlaws bought us one. I'm not a fan, my wife likes it in the morning for her grab to go coffee. I wait until I get to work for the free stuff. On the weekends we french press.

The best deal I've seen for K-Cups is for San Francisco Coffee Co. at Costco - I think they wind up being about .25c per cup.

[Nords]

The standard coffee machine (big pot, basket filter) is entirely funded by employees at my office. It's $5 a month to participate, and one employee is in charge of the money and buying the filters and grounds. 

Considering the "expense" of keeping the employees well-caffeinated happy, it seems a little sad that the employer can't foot the bill.

Back in the 1980s one of our submarine training classes formed a coffee mess of about 20 people.  Everyone chipped in $5 to pay for the coffeepot & supplies.  We also recycled aluminum soda cans from the classroom, which at the time were a nickel refund.  I was planning to collect monthly coffee fees, but the recycle refunds paid so well that at the end of the five-month class I issued $10 dividends.

I'm trying to imagine what would happen if the Navy started requiring everyone to form their own coffee messes.  It'd get ugly...

[mindaugas]

Back in the 1980s one of our submarine training classes formed a coffee mess of about 20 people.  Everyone chipped in $5 to pay for the coffeepot & supplies. 

Nuclear powered keurig on a nuclear powered sub?

[sulaco]

First thought when I see this kind of stuff.. ooooo investment idea. Yep private company :-(

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=GMCR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mountain_Coffee_Roasters

About a year ago they were accused of cooking the books and they fell from >$100 to <$50. Since then they've fallen even further. Unless they get their act together, it may not be a good investment.

[Nords]

Back in the 1980s one of our submarine training classes formed a coffee mess of about 20 people.  Everyone chipped in $5 to pay for the coffeepot & supplies. 

Nuclear powered keurig on a nuclear powered sub?

A coffee-drenched sea story for your reading pleasure:
http://the-military-guide.com/2011/09/07/sea-story-coffee-anyone/
Considering the alternatives, Keurigs might not be such a bad idea. 

[skandrae]

A coffee-drenched sea story for your reading pleasure:
http://the-military-guide.com/2011/09/07/sea-story-coffee-anyone/
Considering the alternatives, Keurigs might not be such a bad idea.

Haha, Nords! That was great!

[Mactrader]

Welp:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-case-for-drinking-as-much-coffee-as-you-like/265693/

[Nords]

Welp:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-case-for-drinking-as-much-coffee-as-you-like/265693/

Thanks-- I'll drink to that confirmation bias!

[eyePod]

My mind got racing about my last post here about how you could possibly lower the costs of a Keurig, if that was the only option in the office.

Other than the fact that I have a french press, they apparently sell a miniature re-usable keurig filter that lets you sprinkle in your own grounds. Awesome. http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-Reusable-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000DLB2FI

This is what the wife and I use at home.  If we get new k-cups for holidays we enjoy them, but otherwise we just stick with a decent ground coffee that we buy in much larger quantities.  The re-usable filter is wonderful.

[norvilion]

My father ended up really wanting one of those for Christmas so we ended up going in on one as part of a split present. Main reason was that he hated feeling wasteful brewing up a full batch of coffee for just one or two cups. I'll admit I was a bit uncertain about it but since I was the one who picked it up (have Sams membership so it was cheapest for me) I made sure to get one with a reusable filter. He tried a few of the k-cups liked a couple of them and couldn't stand another few. Showed him the filter option and he fell in love with it, especially seeing how one filter of coffee grounds can make a few cups of coffee in a row. Still seems overly expensive and would have been better to just get a 4 cup coffee pot or something but I suppose when using your own coffee instead of the throw-away cups it isn't too bad.

[cbr shadow]

I read the first page and parts of the 2nd page on this posting, so I'm sorry if this has already been brought up..

My parents have a Keurig and I used my Kill-a-watt meter on it to see how much power it uses to "keep the water heated".  It's surprisingly efficient.  It doesn't keep the water hot all the time.  The blue light on there indicates that it's ready to heat the water in the machine, but the water stays room temperature until you make a cup of coffee.  It uses a hot coil to heat up the water very quickly.  That coil in "ready" mode with the power on uses 2-watts continuously.  On start-up it used 600 watts for about 2 seconds, then down to 2 watts.  I didn't test it for the making of the cup of coffee, but that numer shouldn't really matter since a cup of coffee takes 15-30 seconds and then it goes back to "ready mode" with 2 watts being used.
Sure, 2 watts does add up over time, especially if you have several devices doing this, but it's not the water-heater that some imply in the posts above, keeping a large amount of water near boiling 24/7.

That takes care of the power efficiency (for me anyway) issue.   The cost of coffee (per cup) is another issue.  There are cheapie ( $2 each)refillable "k cups" that you put normal ground coffee into that dont work very well.  I bought my parents a $14 refillable cup that got good reviews, and my parents love it.  Now they can get the convenience benefit and still get a very inexpensive cup of coffee.

The points about longevity of the machine and inability to do DIY or availability of parts are all valid issues that I have no good response for :)

All that said, I'll probably stick to my standard drip coffee machine at least until it dies.

[ladycygnus]

YES!  Reusable K-Cup for the win! http://www.amazon.com/Cafejo-Single-Reusable-Filter-Brewers/dp/B0080050RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352986339&sr=8-4&keywords=reuseable+k+cups

This is exactly what we do!  I got so irritated by the cost of the k-cups and the WASTE (so much waste), but now we have a re-usable cup and we buy good cheap coffee that we grind in-store at Trader Joe's:  $4.99 for 14oz.  It takes 0.4 oz of coffee per cup, and that comes out to 35 cups of coffee, which works out to about $0.14/cup of HOT DELICIOUS JOE!

It's great, and I think less waste than a traditional drip coffee maker....we make only what we'll drink and drink only what we make.  And as for tea, you can throw a bag in a cup, and you can run the keurig with no coffee in it to just get the hot water.

So it's a hot fresh cup of coffee every time!  And I don't believe it takes any more power to heat the water than a traditional coffee pot, plus you don't have that damn hot plate sucking power and burning your coffee.  We turn it on, it warms up in a minute or two, brew our cups, then turn it off.  I honestly feel it is a pretty efficient coffee system, personally.

SCREW THE K-CUPS!  BUY YOUR OWN COFFEE!! If you don't buy into the k-cup thing, it's a pretty sweet setup and IMHO quite Mustachian.  :)

My parents bought me (the only non-coffee drinker) a Keurig and the reusable cup. This is perfect for my roommate and I since we both only drink coffee about once a week or so. You have a cup of hot coffee to give you that boost without making an entire pot. You can also make it stronger or weaker and there the waste is reduced.

My company also has a Keurig, and they recycle the k-cups (somehow they get split, the grounds go to compost and the plastic gets recycled.

[bluecollarmusician]

I used my Kill-a-watt meter on it to see how much power it uses to "keep the water heated".  It's surprisingly efficient.  It doesn't keep the water hot all the time.  The blue light on there indicates that it's ready to heat the water in the machine, but the water stays room temperature until you make a cup of coffee.  It uses a hot coil to heat up the water very quickly.  That coil in "ready" mode with the power on uses 2-watts continuously.  On start-up it used 600 watts for about 2 seconds, then down to 2 watts.  I didn't test it for the making of the cup of coffee, but that numer shouldn't really matter since a cup of coffee takes 15-30 seconds and then it goes back to "ready mode" with 2 watts being

Glad you posted this.  I drink a good bit of coffee but my wife only maybe drinks a cup a day.  Two years ago during a " we don't have anything new " phase she begged me to get her a keurig.  I was philosophically opposed, but gave in eventually for our anniversary.  I paid about 120 on sale for the top of the line model...figured if I was spending that much, I wanted the options I might enjoy ( temp control and varied size cups.)
 we use primarily the refillable cups... ( a good one, not a cheapie) and the results with good coffee are very good.  Not the best coffee ever, but simple clean up and easy to get out the door with no waste.

So, as someone who was opposed, I have come around a little. Aside from the actual purchase price, I find it to be a very useful device...
We make as much coffee as we want with zero waste, minimal clean up, and relative convenience for coffee that is easily better than most drip pots, and when done correctly rivals French press.  The big plus for me is I always get a fresh cup.  Additionally it costs a lot less to operate, compared to leaving a pot on all morning.  Those things are big energy hogs, and the coffee tastes awful after it sits a little While anyway.  The keurig heats only a small amount of water more efficiently.  Don't know that we will ever recoup the cost of the pot in electricity savings...but overall, it works out for us and is clearly cheaper to operate than any other method available to actually make a cup when you consider cost of coffee and to heat the water.  Coffee is a luxury item, but if you don't buy the Kcups, it is not an ongoing money drain.
Also, our model has an auto off timer.  After I use it I can leave it on if I may want more, and it will shut off auto.  Then wife can make here own fresh cup when she wakes up when I come home for lunch....;)

[totoro]

Am I the only one being swayed into the realm of the Kuerig based on the energy use and reusable cups???  I find myself thinking this might work better for us than the bodem....

[cbr shadow]

This thread quickly turned from a "why do people buy these wasteful Keurigs" to "Where can I get one of these energy saving efficient machines?" haha

[TomTX]

My father ended up really wanting one of those for Christmas so we ended up going in on one as part of a split present. Main reason was that he hated feeling wasteful brewing up a full batch of coffee for just one or two cups. I'll admit I was a bit uncertain about it but since I was the one who picked it up (have Sams membership so it was cheapest for me) I made sure to get one with a reusable filter. He tried a few of the k-cups liked a couple of them and couldn't stand another few. Showed him the filter option and he fell in love with it, especially seeing how one filter of coffee grounds can make a few cups of coffee in a row. Still seems overly expensive and would have been better to just get a 4 cup coffee pot or something but I suppose when using your own coffee instead of the throw-away cups it isn't too bad.

Are that many people unaware that a regular drop-type coffee maker is perfectly capable of making less than a full pot at a time? You just put in less water and grounds. It really is that simple. There's probably an actual minimum, but half pots work quite well.

[TomTX]

Hm should have been "drip-type" not "drop-type"

[cbr shadow]

I tested my drip-type coffee maker this morning with my kilo-watt meter just for comparison.  The drip-type is less than 6 months old.  While making coffee it runs at 940 watts for the ~5 minutes it takes to make the pot of coffee. When it's just "keeping it warm" it runs at an average of 40 watts for about 2 hours.  After that is "shuts off" and runs continuously at 2 watts (light up clock).  So for comparison sake, I think the keurig is roughly the same efficiency per cup (keurig uses less power, but you only get a cup at a time). 
These results are basically what I would expect though, since both machines use basically the same method of heating water and sending it through the grounds.  They're really not that different!

[TomTX]

I tested my drip-type coffee maker this morning with my kilo-watt meter just for comparison.  The drip-type is less than 6 months old.  While making coffee it runs at 940 watts for the ~5 minutes it takes to make the pot of coffee. When it's just "keeping it warm" it runs at an average of 40 watts for about 2 hours.  After that is "shuts off" and runs continuously at 2 watts (light up clock).  So for comparison sake, I think the keurig is roughly the same efficiency per cup (keurig uses less power, but you only get a cup at a time). 
These results are basically what I would expect though, since both machines use basically the same method of heating water and sending it through the grounds.  They're really not that different!

Yep, it takes a certain amount of electricity to heat 1 cup of water to 190F (or whatever you brew at) - ye kinna change the laws of physics!

[starbuck]

My very generous in-laws bought us a $200 Keurig machine for Christmas. TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. It's the same model they bought after renovating their kitchen. I think my mother-in-law misinterpreted our polite comments for genuine enthusiasm. The Keurig works great for them because half-full pots of coffee were frequently going to waste.

My spouse and I love coffee, and drink a lot of it every day. There are no half-full pots getting chucked around here. I appreciate the thought, and even the economics presented here of the product, but for us it's just a completely 100% unnecessary appliance. We've got a perfectly good drip coffee maker (it even has a timer!) and a deluxe french press for lazy weekend mornings. AND so many different ways of brewing tea and making hot chocolate. Thankfully my MIL is very willing to give gift receipts with presents.

So, any Mustachian products at Bed Bath & Beyond? Our kitchen is truly fully kitted out, so I'm contemplating a nice down comforter or something similar. Since we keep the house nice and chilly here in New England. :)