Keurig B31BLACK K-Cup Single Cup Coffee & Tea Brewing System, Black

We love this brewer. The best benefit is a fresh, just-brewed cup of coffee every time. The k-cups are more expensive than buying bulk coffee but we were throwing away partially brewed pots of coffee every day with our old brewer. Plus, the savings in time not having to clean the carafe and dump the filter of grounds and then cleaning that is well worth it. Also, you can purchase a reusable filter for it if you want to continue to use non-kcup coffee. Believe me, it is still WAY less expensive than what you pay in the popular coffee houses and the coffee is just as good, or better.

It won't accommodate a tall cup but it is simple to brew into a glass measuring cup and then pour that into your tall cup or travel mug.

Helpful tip: We did have a clogging problem at first. The manual doesn't tell you that there is a "top needle" that can get clogged. Just remove the gasket and take a straightened paper clip to unclog it. If you use your own coffee, use a coarser grind to avoid that problem. HOWEVER, we were leaving the k-cup closed up in there and the grounds were getting cold and stayed stuck in the needle. We found that if you remove the k-cup right after brewing, it doesn't get clogged EVER. Have not had it happen since we discovered that. By the way, Keurig's customer/technical service is absolutely top notch! They stand behind their product and more than make up for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

For those of you who are confused about the amount of water to pour in, we just take the cup we are brewing it in, fill it with water and pour it in. We never worry about seeing where the water level is.

A trend I have noticed in many of the negative reviews of the smaller Keurig brewers (both here and elsewhere on the internet) is that I think people are unfairly rating down the product due to issues that aren't really the brewer's fault. Note: I'm not saying that Keurig machines are some sort of holy, blameless things that never fail...I'm sure people have had problems with them, but it seems some people are being very unreasonable in spreading bad word of mouth about them. A few things:

1. People having overflow problems This seems really weird to me. The fill-level indicators are pretty darn accurate in my experience, but I get the feeling some people are just FILLING the reservoir with water completely. (which you're not supposed to do) and then taking off, leaving the machine to do it's thing and then winding up with a mess. Important note: the reservoir holds probably around 15-16 oz of water, but the machine is not made to properly brew more than 10oz at a time. I think they stress this in the manual for a reason. Fill your mug with water first, and use that as the measurement. Pretty simple.

2. The coffee not being strong enough Given the fact that there's something like 180 types of coffee for the machine, this seems like a really vague comment. I mean...are you brewing dark roast or extra bold k-cups? When I've tried those, I definitely get a damn strong cup of coffee. Are you brewing breakfast roasts? Then, yeah, it's going to be pretty light. If you are making dark coffee and it's coming out weak, then yes, there may be a problem with the brewer, but I'm guessing people are putting in blends that aren't stronger cups and expecting the kind of paint-stripper coffee they're used to making by hand. If the bolds really aren't doing it for you, may I recommend brewing an 8oz cup, then brewing a second 8oz cup with the same k-cup and combining them. Alternately, get the reusable k-cups and put stronger coffee in at a higher fill rate (say 3 tbps).

3. The coffee is not hot enough Again, this seems vague and personal preference-ish, yet people are rating down the machine because the near boiling temperature the coffee dispenses at apparently isn't insanely hot enough for them. Yes, in some circumstances, the heater may not be working, but I know people who like coffee hotter than the sun for some reason. Here's the thing: maybe you DO like scalding hot coffee. But just-at-boiling/just-under-boiling temp is generally considered the proper brewing temperature for coffee, at any roast. Also, using cold water will generally get you a crappy cup of coffee, in ANY machine. Chilled water generally wreaks havoc with the thermostats in coffee makers and in some instances the machines will simply heat to compensate for the temperature, but not actually boil the water. Use normal tap water for better performance (purified, preferably).

4. There are dry grounds in the k-cup or reusable k-cup This is something that people need to be very sure about. When coffee grounds are brewed at very high temperatures at high pressure, the grounds do NOT end up looking the same as the grounds do when you use a drip process (which results in a kind of brown sludge). If the grounds are being brewed right, they tend to bunch up and almost crystallize, with the high-heat, steam, and pressure almost "drying" them out for lack of a better way to put it. The grounds almost go through a kind of "spin cycle" like laundry does in a machine. So, the leftover grounds will NOT look like the wet, brown mess you get in drip filters. Are you SURE the grounds are dry and not being brewed or are they simply looking like the way high heat/pressure used up grounds tend to look? Does the coffee seem definitely weak and not brewing right?

About every 10-12 cups of coffee I suggest making sure the bottom k-cup assembly is clean and the needle is clear, then also clean the upper assembly and needle. Run the brewer every now and then with water, but no k-cup, which should help clean the top part. You shouldn't have to descale except maybe once every 5-6 months, and if you're using filtered water even then it shouldn't even be much of an issue.

I'm not saying Keurig brewers are perfect..I know some people have legitimately had bad experiences with them (and many have pointed out that the quality of water pumps they use are not exactly top of the line), but I think it's unfair to 1-star the product when many of the issues are not quite what they seem.

Buy Keurig B31BLACK K-Cup Single Cup Coffee & Tea Brewing System, Black Now

I recently purchased both the Keurig B31 and Bosch Tassimo T45 personal brewers. My initial search was for a personal brewer for my office since the coffee provided at work is terrible. This review is written from the angle that I needed a brewer for my office cubicle, however I will add some insight for those looking to purchase for home use. My 3 main factors were 1)Convenience/Ease of Use 2)Price & 3)Coffee Quality. I opted with the Keurig for work and the Tassimo for home.

CONVENIENCE/EASE OF USE:

The Keurig wins for this factor since it is MUCH quieter than the Tassimo. As stated before, I sit in a cubicle at work so I didn't need a loud machine to disrupt my co-workers. We have `white noise' in our office and you can hardly hear the B31 as it brews. The Tassimo at home is louder and would definitely disrupt my co-workers sitting next to me. However, it is not so loud that it would wake someone up who is sleeping in the house. There are some good videos on YouTube of sound tests of the B31 and T45. I found the videos made the B31 sound louder than it actually is, while the Tassimo's are pretty accurate.

The Keurig brews a little faster than the Tassimo which gives it a little edge as well, but both are right around 2 minutes.

PRICE:

Since the coffee at work is free, price was a big factor for me as well. I didn't need something that was going to greatly increase my weekly spending. The Keurig B31 ($99.99) is cheaper than the Tassimo ($169.99). However, Bosch currently has a $50 rebate on the T45. Couple that with a 20% of BBB coupon and you have greatly reduced the price of the Tassimo machine.

The k-cups are also cheaper than the t-discs. I found the k-cups to be around $0.50/cup. The t-discs will run you $0.60 $0.80 for regular coffee and $1.25 for the cappuccinos and lattes. Depending on how much coffee you drink, this could get expensive.

Since I use the Keurig every day at work and the Tassimo only on the weekend, this made it the better choice for my desk.

COFFEE QUALITY:

The Tassimo wins this hands down. I found the Tassimo coffee (specifically Seattle's Best and Gevalia) to be much better than the k-cups. The flavors out of the Tassimo seem richer and fuller and the aroma that comes from the machine when brewing is much stronger. The k-cups do produce a good cup of coffee, but I found the t-discs better. I have been able to get close to the flavor of the t-discs by trying different brands of k-cups, but haven't found one that matched it in flavor exactly.

Conclusion:

I found the Keurig B31 to be the best option for my cubicle at work based on convenience and price. I would recommend the Tassimo for those who are using it at home. Or you could purchase both and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Read Best Reviews of Keurig B31BLACK K-Cup Single Cup Coffee & Tea Brewing System, Black Here

Like many on here I could have written a glowing review on this mini and heck I may have but can't remember. You add water with each cup being careful not to overfill it, you buy pricey pods no secret there, it makes a great, hot cup of coffee, etc, all of the things it is SUPPOSED to do. I learned all of the little tricks, tips, paper clip cleaning of the needle and so on and so forth BUT how much time do you really want to spend cleaning the machine and unclogging the needle? I've been on the phone with Keurig when it didn't brew and their service department is excellent (shouldn't you always develop a relationship with CS within what 2-3 months of ownership?). I know this little machine inside and out. Like I said it makes great coffee but only when it feels like it! I swear this thing has a mind of its own. It randomly leaves water inside the heating element quick fix by turning off the machine, holding down the on button and pumping the water out. It randomly explodes the pods at the seams sending coffee grounds all through the pod housing this trick is usually discovered once my coffee appears with a multitude of floating grounds no biggee you just pull out your handy dandy fine sieve and filter it into another cup. Don't we all want to mess with that in the morning? This morning prior to the explosion it just didn't work at all...turned it off, pulled the handle, etc. and finally it was ready. I'M DONE. Sorry Mini I wanted to love you but you will be going back from where you came before I'm no longer under the return window. You'd looked cute sitting there on my counter top and 75% of the time you were great but the other 25% with your finicky self has just ruined this relationship.

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I wish I would have read the reviews before buying the Mini! Mine died after to months of average use. Currently it makes about 1/4 cup or less. After reading what others have gone through I am not going to bother fighting with it or costumer support but because I love the product and convenience I am sizing up to a model that has better reviews and is more long lasting. I am giving this company a second chance only once. Don't bother getting this model because in a few months you will need a new one.