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A great, easy cup of coffee
First, a couple of caveats: My wife and I are not hardcore coffee drinkers, and I'm not one to visit Starbucks for frou-frou coffee drinks. I like a simple, strong cup of coffee. That being said, the B40 is a great machine. It makes a good cup of coffee in a minute or less, with little or no clean up (you do have to refill the water vat from time to time, but life's not perfect.) I read the reviews that mentioned the weakness of the coffee, so I ordered the extra bold versions, which were plenty strong on the small cup setting. The coffee can be more expensive than brewing it on your own, but several places (amazon.com included) offer deals if you sign up for coffee on a regular basis. The one negative that I have to mention is that the pump in the machine is very, very loud--if the coffee doesn't wake you up, the pump certainly will. If I had to do it over, I would buy it again. I LOVE this thing. I got this as a birthday present a few weeks ago, and I LOVE it. I'm the only person who drinks coffee in my house, and usually only one or two cups a day, so this is perfect for me. The little K-Cups are so convenient and have so many different flavors. I love the variety it offers. And they are so easy to clean up. You put the cup in, the coffee brews, you take it out. No coffee grounds, no filters. Plus, you can buy the removable filter so you can use your own coffee, although thus far, it doesn't seem to brew a very strong cup. Although I'm still fiddling around with it, it could just be me not doing it right. You can also use the coffeemaker just to heat some water, which works well if you want to make tea or hot cocoa. Of course, the K-Cups come in tea and cocoa flavors as well. Some negative things about it though. First of all, it can be very noisy when it takes in the water. It doesn't last for very long, but if you wake up earlier than everyone else, and need to stay quiet, you might want to reconsider. The noise only lasts about 15 seconds or so. Also, the K-Cups can get pretty expensive. If you are a very rich person, this probably won't matter, but for someone with an average income, it can add up. The K-Cups round out to about $1 per K-Cup. Less than Starbucks, but if you drink more than one cup a day, the costs can add up fast. Also, it isn't as fast as it says it is. It says that it takes less than 30 seconds to brew a cup of coffee, but that's if it's already heated up. It takes a minute or two for the water to heat up all the way. So from start to finish, once you turn it on, I'd say it takes about three minutes. Finally, the sizes are a bit small. The larger size (9.25 oz) fills what I would consider to be an average size coffee mug. So if you have a larger mug or a travel cup, this might take two or even three K-Cups. Negative things aside, I love my coffeemaker. I would very highly recommend it to anyone and everyone who enjoys good coffee fast. Skip the drive-thru! I have to admit that I've become a bit of a coffee snob in my middle age. I enjoy interesting blends and exotic mixes. I love the aroma and flavor, but mostly I love that first cup in the morning. That's actually why I started researching single-cup brewing; I was experiencing disappointment with all the cups after that first cup. I'd even started a weekly trip to the drive-thru of the local corporate coffee monster to get a truly fresh cup on my way to work. I don't drink coffee all day; I usually only have two to three cups, but after the first cup with my old brewer....sigh...something was missing. My research lead me to the Keurig brand. I discovered that Keurig has a great assortment of coffees (many fair trade, even Newman's Own, a company I love to support). Keurig also has great teas (including my all time favorite: Sleepytime). The price of the coffee maker startled me initially, but when I added up the cost of my drive-thru habit, I was able to work my way thru the feelings of excess. The B40 Elite is super simple to use. The coffee is ready in 30 seconds! I like the auto-off feature for weekdays; on weekends I leave the machine turned on for afternoon coffee or tea. The Keurig does have a very loud water pump, but it's a good reminder that the coffee's done when I'm a bit blurry in the mornings Some of the coffees in the variety pack that came with my Keurig seem a tad weak, so I'll just order the bold or rich varieties. I've actually used the k-cup for some of those stronger blends twice (I like to experiment), and they seemed adequate in a crunch. To supplement the offered k-cups with some grinds not (yet) available in pre-made k-cups, I purchased the 'My k-cup' accessory; I highly recommend it. The Keurig has a rather large footprint, but it's artfully made, so I can live with that. Bottom line? I love this machine. I won't go back to a 'traditional' brewer. I guess the folks at the drive thru will miss me... Coffee lover I love this product! Great cup of coffee everytime and it is hot. I bought the cartridge that allows me to use my own coffee as well if I run out of packets. Its a little big for my counter but now they have a smaller model (they did not have this when I bought mine) wish I had waited but this product does exactly what it is advertised to do and looks good doing it. Just what I wanted I bought this product a couple of months ago and could not be happier. I bought four 25 packs of K-cups and four sampler packs. If you need a great cup of coffee in a matter of minutes (seconds, if it is already heated up), this is a great option for you. I generally just want a cup before running out the door, and I hate to waste a whole pot (or even a few drops). Now, I get my cup almost full very quickly and nothing is wasted. I have a 16 oz. Contigo travel mug, so when I want to fill it to the brim I make two "small" size cups. Again, no waste and great coffee fast. | |
