Keurig Coffee Makers | Coffee Gear at Home

Currently viewing the category: "Keurig Coffee Makers"

Where To Buy Cheap K-Cup Pods Online? Plus, Other Questions about K-Cups!

Like every Keurig owner, you probably love the convenience of your coffee maker. Whether you make just a single cup a day or a lot more, knowing that your favorite beverage is just a press of a button a way is always comforting.

But you also know that those pod costs can pile up. Although you’re still saving a lot of money by making your coffee using a Keurig machine, as opposed to visiting a coffee shop, it would still be great to save as much as possible on the cost of your K-Cup pods!

This is what we’re going to focus on in this post. We’ll show you the best options for cheap K-Cup pods, whether you’re looking for coffee packs, tea packs or variety pack. We’ll also answer common questions about K-Cup pods.

Are K-Cup Pods Recyclable?

This is one of the most common questions about K-Cup pods. People love their K-Cup coffee, but they are also concerned about the environmental impact of plastic. Unfortunately, the majority of big brand K-cup pods are still not recyclable. But there are some smaller ethical brands that are offering recyclable as well as compostable K-Cup pods.

We’ve already talked about recyclable K-Cup pods in a previous post. And we’ve mentioned Intelligent Blends K-Cup pods as a great option to get recyclable as well as cheap K-Cup pods. Intelligent Blends uses fully recyclable pods. They offer different coffee roasts -some are Organic-, tea – also with organic options, flavored coffee and many variety packs. Their coffee is Kosher-certified. And since you’ll be shopping factory-direct, you can buy them for as low as $0.39 per pod. Intelligent Blends K-Cup pods are compatible with all Keurig brewers, including Classic Keurig, Keurig 2.0 and K-cup compatible coffee makers.

What Is The Cheapest Price Per K-Cup Pod You Can Get?

This is something we cannot guarantee for sure, as prices are changing constantly. But as of the time of writing this post, the cheapest pods we could find are as low as $0.25 per pod. Some of Victor Allen coffee K-Cup pods seem to be one of the cheapest available.

What Is The Best Dark Roast K-Cup Variety Pack?

Maud’s Dark Roast Variety Pack includes three type of dark roast coffee:

Tall, Dark and Handsome: Their most popular roast, with roast level 8. It’s a strong, full-bodied blend with notes of toasted nuts.
French Roast from the Coast: Very dark roast (roast profile 9). It’s the boldest roast, with burnt undertones. Produces a bold and flavorful cup of coffee.
Espress-O Yourself: here, you’ve reached the highest level of dark roasts (level 10). This very dark roast will remind you of a classic cup of espresso. It’s the darkest and boldest blend Maud has created.

This variety pack is available in 72 ct or 144 ct. You can buy it as a single-time purchase or subscribe to save even more on its price.

Click here to learn more about this Dark roast variety pack and buy it.

Bold and Dark Roast Variety Pack:

This pack includes Dark roast and Bold flavors from different brands. It has a total of 40 K-Cups.

Click here to learn more about this variety pack and buy it.

What Is The Best Flavored K-Cup Variety Pack?

Another great variety pack by Maud’s is their flavored pack. Their flavored pack includes a number of gourmet flavored coffee:

French Toast Roast: cinnamon with a taste of maple syrup and butter.
Sister Hazelnut: smooth flavor of toasted hazelnut and vanilla.
Gone Banana’s Fosters: Subtle notes of banana and vanilla ice cream with buttery brown sugar, cinnamon and dark rum.
Raspberry Choco-Latte: taste of raspberry blended with chocolate flavor and powdered sugar.
Hottie Biscotti Vanilla Almond: notes of Vanilla Ice cream with toasted almonds.
Jamaican Rum Yum: Notes of sweet molasses, caramel coconut and vanilla.

As most flavored coffee, the roast is medium. The pack is available in 100ct for $0.44 per pod.

Click here to learn more about this flavored variety pack and buy it.

Cappuccino K-Cup Variety Pack:

If you prefer your flavored coffee with milk, Maud’s Vanilla and Mocha Cappuccino pod
is something to consider. This pack contains:

22 ct of Vanilla Cappuccino pods: this is a dark roast blend mixed with creamy vanilla flavor.
22 ct of Mocha Cappuccino pods: which is dark roast coffee mixed with chocolate flavor.

These pods already contain powdered milk in them so you get nicely blended coffee, milk and your choice of vanilla or chocolate flavor.

Click here to learn more about this Cappuccino variety pack and buy it.

Are There Organic K-Cup Pods? Where Can I Buy Them?

Yes! Luckily, there are many brands that offer organic K-Cup pods.

Maud’s Organic Variety Pack K-Cups:

This premium K-Cup pack includes 4 single-origin, USDA organic coffee. They are also Fairtrade certified and they contain %30 more coffee!

This variety includes:

Colombian – Guatemala – Sumatran and Ethiopian. Total of 96 ct.

Click here to learn more about this Organic coffee variety pack and buy it.

San Francisco Bay OneCup Organic Rainforest Blend:

This brand of K-Cup pods, known as OneCup, promises to give you French Press-like experience, thanks to its mesh filter pod. It contains USDA certified coffee, and this specific blend contains a mix of medium roasted coffees from Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and Indonesia. Some parts of OneCup pods are compostable.

Click here to learn more about this K-Cup pack and buy it.

Green Mountain Single Origin Organic Sumatran Coffee:

This pack from Green Mountain features organic FairTrade single-origin coffee from Sumatra. The coffee is dark roasted with notes of spice and brown sugar. These pods, however, are not recyclable.

Click here to learn more about this K-Cup pack and buy it.

Best Tea K-Cup Variety Pack:

Prefer tea to coffee? We got you!

Maud’s Organic Tea Variety Pack:

This variety pack of gourmet tea will appeal to any tea lover. It has different blends of teas for you to discover and enjoy.

Royally Good English Breakfast: Classic english breakfast tea that contains a blend of Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas. This full bodied blend can be enjoyed on its own or mixed with some milk and sugar.
Organic Passion Tea with Envy: Green tea blended with sweet tropical fruits for a refreshing and healthy blend.
Uncle Earl’s Going Grey: the humorous name for this blend is not the only thing to smile about, but also the smoothness of this classic Earl Gray black tea.
Organic Peppermint Pattie: Peppermint tea is the perfect choice for relaxing at the end of the day. It’s also highly recommended for the support of the digestive system. This blend has a highly aromatic taste and cooling sensation.

Click here to learn more about this organic tea variety pack and buy it.

Celestial Seasonings Tea Sampler:

This pack includes a count of 22 K-Cup that include:

Lemon Zinger herbal tea.
Fair Trade certified Green Tea
Sleepy time Herbal Tea
English Breakfast black tea.

Click here to learn more about this tea variety pack and buy it.

Two Rivers Assorted Tea Sampler:

Includes a 40 count of 29 different tea flavors. However, please note that this sampler is only compatible with Classic Keurig machines and not Keurig 2.0 machines.

Click here to learn more about this tea variety pack and buy it.

How Can I Try Maud’s Coffee and Tea Pods Before Buying a Large Amount of Pods?

We understand that you don’t want to buy a large count of pods of coffee you’ve never tried before. That totally makes sense! That’s why Maud’s made sampler packs available. These are cheap sample packs with a small count of pods that allows you to taste each pod before buying in large amounts. You can check out the coffee samplers here, and the tea samplers here.

By the way, Maud’s is Intelligent Blend’s in-house signature line. So when buying Maud’s, you’re buying recyclable pods, too!

K-Cup Pods vs. Soft Pods, Are They The Same?

K-Cup pods are often referred to simply as ‘coffee pods’. But for the longest time, that name was used to describe another type of coffee pod, which is also known as the soft pod. And that’s where the confusion comes from.

A soft coffee pod and a K-Cup Pod are entirely different things:

A coffee pod (soft pod) is a flat pod containing coffee ground in a round paper filter. These pods cannot be used in a Keurig machine, but designed for other brewers. You can use them in some espresso machines as well as some single-serve brewers, but they have to state that they are compatible with ‘soft coffee pods’. These pods are available as tea pods, too.
K-Cup coffee pod: that’s the plastic pod you’ve been using all along (if you already own a Keurig coffee maker). K-Cup pods work in Keurig and K-cup compatible coffee makers.

Keurig machines only brew K-Cup pods and you cannot use a soft pod with them.

Where To Buy K-Carafe Pods? Here Are Our Picks!

What Is a K-Carafe Pod?

If you’re an owner of a Keurig 2.0 coffee machine, then you already know that one of the new things about it is that it can brew a carafe. K-Carafe pods are just like K-Cup pods, but they’re made especially for brewing a carafe serving. K-Carafe pods are designed to contain more coffee ground so your brewed carafe serving is strong and delicious and not being watered down.

How Do I know Which Pod Is For a Carafe?

Each pod for Keurig 2.0 has an icon that identifies if it’s for a cup, mug or carafe. In the case of a K-Carafe, like pictured above, you’ll notice the icon of a carafe to indicate that it’s a K-Carafe pod.

Where Can I Buy K-Carafe Pods?

K-Carafe pods are widely available in major stores (Walmart, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Costco… ) or online. If you prefer to purchase online, you can buy them directly from Keurig’s website or Amazon.

This K-Carafe variety pack includes three different coffee blends: Donut House Coffee, Green Mountain’s French Roast and Green Mountain’s French Vanilla.

Newman’s Special Blend is a blend of Fairtrade certified and USDA Organic coffee. This blend is a mix of medium and dark roast coffee.

This variety pack contains a mix of 10 different coffee blends, including flavored coffee and no decaf.

What Is The Difference Between a K-Carafe and K-Cup?

This is what a K-Cup looks like. It looks the same as a K-Carafe for the most part. But a K-Cup contains enough coffee ground to brew only a cup of coffee. While a K-Carafe contains enough coffee ground to brew a carafe of 4 cups. That’s the only difference between them.

How Many Ounces Does a K-Carafe Make?

The maximum you can get out of a K-Carafe is 30 ounces. Keurig’s carafe has the capacity of 32 oz.

Can You Reuse a K-Carafe Pod?

No, neither a K-carafe or K-cup pod are reusable.

Is There a Refillable K-Carafe Pod?

Yes, absolutely! You can buy a refillable K-Carafe filter, and that can be reused as many times as you like!

K-Carafe vs. Keurig Vue, Are They The Same?

If you’re familiar with Keurig’s Vue system, you might be wondering if their pods will work with a Keuirg 2.0 or vice versa, since they do look the same. According to Keurig’s website, Vue pods will work in Keurig 2.0 machines, however, they are not available in a carafe size. But they’ll work for brewing a single cup.

Where To Buy Recyclable K-Cup Pods? Here’s One Brand To Try!

If there’s one downside to Keurig’s K-Cups, it’s the fact that it can turn into a big plastic waste. Unfortunately, most K-Cups are still non-recyclable. But luckily, there are some brands that are working towards providing a great selection of K-Cups that are eco-friendly and recyclable. One of these brands is Intelligent Blends.

Intelligent Blends offers coffee and tea K-cup pods that are packed in Eco-friendly recyclable pods. That’s not the only great part, though. Intelligent Blends’ pods are also factory-direct, which means, you’re getting them for the cheapest price possible.

What Kind of Recyclable K-Cup Pods Can I Buy?

Intelligent Blends offer coffee pods, tea pods, variety packs, samplers and subscriptions.

What Keurig Machines Are These Pods Compatible With?

They’re compatible with Keurig, Keurig 2.0 and any K-Cup brewer from any brand. For Keurig 2.0 compatibility, confirm with the package before buying.

How Much Do Intelligent Blends Recyclable K-Cup Pods Cost?

Like we said, one of the great things about Intelligent Blends is that there is no middle-man, you’re buying factory-direct. The pods are available for as low as 39¢ to 49¢ per pod.

Which Pods To Buy? Here Are Our Recommendations:

If this is your first time trying out Intelligent Blends, here are our recommendations to start with:

Variety Packs:

Dark Roast Variety Pack:

This pack has 3 different blends of the darkest roasts. Roast profiles go from 8 (Darker roast) to 10 (Darkest Roast). If you like your coffee strong, this is going to be your favorite pack. If you prefer a milder taste, there are also variety packs for light and medium roasts.

Click here to learn more about this pack and buy it.

Organic Single-Origin Variety Pack:

This pack has 4 type of single-origin, organic and fair-trade certified coffee. These pods also contain 30% more coffee in each pod. The coffee origins are: Colombian, Guatemala, Sumatran and Ethiopian.

Click here to learn more about this pack and buy it

Flavored Coffee Collection:

For those with a sweet tooth, this variety pack contains 6 different blends of medium roast flavored coffee. The flavors are quite intriguing, and we imagine adding a hint of milk with bring out these flavors even better:

French Toast Roast: cinnamon with a taste of maple syrup and butter.
Sister Hazelnut: smooth flavor of toasted hazelnut and vanilla.
Gone Banana’s Fosters: Subtle notes of banana and vanilla ice cream with buttery brown sugar, cinnamon and dark rum.
Raspberry Choco-Latte: taste of raspberry blended with chocolate flavor and powdered sugar.
Hottie Biscotti Vanilla Almond: notes of Vanilla Ice cream with toasted almonds.
Jamaican Rum Yum: Notes of sweet molasses, caramel coconut and vanilla.

Click here to learn more about this pack and buy it

Organic Tea Pods Variety Pack:

Our tea loving friends, we have not forgotten you! This variety pack includes 4 tea blends:

English Breakfast, Passion Green Envy, Earl Grey, Peppermint Tea.

Click here to learn more about this pack and buy it

Sampler Packs:

If you’re not sure you want to buy in large quantities just yet, buying a sampler pack is the way to go. Sampler packs contain 8 pods of each kind, and you only pay for shipping and handling. This way, you get a taste of the coffee and tea pods before buying large quantities.

Click here to learn more about this pack and buy it

Of course, you can buy each type of blend individually and you can select from other variety packs as well. Visit Intelligent Blend’s website to see all available pods.

How To Use Any K-Cup Pod In a Keurig Vue Machine

Keurig Vue is a one of Keurig’s versatile brewers that has been eventually discontinued and replaced by the Keurig 2.0 brewing system. As Vue uses its own pods called Vue Packs, it limits the type of coffee you can enjoy using the machine. Vue Packs should be available from most brands, but as the machine has been discontinued, you might find less and less Vue packs available. The Vue packs are also more expensive, so using K-Cup pod instead will save you money.

Does that mean it is time to upgrade your machine? Not necessarily. Read on…

Should You Upgrade From a Keurig Vue to Keurig 2.0?

We’ve covered the difference between Keurig Vue and Keurig 2.0 in a previous post. What made a Vue brewer special is the touch screen display and its ability to brew cup sizes up to 18 oz. Both of these things are available in the newer Keurig 2.0 brewers and more. Keurig 2.0 can even brew a full carafe, which is something Vue brewers didn’t do.

If it’s within your budget to upgrade to a new Keurig 2.0, then that would be a great option as it would serve you for a long time to come. But if you’re not in the market for a new machine. There’s a solution.

How To Use K-Cup Pods in a Keurig Vue Brewer:

In order to use any K-Cup pod in a Keurig Vue brewer, you will need a special adapter that you can get for mostly less than $20. Using this adapter, which looks like a refillable K-Cup pod but it’s shaped like a Vue pack. You place the K-cup pod inside the adapter and it will fit into your Vue brewer.

Pros of using a K-Cup to Vue Adapter:

You’ll finally be able to use k-cups in a Vue machine.
It is an affordable way to to continue to use your Vue machine with any K-Cup.

Cons:

It is not always reliable.
It can sometimes clog your machine (not all adapters, some).

Best Rated K-Cup to Vue Adapters:

K2V-Cup is a 2-in-1 adapter that allows you to use any K-Cup pod in your Vue machine and it can be used as a refillable pod to brew your own coffee ground. It works with Vue machines model: V500, V600, V700, V1200 and V1255.

Click here to learn more about the K2V-Cup and read the customer reviews.

Tikkes Cup For Keurig Vue is another 2-in-1 option that allows you yo use K-Cups in your Vue machine and to refill the pod with your own coffee. Compatible with machines: V500, V600, V700, V1200 and V1255.

Click here to learn more about the Tikkes Cup and read the customer reviews.

If you don’t want to use K-Cup pods for your Vue machine, this Solofill V1 is a refillable Vue pod only. This option is the cheapest on the long run since you won’t be buying any pods but simply using coffee ground to brew your cup.

Click here to learn more about the Solofill V1 reusable Vue pod and read the customer reviews.

Starbucks Verismo, Nespresso or Keurig? Which Of These Should You Buy?

Starbucks Verismo V:

Verismo V is a single serve brewer by Starbucks that makes coffee, espresso and latte right at home. It uses pods made exclusively by Starbucks that are available in their famous blends. The Verismo is a system that was first introduced back in 2012, and the Verismo V is the new and totally redesigned machine that promises to brew a better cup than its previous model.

Features of Starbucks Verismo V:

Single serve brewer with dual pressure that allows it to extract espresso at high pressure or coffee at lower power.
Coffee cup size: 10 oz.
Quick start up time of 15 seconds.
With the use of the Verismo milk frother (sold separately), you can easily make your favorite coffee drinks like latte or cappuccino.
Water reservoir capacity: 77.7 oz.

Click here to learn more about Starbucks Verismo V, read the customer reviews and buy it

Starbucks Verismo V Pods:

Verismo can only brew pods made by Starbucks for Verismo. The pods are available in a wide range of Starbucks blends, either for coffee or espresso. Each box contains 12 pods. There are also milk pods available that you can brew directly into your cup. However, these pods won’t make you an authentic cup of Cappuccino or Latte. For that, it is recommended that you pair your brewer with an electric frother, either Verismo’s or any other brand that you’d prefer.

There are no refillable pods available for Verismo. Also, as of the time of writing this post, there are no other brands that make pods compatible for Verismo. So, then buying a Verismo brewer, you’re committing to drinking Starbucks pods only.

Who Should Buy the Verismo V?

If you’re a Starbucks fan, this is a must-have for you, without a doubt. You will be saving a lot of money by investing in this system and brewing your own coffee at home. When brewing a Starbucks at home, your cost should be around $1 per cup. That’s about half the price of what you would pay at the shop.

Click here to learn more about Starbucks Verismo V, read the customer reviews and buy it.

Keurig 2.0 Coffee Brewer:

Keurig is probably the most popular single-serve brewer right now. Keurig’s brewer can make you a variety of drinks like coffee, tea, hot chocolate and more. Keurig uses K-Cup pod only, however, K-Cup pods are made by so many different brands like Green Mountain, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Folgers, and so many well known coffee brands.

Features of Keurig 2.0 Brewer:

There are 3 models available for Keurig 2.0 brewers, usually the difference between them is in the size of the water reservoir, touchscreen display and cup sizes. But here are some general features you’ll find in all models:

Single serve brewer for making coffee, tea, hot chocolate and more.
Can brew a variety of cup sizes (4 to 10 oz cup) (12 oz to 18 oz travel mug) as well as a full carafe (up to 30 oz).
Automatic K-Cup pod recognition automatically optimizes the settings for you (you can reprogram it).
Easy to use touchscreen display for programming your machine.
Strength control setting allows you to make a bolder cup of coffee.
Auto on/off option.

Click here to learn more about Keurig 2.0, read the customer reviews and buy it.

Keurig 2.0 K-Cup Pods:

Keurig 2.0 brewers use K-Cup pods different than the old K-Cups. The new K-Cups have a special labeling on the rim of the pod that allows the machine to read what pod you’ve inserted. Like we’ve already mentioned, these pods are available for many large coffee companies, so you’re more than likely to find your favorite coffee in the form of a K-Cup. And if you can’t find it, you have to option of using a refillable pod filter that not only allows you to use your favorite ground, but also save on K-Cup purchases.

Who Should Buy a Keurig 2.0 Brewer?

If you’re looking for a brewer with the most variety of drinks, then Keurig is your answer. Unlike other single serve brewers that force you to stick to their brand of coffee, Keurig brings so brand to the table. You’ll find pods from brands like Green Mountain, Folgers, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, Caribou. You’ll also be able to brew coffee, tea, hot chocolate, flavored coffee, hot apple cider and more. The large sizes a Keurig can brew is also a very big advantage over other brewers.

Read our comparison between Keurig 2.0 brewers by clicking here.

Click here to learn more about Keurig 2.0, read the customer reviews and buy it.

Nespresso Evoluo VertuoLine Espresso and Coffee Maker:

For this post, we’re adding Nespresso’s VertuoLine to the comparison rather than OriginalLine Nespresso makers, to make the comparison fair.

Nespresso has always been known for its high quality espresso and espresso drinks. But with the introduction of their VertuoLine machines, Nespresso can now make espresso as well as coffee. VertuoLine brews Nespresso capsules only, that are even different than Nespresso’s OriginalLine capsules. VertuoLine capsules are available for espresso and coffee in a number of blends and strengths.

Features of Nespresso VertuoLine Evoluo:

Brews espresso and coffee drinks.
Automatic capsule recognition for blend-specific brewing optimization.
Uses patented Centrifusion technology for brewing instead of pump pressure. The machine spins the capsules rapidly while blending the coffee ground with water to produce the perfect crema.
Brews two up sizes: espresso (1.35 oz) and coffee (8 oz).
Used capsule drawer holds up to 12 capsules before needed to discard them.
Can be bundled with Nespresso Aeroccino to create delicious espresso based drinks (cappuccino/latte).
Available in different colors.
Read our comparison between the Nespresso Evoluo vs. VertuoLine machines.

Click here to learn more about Nespresso Evoluo, read the customer reviews and buy it.

Nespresso VertuoLine Capsules:

As we’ve just mentioned, Nespresso VertuoLine uses capsules that are entirely different than Nespresso OrignalLine’s. They’ve been fully redesigned to be used with the new Centrifusion brewing technology. VertuoLine’s capsule include over 12 varieties with the occasional release of limited edition capsules.

Who Should Buy Nespresso VertuoLine Evoluo?

If you’ve ever tried Nespresso’s coffee, then you know it is really as high quality as they say. Especially when it comes to espresso drinks. If you like your Cappuccino and Latte, you’ll love the cup a Nespresso machine can produce. The coffee on the other hand, while it is good, it is different than a traditional cup of coffee and a totally new experience. Due to Centrifusion technology, where the capsule spins at 7,000 rotations per minute while blending the coffee ground with water, the coffee comes out quite foamy and different in taste than a traditional cup of drip coffee.

Click here to learn more about Nespresso Evoluo, read the customer reviews and buy it.