Around the year 2014, Keurig released their revolutionary (back then) machines that they named the Keurig 2.0 line – included models K200, K300, K400 and K500. They lasted a few years before being discontinued and getting replaced by a model way better (read on to learn more).
What Made Keurig 2.0 Special?
We all know Keurig machines as single serve coffee makers that brew one cup at a time using K-Cup pods. These pods are available from wide ranges of coffee brands, as well as other beverages like tea or hot chocolate and many more.
What made Keurig 2.0 machines so special and popular is that they were able to brew single cups as well as a full carafe using what they called K-Carafe pods. They had a range from small cups, to large mugs (using K-Mug pods) and carafe (K-Carafe pods). That, in addition to many customization features like temperature control and Iced drink settings made these machines so popular.
Why Was Keurig 2.0 Discontinued? What Went Wrong?
All sounds great so far, so why were these awesome machines discontinued?
There were few issues with Keurig 2.0 machines:
DRM (Digital Right Management): to use Keurig 2.0 machines, you needed to buy all new pods which had DRM. These new pods were designed in a way that the machine would automatically recognize them. But this angered so many Keurig customers for so many reasons:
- One, if you were upgrading from a previous Keurig machine and already had K-cup pods, it meant that you would not be able to use them with your Keurig 2.0 machines since they would not be recognized.
- DRM pods were in limited availability. They were not made by all brands and there was few available. Especially pods made for carafe brewing.
Cost wise, the K-Carafe pods were costly. Users soon realized that they were paying more than they should to brew a 10-cup carafe and it was not worth it. Not to mention, these pods were hard to find.
Soon after, Keurig updated their Keurig 2.0 machines to remove DRM and allow customers to use any pod they wanted. But the K-Carafe pod issues continued. They were hard to find, online or in stores. Which was a major issue, since people were buying Keurig 2.0 machines for the sake of carafe brewing.
Can I Still Use My Keurig 2.0?
If you are one of the people who already have a Keurig 2.0, you can still use your machine just fine, using any type of K-Cup pod. If you can get your hands on K-Carafe pods, you’ll still be able to use them, too. Just know, they are differently not worth the purchase anymore.
Keurig 2.0 Replacement: What To Buy Instead
If they only reason people bought Keurig 2.0 machines is for carafe brewing, then you’ll be happy to see what Keurig came up with instead.
It is safe to say that Keurig have learned their mistake with their 2.0 line and corrected it in their K-Duo line. These machines, like the Keurig 2.0, are able to brew single-serve cups as well as full carafes. The difference is, carafe brewing uses ground coffee instead of pods.
You can read all about Keurig K-Duo in this post. But here’s the gist:
- They’re available in two models: K-Duo and K-Duo Plus
- You can brew single-serve coffee and other beverages using K-Cup pods, up to 12 oz capacity.
- You can brew a carafe, up to 12 cups capacity, using ground coffee.
- These machines are compatible with all kinds of K-Cup pods, including refillable pods.
Is It Worth It To Buy Keurig 2.0 Machines Anymore?
Let’s say you found a really irresistible deal on a Keurig 2.0 machine, should you go for it?
I would highly advice against this for so many reasons…
Even though the machine would be able to brew single-serve cups, it’s simply not worth it to buy a machine that has been discontinued. Keurig does not offer support for these machines anymore. It would be really hard to find replacement parts, and your experience would be really awful overall.
