If you’re on a quest on finding a compact K-Cup brewer, you’ll find that Keurig offers multiple choices that will only make your decision harder.
In this post, I will be focusing on one of Keurig’s essential brewers, the K-Express, and how it compares to other compact brewers also by Keurig. This way, you can look and compare between features to make an informed decision and get the best bang for your buck.
Let us start by looking at the features of the K-Express…
Features and Specs of Keurig K-Express
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use
The K-Express is a simple, no bells-and-whistles type of brewer. You get three great features:
- The most requested serving sizes: 8, 10 and 12 oz.
- Strong Brew option for a bolder cup of coffee
- And a compact design.
If you’re looking for techy features, you won’t find it here. But if you need a brewer that has decent serving sizes and a design that won’t take up much countertop space, the K-Express is perfect.
Dimensions of the K-Express are 12.6” high (17.2” when the lid is open), 4.5″ wide and 12.8” deep. Water reservoir capacity is 42 oz, and it’s removable so you can fill it up easily.
Control Panel:
The K-Express does not have any fancy LCD display or buttons for controlling the machine. On the side, you’ll find a dedicated button for each serving size, a Strong brew button and the On button. You’ll also find two light indicator buttons, one to notify you when you’re low on water and another notifies you when it’s time to descale the machine.
Pod Compatibility:
It is compatible with any K-Cup pod of any kind. It is also compatible with reusable filter pods.
Travel Mug Accommodation:
It can fit travel mugs up to 7” tall.
Where to Buy:
Comparisons
I will limit my comparisons here to other compact Keurig brewers and these include: K-Mini and K-Slim…
Keurig K-Express vs. K-Mini
K-Mini was released before the K-Express, so it’s one of Keurig’s earliest compact machines.
- It brew four serving sizes: 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz.
- It does NOT have a water reservoir, you’ll add fresh water every time.
- Single-button operation.
- Less than 5” wide.
- Available in many different colors.
The Differences:
- Dimension wise, the K-Mini and K-Express are about the same in width.
- Serving sizes starts at 6 oz.
- There is no water reservoir. Instead, you’ll fill up the tank up to the serving size you want to brew each time.
Since you’ll be filling up the tank each brew time with the exact amount you want to brew, then you’ll find that there are no buttons on the machine other than a single Brew button.
- The K-Mini has no Strong brew option.
If you want the Strong Brew option and a removable water reservoir, you can consider the K-Mini Plus instead. But you’ll still fill it up with fresh water each brew time.
K-Express vs. K-Slim
With three serving sizes (8, 10 and 12 oz), less than 5” width and a 46 oz water reservoir, the K-Slim is the most compatible to the K-Express.
The Differences:
- The K-Slim does not have a Strong Brew option like the K-Express
- K-Slim is also about the same width.
- It has a slightly larger reservoir at 46 oz (vs. 42 oz for the K-Express).
- Both models have the same brew sizes (8, 10 and 12 oz).
- Both are also travel mug friendly, up to 7” tall.
K-Express vs. K-Compact
- The K-Compact is the older version of the Express. As you’ll notice from the design, it looks a lot like Keurig’s classic machines.
- K-Compact is larger in size, with 8” width, and it has a smaller 36 oz water reservoir. And it does not have Strong Brew option.
So, for obvious reasons, I would not recommend the K-Compact over the K-Express at all. As of 2022, K-Compact has been discontinued, but is still sold at some venues.
Conclusion – Which Is The Best Pick?
As you can see, these brewers are not that entirely different from each other. To pick one, you’ll have to see which feature is more important to you:
First of all, I’ll urge you to check prices and see which model is currently on offer.
When it comes to dimensions, although some are smaller in width, it’s not that much of a different. All of them are still compact in size.
Is Strong Brew option important to you? Strong Brew works by steeping your pod for a longer time so you get a stronger cup of coffee. If that’s something you’d prefer, the K-Express is the only machine with this option (out of the three machines listed here).
Having a multi-cup water reservoir is a feature many people prefer to have. The K-Express and K-Slim have reservoirs, while the K-Mini doesn’t.
General Questions
How long does it take a Keurig Brewer to brew a cup of coffee?
With most Keurig machines, you can expect a brew time of about a minute to a minute and a half, depending on the size. If you use the Strong brew option, it’ll take a bit longer.
Which reusable filter pod will work with the K-Express, K-Mini or K-Slim?
Any reusable filter pod should work just fine. However, I do suggest you opt for the official My K-Cup filter pod by Keurig to avoid any possible quality issues.
