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Keurig Single-Cup Coffee-Brewing System

By Jesse Kornbluth
Published: Apr 01, 2009
Category: Food and Wine

I fought the Keurig.

For espresso and cappuccino, we use a professional-grade espresso machine and industrial-strength coffee grinder.

For regular coffee, we use a more than adequate grinder, a trusty 10-cup Melitta pot, and a one-liter thermal carafe that keeps the precious colloid hot and fresh for hours.

So why, I asked my wife, do we need a device that delivers one cup of coffee at a time?

I lost this argument. And I deserved to. Because sometimes you only want to make one cup of coffee. Not espresso. Coffee. And if you use the Melitta for that, you’re just wasting beans and money. It’s better — that is, more sensible — to use a machine that heats water fast, uses high-grade coffee pods, makes no mess and delivers a single steaming cup in seconds.

In our kitchen, the Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System has earned its place of honor. It has an easy-to-fill 48-ounce water reservoir. You can choose very hot water or even hotter water. You can brew a small cup of very strong coffee, enough coffee for a regular cup, or even enough to fill an oversized travel mug. And it’s almost too easy. Drop a coffee pod in, swing the handle down, select the size cup you’re using. And in a matter of seconds, you’re ready to caffeinate (or de-caffeinate, as the case may be).

If that gives you more choices than you need, there’s a simpler machine: the Keurig B30 Mini Brewer. It has no reservoir for water; each time you use it, you have to add water. It takes longer to heat up. It fills only one size cup. And, some say, it’s noisier. But it’s cheaper. And it has a smaller footprint. If you’re a student, want a coffee-making device for your desk at work, or are on a budget, the B30 is what you want.

Keurig may not be a brand you know. More likely, you’ve heard of Nespresso. We’ve used one, and it’s a fine machine. But the Nespresso C90 Essenza Espresso and Coffeemaker costs $199 — significantly more than the Keurig.

The coffee pods? By the bunch, they seem pricy. Do the math, and it can get down to about 40 cents a cup.

But you can make it cheaper — or more to your exacting taste — by using the Reusable Filter and packing it with your own, just-ground coffee. Or fill it with tea leaves and brew surprisingly good tea.

Three coffee devices? How decadent, some may say. To which I reply: The last time you want to a rock concert, did the lead guitarist use only one guitar?

To buy the Keurig B60 Single-Cup Home-Brewing System from Amazon.com, click here.

To buy the Keurig B30 Mini-Brewer from Amazon.com, click here.

To buy the Nespresso C90 Essenza Coffeemaker from Amazon.com, click here.

To buy Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter from Amazon.com, click here.

To buy Keurig Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve Extra Bold Coffee Pods from Amazon.com, click here.

To buy Emeril’s K-cups from Amazon.com, click here.