annecal's Full Review: Keurig Special Edition B60 Coffee Maker
I have a coffee pot I quite like, but since my husband was killed, I often find that I brew a lot more coffee than I can actually drink, and generally end up throwing most of a pot away. My sister received a pod machine for Christmas, and although she loves it, I find the coffee it makes to be a bit weak for my taste. Recently I'd used a friend's Keurig machine on several occasions, and I've been very impressed. I purchased one for myself two weeks ago, and have been very pleased!
How it Works
The Keurig machines use K-cups. These are small plastic cups, that resemble an oversized individual creamer, and come in varieties of coffee, tea, hot chocolate and other hot drinks. On the whole, the device cannot be easier to use. There is a water reservoir on the left side, which you fill with (preferably filtered) water, and then three buttons allowing you to choose a small, medium or large cup of coffee.
There is also a programable timer which I used without consulting the owners manual, and an option that lets you decide how hot you want the coffee brewed.
The machine really is very intuitive, although my parents have not tried it, and since they (in their 60's) still claim not to be able to use the DVD player, I have every confidence they'll learn how to use this with ease.
So, basically, you fill the reservoir with water, and it takes a minute or so to heat, and then you insert your K-cup. When you do, the machine makes a small puncture in the top and the bottom of the cup, it will then tell you it's "ready to brew" and you press one of three buttons, choosing the size drink you want.
Impressions
I am very impressed with this machine. I will say that since I really love very strong coffee, I tend to use the small cup size, which makes a stronger cup, though the medium makes quite a nice cup with some of the bold/espresso/dark roasts.
My friend has the B50 model, and I must say that the B60 is quieter, and gets ready to brew a bit more quickly. It also has the programable timer option, which I really like. It does take a minute to warm up, so I set it for before I'm up and it's ready to go, and if I forget to turn it off, it does it for me, which is a nice feature, as well.
It takes up no more room on my counter than the Cuisinart Grind and Brew, and is very stylish looking.
As for the K cups, this model, which I purchased on Amazon, comes with a variety pack of K cups, but I highly suggest you purchase another box of coffee when you order it. The variety pack came with loads of tea, and a hot chocolate as well, so after a couple of days, I needed to order more coffee!
You'll also need to play around a little with the size options, to see which works best for you, with each flavor. If you like bold coffee, like me, you'll likely never use the largest size, but I haven't used it for tea yet, and so i'll update you when I do. (I don't really drink tea unless I'm sick!)
Final Impressions
This is a fantastic no muss/no fuss coffee maker. I think it's a lot better than the senseo pod system my sister has, both in terms of flavor, and also not having to pick hot/wet pods out of the machine. It looks great, works great, and the coffee tastes great. I'm very pleased.
The K Cups come in a ton of varieties, and if you sign up for a coffee club, they're even cheaper. I'll do this as soon as I settle on one or two favorite blends. There are a lot to choose from, Green Mountain, Newman's Own, Tully's, Timothy's, and the list goes on...
Finally, I chose this model over the B40 (seems the 50 is harder to find), because it came with the sampler of K cups, but also I think the 3 cup sizes and program features are key, and they're things I definitely take advantage of.
UPDATE
Just a quick note to add that 6 months later, I'm still very, very happy with this coffee maker! My favorite coffee is Tully's French Roast- I like a pretty dark, bold coffee. Also, I bought a brita pitcher, to use for filling the reservoir, and I do think it makes things even better!
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