Keurig B-70 B70 Platinum Single-Cup Home Brewing System
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Keurig B-70 B70 Platinum Single-Cup Home Brewing System
Customer Review: This is the largest of the three Keurig coffee makers
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've enjoyed drinking coffee all your life, then you deserve to own a Keurig coffee maker now.
I've drank coffee all my life. Even my mother use to give me coffee with milk in my bottle when I was just a baby. Back then, I was probably a stressed-out, high-strung, irrepressible shaky little bundle of nerves all through my child life. I've spoken with a few cats over the years who were going through catnip withdrawals. So, I can relate wholeheartedly. Some cats use to chase dogs. Well anyway...
I can't remember any day in my life that I haven't had any coffee in the morning, although I will say that I don't care to drink coffee throughout the day like some people do. I'll drink my six cups of coffee only in the morning before school or work and that will be it for me for the rest of the day. I'll know I've had enough coffee when people see me glowing in the dark when I rush out of the house early in the morning. Some mornings, I've polished off a whole pot of coffee. I don't have to be at work till 8 AM but I still get up at around 4 AM so I can start slamming coffee. Sometimes, I may fall asleep again in front of my first cup of coffee, but when I snap out of my drowsiness, I'll gulp that cold cup down and then rush to the kitchen to make my next cup. I may slam about 4 or 5 more cups of coffee into me within the next half hour before I bolt out the door to start my day. I don't know how some people can just fly out of bed and then fly out the door to get on with their day without coffee. Of course, some people will rush out to the local Starbuck's at the corner and buy that one four dollar cup of coffee and that will be all that they need for the day. Just one cup? And at about four freakin' dollars a cup? Forget that!
Now listen up my fellow coffee lovers. This Keurig coffee maker is the greatest coffee maker I have ever experienced. It'll heat up water instantly and will having you drinking your first cup of coffee within the first minute you turn your Keurig on in the morning. It has a built in timer so that you can set it to be ready to brew your first cup the moment you approach your coffee maker if you're someone who just can't wait a whole minute for it to be ready. I've become more patient since I bought my Keurig.
Now here's what's really unique about the Keurig coffee maker. It brews one cup at a time. What you buy for coffee are called K-cups. Pre-packaged cups of various flavored coffees that you put in the machine to brew one cup of coffee. There are hundreds of different flavors of national and international coffees (caffeinated and decaffeinated), and various flavored teas, and cocoas that you buy in boxes and keep in a basket or their original boxes next to your Keurig machine.
When you buy your Keurig coffee maker, you will get an assortment of various flavored coffees and teas to sample to get you started with understanding the beauty of this great new coffee maker that you've brought into your home. But, like I said, there are hundreds of other flavored coffees designed in the K-cup format for your Keurig coffee maker. You'll get order forms and website ordering information available with your Keurig.
I've bought my Keurig at a Linen and Things department store, but there are other stores that sell the Keurig as well. I was told that you can get one at Target, but my local Target doesn't seem to have it. Anyway, at Linen and Things, they also carry only a couple of flavored K-cup coffees sold next to the Keurig. Usually, I'll see some K-cups from Green Mountain who I think is directly licensed and distributed with the Keurig coffee maker. Their K-cups sell at $9.99 per box (of 18 K-cups). So, at that price, plus California sales tax (7.75%) that works out to about 59.8 cents per cup of coffee. That's really not too bad but you can still get it cheaper if you shop smart. Even when you order these K-cups on line directly with the K-cup companies, you'll still pay about 55 cents per cup PLUS the cost of shipping, which makes each cup even more expensive.
I've learned that the best deal available is by buying my K-cups directly through Amazon. There are various sources that are selling K-cups through Amazon and still charge shipping costs, but there are a few K-cup distributors that sell K-cups at the lowest price possible, plus charge NO sales tax or shipping costs. Through Amazon, I see that Target sells a box of K-cups for $59.99 and that's for 108 K-cups. Even without the cost of shipping (yet to be added), that still works out to 55 cents per cup, minimum. So, Sorry Target, I think I'll pass. That is not the best deal.
I buy my K-cups at $20 for two boxes of 25 K-cups each. (50 K-cups for twenty bucks). With no sales tax and free shipping so that works out to just 40 cents per cup. Just forty cents!!! And there are many flavors available to choose from. So YOU tell me. Would your rather pay four dollars for one cup of coffee (like at Starbucks), or just 40 cents per cup? Sure, your cup may be a little smaller, but you can always have another cup, and then another cup, and then another cup, and then another cup, and then another cup, and so on and so on and so on...... How about 10 cups of coffee for four bucks, instead of just one?
You can also buy a special reusable K-cup filter so that you can still brew your own favorite coffee from the can if you prefer. This Keurig is not just limited to manufactured K-cups.
So, check it out my fellow coffee lovers. You'll love having this Keurig in your house when you have guests. They will love having options of which flavored coffee they'd like to try, if you'll keep various flavors available. I still like trying new coffees. I generally like to stick to the more BOLD flavored coffees. Call me crazy but I enjoy a mildly bitter harsh burn in my throat when I'm drinking my coffee. "Tres Intense" (which I guess means Extra Bold) is a common term I see on the boxes of my favorite K-cup coffees. So far, my favorite K-cup comes from Van Houtte and it's called "Eclipse Blend." I've ordered about six boxes of it last month. I'm down to two boxes already so I better order some more soon.
I love my Keurig! If you're a coffee connoisseur like me, you'll love this machine too.
Customer Review: Keurig B70 could be the coolest invention ever made!!
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife is the only coffee drinker in the house (as of the time of this writing). Every morning I would get up, empty the dishwasher to gain access to the coffee maker parts, fill it with water, put the water in the coffee maker, get out the Dunkin Donuts bag, get the little basket filter, put it in the basket, load the basket onto the coffee maker (sometimes spilling the coffee in my hazy morning state, sometimes ending up with grinds on the wrong side of the basket for the same reason), push the button and wait 5 minutes for the entire pot to brew, pour a single cup, all the while the coffee sits there for 20 minutes while my wife drinks it. She would then drink the final cup of "skunked" coffee (as she puts it). After all of this is done, take the basket, empty the grindings, empty the glass coffee thing and put them in the dishwasher. not really much chance of having a cup anytime during the day, since it would involve hand washing the coffee maker stuff or running the dishwasher.
Fast forward to Christmas day 2007. Wife opens box with Keurig coffee maker, opens up boxes of Green Mountain Hazelnut, Celestial Sleepy time tee, the MyCup holder (for the Dunkin Donuts that is left over and for using for other grinds down the road). Husband (me) plugs unit in, fills reservoir for the initial priming, runs a "cleansing" cycle as stated in the instructions. Husband totally expecting noise similar to a 747 taking off at Logan, but it pleasantly surprised at how quiet this unit actually is. Husband refills reservoir and, in the dark of the Christmas morn', admires the cool blue coloring the entire kitchen has taken from the lights on the Keurig. Husband slips that initial K-cup of Green Mountain coffee Hazelnut in the holder, closes the handle, puts the size to the 9.25 spot on the screen and presses the "BREW" button. Machine primes for 5 seconds, then the coffee maker starts spewing the coffee in a nice stream into the cup, 30 seconds later the process is over and the unit reprimes itself for the next cup. I, like a good husband should, remove the "spent" K-cup from the unit and place it in the trash. No grinds in the cup, on the counter, on the floor, on the ceiling. No basket to empty, coffee thing to wash, etc. Wife asks husband (yes, I am trained well) for a second cup of FRESH brew. Wife exclaims how much she likes the flavor of her new favorite Hazelnut coffee (sorry Dunkin Donuts, we will probably still use the drive-thru at your stores while traveling). Husband makes second cup in 45 seconds, just as fresh as the first one. Husband then programs the unit in a matter of two minutes with the time, the time for the unit to turn on (5:00am) and the time to turn off (9:00pm, right after the last cup of Sleepytime tea). the variety of coffees to choose from simply blows you away. We even bought the carousel, put the frist row of 9 with Hazelnut, the second row of 9 with Sleepytime tea, and the third row with the variety K-Cups that Green Mountain sent with the Keurig. The Mrs. likes the Breakfast Blend, so we will probably add that to our automatic refill Green Mountain.
If you set up automatic delivery of your K-cups with Green Mountain, you get $2 off per box, and the automatic delivery is very flexible and can be changed at any time. I have been drinking the tea, and am about to move onto coffees. I have never drank coffee in my life, but this is so easy and fun that I am going to start "experimenting" without having to worry about wasting too much coffee in the process. For those considering the carousel to hold the K-cups, I highly recommend it. The carousel just looks so cool next to the Keurig. For those wondering, the Keurig is exacting 13 inches tall, and will fit under most standard countertops and cabinet configurations.
If you want to go to the travel mug size for a cup for the road, you simply remove the drip tray. If you like your coffee on the stronger side, go with some of the many bold flavors (including Hazelnut) for the biggest size of 11.25. My wife finds the 9.25 size to have plenty of flavor with the regular K-cups and not "watery" as others (like the owner of Starbucks on a previous post) have stated. This keurig has become our favorite appliance in the house (mine is the 46 inch LCD HDTV, but I haven't started drinking coffee, yet, although I now thoroughly enjoy Sleepytime tea for the first time in my life).
Another cool feature is you can brew just a cup of hot water and add your own hot chocolate or you can buy Green Mountain coffee K-cups (sold in our local Shaw's supermarket, my 6-year old daughter found them and dad needs to go there and see what others they have). So if you have a favorite tea, hot beverage, or soup, you no longer need to use the microwave and experiment with the temperature, you can pick your temperature on the Kuerig from 187 degrees to 192 degrees.
One thing I have noticed since we got the Keurig, is it is such a joy to be able to brew a cup for company when they stop over, or just to have a cup at anytime during the day. The usefullness of hot water always being available has turned out to be a good side benefit of the system. The 60 ounce reservoir is nice, whereas you only need to fill it every day and a half and it is very easy to fill and put back onto the Keurig.
Some people say the B70 has better flavor and is quicker and quieter than the B60 and B40. I will have to trust their opinions, since this is our first Keurig. People have commented about how cool looking the unit is sitting on our counter. When they find out what it is and what it does, they want one of their own. We are even looking at one where I work. if you are debating between the B40, B60 and B70 and are worrying about the extra $50 for the B70, go with the B70, you will not be disappointed. If you buy it from GreenMountainCoffee.com, and sign up for the Cafe Express automatic delivery, they will sell you the coffee machine for $189, give you free shipping and if you order your first 4 K-cup boxes, they come with free shipping, also.
GO FOR IT!! This will be one of your best purchases you ever make in your life. Time to go brew another cup for the Mrs. (another couple of "points" for me....lol)! She is in love again..... (with the Keurig)
Customer Review: Stated to fail after 2 months, dead after 6, cannot get a replacement due to back orders
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this from Amazon on December 11, 2009. Initially the unit worked well and was wonderful. I use the water filters, I've tried several brands of the coffee, teas and chocolate milk.
I followed the cleaning instructions (fill the water tank with vinegar, run a few cups to make sure vinegar is coming out of the water spout and let it set for 4 hours), replaced the filters on schedule, and I kept the k-cup holder clean as well (both a paperclip and vinegar).
2 months in, my unit started to fail. It would appear to draw water but it did not. It happend to correlate with a particular brand of k-cup, so my wife and I tried sticking to other brands. It seemed to be a bit hit and miss over the next few months. Now, 6 months later, it's mostly miss. I'd say a full cup of water comes out (with no k-cup installed, or with one installed) 1 out of 7-10 tries. Most of the time nothing comes out, sometimes there's a trickle, sometimes the equivalent of several cups of water comes out.
I called customer support and got what I though was excellent customer service. I was told there was a production problem but that the problem could not be correlated with a particular range of unit numbers (that's a big red flag from a manufacturing process standpoint). I was also told there was a significant redesign to fix a problem with the production of the unit (also a big red flag). It was easy to get a replacement unit and all I was required to do was mail in the k-cup holder (convenient, yes, but related to a large numer of failed units? Maybe). I was told to expect a new unit in approximately a week (maybe a bit longer due to processing time). They also offerend to send me some free k-cups for my inconvenience. So my first customer service experience was great. The rep was friendly and professional.
I decided to check up on the status of my support call a few days later. I could not find my order so I called customer service, whereupon I was informed that there was a 2-week back order. Given I had not had a working unit for about 1.5 weeks (I travel heavily and my wife does not like to call customer service), plus a 2-week back order and delivery after that, I figured it would be another 3 weeks from when I called customer service a second time, or a month without a working brewer. This assumes they really know for sure. Given that I got a total of 3 different estimates, I'll keep my expectations low so I won't be further disappointed.
I asked if I could pay for an upgraded model. I found out that there was no such option. That was pretty much the end of that second customer service experience. The customer service rep was again nice, but nice did not get me a working brewer anytime soon. So while nice, is well, nice, it in no way helped with a resolution.
I checked to see if I could return the unit to Amazon, but after 1 month (maybe more like 6 weeks), I would be charged a restocking fee of at least 50% (yes, at least, or that's how I read the service agreement). So returning it to Amazon is not an option. I then called customer support again and asked about returning it to them directly. Not an option.
I filed a complaint with the BBB. I wish I would have checked sooner because they have the lowest grade with the BBB, an F, as of Tuesday June 8th, 2010. I filed an electronic complaint with keurig and also gave them a copy of the BBB filing.
I currently have no resolution. I'll probably end up waiting 3 weeks for a new unit and maybe it will work. So that will be a month without a brewer. Now you can fault me for not calling sooner, I just got back from 6 weeks of travel, so it was a low burning fuse. However, I had no complaint until I checked to see the status of my exchange only to find out that it was at least twice a long as original estimated. Then finding no alternative resolutions added to my frustration.
If you get a working model, they are great. I liked the features of this model, it's ease of use, the look, etc. I can recommend donut shop coffee.
The initial customer service experience (and even the follow on ones) were seemingly nice, but nice is one thing, not having a working brewer for weeks is an entirely different matter.
Giving this an actual rating is hard. On the one hand, when the unit works, it is great. The reliability is terrible. Reading the reviews of several models, I picked this model because it appeared to have a better reliability rating. Apparently not so much. The customer service is friendly and really quite good, if you can get a working unit. Other other hand, they are back-ordered, have a streamlined return process (meaning they've probably had to deal with a lot of returns) and have reliability issues across their product line.
Maybe I would not be so frustrated if I didn't like the working unit so much. Maybe I'd be more understanding if they'd considered taking my Amazon-bought unit.
I will be getting a replacement unit (can't get my $$ back). I hope it is reliable, but at this point I have no reason to believe it will be so.
Good luck with yours. In the first few weeks hammer it, but I don't think the problems will happen right away. So you might consider buying it locally or from keurig so you have a longer time-frame to return the unit.
Customer Review: Review from a rather demanding coffee lover....
Summary: 4 Stars
First the positive: it looks great, with the blue lights. I don't really care about that aspect of it, but it's nice. Also, it's very quick, convenient, and easy to care for. Those qualities I definitely do care about, and this machine is about as good as it gets there.
Now the negative: the K-cups make very mediocre and rather weak coffee. My perspective is as a lifetime coffee connoisseur who loves and savors a rich, tasty, unique cup of coffee. I have the $200 KitchenAid Pro-Line grinder, and I rountinely spend big money on high quality coffee beans like Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona. I use the Aeropress (a device somewhat similar to a French Press, but even better) to make coffee, and that method definitely fulfills my obsessive demand for the best coffee. But it's a major pain to go through all that work every morning, so I figured the Keurig would spare me from it on some lazy mornings, yet still provide great coffee.
After spending many dollars on all kinds of different K-Cups (Green Mountain, Tullys, Coffee People, Timothy's, Diedrich, etc), most of which I had to order from Amazon, my conclusion is that it only makes *acceptable* coffee - far from rich and tasty. None of the K-cups have been bad, but none have been anywhere near to the quality level I'm used to. That's understandable to a large extent, because they're pre-ground and naturally lose a lot of flavor as compared to grinding just before brewing. I expected that, but even so, the difference is more than I planned on.
The K-cups are simply too small; they don't contain enough coffee to make a flavorful cup unless you use the smallest 5 oz setting for one half of the cup, combined with the 7 oz setting for the other half. And you can;t use the 7 oz setting for that purpose unless you're using an Extra-Bold K-cup. (Forget the higher brewing sizes; they're worthless unless you like coffee water.) Also, the brew method on the Keurig is too fast to make really tasty coffee. The water shoots through it at high speed, not having enough time to absorb the full flavor of the grounds. When I use the Aeropress, I actually have to push down on the plunger for a minute or so, so every bit of coffee flavor/oils is extracted and it makes the distinctive flavors of the coffees I like stand out much more.
With the Keurig, there's very little distinction between all these different K-cups that I spent a lot of money on. Yes, there's a little difference - Timothy's Italian and Columbian taste very smooth and satisfying - but in general, they taste about the same: mediocre. Better than your typical Folgers or Maxwell House, for SURE...but still just upper-class mediocre. Even the Newman's Own is boring to me; tastes like all the rest. Probably because it's made by Green Mountain, who I suspect have one singular giant vat of very boring coffee that they use to fill every K-cup, and they just put a different name on the label. At least Timothy's and Diedrich have a little more flavor and distinction. Van Houtte seems to a bit stronger than the rest, but Amazon doesn't carry them for the most part. Just get the Eclipse blend by them, which is in most stores.
To sum up, you sacrifice quality for convenience on this machine. How important that is to you should tell you whether to buy it or not. But to be honest with you, I despise spending the time to make my "perfect cups" with the Aeropress - I have to go through the process 4 times in a row to fill a cup - so most of the time, I use the Keurig anyway. It's very hot, and the coffee is weaker and blander, but acceptable, and far better than drip-brewed, or instant, or the Senseo. For the next model, they need to make the K-cups bigger and work on a way to let the grounds saturate for a little longer. The method they use now inherently makes weak coffee.
Oh, and don't think the "My K-Cup" device will save the day. You can grind your own coffee and put it in there, and the resulting cup is definitely much better than a standard K-cup, but still far, FAR from what you'd taste if using an Aeropress or French press. Same problem: the water shoots through the My K-Cup device and doesn't have enough time to get to know the coffee and make better friends with it. It's just a quick "Hi, howareya" as it shoots through and into your cup, leaving a lot of flavor behind, which you then throw into the trash. And you'll have to do that multiple times just to fill a good-sized mug, because you can only use the 5 oz setting on the My K-Cup as well. So plan on going through the brewing/cleanup process 3 or 4 times. But hey, I have to do that with the Aeropress too, so I'm used to it. That's why I just use the K-cups most of the time: convenience and laziness!
PS: Keep in mind, I drink all coffee black, and if you're using cream and sugar then your taste experience would be much different than mine. If that's the case, then I think the Keurig would be fine for you because sugar/cream makes all coffee taste about the same.
Customer Review: Pump is VERY loud....coffee quality is average at best.
Summary: 3 Stars
I've now owned my B70 since 2006, so I feel I am well qualified to give an honest, objective opinion. I paid $200 for it back then, but I notice the price is now reduced.
When I first bought a Keurig, I initially bought the B40 model, but I immediately contacted the manufacturer to ask why the internal pump was so loud and obnoxious. I thought something was wrong with it but I learned from the manufacturer that all of the Keurig pumps are loud and obnoxious. I sent the unit back and spent additional money to upgrade to the B70 since it was advertised as having "Quiet Brew Technology". So this review is on the B70, but it applies to all Keurig machines because the issues in this review apply to every Keurig unit. Turns out the "Quiet Brew Technology" does not apply to the pump.....it only reduces the sound of the coffee sputtering from the bottom of the K-Cup. What is the point of reducing a small sputtering noise when the pump itself sounds like an industrial grade drilling machine being fired up?
The primary problem with the Keurig coffee makers is the pump vibrates so loudly that it literally sends vibrations through my kitchen counter, further amplifying the noise. Yes, the counter itself vibrates, thus adding to the volume. Anyone that rises early in the morning knows that even the smallest sound seems loud, especially when others are sleeping and you're trying not to make any noise. So when this thing turns on at 5am, it seems 5 times louder than at 11am. ALL the Keurig machines contain the same pump (Keurig informed me of this), and ALL of them make a loud, obnoxious buzzing vibration. When I spoke with a Keurig representative, I was informed there are no plans to develop a quieter pump.
I went so far as to try several different types of padding under the unit to dampen the vibrational noise. After several tries, I finally used one of those squishy wrist rests, the type that contains a gel in it. I bought two of them ($15 each), cut them up into pieces that would fit under the Keurig, and then used an industrial double stick tape to apply them to the bottom of the machine. That solution only eliminated the transfer of vibration from the Keurig to the countertop, but of course made no impact on the noise of the pump itself.....sort of like reducing a car horn from 3 blares to only 1 blare, but still a loud car horn.
I then used several small foam pads with sticky backing (normally used on kitchen cabinets) and inserted them into various slots on the machine to prevent the unit from vibrating internally. That helped, but the pump itself is still very loud and it annoys me to no end in the morning. It often wakens my wife and my 3 year old daughter, so despite the fact I now have $230 invested into this machine, I often end up buying my coffee from a coffee house on my way to work, just to avoid waking my family with this loud, obnoxious machine.
I also find the coffee quality to be disappointing. As far as I am concerned, the people that rave about the quality and taste of the coffee simply don't know coffee. If you are a person that enjoys quality coffees from good coffee shops, you will find the flavor of the K-cups very disappointing, regardless of the brand. I consider it on the same level as 7-Eleven coffee or gas station coffee. If you like coffee from your local gas station or if you think McDonald's "McCafe" coffee is good, then you will probably like the quality of the K-Cups coffee. If you buy your coffee from good roasters, you will dislike the K-Cups.
HOWEVER! There is a plus side to all this:
I would rate this unit 5 stars for general purpose OFFICE use. In an office environment, the vibration of the unit will likely go unnoticed, and since most people are not coffee afficionados, they will likely think the coffee tastes fine. Furthermore, there is NO cleanup to this unit. Simply insert the K-Cup, push the button for immediate coffee, and then toss the K-Cup into the trash. No carafe to clean, no grounds to throw out, no wet filter sitting in the unit all night.
In summary, this unit is EXCELLENT for office use, but I would strongly advise against it for home use unless you don't mind the noise and you like industrial grade coffee.
CAVEAT: Read Keurig's warranty carefully. If this unit is used in a commercial setting as I have recommended, the warranty is void. Yeah, seems they realize the quality of the machine is not quite what they purport it to be. Further internet searches will yield many an unhappy customer review.
As I write this now, in January 2009, the unit's pump has completely ceased to even draw water from the reservoir. Since it's out of warranty, I disassembled a portion of it myself but the problem is so deep within the bowels of the unit that it would be a weekend project to figure it out, with no guarantee that the problem is repairable without replacing parts.