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: Machine Looks Nice, Lasts only months
Summary: 1 Stars
Over the past 2 years my family (includes units given to daughters at college) has gone through three B70 models, 2 B60 models plus the gift to a family friend of a B60 model last year that only lasted 8 months. The units are great when they work. They all fail anywhere from 3-to-8 months of use. The pattern for failure was nearly the identical for all 6 units--the metering of watering as it brews the coffee starts to become erratic, then brewing itself becomes intermittent (working sometimes and at other times not at all), followed by total failure of the unit. Each time I called Keurig Tech support, they are very courteous, and then walk you through identical troubleshooting steps which are: 1. run a paperclip through orifices on K-Cup holder/dispenser unit; 2. Run paperclip through brewing orifice located underneath the top unit with the handle where the hot water comes out; and then 3. Attempt to brew (without a K-cup in place) with a measuring cup to determine exact amount of water brewed to verify metering failure. They also ask if you have descaled the unit, brewed their hot chocolate K-cups and whether you use the Keurig filter piece you place in the water reservoir (purchased separately). After walking through the steps, they then offer to replace the unit for nearly free if it is under 1 year of use. Nearly free in that you must send the K-Cup holder assembly back to them within 30 days of the call in a padded envelope with the RMA # clearly visible on the package. They even walked me through this drill for my last unit which failed this past Monday after 2 months of use. In each case I explain the water has been actually been filtered 3 times before it begins the brewing process at my house: 1st through the whole house filter assembly I have installed a 6 years ago; 2nd through the water coming from the refrigerator dispenser that has a charcoal filter assembly inside; and 3rd through the filter in the Keurig reservoir. The water cannot come any cleaner unless I install a reverse osmosis water filter purification unit in my house. Moreover, I do not brew hot chocolate. Bottom line the "mini-computer" processing unit that controls the metering and brewing functions is so cheap that it defines a new low in "poor quality" control/design. Considering these units run anywhere from $140 to $200 a piece, the dollar-to-value ratio must be greater than 140-to-1. Meaning you spend a lot of money for very crappy merchandise. The sad part is you are caught in a dew-loop since you have all these K-cups and accessories without a machine to brew with. I am not sure if the other brands of K-Cup machines are any better, but I am jumping off the Keurig brand merry-go-round of defective products. My recommendation is stay away from Keurig machines until they decide as a corporation to raise their quality control.Customer Review: Breaks down quickly
Summary: 2 Stars
Don't expect this machine to last more than 4 months or so of light use. Something will almost inevitably break down. Believe the reviews written on the internet! If someone hasn't owned the product for more than 6 months, they don't know what's coming to them.
I LOVED my Keurig when I first got it in July 2009 -- so much that I convinced a few of my friends to get one as well. It pumped out a delicious cup of coffee with no effort or preparation on my part. This was exactly what I needed: good coffee fast, and in a single cup size. The initial 4 months of bliss was the only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. I used it about once a day, so the machine was under no serious strain. Around about November, the machine started faltering. I would push the button, it would make the little noise that it makes when it's about to brew, and nothing would come out. I'd then try again to no avail. It would work on the third or fourth time, but then only to produce an excessive amount of weak coffee. This repeated every time I used the machine.
I foolishly put up with it until March (not wanting to spend the money to buy a new one), cutting down on my coffee intake and trying to convince myself that it could be fixed somehow or that it was only a temporary problem. I then called Keurig. They talked me through several things I had already done (like descaling the brewer) until they finally came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to offer me a new machine. I have to say, they were absolutely wonderful in sending me the new machine. Not only was it at no cost to me to get the new one, they also gave me about 150 free K-Cups of my choice to go along with it. Now I had a new machine that worked just as well as the last one did initially. I was thrilled! I used the machine avidly through around May, then cut back on my coffee over the summer months, only to resume drinking once a day in the fall. To my horror, the new machine broke down, exactly the same as the old one, in October. I have almost stopped using it all together, since I seriously dislike weak, bad-tasting coffee and don't appreciate having to spend 10 minutes coercing the brewer into pouring me one cup of coffee. I only use it in true "coffee emergencies" now, and am always frustrated afterwards.
At this point, I know I could call Keurig, go through the routine, and get a new coffeemaker. The problem is that I don't want another Keurig. I'm frustrated with the poor quality. After going back to read the reviews all over the internet, I know that my case is not an isolated incident. It's really disappointing that they couldn't put together a higher-quality product. I'm buying a Nespresso machine.
Customer Review: Simply the best single cup "convenience" brewing system
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used the B100 (Keurig's high-end home model) for the last four years and I have nothing but good things to say about it.
I'm here at Amazon as I want to buy another system for my office, so I plan to take the one I own now to the office (even though we get free coffee there) and I'm going to try the B-70 for home since we just remodeled and I think the silver look will contrast better with our new stainless kitchen appliances.
The Keurig system provides you with the following capabilities that IMO are superior to other single-cup "convenience" coffee systems available in the marketplace.
1. The appliance is well-made. I've had my current unit for three years now without incidence (my first one died a few days after the warrantee expired -- because I did not descale the reservoir -- but after a call to Keurig they replaced free including shipping. Now I clean out the reservoir every four months now using vinegar). So I've had four total years of dependable use. A great value for an appliance that gets used every day and is left on constantly.
2. The availability of coffee and tea for the "K-Cups" (the coffee "packages") is the best of any system. Keurig took a lesson from the computer industry and "open sourced" the K-Cup concept so that now a quick visit to their website will show true eclectic coffee selections. (In fact, about the only coffee I've not been able to find in K-Cups is my beloved "Sulawesi" but an email from Keurig tells me Green Mountain Coffees will soon be offering it). This is great because there are numerous places to buy K-Cups both online and at physical stores (Dallas has several stores), which when combined with the existence of numerous manufacturers of K-Cups, we all as consumers enjoy the benefits of competition within the K-Cup space.
3. It does tea very well. I am a coffee drinker. My wife is a tea drinker. She tells me the Keurig tea K-Cups are superb and I myself even catch a cup of Orange Spice Tea now and then. Again, there is a wide selection of teas, just like with coffees from an equally wide array of vendors.
4. It makes simple hot water too. Simply run it without a K-Cup placed. My wife likes to make hot chocolate while leaving my recently "used" K-Cup in the Keurig (makes a weak cup) so she gets a little coffee taste with her hot chocolate. I use it for many other uses as well. For instance I like those ramen "cup-o-noodles" things and I can add the necessary hot water to easily via my Keurig.
In summary, this is a great company that offers a quality product within a great peripheral system to support it.
Customer Review: A great system with just a liiiiitle farther to go.
Summary: 4 Stars
First off, my wife was against this product when I bought it. Mainly due to the price. However having an instant hot water machine around (instant soup, oatmeal, water for her tea bags) has won her over handily.
As far as the coffee maker goes, it may be too good. Seriously. I can actually taste slight differences between the individual K-cups of the same variety. The first batch of Heifer blend I got was absolutely delicious. This latest batch less so. That's where I see this product has room to grow. Consistency of coffee packaged in the K-cup. I do however see the challenge of blending several hundreds of pounds of beans together and then trying to get the same ratio in little Tablespoon sized cups.
I've tried quite a few varieties of coffee now and would like to share my favorites. Just so you know, I hate burned and coffee that's so thick you can chew it. The darker the roast the less caffeine in the bean so a "stiff" cup of coffee won't do as much as a light blend to pick you up. My favorites have a wonderful flavor that lingers after you finish the cup so much so that I drive by starbucks and am not even tempted to pull over. This was one of the things I was hoping to accomplish by purchasing this maker, to actually pay off the machine by not going to Starbucks or Carribou Coffee so much. It's working.
Green Mountain's Heifer Hope Blend, Diedrich's Colombia blend, and Timothy's Decaf Columbian are my favorites. Wonderful sweet flavors, with a chocolaty aftertaste that linger long after you've finished your last sip.
In contrast I was disappointed in the K-cup offerings for Chai. I prefer Stash brand chai or Starbuck's Chai. Both brands offered here were pale imitators. Here's an instance to just use the hot water function and brew your own.
The brew pump is whisper quiet, but the pump that fills the hot water tank from the reservoir is louder than I hoped for. It makes a buzzing sound. (Ever thought of using the same part for both functions????)
As for the cups a little quick surgery shows that it is a plastic cup with a little filter liner that stops about half the way down the cup, filled with coffee, then sealed with foil.
Highs:
Wonderful coffee a cup at a time.
Quick and convenient.
Lots of brand choices with more on the horizon.
Less trips to expensive coffee houses!
Lows:
"Buzzing" priming pump
Need to tighten up consistency of K-cups a little
Chai offerings are weak.
Customer Review: Easy and Cool In The Kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
We had been enjoying the whole experience of the Keurig B50, when I got the email and blogsite updates over the past few months that Keurig was promoting a new and improved single-cup brewer. I confess - I coveted this new machine in a big way. So when we were the recipients of a bright shiny new B70 last week on our front stoop, it was very much like Christmas for me. My wife just smiled, and the kids gave out a sincere, "Whoa, that's cool!" at our new kitchen friend.
Everything that we liked about the B50 is there for the B70 - with the addition of larger cup sizes and the overall look and feel. The coffee just tastes good, first and foremost. I've tasted cups from other single-serve brewers, and most of them have been barely more appetizing than generic vending machine drop-the-cup coffee. From my first experience with the Keurig machines, however, I was amazed how good the brew tasted. The home brewers make a great cup of coffee without having to waste a pot, or lose the coffee all over the counter when the previous machine's brew basket got finicky. The additional My K-cup attachments allow for grinding our own beans, too - so as a coffee snob, I'm hooked.
The Platinum B70 adds selection for cup size - right now, I think our best default size is 9.25oz, filling out most travel mugs and our normal in-house mugs well without getting watery on the k-cups we've tried so far. And it has a larger reservoir for water, meaning we can get more coffee for fewer refills in the kitchen sink. All of these things would be enough, right?
But wow, it is just so cool looking. The blue LED lights that make the water glow on the left, and the blue LCD screen on the right that shows the clock, menu, cup selection, and the chrome fixtures - even the spring-loaded holder in the front top of the brewer - all of that combines to make it more than just a good coffee, taking us into the realm of a really cool experience. The kids oooo and aaahhh every time they walk into the evening kitchen, seeing Daddy's glowing blue coffee brewer, just wanting to marvel in its glow.... okay, that's a little too melodramatic, but only slightly.
If you like coffee and spend more than $10 per day, or throw away more than a third of a pot of coffee each morning, or if you enjoy coffee but avoid making it at night because for just one cup that whole pot will go to waste - I think you owe it to yourself to try this brewer out. Not just in the store, but blue and glowing in your own kitchen. Trust me - "Merry Christmas" is a great feeling.