Keurig B-70 B70 Platinum Single-Cup Home Brewing System
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List Price: Our Price: $164.00 You Save: $65.99 (29%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $90.00 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Keurig B-70 B70 Platinum Single-Cup Home Brewing System
Customer Review: Best purchase I made all last year
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband loves coffee and I despise even the smell of it. On the other hand I love tea while he doesn't care for it as much. We've had a coffee pot collecting dust for several years now because, with just him, a whole pot is a lot of coffee, and for me, it stinks up the house and makes my stomach nauseous. I also didn't drink much tea because heating up a whole kettle for a cup or two was a bit wasteful. So I saw my parents had this machine at their house last October and they explained what it was (had never heard about it before) and was a bit skeptical at first. I wasn't a fan of putting coffee and tea in the same spout, but after a test run I was happily surprised. We purchased one when we got back and have used it several times a day nearly every day ever since with excellent results. I've even made a cup of tea immediately after my husband made a cup of coffee and it didn't negatively impact the tea at all. The smell of the coffee brewing is fairly mild and only on one or two occasions I have smelled it beyond the kitchen area.
The price for each K-cup comes out fair if you go to the right places, amazon seems to be getting better with the pricing but until then we use 'coffee icon' (that's the website name) to get some better deals. The green tea is the same brand I had purchased as stand alone packets, but it doesn't taste the same. Unfortunately it's a bit more bitter but it's manageable. The sleepy time tea is also the same brand I purchased before and it tastes the same as the packet thankfully.
Only complaints I have is that the reservoir seems a bit small and recquires constant filling every 2 or 3 cups, but I can't even argue the convenience that this machine creates in every other aspect (it's such a minor gripe honestly) and the hot chocolate seems a bit spotty. You don't actually brew hot cocoa, it's a mix so the results tend to be a tad watered down and also one brand we had (Bellacino?), while tasty, clogged up the spout a bit. But that actually got us into habit of rinsing out the inner holder after each use (which is advisable anyway). Again, hardly an inconvenience, and when I want hot cocoa I just have the machine brew me hot water instantly with a pack mix in the cup.
Out of all the major purchases my husband and I made last year we both agreed this easily is one of the best ones. Even only using it for one brand of coffee, two teas, and hot water on hand; it's gotten a lot of use in this house and I highly recommend it for "cup or two a day" type households.
Customer Review: Keurig Pump Failures
Summary: 1 Stars
I've had this Keurig now for two weeks. I hate it. This is the way it's SUPPOSED to work: Push the "On" button. The LED says, "Not Ready". The pump brings water from the water tank into the heater. The water heats. Four minutes after pushing the "On" button, the LED says, "Ready to Brew". Lift the handle, put in a pod, close the handle, the three buttons corresponding to what size coffee you want (small, medium, large) flash. Push one of the buttons. The coffee brews for about 15 seconds in the pod and then is deposited into your waiting coffee cup. Now, this is how it really works: Push the "On" button. The LED says, "Not Ready". The pump runs but nothing much happens. Four minutes later, it turns itself off. Take the water tank off the base. Put it back on the base, just right. Push the "On" button. The LED says, "Not Ready". The pump runs but nothing much happens. Four minutes later, it turns itself off. Take the water tank off the base. Put it back on. Swear. Push the "On" button. The LED says, "Not Ready". The pump runs. Nothing happens. Four minutes later, it tuns itself off. Sigh. Add water to the tank, even though the LED didn't call for it, just in case it's too low. Push the "On" button. The LED says, "Not Ready". The pump runs. Nothing happens. Four minutes later, it turns itself off. Yell at spouse. Lift up the water tank. Spill water on self. Reset water tank on base. Push the "On" button. The LED says, "Not Ready". Get out drip coffee maker and make drip coffee while pump on Keurig runs for four minutes and then turns itself off. Pick up water tank off of base again, swearing in mind that spouse bought it for you just to drive you crazy, then place it back on base again. Push the "On" button. LED says, "Not Ready". Pump runs for four minutes, but this time it sounds different. Water level in reservoir decreases. Water is pulled into heater. Heater is making noises that something is happening. LED says "Ready to Brew". Amazed, you take this opportunity to lift the handle, put a pod in, close the handle, push the flashing button for a medium sized cup of coffee. Coffee pours into the cup you've had sitting there for the last 20 minutes. Spouse comes into kitchen, picks up the cup of freshly brewed Keurig coffee, brings it to his lips, takes a sip and says, "Isn't this the greatest gadget? Aren't you glad I got it for you for Christmas?" Close your eyes and wait patiently for your reliable drip coffee maker.Customer Review: Functions well and looks good - but doesn't make strong coffee.
Summary: 3 Stars
I've used Keurig machines before in business settings, so when my second $100++ Starbucks grinder died, I decided to try the K-cup solution at home.
The Good:
The machine looks sleek and operates very well. It has a fairly large water container that holds a decent amount of water and is clear which allows you to see water level at all times (it also flashes when water is low). It's programmable, allowing to you set "on" time (for morning coffee) and off times along with other setting such as default cup size (it offers several different cup sizes so you can make a choice). I've found however that it heats up fairly fast and I typically just turn the unit and in a few minutes it's ready to go. It's CLEAN (much cleaner than grinding your own). With K-cups you don't get all those coffee grounds all over the place and it's easy to just toss out the containers after you use them. There are also hundreds (if not thousands) of different brands and flavors of coffee, so you'll have a lot to choose from.
The Bad:
First off, I must admit that I am a coffee addict and I drink quad espressos frequently - I was not, however, expecting this machine to make espresso, but I was hoping that by using small cup sizes and strong blends I could get a good, strong cup of coffee. I discovered that even using "dark/bold" blends of coffee (French Roast, Espresso, etc.) and the smallest cup size and with doubling up on cups, I'm unable to make a real 'kick-ass' cup of strong coffee that I really like to get me started in the morning. As a result, I'm only using it when I want something less strong and reverting back to grinding beans with by 'backup' grinder. I will end up bringing this unit to work and using it instead of buying coffee in the cafeteria, so it will save me money in the long run - something I'm happy about. One other bad is the K-cups themselves as far as waste management...I kind of hate throwing out all of that plastic and foil in the garbage - it can add up over time whereas grinding your own beans and using a gold filter only use water to rinse the filter out.
The Moral of the Story:
Buy this machine if you are a 'normal' coffee drinker - you will love the convenience and the ease of use. Don't buy this machine if you like REALLY STRONG coffee because this machine won't do it, even if you adjust cup sizes and blend strength (unless you are less of an addict than me! ;-)
Customer Review: Love.Love,Love this machine!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used the Tassimo T45 and the Keurig B70. Both have pros and cons and comparable pricing. The Tassimo is ok. But the Keurig is a dream machine!
Tassimo Pros
Makes Lattes and Cappaccino's. (not important to me since I am lactose intolorant)
Comes with a water filter.
Coffee is good.
Seems to be built solid.
Compact, appealing design.
Starbucks Coffee (although I understand that Starbucks is terminating their relationship with Tassimo soon)
Tassimo cons
Makes a strange clicking sound before and after brewing like the pump is straining.
Drips after brewing is completed for a couple of minutes.
Small drink sizes.
Doesn't make iced drinks.
Poor selection of teas.
No soy options for creme drinks.
No attachment to brew your own coffee.
No hot water only option.
Have to purchase a specialty product to descale.
T-Pods in limited variety only sold in a few local stores.
The WORST customer service I have ever encountered. Finally had to get someone from Kraft Foods involved for anyone to address my concerns. So bad it is a deal breaker.
Keurig Pros
Nice design. Cool blue lights.
Feels solid.
Can adjust temperature and drink size up to 12 oz.
Great selection of coffee and teas.
Great Coffee. I found some that I like better than Starbucks.
Brews Iced Tea.
Water only option for making soups, other instant drinks etc.
Attachment for using your own ground coffee.
Quiet smooth operation.
Shuts off with no dripping after brewing.
Can descale with vinegar.
K-cups in many varieties are available everywhere.
Keurig Cons
No creme drinks
Doesn't come with a water filter.
It doesn't cook my breakfast.
Both machines will make a great cup of coffee. For my needs the Keurig is hands down the best choice. If you really want the Tassimo make sure you get it from Amazon.com or another reputable dealer and that you can get the coffee's and teas you need without having to deal with Tassimo directly. Their customer service consists of 'Sorry for your inconvienience. I can help you with your issue. Please tell me your complaint and I will have someone ignore you in 24-48 hours'
I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE my Keurig and LOVE having the peace of mind that if something goes wrong, this company stands behind their product!
Customer Review: This is NOT the Keurig Platinum.
Summary: 3 Stars
The advertised product is not the Keurig Platinum: it is the Keurig Select. I know because when talking with tech support, they verified the type of unit by serial number. In addition, the Keurig Platinum has additional options which are not present in the advertised model. For example, the Platinum offers 5 cup sizes while the Select only offers 4. Notice that in the provided photo that there are only 4 cup sizes shown. This is the Select, not the Platinum. What's worse, it is being offered at the price of the Platinum! There is something seriously dodgy going on here. I have contacted the seller, but have not received a response yet. For a product this expensive, I plan to get extremely serious with them if I don't see some action.
Now I will review the Keurig Select. Basically, let me sum up what everyone else is saying, because it all applies to me too:
1. After a couple of months, the machine will become inconsistent. It will go through the motions and the motor inside will be spinning, but nothing will come out. After pressing the "Brew" button again (or for the third time), it will finally start flowing...and it will push way too much water through.
2. If you use the My-K-Cup, you need to give it the finest grind you can give it. Espresso grind is preferable. I use a KitchenAid ProLine burr grinder with settings from 1 (very course) to 8 (extra fine). I quietly switched it from 8 to 7 a few weeks ago, and the next day my girlfriend mentioned that the coffee tasted really bland. She did not know I had changed anything; the difference was that pronounced.
3. If you want stale, weak coffee that that tastes like it has been run through the same grounds three times, be sure to use K-Cups. Especially the Green Mountain Coffee brand. I love my home state of Vermont, but apparently we should NOT be trying to make coffee.
So here's why I give the product three stars instead of one: Keurig's customer service is very good. They offered to replace my unit for free when it started having problems, and they even replaced it with the higher Platinum model because they were out of stock on Selects. They answer their phones promptly and they speak English. In addition, their product is pretty decent when it is working correctly.
This is a good company, and although they have a bit of work to do on their product line, I plan on giving them another chance in the future.