Keurig B60 Special Edition Brewing System
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Keurig B60 Special Edition Brewing System
Customer Review: Outstanding, Fast Single-Serve Brewer, Great Fresh Coffee
Summary: 5 Stars
I own the B60 (Special Edition) and B70 (Platinum/Gourmet Edition). I bought in July 2009 so you have an idea of the revisions I am reviewing since they have released updated revisions. I couldn't pick so I got one of each (one for work and one for home). I am extremely happy with both, and slightly happier with the B70. At first I really liked the B60 (Special Edition) since it seemed like such a solid, sturdy design. But I prefer the slimmer look of the B70 and its design seems very sturdy and solid under daily use. I love the variety of fresh coffee in the kcups and have been very happy with most coffees I have tried. I like not having to commit to a whole pot of coffee and have never felt like having the same type of coffee for my 2nd cup later in the day when I want another. I bought this primarily for the variety and fresh coffee system. I don't drink a ton of coffee and want to have the choice of flavors and switching from regular to decaf without wasting a whole pot. This has been working perfectly for me. My wife has been using it too who typically doesn't drink coffee. The aroma of the coffees (especially flavored coffees) are really enticing.
The B60 has only 3 size settings (small cup, normal 6oz cup, and mug) while the B70 has 5 (ice coffee, small cup, normal 6oz cup, mug, and huge mug). The 2 extra sizes really aren't necessary. I don't think any kcup has enough coffee to properly flavor the huge mug setting, but at least it has the option if you don't want to feel like you are missing out. I've never made iced coffee, but I use the ice coffee setting all the time to rinse and pre-heat my cup or mug, not that you need to. The coffee is plenty hot for any cup or mug, but to last extra long while sipping slowly, I like to heat my mug so it lasts even longer. My wife never heats the mug because she thinks it is too hot if she does. So I like to use minimal water for this so the iced setting works perfectly from the B70. But the B60 works too, you just have to use a little more water with the small cup setting. Again, you really don't have to pre-heat anything. It seems designed for the right temperature without preheating your cup. I mean it seems really hot, as hot as you'd expect from any coffee maker.
I was really worried about noise after reading some reviews, so I have to comment on the results of my B60 (Special Edition) and B70 (Platinum/Gourmet Edition). Both are very quiet. The B70 is slightly quieter than the B60. The loudest it gets is when you first turn it on and it tries to heat the water as fast as possible you hear a boiling noise that is very noticeable, but not "loud", and seems to only last a minute. I wouldn't have it in my bedroom while someone was sleeping, but fine for a kitchen. That is the loudest it gets for me. Bewing is quiet on both for me, and the pumping of the water is also reasonably quiet. I mean you can hear it pump, but nothing remotely distracting. It is possible that any problems were fixed that were reported by some earlier reviews. The models I bought in July 2009 are really quiet. I have my B70 on a tile counter and my B60 on laminate desk top against a common wall. I'm never worried about drawing attention.
Power-wise, I was concerned about the 1500 watt initial usage while it tries to heat as fast as it can. Sure, at 1500 watts you don't want to be using much anyhting else on the same circuit at the same time. I tested the power usage over the weekend at my work office with two monitors, two laptops, and the lights on and then turned it on and didn't blow a fuse. At home I just use a set of outlets in the kitchen that don't have to be used concurrently. It only uses 1500 Watts for 1 - 3 minutes and seems to be ready very fast. After that I think they say it only uses 60 watts to maintain, and 300 watts here or there to reheat for a minute or less. I've never tripped my 15 amp circuit and don't dedicate any circuit for it. But I'm just careful not to use a microwave or toaster anytime it is going to do a heating cycle. I also didn't notice anything on my energy bill relative to other energy sources in the summer.
Btw - the B60's power button is on the front and the B70's on the back. B60 is more convenient to turn on, but I've never once felt like the B70 was any difficulty and I turn it on every morning and off every night.
So I'm extrely happy with both. I think the B70 is slightly better and seems to occupy less space. The B60 feels a little more bulky due to its shape and black plastic. I find if I store a silver mug on my B60 it feels more elegant due to the change in color. The silver on the B70 just seems to help it feel slimmer, and it isn't as deep too.
Customer Review: It's all about convenience!
Summary: 3 Stars
It's easy to operate, convenient (no cleanup), but, in my opinion, it doesn't make good coffee out of the box. No matter what brand of coffee I tried, the result was a brew that was just too weak for my taste. The purchase decision is really all about convenience.
I purchased the "My K-cup" filter, which uses a gold tone microscreen, in an attempt to use my own brand of coffee as well as be a bit more green by saving the environment from a proliferation of plastic K-cups - but, that produced coffee that was even weaker - not a good thing. I wound up modifying a K-cup to fit outside of the microscreen filter, and punched a tiny 1/16 diameter hole in the bottom of the K-cup, so that the water doesn't move as quickly through the coffee grinds (Note: you need to offset the hole toward the edge of the cup otherwise the coffee splashes when it drips into the mug). This notion has been described elsewhere in these reviews. The minimum size of the hole is crucial to avoid a mess - water/coffee overflow. Note: you need to lower the rubber gasket on the upper needle to avoid water leakage around the filter (also explained in other reviews). I also cut the bottom and top off another K-cup and inserted it into the filter to cut down on the microscreen area and allow the water to filter through more of the grinds before exiting the filter. The K-cup outside and inside the microfilter works pretty effectively in strengthening the brew (especially the latter modification). It also helps to pack the coffee grinds into the filter - rather than just spooning them in loosely. But, all this defeats the convience of using a K-cup!
The problem is that the key variables required to make a good cup of coffee (or a cup that suits you) are out of your control with the Keurig : i.e., the measured amount of coffee to use, the amount of water to use, and the rate at which the water flows through the grinds, the latter being the key variable for the Keurig. There is a setting on the unit that allows more water (cup, mug, travel mug), but the amount of coffee to use is a constant limited to the standard size of the K-cup or the "My K-cup" filter - if you go that way. I have been using the small cup setting to limit the amount of dilution.
I would suggest against the My K-cup filter, there is another alternative that may be better. Search and you will find. Keurig should decrease the effective filter screen area as my experimental findings indicated above. But, of course, Keurig wants you to buy K-cups because that's where their royalties reside.
The K-cup comes in one size. There is about two tablespoons of coffee in a K-cup (there is a filter inside that takes up about 20% of the cup's space). Before the Keurig, I used a Black & Decker one cup coffee maker (DCM-7, $14, now unavailable), which I had for 10 years (it is no longer functional). That made excellent coffee, though it required cleanup - which wasn't a problem for me. The water dripped slowly through the coffee grinds; I used 3 tablespoons of coffee. I was in full control of the brewing process by having the abilty to adjust the two common variables - the amount of coffee to use, and the amount of water to use.
Even though the My K-cup filter holds 3 tablespoons of coffee, which is the same as that which I used for the B&D, the high flow rate of water pushed through the grinds through steam pressure makes for a much weaker brew than using a K-cup (before the modifications to the filter described above).
The B60 is microprocessor controlled, so it shouldn't be all that difficult or expensive to add a solenoid valve that would allow the rate of flow of water/steam through the grinds to be a user-selectable option. I think that would be the key to enabling this unit to be truly workable by allowing for some flexibility. Having the ability to support three different mug sizes of coffee using the same amount of coffee grinds (i.e., K-cup) and just using more water (without modulating the flow rate) makes little sense in producing a consistent cup of coffee - it just dilutes the brew. Again, steam/water flow rate is the key here - in case the developers at Keurig read this.
If you are going to use the My K-cup filter with the B60, the unit isn't worth the price because of the added hassle and lack of K-cup convenience.
It just doesn't work for me, but I can see how the convenience and the cool appearance of the unit could be popular and seductive to others if one doesn't care about the added cost of a K-cup ($.40 - $.50) and the environmental concerns.
I hope this review was informative.
Customer Review: Quality control issue
Summary: 3 Stars
I just bought a Special Edition at Target one hour ago. I unpacked it and followed the "Getting started guide" to run a small cup of water through the machine with no coffee. Following this, I brewed my first cup with one of the included k-cups. I selected the medium cup setting and although the output was a little less than I expected, it was tasty. I removed the k-cup and closed the lid planning to run just water through the machine to measure the output, but the machine shut off by itself after chugging and displaying "Not Ready" in the display for several minutes. I turned the machine back on and again was greeted by the chugging noise and the "Not Ready" words in the display. Once again, after several minutes instead of "Ready to Brew" the machine just shut off. After unplugging and plugging the machine back in and trying a couple of more times without success, I called the Customer Service line.
The guy who answered took all my information and had me go through the steps again while on the line, with the same results. After apologizing, the rep offered to send me a replacement machine; however, when I asked how long this would take since I would be without a coffee maker in the interim, I was informed that it would take 3 - 7 business days. I told him that this was totally unacceptable and would be returning the machine to Target.
The only reason I called customer service in the first place is because this was the only Special Edition my local Target had on the shelf and I knew that I would not be able to get a replacement at the store. Had Keurig been willing to overnight a replacement for their defective product, I may have been willing to give it another chance, but I'm not willing to spend this kind of money on a defective product and then have to wait a week or more without coffee for them to use the cheapest shipping method available to them.
Unfortunately, I should have taken the negative reviews more seriously. I cannot recommend this machine since the quality control is apparently lacking.
3/17/10 UPDATE: I was able to exchange the defective machine for a working model at Target. Turns out they had a few more in the back of the store. I've been putting the machine through it's paces and trying the various sample k cups that came with it. I have to admit that with a working machine, it makes a great cup of coffee. I now have several variety packs on order. My wife tried to make a cup of tea and decided that it was not hot enough for her even though I am using the 192 degree temperature setting. She stated that she will forgo the convenience to boil water the old fashion way, in a pot on the stove, rather than use this machine. One of my sons, the one who is also a coffee drinker, loves the thing though.
I have 16 oz. travel mugs for the commute to work, so it takes two k cups on the 8 oz. setting to fill it. I haven't been willing to try the 10 oz. setting with a single k cup as this wouldn't fill the travel mug anyway and I'm afraid it would be too watered down. It's still faster to run two cycles back to back than my old coffee maker. I also picked up a My K Cup reusable filter with the intent of using it with my regular ground coffee most of the time and just keeping some k cups around for special occasions, but I've read some horror stories about the My K Cup as well. You can't beat the convenience of the prepackaged k cups and after tasting some of the gourmet coffees that came in the sample pack, it's going to be hard to go back to Folger's. Needless to say, I haven't tried the My K Cup out yet.
My original 1 star rating was entirely due to the frustration of having such an expensive purchase malfunction within the first hour. I've upgraded my rating to reflect the fact that the working model preforms as advertised. I'm hesitant to give it too high a score considering the number of other people that have had problems and the fact that I've only had it for two days now. I'll try to update again in a few months after the newness/novelty has worn off.
I would recommend this machine to people who like the idea of brewing each cup of coffee individually, like to drink a variety of blends, and prefer the convenience of using the k cups. Just be aware that if you have a problem, while customer service might be willing to replace your machine, it won't be quick, so have a back up coffee maker just in case.
Customer Review: Worth Every Penny!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Updated review (Feb 5):
I deleted my original review (below) so that I could post an update and kick my rating up to 5 stars.
After one month of heavy use this machine is nothing short of remarkable. The ability to serve everyone exactly what they want whether it is bold, mild, decaf, flavored or tea is well worth the price alone. I am also happy to report that I have not experienced any more "clogs" as mentioned below. My wife loves the brewer especially since I dropped by the local Sam's and picked up a pack of 20oz insulated cups w/ lids. No more stopping by the coffee shop before the long drives, trips to the store or the kids' games. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing but I find myself drinking much more coffee than I did before due to the convenience.
The ability to control your brew size has really been a welcome feature. The 20oz cups perfectly hold 2 "travel mug" cycles. Most mugs work well with one "travel mug" cycle but we do have some that will hold 2 "mug" cycles or 1 "mug" plus 1 "cup". Of course, the brew size and type of coffee will determine its strength and you might prefer different sizes. This works particularly well with tea bags if you just want to fill the cup and steep to your desired strength.
Based on my experience I really wouldn't recommend the K-cups for brewing tea. Many of the teas available in K-cups are also available at your local store in bags for much less and it is much easier to control the strength with tea bags depending on how long you let it steep. I also noticed that the Keurig formulated hot chocolate is now available. Again, you are probably better off with a bulk mix so you can better adjust the quantity instead of pre-measured packets that are priced at a significant premium. I'll admit I haven't tried it and maybe the "Premium Double Chocolate" is worth the price -- but not for me.
Lastly, the reusable K-cup is now available as an accessory. I ordered one along with the additional filters but have not had a chance to try it out.
I bought my wife the "Special Edition" Keurig for Xmas after reading many favorable reviews (OK, I wanted it too). We just finished putting it through its initial paces and wanted to comment on a few issues.
After unpacking the brewing system ordered from Amazon, I was surprised to find no reusable K-cup. Other reviewers gave the impression that it wasn't just the WS "exclusive" brewers that included the K-cup. This is a huge disappointment as the reusable K-cup was the deciding factor in purchasing the B60. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long for it to be offered as a separate accessory.
So far we have brewed three cups -- tea, flavored coffee and regular coffee. The first two worked very well. On the third K-cup I hit the brew button and a little water dripped into my mug then it stopped. I opened and closed the lid and hit the brew button a second time. Again, very little water went into the cup and I could hear water being drained back into the reservoir. After a little troubleshooting I decided I had a clogged exit needle. When I found the section in the user guide dealing with cleaning the exit needle (the troubleshooting chart referred to the wrong page) I was amazed. It instructs you to stick a paper clip or "other similar tool" into the exit needle to clear the clog. Come on, I just spent $200 on a brewer and you're telling me I need to find a paper clip to ram in the brewer instead of providing a cleaning tool. Since I didn't have a paper clip I used a sewing needle.
Well, once the clog was cleared I continued to brew the third cup (which happened to be mine). Coffee wasn't bad however, when I got to the last swig I really wasn't paying attention and ended up with a mouth full of coffee grounds. I hope this was due to the clog and not a regular occurrence.
I'll add to the review later as it gets more use. I just wanted people to be aware that not all "Special Editions" come with the reusable K-cup.
Customer Review: Problems encountered and how i fixed them. Great brewer overall.
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start off by saying that the Keurig brewer is a great brewer. I decided to write this review since it might help people who encountered the same problems that i did. I purchased my first Keurig brewer 7 months ago. Per the instructions, i only used filtered water from my fridge and it worked perfectly for those 3 months. No complaints whatsoever. And then the problems started occurring. The pump didn't quite always work right. I had to reseat it every now and then. The brewing(heating) element didn't always brew. It sometimes sat there trying to brew to no avail unless i tried 2 or 3 times until it finally kicked in (overflowed?) and brewed 2 or 3 cups in one cycle, overflowing whatever recepticle (cup) i had to contain the coffee. You just can't fit 3 cups of coffee in a single cup and the coffee was watered down.
I looked it up and read alot of reviews talking about how the pump was defective, etc, etc. I tried cleaning it as instructed in the manual. Customer support wasn't very helpful and there was no resolution there. I had purchased it from a certain warehouse that has a very good return policy. So, i returned it. As soon as i walked up with it, she asked if i had purchased it 3 months ago. That was when they started selling it. I told her yes and she said that she thought they had a defective batch because all the Keurig returns were purchases from that same period. She said that i might want to try Keurig again if it was only that one defective batch and that they hadn't had any returns for the brewer for other periods purchased. So, i bought another Keurig.
Lo and behold, exact same thing happened another 3 months down the road. I was frustrated and ticked off. I was about to return it again and just pick up a cheap 30 dollar brewer. My wife told me to give it another chance so i thought about it and decided to do a really thorough cleaning(my way this time). Bought 3 bottles of vinegar (32oz each). Dumped 32 oz into the tank and flushed out the water and vinegar by brewing. Dumped another bottle in and flushed again. This time i kept the heated vinegar and continued recycling it back through the tank over and over again. I must have brewed it like 2 dozen times. flushed the vinegar down the sink. Took my last bottle and cycled it a couple times. This time i let it sit inside the unit for 6 hours. I then flushed(and later cleaned) everything with filtered water over and over again until there was no more residual vinegar smell. Don't forget to clean the tank and the nozzle that connects the tank to the unit when doing the vinegar thing. I used a medical grade q-tip(very thin). Crossed my fingers and brewed some coffee. Seemed to work fine. A month later, it hasn't failed on me once. Brews like it was new. This brewer works great when it's clean but since it has elements inside that you can't clean manually with your hands, it seems to require a very through cleaning with vinegar every 3 months.
One thing i should mention is that, not once has either of the 2 units i purchased ever shown the "descale" message requiring that i clean it. I believe "most" of the problems with the brewer is just that users are unaware of the necessity to clean this unit thoroughly. Customer service isn't very good at explaining how thoroughly it needs cleaning. They'll just tell you to follow the instructions in the manual. That just doesn't cut it. My first return could have been avoided entirely if they had better instructions. It is not a simple cleaning and if you are not willing to waste the time cleaning it every 3 months, don't buy it.
EDIT: Funny thing about this machine. It's been over half a year since i've last descaled it, and it hasn't malfunctioned once since that time. Go figure.