November 30, 2011

Starbucks K-Cups & Keurig Coffeemaker Review

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

74 comments

When I arrived home from school on Monday, I had a fun surprise waiting — a Keurig Platinum B70 Single-Cup Home Brewing System and accompanying Starbucks coffee K-cups!

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I received the Starbucks K-Cups and the Keurig coffeemaker through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. I ripped open the package pretty much immediately — my friend Lu and I were dying to try it out!

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As I mentioned, I received two boxes of 16 Starbucks coffee K-Cup Portion Packs to use in the coffeemaker — one box of House Blend and one of dark French Roast. I also received a variety pack of other single serving size coffees.

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The coffeemaker was really easy to set up. Old vs. new:

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It was ready to go in no time!

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I let Lu have the first taste and she chose the Starbucks dark French Roast K-Cup.

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Ta-da!

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Fresh Starbucks coffee, coming right up… in my own kitchen. 🙂 I even served it in a Starbucks mug! Random side note — Matt and I started collecting Starbucks mugs from various major cities/states we visit — they’re the perfect size and it’s fun to have them as nice memories of our travels! So far we have mugs from North Carolina, Washington D.C., Seattle, Pittsburgh, Saudi Arabia (a work trip for him), and Puerto Rico (from spring break)! So fun. I just realized we totally forgot to get one in Miami a couple weekends ago!

Anyway — YUM! My friend Lu gave the Starbucks K-Cups and the Keurig coffeemaker two big thumbs up. 🙂

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I love that you can select all sorts of different options on this coffeemaker — including coffee temperature and cup size! The first coffee we made was normal sized, so the second time we tried selecting a small espresso-esque cup size — and what do you know — just add milk and it’s your own Starbucks latte at home! Now I just need to buy some of their gingerbread syrup to make gingerbread lattes. 😉

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I also found a black tea in the variety pack — fun!

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It came out delicious, and there wasn’t any hint of coffee taste to it, either, even though we’d just had the coffee K-Cup in there right beforehand!

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I can’t wait for Matt to get home to try out the coffeemaker and K-cups! He’s going to LOVE them. I’m more of a tea drinker than a coffee drinker (although I do love the occasional Starbucks latte, which I will now be recreating here at home), so I’m totally going to purchase some of the Starbucks Awake Tea K-Cups — my favorite. 🙂 It looks like a box of 16 of them is only $14 — less than $1 per cup of tea! The Starbucks K-Cup coffee packages are also a good deal — 16 K-Cups for $25— so that comes to $1.56 per cup of coffee. Not too shabby, especially when made into a latte or something that would be double that price in the store!

Have any of you guys tried the Starbucks K-Cups and the Keurig single serve coffeemaker? What’d you think? These would make a great Christmas present for your favorite coffee lover!

- anne

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74 comments
  • That's an amazing perk of the tastemaker program! We just got one as a wedding gift.
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    • Definitely the coolest thing I've received from the program by far!
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  • What an amazing way to start your week...coffee! Funny thing, I'm actually drinking the starbucks french roast right now! It's definitely strong but it's good. You should try the pumpkin spice coffee or gingerbread flavor k-cups! Way cheaper than sbucks and in the comfort of your own home!
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  • My only real issue with the single cup brewing systems is all the extra waste that they generate. That's what keeps me from buying one. Are the K-cups recyclable? I don't think the Tassimo ones are. :(
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    • You should buy the re-usable k-cup and use your own coffee. It's basically a plastic k-cup that you can put your own ground coffee in! Just an idea!
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      • Yes - I heard about that! I will definitely get one - I hear there's one for loose tea, too!
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    • I know, very true. But I guess compared to buying coffee in a cup with a sleeve that you will throw away... that's bad, too. And with drip coffee, you have the filter to throw away... but yeah, does seem kind of wasteful. I was wondering if they were recyclable or even if you could reuse them more than once (like make 2 cups of coffee back to back with one K-Cup?) - unfortunately I don't think so. :(
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      • If it's the choice between take-out coffee and Keurig, the K-cups are the better choice it seems. Between a compostable or reusable coffee filter for drip coffee and Keurig I'd say the drip coffee wins. However, a reusable K-cup sounds like a great idea! Slightly less convenient maybe, but probably cheaper and better for the environment. I'm a bit of a treehugger. :P
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    • I thought the same thing -- I've never been interested in owning one of these because the little cups seem so wasteful. Also, don't you miss the smell of fresh coffee brewing? (It's one of my favorite scents, especially on cold mornings!)
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      • Also, I realize when you buy Starbucks you are creating waste as well, but at least its cardboard that can be recycled.
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      • True - it does smell good but not as amazing! Especially since Matt usually adds cinnamon into his coffee grounds... mmm
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  • My boyfriend gave me a keurig last year for christmas! I love it, it is so convenient and easy to use! I have the reusable K-cup that you can put regular ground coffee in, it was worth the $5 I spent on it! I have yet to try the starbucks k-cups but need to get on that!
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    • I hear there's a reusable one you can use for loose tea! I would love to try that. It would be useful to have one for coffee grounds, too - is it easy to put in/clean?
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  • I've been protesting the Keurig for a few years now but they seem to have gained some popularity. Mostly I was concerned about all the extra packaging waste, but with 2 of us in the house, I prefer tea & hot chocolate, and he prefers coffee....and I've been spending far too much $$ at Starbucks lately so I decided that maybe it was OK to get one. :-) Hubby's mom got us one during the QVC Today's Special on Sunday - I'm just sad we have to wait until Christmas to receive it. hahahaha! so excited! (Now I just need to score some of their syrups or Torani sugar free syrups and we'll be good to go!) Looks like Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco, and Amazon.com have the BEST prices on K-Cups. Through Amazon you can sign up for a subscription so you never run out and you save $$. I think Costco has a limited selection of K-cups. and BBB has a HUGE selection plus you can use their coupons!
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    • Yeah, it does seem like a lot of waste from the K-Cups, but if you're buying Starbucks at the store, that's a lot of waste with the cups/sleeves there, too! So I guess it all evens out. I hope you enjoy the new machine when you get it! Great tips re: the K-Cup prices, too - thanks! :)
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  • Oh I have an Uncle that loves coffee! Thanks for the great idea!<3
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  • I like teh taste but the machines can be tempramental and it bothers me that there is so much extra packaging and much more expensive than regular coffee. I will stick to my drip coffee......
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    • Ooo that's cool that it will grind your beans for you!
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  • We have one at work so I use it sometimes there, but usually I have my morning coffee at home before work. My favorite is the green tea. At home we have a Tassimo machine so it is very similar but makes lattes too.
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    • Mmm yeah we were saying we wished the Keurig could warm/foam milk for lattes! :)
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  • Is the coffee weak? I like strong coffee and I'm afraid this would be on the weak side. Yes? No?
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    • The coffee isn't weak, though you can control how concentrated it is by the cup size. A larger cup size will be slightly weaker, while a smaller one is stronger. I find that if I make a big, travel mug size that I need to use a bold or darker roast for it to be as strong as I like. Otherwise, I don't make any other adjustments.
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    • Janet, I found that many of the flavored coffees were weak and ended up trying some new Bold coffees I normally wouldn't have had with a regular coffee maker. Love the Sumatran by Green Mountain, Wolfgang Puck makes a couple great ones - Breakfast in Bed and a Columbian! Very nice blend and flavorful! Emeril's bold is nice, too!
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  • I love mine. Mine is red. I love it because my husband doesn't need me to make it for him, he can have a cup of coffee anytime I'm not there. I keep the reservoir full, and a round of coffee in it so all he has to do is put cup in place and push 1 button. I thought at first the coffee would be weak but it is not. It depends if you like dark, medium, light coffee and the choice is yours.Two thumbs up for me too.
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    • P.S. Mine was an anniversary gift from guess who. Right (husband)Oh well, it's a sign I must have everything I want.
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  • Congrats on getting picked to try out the Keurig and Starbucks! So glad you enjoyed them!
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  • While they are a fun machine to use they are wasteful and take up too much counter space for me to ever want to purchase one. I often like more than one cup of coffee/tea and that means lots of extra waste if I'm using one of these machines. Getting the reusable k-cup is a great option, but still not for me--I just don't like the whole mini computer screen on my kitchen counter look. The small paper filter from a regular coffee maker is much less of a "landfiller" than the plastic/aluminum cups. The prices per cup of tea/coffee don't seem like a great deal to me either.
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  • I got a Keurig for graduation a year and a half ago and it makes life SO EASY. Recently, I got a filter so that I can put regular coffee in my keurig, and just wash out the mesh filter. Saves a LOT of money because those K-cups start to add up compared to regular coffee.
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  • I JUST started drinking coffee after 22 years. I think I mainly like it because it warms me up :)
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  • Love our Keurig. We have had ours for 3 years now and never had a problem. My husband is a coffee drinker and I am not, but I still love it because I don't have to clean up coffee grinds or pots anymore. Added benefit to the keurig, I use it daily to heat water for oatmeal or tea. I use it more than my husband. Enjoy!
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    • YES love that there won't be coffee grinds all over the place anymore.
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  • How fun! Now I very much want one of these. :) I collect Starbucks mugs from when I travel too---my fave is one I got for my sister from Montreal, Canada!
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    • Ooo fun! Aren't they the best size?! I love them.
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  • My parents have a Keurig machine and I love using it when I come over. I don't own one though; I'm fine with my regular ol' coffee maker. My husband and I both drink coffee so it get's a good amount of use. :-) Coffee mugs from different cities is such a great idea!
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  • Jealous! My parents have a Keurig too and I also love using it. Even if I don't use the single cup coffee/teas, it is still super convenient for getting hot water!
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  • I bought a Keurig at BB&B over the week end. Loved it. QVC had the platinum plus w/hot water on demand & rinse cycle on special the very next day. Took my other one back to Bed Bath & Beyond. Cant wait to get the fancy shamcy one. :) Enjoy!!
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  • Nice! Love the photo of Lu, she looks happy :)
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  • I love our Keurig, and I think we have the same model that you got. It gets way more use than our old coffee maker since there are only two of us, and our schedules are so different that we only made pots of coffee on the weekends. They are a little more expensive than making your own, but there are good deals on K-cups around the internet that brings the prices closer to $.50-$.75 a cup. And you can get organic/fair-trade coffees too!
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  • What a great Foodbuzz freebie! Have you tried the Pumpkin Coffee?? It's so good!
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    • Not yet - I need to!!
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  • Though I've never owned one myself, I've tried the K-cup coffee makers and similar concepts at work and various places. I always thought the taste was good, no better or worse than regular drip or french press coffee but nothing to get excited about either. That said, I already have a very small coffee maker and have absolutely no problem using it to make a single cup or 2-3 cups and freezing the extra for coffee smoothies or for use in iced coffee. I would certainly take one if the offered it to me ( :-) ) but for now, I just don't think it is worth the $180 price tag when my teeny $40 coffee maker does a good job. I think part of it, admittedly, is emotional for me. I like brewing a whole pot, especially when company is over and because these Keurig machines seemed to originally be more in offices it feels more like 'office coffee' than home coffee to me. I think if I were going to splurge I would be much more likely to get an espresso machine that had a coffee shop vibe to it. Although to be honest, I don't really recreate a lot of espresso drinks at home. Part of getting them at a coffee shop for me is that feeling of a treat and the experience of going.
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    • Good points! I'm not sure I would splurge on this myself for the reasons you listed, but it is pretty fun now that we have it. :) I really like the idea of lightening fast tea as well! An espresso machine would be really cool to own - I like espresso way more than coffee. But with the "tiny cup" option on the Keurig it's basically like espresso!
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  • I love my Keurig!! I have the Aerolatte Milk Frother, so I can make lattes at home and not spend mucho money on an espresso machine! Heat the milk up in your mug, froth it and put it under the Keurig and you have a tasty treat!
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    • I need to get a milk frother! Frothy milk is way more awesome than simply hot milk.
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  • we got a keurig for a wedding present. I loved it! I loved having a different flavor of coffee every morning, but not feeling like I'm wasting coffee since I only drink a cup a day. In broke in our move though so I'm very sad about that :(
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    • Aw that is sad! Might be something to put on the Christmas list. :)
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  • I tweeted to you about this, but just beware that they often malfunction and it gets very annoying when you want a cup of coffee and end up with about 3 oz in a cup, or nothing and it just makes noise forever. We are on our third Keurig so obviously we like it. Bed Bath Beyond takes them back to exchange for a new one each time, but the malfunction is very common as we've heard from friends that have it too! I love Hazelnut KCups.
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  • How do you get in the Tastemaker program??
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    • You have to be a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher (aka have a sidebar advertising contract with them) to join. If you already are one of their publishers, then join here: http://www.foodbuzz.com/pages/tastemaker-program
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  • this sounds awesome! I am completely jealous!
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  • Nice! I never really wanted one until I spent the night at my mom's house and had to wait 10 minutes for the coffee to brew...she definitely needs one for mornings I'm there! For now I'm happy with my regular one that starts 10 minutes before I wake up (love waking up to the smell of coffee). And I was lucky and inherited my neighbor's little espresso machine (very basic but perfect for just me)! Check out World Market for the Torani syrups (they usually do them 2 for $12 on a regular basis)...even have a bacon flavor! I love the sugar free hazelnut, vanilla and caramel flavors! I like the SF black cherry in Coke (some days I need a real Coke...usually when I'm sick and needing a blood transfusion). I do believe I saw Gingerbread during my last visit! Enjoy trying the flavors!
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    • Bacon flavored syrup?!?! Amazing.
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      • The coconut syrup is good too! I use it when cooking curries and thai dishes (and sometimes in coffee too)! The bacon one would probably be good in a homemade maple syrup or something similar. IDK, haven't eaten pork in 18 years (1 hog house tour turned me off for life).
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  • My parents have the exact one and over Thanksgiving I couldn't get enough. It's so much better than making a full pot I end up not drinking all of.
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  • I'm interested in the K cup thing.. but seems like it's a lot of "waste", I wonder if there could be a "greener" way to create them! I've read a lot of people say it's a shame how much waste these keurig's produce, compared to a regular built in filtered coffee maker... but the convenience must be so nice! and the assortment of flavors too.
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    • I know, I hope they will come up with a greener or reusable version soon!
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  • I love my Keurig! Right now my favorite flavor is "Perfectly Pumpkin" from Timothys. Oh and if you're looking for a way to go "greener" with your Keurig they have what is called a "My K-Cup" and you can use your own coffee http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/keurig-my-k-cup-filter?ID=71175&cm_mmc=Froogle-_-n-_-n-_-n I have one, and it's really nice so that I can still use my favorite coffees that don't come in K-cups! ENJOY!
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    • Mmm that pumpkin sounds delicious! Are the reusable K-cup filters messy at all? I've heard mixed reviews. I'd love to get one since I want to use it for loose tea, too!
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  • The price of these coffee makers and the pods puts me off, I'm afraid. Cheaper than buying at Starbucks, I'm sure, but still a lot more expensive than regular drip coffee.
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  • I LOVE my Keurig! My son introduced me to it 2 yrs ago! It's a great way to try different coffees, teas and hot chocolate. I like Starbucks chai tea latte and although I haven't perfected that at home Celestial Seasonings makes a nice Chai Tea in the K cups. Also, if you like Dark Chocolate like me, they make an awesome one for your Keurig. I bought the re-usable filter so I could brew some of my favorite Kona coffee but haven't had much luck either time I've used it so I stick to using the K cups now. Would love to hear from those who may have had better luck. I usually ended up with grounds everywhere even when not even filled half way! Other than that I'm totally spoiled and love it!
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    • I bought my husband the as seen on tv 4 pack reusable k cups and he puts his favorite coffee in it and has never had a problem with grounds in his cup
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  • We have one at work...definitely such an awesome gadget to have around!
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  • I love your Starbucks city mugs! I always try to pick one up whenever I travel somewhere fun. This morning I used my "Windy City" Chicago one! Enjoy!
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  • I have had my Keurig for about 2 years now and I love it. It is the epitome of convenience and the coffee is good, too. I love the many options I have of coffees and teas and seasonal drinks. Now that we can get Starbucks in K-cups, I may convince my husband to use it, too! If you have room for one in your bathroom, it's great in the early AM when you aren't quite ready to go rattle around in the kitchen yet but want to crawl big in bed with a nice cup of "joe" and a book!! :-)
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  • I sometimes use our office Keurig to make a cup of green tea on my lunch break (I drink my home-brewed coffee during the morning commute)... we have a "snack pantry" in the kitchen where you can purchase a K-cup for $0.50, so in a pinch, it's a pretty good deal. I do think my traditional bags of tea are cheaper and less wasteful, though. As an aside, you can "double-brew" K-cups - saves a bit of money to get two cups of coffee out of one K-cup. Two might be the limit, though, seems the coffee would get weak after that. Also check Amazon for purchasing K-cups, they're usually cheaper than stores are!
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    • I was wondering if double brewing would work or not! I'll try it - thanks for the tip!
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