Keurig K-cups

You do not throw out the re-useable K-Cup.

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Correct, first pic is the Kuerig official reusable, the second are the dolphin ones mentioned above. Neither are disposable, although my Kuerig one did crack so I use an after market.

At work I only allow k-cups since people have an issue with cleaning the basket after use.

Hey JR, using the scoop that came with the traditional coffee maker, 6 level scoops of traditional pre-ground coffee like Folgers yields a full pot (12 cups as marked on the pot) .

How do you think using a reusable K Cup equates in terms of yield?

Interesting question, to be perfectly honest with you i’m not sure I can come up with an accurate response but I will give you my best educated opinion.

If I’m understanding your question correctly for a traditional coffee pot, 1 scoop equals 2 cups of coffee. (thus 6=12 or full pot 2:1 ratio) Having no memory or personal knowledge of the size of the “scoop that came with the traditional coffee maker”, I’m not sure how to equate that to the reusable k-cups. I do remember the scoops that use to come with coffee, and still with most instant ice teas, using that as the “standard” I would say it’s almost 1:1 ratio or perhaps 1:2 ratio. meaning it’s one of those scoops per single serving or “maybe” 2 scoops per individual serving.

In my opinion you are netting less yield per scoop in the keurig than a traditional pour over or peculator.

I just checked and the little scoop that came with the brewer is about 1 tablespoon.

Your probably right with your ratio figuring the extreme speed of the K Cup machines does not allow the water as much contact time with the coffee grounds so the extraction rate is less so more coffee is needed to get the desired flavor.

I may have to get one of those - there’s a Keurig at work, or I brought in a cone-filter drip machine that had been relegated to the garage. I hate, hate, hate all the waste with the K-cups (at least Nespresso capsules just become aluminum recycling…) but I’m a little afraid to use an aftermarket re-usable cup and then break the office machine…

I’ve had problems with the plastic lid as well as the canister breaking on the official keurig reusable basket. I have switched to the after market similar to the dolphin set pictured, as someone else mentioned they are like 3 for $15.00 and each one lasts about a year. I find no difference in the quality of the coffee between the two.

Plus, to be 100% honest, I find the coffee out of the Keurig to be “not very good”.

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I don’t use the k-kups I only use the reusable baskets, and I use my favorite coffee brands, specifically dunkin donut’s and I have no problem with the coffee at all. I was a peculator before, never a pour over, and I don’t find the coffee to be bad at all. I enjoy it.

This Keurigis for the original.The 2.0 is similar and it is much sturdier than the dolphins, which broke 2 weeks afterI received.

I did the math and did a proof of concept…

I get 36 cups of coffee out of a pound of coffee, two scoops per cup.

At $18/lb it is $0.50 per cup, the low end of a pre-packed K-Cup and a high end coffee using the reuseable. My local roaster is ~$12 per pound so I get better coffee, no environmental push-back and way better coffee.

How long should it take for the water to drip through for a single cup? I measured various methods I use and got:

  • Melitta cone with re-usable metal filter: 32 seconds (less than a minute)
  • Melitta cone with paper filter: 32 seconds (less than a minute)
  • Ankar two-piece “cone”: 1 minute 40 seconds
  • Bialetti espresso machine (small): 3 minutes, 40 seconds
  • Vietnamese coffee press.filter: 6 minutes, 6 seconds

I tend to use the Ankar as my standard, but the wide variation in times has left me wondering.

I haven’t a clue but our counter top brewer drips hot water into a filter containing 6 level scoops of supermarket grade coffee grounds (approx 6 level Tbsp) and then it gravity drips through the grounds and into the pot with a final yield of 12 cups. Never timed it but per cup its a significantly slower process than the Kurig Machine that used pressure to force the hot water through the cup holding the grounds.

My guess is the longer a given amount of hot water is in contact with the grounds the more flavor will be extracted from the grounds. As a result, the fast pressurized coffee machines require more grounds per cup.

I know for a fact that the fast brewing machines in a 7-11 or Wawa require a lot more coffer grounds per cup than a much slower home brewer.

For about $6 lb, Costco has a really excellent organic, fair trade Cuban Mayorga coffee. Not too dark, choclately notes and full bodied, no bitterness. My other regular coffee, Jim’s organic Ethiopian Sidamo runs more like $16 per lb. I love the Mayorga and the savings. Of course, my local roaster is more like $20 per lb, I believe.

So much depends on how much coffee you use, what grind it is, and how fresh it is, with bloom.

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Standard coffee scoop (2T), usually espresso grind, sometimes regular grind. It is already ground, and I go through a brick or can in about a month.

You use one standard scoop per cup? No more? There’s room for more, right?

I drink, typically, from a 16 oz mug, so that’s three really rounded scoops, for comparison. Medium to fine grind.

The Canadian two-piece is pretty much a one-scoop contraption, as is the Bialetti and the smallest Vietnamese filter. I suppose I could put more in the cone and the larger Vietnamese filter.

But the ones limited to one scoop also limit the amount of water to about 6 ounces as well, so I’m not trying to make a pint of coffee from a single scoop. (I am reminded of my father, who used to make three or four cups of tea from a single tea bag. Child of the Depression…)

Home (l-r): Malhkönig K30 Vario grinder; Baratza Vario grinder; Elektra “Sixties” T1 espresso machine.

Office (l-r): Ala di Vittoria “La Valentina” espresso machine; La Cimbali MaxHybrid grinder.

No need for K-cups . . . . :wink: