I never had success getting anything decent out of the refillable pod.

I wonder why they don't last for you? I have had only one--five years now and would LOVE for it to break so I could go back to cheap coffee. I can't say I notice it as any better.

I hope I didn't jinx ourselves...but I was just thinking the other day that our keurig at work has lasted a long time. I'm sure we got it Costco. I've only used a Nespresso once but it was really good and would love to have one.

I've had mine for years and no, I don't leave it on all day. I make a cup of coffee and turn it off. If I want tea or hot chocolate in the afternoon, I turn it back on. It doesn't take that long to heat up.

Ritaweeda - google keurig slap and burp or spank and burp. Apparently if you beat the cr@p out of it upside down it might work again. You’ve got nothing to lose.

I've had my Keurig for approx 5 years and no problems with daily use. I only put water from a Zero-Water pitcher so there shouldn't be any build-up on the heating element. Works great and I've had friends that drink french press use it and they were impressed with the quality of the coffee.

I've had mine at least six years. How many cups a day are you making with yours? We had one at work, but it died within a few months. It was replaced and that one died fast too. I'm thinking they're only made to make a few cups a day, not a lot of cups a day. Mine won't die. (it will now..........)

We looked into the Keurig, but even though they say the pods a recycleable, you have to take them down to the store for recycling. And are they really being recycled? I keep hearing about these floating islands of plastic!

We drink 2 cups each in the morning and that's it! We stayed with a drip coffee maker that we can compost the filters and coffee grounds.

I could understand if you are a drink coffee all day type of person they would be conveient.

Maybe the model of Keurig makes a difference. My stepson said he had the "fancy" ones, as did Ashley. Mine is "less fancy", but not the tiniest one, it does have a water reservoir that holds 3 or 4 cups instead of just one.

Maybe different models last longer, which would explain how some people have them last months and others have them last years?

Annie

Have had ours for about 7 years. DH makes 2 to 3 cups a day. Uses filtered water only and doesn’t use K cups. We do keep a few around for when company comes. We take it to and from Florida Too.

I've never tried a Keurig, could never justify all the trash from the single serve cups. Honestly never wanted to either, I adjust the strength of my coffee on a daily basis.

I have always used a basic drip coffee maker and adjusted the strength by how much water/grounds I use.

My current one I've had for close to 10 years. It's a Hamilton Beach model I got at Walmart, basically looks like this.

If you decide to move away from the Keurig and use a different method of preparing coffee, you might try something like this.

Both my daughter and I have a Hamilton Beach FlexBrew single cup maker and we like it. You can either use k-cups or loose ground coffee. Her boyfriend liked hers so well he bought one also. She's had hers just over a year, I only since last summer, so I can't speak to durability.

I have a Senseo....uses pods that are like a tea bag...they rot in the garden in a few weeks. Melitta also makes one that uses those pods.

I sure hope you called Keurig, they placed mine. Exceptional customer service.

Texas, when I purchased my Keurig I did look at other models. I was interested in the Hamilton Beach model but at that time it was the lowest ranked model. There was some mention of the unit spewing boiling water out the sides. Hope they repaired the issues that that gave it the low rating.

DH and I both drink enough coffee to not bother with single serving devices. We stayed at an air b&b that had a knock-off brand keurig. Indeed it did spew boiling hot water all over the counter. Bleh! Never had that happen with a cheap knockoff brand drip maker. (Some places, you just got to go out for a decent cuppa joe!)

We have a Keurig at work that gets used multiple times a day - for probably over 5 years now. Never had a problem with it.

At home I bought a combo regular carafe pot and a single serve. Can't think of the brand at the moment but we love it! DH makes a pot every morning and then if either of us wants something later in the day, the single cup works perfectly.

I purchased a "used" Keurig B70 @ a thrift store for$8.50 and it worked! (they advertise they test everything before they place it on the shelf & offer a 10 day return). I also looked up what it originally sold for....$495. Now....Amazon $50 used,,,,

(Note: they sell the coffee refill cups new on Ebay for about $1.50)

Wednesday - my Keurig holds enough water for a weeks worth of coffee and it does have 3 strength settings although I only use the strongest. It's more wasteful to make an entire pot of coffee to drink only one cup and discard the rest. To use mine I snap in a pod and push one button - not labor intensive.

We have been using the Hamilton Beach brew stations for years now and would not change. They are excellent and extremely easy. Never ever had a problem with any of them. Never had one break or die. I have lost a couple in floods lol. We always keep one in the rv as well as the house and hubby had one in his office. He drinks a lot of coffee. Basically all day he will have his insulated mug of coffee with him. I drink iced coffee usually 1 large mug in the morning. We only use Louisiana brand Community dark roast coffee. Every time we have friends over who drink our coffee comment on how much they love our coffee.

I tried one of the pod types once. I won it. I gave it away to a friend. Not for us. Plus I prefer iced. And when we make tea we make sun tea. Gallon glass tea jug with spigot , hot water, tea bags, set it in the sun. Can't get much easier and it's wonderful tea. Sometimes I add flavored tea bags, like orange spice, or raspberry mint etc.

I have a Keurig, just the old classic model, but I use the refillable cups. I do not like the taste of coffee in the refillables. I also have to put a tiny paper filter in the cups or there will be a fine layer of coffee mud in the bottom of my cup. I'm told this means the grind is to fine, but I don't grind my own.

I do have a new, never used french press but have to figure out how to use it..only thing i know is the coffee needs to be coursely ground. Maybe this weekend I'll dig it out.

Nicole, we have the same Keurig, for 7 years now. Works great!

So many restaurants use the Bunn and that is what we use. I don't like any other kind. For many years we use a Farberware electric coffee pot and always like those, but it seems they started making them cheaply after a while and they just didn't last, so that is when we switched to the Bunn.

Since I knew where my French press was I pulled it out, washed it, and read the directions. Easy. I only have 8 O'clock coffee beans so I used them. I ground them course. I added the grounds to the pot, poured hot water, just shy of boiling, stirred, and waited 5 minutes than I plunged. It was easy.

I have an electric perk, stove top perk, drip, and Keurig....the French press hands down made the best coffee. It was clear, with no residue. Ive had this new FP here for a good while but felt intimidated by it, but frankly I never read the directions until tonight so I don't know why I was intimidated by this gadget. From beginning to my first sip took less than 10 minutes and that's because it took 4 minutes to heat the water than the steep time. Absolutely well worth waiting 9 or 10 minutes for. It's delicious. Best coffee I've ever had in my house. It will be my daily driver.

Warning: if you try a french press you may never want to go back to the way you now brew coffee.

If you have small appliances dying regularly, try plugging them in a different outlet.

Depending on what else is on the same circuit as the outlet you plug in, there can be "inductive" or "capacitive " electric voltage/current spikes that can kill some small appliances.

dcarch.

The automatic coffee makers burned out. The machine, itself, is a really simple machine. If it could just be made to have some replaceable parts, that would be great. That is not the way our appliance are made now days. One little thing breaks and the whole thing is ready for the landfill.

I looked at those makers that have a reservoir for the water so that you don't have to add one cup at a time but my objection to the ones that I saw was that there was no real way to clean that reservoir.

Making one cup at a time with those refillable pods is labor intensive. If you are wanting to use your own choice of coffee, why not use a machine that makes that an easy choice? You are limited to the amount of coffee that can be held in that little pod. If you add more water, you get weaker coffee. You can't add more coffee. It is limiting.

We make about four or five cups in the morning and never have it left over or wasted.

I also have one of those "espresso" pots that goes on the stove. It is great for making one or two cups. I also have a French press but have never actually put coarse grinds in it. With the regular ground coffee, the French press leaves residue.

I also bought a stainless steel stove top perk pot. I don't much care for perk coffee. I find that it just seems too harsh of a way to make coffee. The already perked coffee is subjected to too much heat while the coffee is finishing the perk.

My MIL had two of those Farberware perk pots that she always used. After many years one of them died and she bought a new one. The new one did not last at all. Clearly, there was a difference in quality between the older and the new.

On her recommendation, I, too bought one that promptly died.

I have tried all manner of coffee making and have decided that there will be no more machines dedicated to coffee. They just become landfill, or create landfill.

mamap, I swear by my French press as well!! It is all that I have used for the last 15 years or so......since my last electric coffee maker died. I am a very picky coffee drinker - I live in Seattle (or close to) after all - I like my coffee strong, black and full flavored and the FP hits it every time!! And so fast and easy to make and use.

I don't have a grinder so buy fresh ground beans on a weekly basis. I grind them myself at the grocery from the bulk beans, so can get the coarser grind that works best in an FP. Until I discovered that Safeway sells its own branded coffee in a FP version. It is very good, a dark roast and a coarser grind than other pre-ground packaged coffees....ideal for the FP.

By far the best coffee ever......next to my sister's fancy Italian expresso maker when I feel the need for a latte. Which is not all that often :-)

Wednesday, your situation is different, with multiple people the need for multiple cups of coffee in the morning a Keurig doesn't make sense. For those of us that are the only coffee drinkers so one cup per day in the house a pot of coffee is a waste.

On mine the reservoir lifts off for cleaning but since I only use the Zero Water to fill it and it has a lid, it stays clean.

Just wait till they start making cars that don't have replaceable parts. Oh wait, they do, I've heard some friends complain about cars that the entire assemblies must be replaced instead of a simple part like a light bulb for the brake lights.

lindac92, I used to own a Senseo. The coffee is SO expensive here and I can only find 2 stores in all of Calgary that sold it. I gave it away. Then I bought a Tassimo. Finding a decent pod was hard and the garbage (not able to recycle them) sure made me feel guilty. My husband bought me a Keurig and refillable filters but I could not get a decent cup of coffee. For about a year, I ordered my coffee directly from Keurig until I saw someone online say that in order to get a GOOD strong bold cup of coffee from the Keurig refillable pods, you need to grind the coffee fine. I tried with regular Maxwell House ground coffee. I put the grinds in my coffee grinder and tried a cup. What a difference! Now I use coffee beans and fine grind them and use my refillable filters. Now coffee only costs me about $20 a month instead of over $100 a month for the pods from Keurigs site. I drink a LOT of coffee............ And the coffee grounds go into my composter, not the landfills. :)

eta: I have my Keurig, my Kitchen Aid coffee maker (12 cups machine), French Press, stove top glass perc, electric Bialatti espresso maker.

DC - In my experience Keurig failure has been mechanical, not electronic. Someone mentioned the pump above. Maybe the prostate.

After a few Keurig's failed, we switched to the Bunn that uses kcups. It's not pretty, but it works.

Like Debby, I have a LOT of devices to make coffee. I have a KitchenAid with a timer and an insulated carafe that also grinds (now THAT'LL get you out of bed in the morning!), a Cuisinart drip pot, a Hamilton Beach Brewstation (one of those pots that don't have a carafe, you just press the button to dispense a cup of coffee, great for the camper because there's no glass pot to break), an old stove top CorningWare percolator that I use when the power goes out, an electric/aluminum counter top perk type pot, one of those stove top Bialetti mocca makers, the Keurig, a drip maker we got free from Gevalia, two sizes of French Press and the Chemex. My husband likes to try ALL the gadgets and he switches from one to another as it suits him. I do compost my grounds.

I buy green beans from Burman Coffee, roast them in my FreshRoast coffee roaster and use the Chemex, the most low tech of all my options, LOL. The French Press is my second choice, but as I've said, taste is not objective, it's subjective. That's how I explain Starbucks, which I do not care for because it tastes burned to me. Others love it. (shrug)

Like Raye's machine, Elery's Keurig has a removable water reservoir so that I can take it off and clean it.

Nope, I'll never have to go without coffee, LOL, I have all options well covered!

Annie

Update on this in case you wanted to know for your future reference. So there is nothing wrong with the outlet, this is a pump issue just like the previous ones. We did still have the receipt and we just bought it last June, so we called them and they will take it back (we have to send it) and they will send us a gift card. So instead of buying this same or more expensive model I went ahead and bought the compact model, $60. (I also bought the 2-year extended for $5 since I know the deal with these Keurigs.) The one we had was $90 when we bought it last year and it is now $100. So we have the French Press also. When we are in a hurry we'll use the K-compact and otherwise use the French Press. I also noticed they had one of the Bodum brand pour-over models like the Chemex, only $20. So I've heard lots of good reviews about that kind of maker so I might just go ahead and buy one to try. It has a built-in filter, which is even greener than the one that calls for the paper ones. Some were wondering why we've had so many problems with ours - no clue - but others have said they had problems, too. Too bad the coffee is so good on these things but everything is built not to last nowadays. I remember back a long time ago when people had electric appliances that were handed down generations because they never wore out.

Yeah, well the companies quickly figured out that there is no money in making an appliance once and have it last many years. Have it made with cheap breakable parts so people will have to buy a new one every year or so, much much more money in that line of thinking!

Another French press fan here. And I usually use regular ground coffee. I'm very noise sensitive in the morning and grinding beans wouldn't appeal to me. Once in a while I'll grind some at the store like Gardengal does so the grinds are bigger. But I'm OK with regular ground coffee.

We had a Keurig that my DH occasionally uses. But on a daily basis, I could no longer justify the cost, waste and health risks (if you believe those are warranted). The total combination just isn't worth it.

A couple of weeks ago one of the elements of our manual pour method coffee making ceased to exist. So, we began to look for another way or for a replacement.

I pulled out that stainless steel stove top perk pot and this is the second day that we have experimented with perk coffee.

I bought it years ago and it has sat in my off kitchen storage. The only reason it is still here after many decluttering purgings is that it is such a beautifully made and simply designed item. I have always respected it for that well made simplicity. It is a heavy gauge stainless steel. It is made by Coleman and was designed for using as a camp coffee pot. Such a clean and simple design!

So far, the experience is much better than the experience that we had when we first used it so many years ago. We buy a better coffee now than we did back then, and that may be one difference.

Husband was adamant that he preferred drip coffee and I do understand that we both came to this same conclusion some years ago. But, now, after the second morning of making and enjoying this coffee, I think it may be the way we will do it.

My previous experience was that the perked coffee was muddy and acidic and had no bloom of flavor. The only thing that is different is that we are buying a better quality coffee and we also have osmosis filtered water. Maybe, those two factors, and perhaps the fact that we put it through a grinder at Costco and custom set the grind. Maybe? I really don't know, but, this time around the results are much more to my liking.

I have heard that preground coffee is ground to a "one size fits all" grind. Maybe, by customizing the grind it has aided in getting a better result.

I am pleasantly surprised because I have always wanted to use this beautifully simple item, but it has sat unused for so long.

I tested out the Bodum Pour-Over yesterday and I really liked it. (Looks just like the Chemex.) I also bought an electric kettle to heat the water quickly, it turns itself off after coming to a boil. I wasn't sure which coffee to buy so I wound up with the Community Coffee brand dark roast, ground. It came out fine. So now we have the K-Compact for quick, the French Press and the Bodum, depending on what kind of mood we are in. By the way, the K-Compact is even less well made than the regular classic one, I can tell by the way it behaves. I'm glad I spent the extra $5 for 2 years extended. There weren't a lot of brands and models available when I went to buy, they were doing inventory.

Just for you wednesday: Maxwell House song

And yes, I think the grind certainly matters as does the coffee and water too.

Welcome to the dark side, Ritaweeda. (grin) I try other methods, but I always go back to that pour over Chemex. If I go to a coffee shop and they have pour over available, that's what I'll get. The other coffees range from good to "well, it's coffee", but I really like the pour over. Elery just wants a cup of coffee RIGHT NOW in the morning, so he uses the Keurig with the refillable filter for that cup. I'd rather wait and drink the good stuff.

I make a pot and keep it in a not-so-pretty Thermos container on the counter. That Thermos was a gift to Elery from his middle son, who was wounded while in the Army in Kosovo years ago. That was the Thermos he had/used while there and Elery still uses it and remembers how lucky he was that his son came home.

Annie

We drink too much coffee to bother with the pods so never had a Keurig. I also don't like the plastic pods nor do I care to fill and clean reusable pods. If I'm home by myself and only want 1-2 cups I have a small pour over device that works great. Usually we make drip in a Cuisinart coffee maker and immediately pour it into a fabulous Thermos carafe. It keeps it hot all day and no burning it up on the warming plate.

I think that, with a perk pot, one of the dangers is that the just perked coffee is exposed to too high heat while the perking is finishing and that can make it taste flat. I find that happens with one of those auto drip pots where the coffee sits for too long keeping warm. The coffee sitting in that carafe is not pleasing.

it has been over a week now that we are making perk coffee. While it is not the most perfect cup of coffee, it is the easiest to make in the morning. And, I really did want to try to use this beautifully simple pot that I have.

I have found that it works best to bring the coffee up to a perk and then turn the flame down to it's lowest and let it perk for five minutes. It is a careful balance of getting the water to perk through the grinds while not leaving it exposed to high heat long enough to loose it's appeal.

Husband grumbles a little about it. Even with the drip coffee, I will usually find a mud in the bottom of the last cup. It is not clear to me just how that happens, but it does. One would think that the paper filter would eliminate that. I have been pleasantly surprised to find my perked coffee to leave very little residue. That was not the case the last time that we tried doing perked coffee. Not sure what has made the difference.

One problem with buying another pour over combination is that the carafes and baskets for these are usually geared towards making a small amount of coffee. For the two of us to have a couple of cups over the course of a couple of hours, we like to brew a larger amount than most of those combinations will hold. Most come just shy of the amount that we want.

I am old enough to remember the Maxwell house coffee song! I don't see many commercials anymore and I wonder if they still run that ad with the coffee perking in the pot. It makes me realize just how long it has been that I have watched any TV with commercials. I only see them on the cable news stations and all they advertise is medicines, late life mortgages and supplemental insurance along with get um' up pills for older guys, mid life crisis luxury cars and resort vacations.

One thing that I have noticed about this perk pot is that the smell of the perking coffee does get around the house much more. The pot with the little glass knob in the top is about as old fashioned as the phone on the wall. The sound of the Maxwell house coffee perking is just as rare as is calling up the stairs to one of the kids, "Telephone! For you!". Then, you lay the receiver down to wait for that person to come down stairs where the phone is probably mounted on the kitchen wall......all past history. Telephones and perk pots!

Wednesday, I have the 8 cup Chemex, which was enough when just Elery and I were drinking coffee. Now that Mother lives with us, it's just not quite enough, but that's the biggest one available. We did have a 6 cup, and "traded up".

Annie

And, "cups" in the coffee maker world are something like 4 oz, or some such. Why? Why not just list it in ounces? Some do, but most list in "cup" capacity.

wednesday, I agree! sometimes I wonder when you hear a news story that "People who drink more than x cups of coffee a day...." and who really knows what amount they're talking about.

Not that it matters -- I drink coffee until I'm done drinking coffee.

My DH drinks coffee all day and just keeps boiling the water and doing the Chemex thing! We have the 6 cup Chemex. When I make coffee (first thing in the morning), I spend the time to blossom the grounds and pour in a little water at a time. It's a great way to wake up slowly. When DH makes it during the day, he just pours the whole kettle in and waits til it's done. I guess he's impatient. But the coffee tastes good any which way!

It has been a couple of week now and our perked coffee is still making the grade. I am so surprised because our last attempt from many years ago to get good coffee from the stove top perk pot were just awful!

This time around is an entirely different experience! I am so surprised, but delighted that I can now use this beautifully simple and elegant pot that has languished on the shelf in the garage for over a decade.

I don't drink coffee all day. I have in the morning and in the cold afternoon of the winter I will make the small expresso pot with decaf.

We've always bought the cheap Black and Decker drip coffee machines. Maxwell House and President's Choice are our go-to coffee brands.

Businesses I frequent all use the Keurigs. It's cheaper than brewing coffee and throwing it out if it goes unused. I honestly don't like the Keurig coffee. I find it too strong and bitter. I like adjusting my coffee to my own strength.

I've been toying with getting a French press. A coffee maven was on tv this week saying that you need to use large grounds so that they don't come thru the holes, so you're not drinking grounds. I didn't think of that, till she mentioned that.

I've used drip cone (Melita, Chemex), French press, Bialetti moka pot, electric percolator, Nespresso and Keurig pod machines, manual espresso maker, and now a few electrical pump espresso machines.

Excluding the last category, my favorite is the French press. Compact, easy to use, not fussy about grind (as long as not toooo fine), can also use for tea (in a pinch).

Between the pod machines, I prefer the Nespresso as it seems to make stronger, more espresso-like coffee. Both are environmentally terrible, in different ways: the Nespresso's aluminum pods are recyclable (and can actually get recycled) but consume lots of energy to make, the Keurig's plastic K-cups are not recyclable (not in practice, anyway) but using refillable K-cups eliminate the waste.

The espresso machine has really spoiled me. It takes about 60 seconds to pull a shot, maybe 120 seconds to make a latte. I don't worry about the power consumption as the waste heat is welcome in my house - during the summer, I'll feel different.

I love reading this thread, altho I'll stick to our Chemex, LOL.

It occurred to me that someone who loves coffee might like to take a look at the first few books in a mystery series I've been following. The setting is a historical NYC coffeehouse, and the first five or six books are full of coffee bean varieties, history, and The Importance Of Roasting/Brewing Properly.

It's a fun education, although after a while the series goes off into the standard romance/murder genre. I guess there's only so much coffee lore one can cram in!

The series is: On What Grounds (Coffeehouse Mysteries, No. 1) by Cleo
Coyle (a pseudonym for a husband/wife writing team)