Absolutely no selling by vendors to members, no cost to join, just fantastic Keurig info and fantastic people.

Because I do like this machine, I’m going to give Keurig a chance, although I’m honestly confident that a replacement machine probably won’t last very long either. From what I’ve read, most folks can’t seem to get one to last more than about 1 1/2 years. As with other reviewers, this is very disappointing considering the cost of this machine – it’s nearly $200. You’d expect better quality and much better customer service for that price. And if you look at other negative reviews, you’ll see that this problem has gone on for years!

On a positive note, I disagree with those who indicate that the coffee is weak – I’ve tried several of the varieties and like most of them – and I have certainly NOT had any problems with weak coffee and I have been brewing my coffee at the 9.25oz size. I simply can not know how anyone thinks that the coffee is weak. I’ve had enough Starbucks coffee to tell you that the Bold and Extra Bold K-Cups live up to what you’d expect!

I also completely disagree with those who indicate that the Keurig is noisy – sure it gets a small noisy right near the end of a brew, for all of about five to ten seconds, but truthfully, my microwave buzzer and stove hood are louder than the Keurig for goodness sakes.

My only other disappointment with this machine is the lack of mug warmer. I have my B70 set for the maximum temp which is 192 degrees. It’s hot when it first brews, but with no mug warmer (the machine simply has a small drip tray plate) the coffee cools off quickly. To get around this problem, I bought a mug warmer and simply replaced the drip tray with the mug warmer – that way I can brew a cup of coffee but don’t feel like I have to rush back in to the kitchen to get to it before it starts cooling off. I’m quite surprised, really, that Keurig hasn’t designed a built in mug warmer. I reckon it would be an ingenious thought!

Update: I posted this same review on Keurig’s website and fascinatingly enough, they have not posted it. I removed all references to price and Chef’s Corner Store and Amazon yet it still hasn’t been posted. This makes one wonder if Keurig has something to hide? If you look at all 77 reviews for the B70, you’ll find only ONE negative review – huh.

Also – I finally received the infamous call from the “busy technicians” today. This gal could not wait to get me off the phone. She didn’t even question me to descale the thing telling me that it’s been too soon – it’s fascinating, though, that she mentioned the descaling first – this seems to be a canned response from Keurig and their answer to all of their problems (see other reviews). She did question if I’d used the special filter that allows consumers the option of using their own coffee instead of one of the prepackaged K-Cups – like somehow that is the cause of a machine that has chose to shut itself off all the time. I have been assured that my new Keurig will ship on Monday, Fedex Ground no less, but no charge to me. Once I receive the new one I am to box up the ancient one and send it back. Any bets on how long the new one will last?

The convenience of this machine is wonderful – it is so nice not to have to clean out coffee filters full of used coffee grounds and clean out a coffee pot with hours ancient coffee. The coffee is really excellent and it’s hot (if you drink it straight away or place a mug warmer under your mug). The B70 is stylish and it’s simple to operate (when it works). Sigh…

One issue that bothers me is that I liked this machine so much I recommended it to others, including two of my daughters. One daughter has had the cheaper model since early December and hers is fine. The other daughter has the B70 since Christmas and she told me yesterday that she is having the same problem with it turning off and not making a full cup of coffee. I’m not sure just yet where I will go from here if I have any more concerns but I will just refer to that ancient adage of Buyer Beware. Perhaps it’s time to band together and let Keuring know this is not acceptable.

Perspective: Eight years in the Navy, Nine years of college, and hundreds of all-nighters have made me a snob. We have spent hundreds on espresso machines and burr grinders. We buy our beans from eclectic roasters in Dallas who import fresh, green beans from all over the world and roast them locally, carefully cooled. We grind and use our beans after the oils emerge and before they stale, stored in special containers. I am a snob. My friends reckon it’s amusing – but they like my coffee.

Findings:

[1] The strength and taste of the coffee are widely affected by the size of the cup. The more water flowing through the same beans dilutes the coffee. I make small cups back to back if I need to fill a large cup. Remember though – that’s *my* preference.

[2] The taste is *excellent*. I read in one review how a native Italian gave up his espresso machine because this coffee was so excellent. I’m keeping our expensive coffee equipment, thank you very much. BUT fascinatingly – I haven’t used it in the last month we’ve had this machine in our house.

[3] Doesn’t make Turkish coffee…

[4] The automatic shutoff feature is simple – I know – but SO nice. We set it for an hour and don’t have to worry about turning off the coffee machine.

For my ancient navy nuke friends that started me on coffee… Go green and save a violent U-235 atom.

Cons: The per cup price is pretty high. (See below for tips to reduce the cost of the cups.) The whole setup is certainly not eco-friendly (I do feel a small guilty pitching those cups.) While the coffee is fantastic, I’ve been less than impressed by the hot chocolate and mocha (I haven’t tried the tea yet.)

Competition: I’ve never tried the Tassimo. So I can’t really compare them, but the reason I went with Keurig was the availability of the My K-Cup reusable filter assembly. I couldn’t find anything Tassimo had that would allow you to fill-it-yourself. The one thing I suspect the Tassimo might really excel at is making drinks like lattes and capuccinos. So if that’s more your focus you might take a closer look at Tassimo. (Although the discs certainly seem to be more expensive than the k-cups.) The only other reason I would consider Tassimo is the availability of a particular brand of coffee. But I’ve been very pleased with the selection with Keurig even though I wasn’t familiar with many of the brands before I got the machine.

Tips: So far I’ve found the k-cups in 3 stores locally: Kohls, Target, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The best price and selection was at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. (55 cents a cup. Plus they frequently run 20% off coupons. Taking it to 44 cents a cup.) I reckon the prices at Target were comparable, but the selection was about a quarter of what B, B, & B had. Kohl’s was priced ridiculously high. Online the Keurig store has the best selection and generally runs about 58 cents a piece, but has a rewards program that takes 10-15% off of that depending on how often you buy, and free shipping on orders over $45. The real prize that I’ve found so far is certainly amazon. I bought a case (50) of the Black Tiger cups for $21.00 (42 cents a piece.) They’re also running a special though taking 10% off of certain brands of k-cups, and there is a 15% discount if you sign up for a subscription of the type you buy (free shipping included.) This takes the cost to 31.5 cents per cup. The only way I’ve found to get it down lower is to use the reusable filter, which I’ve bought, but haven’t tried yet. Regarding hot chocolate and mocha, they’re really just powdered mixes in the cups so to my mind you’re better off just buying the mix and using the Keurig to measure and heat your water.

Overall: I’ve been very pleased with my machine. I make my first cup of the day at home on my Keurig and then come to work where we have a pot of Folgers. I reckon the quality of the coffee from the Keurig and the selection of coffees has spoiled me for that. I may have to buy a Keurig for work.