Wondering why so many people rave about Keurig coffee makers? Here’s a complete lowdown on K-cups and benefits of Keurig coffee makers.
We understand how important a good cup of coffee can be in the morning in order to have a successful and content day. A lot of people thrive on coffee and need at least one cup daily in order to start their day. While having a coffee addiction is certainly not good for anyone, occasional coffee can be really helpful in opening your mind and helping you concentrate on your task.
There are many amazing coffee models and brands available in the market but one of the most famous coffee brewer brands is Keurig which is undoubtedly one of the oldest and most trusted brewer brands. Keurig brewers not only produce the most delicious coffee but are also easy and convenient to use.
Keurig brewers usually use K-cups which are small coffee pods used for making a delicious cup of coffee every time. In this article, we will read to learn more about how Keurig Coffee Brewers work and how they have an edge over the other types of coffee brewers.
What is a K-Cup?
As mentioned earlier, Keurig coffee brewers are dependent on K-cups to produce an amazing cup of coffee. A K-cup is a pre-packaged pod filled with freshly ground coffee beans and can be found in numerous coffee types including the roast, flavoring, blend, or origin.
You can use K-Cups to make a perfect cup of coffee with the minimum amount of effort which is why Keurig coffee brewers are so popular and efficient.
Another amazing thing about K-cups is that since it is properly packed and sealed with a plastic layer and also includes a permeable filter layer, you don’t have to worry about your coffee turning stale or lose its aroma and flavor. The moisture-proof layer helps in keeping your coffee fresh and flavorsome for a long period of time.
A K-cup consists of four parts:
Plastic Casing
Every K-cup is covered with an outer plastic casing which is responsible for protecting your ground coffee from light, air, moisture, etc. so that your coffee stays fresh and delicious until you actually brew it.
Paper Filter
A K-cup also includes a permeable paper filter that helps in the flavor extraction and ensures that you get the desired coffee flavor without too much messiness.
Foil Seal
The foil seal helps plastic casing in keeping your fresh ground coffee protected from oxygen and humidity and forms an airtight seal around the coffee.
Ground Coffee
Finally, the K-cup contains the right amount of ground coffee that can be later used to make a delicious cup of coffee.
How does a K-Cup work?
Now, we know that a Keurig coffee brewer uses K-cups, which are pre-packaged coffee pods containing freshly ground coffee. But how do the K-cups work really? Well, it is quite obvious by now that Keurig coffee brewer doesn’t make instant coffee and actually uses this coffee pod and paper filter to produce a small cup of coffee for you.
The K-cups are inserted into the brew chamber of the Keurig’s coffee brewer. So, when you pull the brewer’s handle, it closes the chamber and a small needle punches holes in the foils seal at the top of the K-cup, breaking the plastic seal which covers the K-cup ground coffee.
Then, hot and pressurized water is pushed through this K-cup and while your freshly brewed coffee is poured through the paper filter, the needle forms another set of punctures at the bottom of the K-cup to dispense the freshly brewed coffee in a cup or a mug.
The best thing about K-cup is that since it can produce only 1 cup of coffee at a time, you don’t have to compromise on its taste or its strength. You can choose your favorite K-cup flavor, add it to your Keurig coffee brewer and then get yourself a delicious cup of coffee.
Since it makes only one cup of coffee, you don’t have to worry about any mess or leftover coffee waste which makes K-cups a convenient option to prepare your own coffee.
The K-cup technology is revolutionary yet simple at the same time and has shrunken the coffee brewing process to the smallest form, one cup at a time. The K-cup coffee brewers are similar to drip coffee makers but Keurig’s technology is far more advanced and sophisticated.
How Does a Keurig Coffee Brewer Work?
Although most of the work in the Keurig’s Coffee Brewers are done by the K-cups, there are a few things to keep in mind when you are using it for the first time. Apart from the use of K-cups, Keurig coffee brewers are built to withstand extremely high pressure and hot temperatures so that the users can get a hot and delicious cup of coffee every time.
Every best Keurig brewer model includes a water reservoir that needs to be filled and can store a large quantity of water. So, all the user needs to do is push the brewer button and they will be provided with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. The best thing is that there is no complication of refilling with the Keurig brewers.
Once the brew button of the Keurig coffee brewer is pressed, water is transferred to the heating chambers via the pressurized hoses where the water is heated to an optimal high temperature so that it can be used to prepare a fresh cup of coffee.
Once the water reaches the coffee making temperature, the water is then to a hose which is at the top of the brewer. In this place, the brewer has an opening piece where K-cups are placed.
So, once your K-cup is in its required position, the opening will be closed at which point the needles will pierce through your K-cups to allow the hot, pressurized water to pass through it. Then, the K-cups process comes into play as we have already mentioned earlier in the article and users are provided with a fresh and delicious cup of coffee in just a few seconds.
How to Use a Keurig Coffee Brewer
If you are using a Keurig Coffee brewer for the first of them then there are chances that you might get confused or overwhelmed by its functioning but nothing to worry about. Just follow these steps and you will be able to prepare a hot, delicious cup of coffee for yourself in just a few minutes.
- Now, if you are using your Coffee Brewer for the very first time then you need to first remove the adhesive tape from your unit and plug the machine into a grounded outlet.
- Take out your water reservoir from the Keurig’s coffee brewer unit and keep it away from the machine. Do this carefully and gently so as not to damage the reservoir and then remove the cover of the reservoir. A lot of Keurig’s coffee brewers come with an attached cover so you will need to pour the water straight into it. However, before you pour water into it, you need to first wash your reservoir under a faucet.
- Once you have properly washed it, you can fill the reservoir with clean drinking water and fill it till the mark which is present on the reservoir’s side. Once this is done, gently lift it and put it back in the brewer unit. Lock the reservoir in its place with the help of the lock tabs and then put its lid back on it. You don’t need to refill the water reservoir for some time now and can easily prepare 8-10 cups of coffee without refilling it.
- Once your machine is plugged in and the water reservoir is filled, you to need to power it up by pushing the power button that can be found in the top right corner of the unit. When you do this, the brewer will start heating the water in the reservoir to a high temperature. Wait for the water to get heated before you proceed.
- Now, before you start brewing coffee, you need to perform a cleansing brew to get rid of all the dust and other particles that might be present inside your unit. So, once the water is appropriately heated, place your mug beneath it and start a brew cycle. The unit will dispense dirty water which can be discarded. Then, repeat the process again to properly cleanse your unit and discard that water too.
- Once your brewer is appropriately cleaned, you can use it to prepare yourself a delicious cup of coffee. For this, you need to first choose the coffee for yourself. There are different coffee K-cups available which contain both ground coffee and paper filter to provide you with the desired strength and flavor. However, remember not to remove the foil lid once you choose the desired blend and coffee flavor.
- Now, insert your desired blend K-cup into the brewer unit. You will find a special slot/chamber in front of the unit to place your K-cup. Gently lift this handle of this slot and place your coffee pod into the hole of the slot. Then use the handle to close the coffee slot.
- Once the coffee slot is filled with the K-cup, your brewer will display ‘Ready to Brew’ sign to let you know that you can brew your coffee now. If your Keurig unit doesn’t come with a display, then you can simply choose the desired cup size by checking out the right-hand side buttons.
- Now, play your coffee cup/mug on the brewer tray at the bottom of the unit. Make sure you choose the right sized mug for collecting your coffee else it can end up overflowing and you’ll waste a lot of good coffee in the process.
- If your brewer unit allows you to choose the desired mug/cup size, then choose that and press the ‘brew’ button. The brewer will dispense the coffee into your mug which will be fresh and delicious. If you are not too sure about the size then choose the smallest cup option to try it out first.
- Once the coffee is poured out, make sure that you open the coffee chamber and throw out the used K-cup.
You can now enjoy your delicious cup of coffee which is both refreshing and convenient to prepare.
See the Keurig Coffee Brewer in action
