Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I want to go everywhere I haven't been, and back to everywhere I have been.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy

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The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig


Don't you just hate it when a favorite appliance bites the dust?

I've had my trusty Keurig coffee maker for several years.
It was an ancient model, and it didn't do anything fancy.
 No pretty colored lights in the water tank,
no choice of cup sizes, no brew strength options.
It just made coffee, one cup at a time.
And then it died.
May it rest in pieces.

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #KeurigI'd seen the Keurig 2.0 at a friend's house,
and I really liked that it came with a carafe,
offering the option of brewing multiple cups at a time.
But -- she mentioned that it only used certain K-cups,
so I was a little confused.
Would there be enough of a variety of K-cups for the new model?
If not, did I really want to sacrifice K-cup availability for a carafe?
That's what I thought it came down to.  
But, I was wrong.

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig
 
When Mr. Goo Shoes saw the 2.0 at Costco,
I told him to buy it, because I knew I could return it if I wasn't happy.
I really couldn't know what was what until I opened the box 
and read the instructions.

Here's what I learned.

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

1. Not all K-cups are compatible with the 2.0 model, 
but most are.
 I mistakenly thought that K-cups for the 2.0 were specifically for that model only.
Nuh-uh...K-cups that work with the 2.0 are compatible with all other models. 
In fact, most K-cups being sold, as well as most of the ones I already had,  
were compatible with the 2.0.
That was a happy discovery. 

The box must have this symbol...

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

...and the K-cups must have this white or gray circle bordering the top of the cup.
The Keurig reads the symbols on the border. 

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig


Older K-cups, and cups that aren't Keurig partners, will not work, because they do not have the white or gray border.  

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig
The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig
Or will they???

2. You can still use your old K-cups with this simple trick.
Carefully cut off the top of a new K-cup which has the border,
and cut out the center.
Place the cut-out on top of an old K-cup, and secure with a rubber band. 
Place the K-cup into the pack holder, and brew as usual.

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

I'm not advocating that you "cheat" on Keurig...
I am a goody-two-shoes, after all. 
I'm just suggesting that if you have boxes of older K-cups,
you don't have to toss them.

3. The carafe brews up to four cups of coffee.
The thing to know here is that you are not going to make a big pot of coffee 
for 10 people using the carafe.
Even still, I find the carafe really handy when I have company.
I can offer everyone what they want -- regular, decaf, tea, hot cocoa, etc.,
but I don't have to brew individual cups if four people want caffeinated coffee.
It's a beautiful thing. 
HOWEVER...Decaf in the carafe is another story.

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

 4. There is not a wide selection of carafe-sized K-cups.
To use the carafe, you need to use a larger K-cup, specifically for carafe brewing. 
 My local supermarkets carry only two or three varieties of the carafe sized cup...
and guess what?
Not a one is selling decaf, at least not that I've seen,

so the only option I have is to order them online.
Even online, however, there are only 16 varieties available for carafe K-cups...
and just one of those is decaf. 
Pul-eeze. 
I've gotta believe that will change; at least I hope so. 

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

5. Re-usable filters will not work in the 2.0.  
Ok, I've got to say that this really cheeses me off. 
Right before my old Keurig died, I bought disposable filters.
On occasion, I like to buy ground coffee, like when I was in Hawaii, 
because you just can't get 100% Kona coffee in a K-cup.
Now I'll have to drag out my regular brewer in those instances.

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

6. You can digitally adjust cup sizes.
 I did a happy dance when I saw this feature.
With my old model, which I'm pretty sure was the first Keurig on the market, 
I did not have this option. 
My big mugs would only fill up half-way. 
Now, regular sized mug? 8 oz.
Big mug? 10 oz. 
Little cup? 6 oz. 
I don't know if it affects the brew strength, though.
However...

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig
7. You can customize certain settings.
There are lots of nice features to personalize your Keurig experience:
Save your favorite settings, such as brew strength and cup size. 
Set the brewer to automatically turn on and off at certain times.
Customize the display screen, such as choosing a language, 
analogue vs. digital clock display, or the touchscreen color.
Use the Energy Saver to turn off the machine 
for a certain amount of time after the last brew. 

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig



And then there's my favorite...
Choose pretty colors for the reservoir lighting.
 
The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

8. There are separate buttons for instant hot water, hot cocoa and other non-coffee cups. 
This makes me happy, because, 
although I could get instant hot water with my antique Keurig
some random coffee grounds usually came along for the ride.
With the new model, I can select a button for hot water, hot cocoa, 
or any other non-coffee beverage (like tea or cider).
Many times, though, I forget and just press Brew. 

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig



9. You have to hold the button down while dispensing hot water.
I can't figure out why you have to hold down the brew button the entire time 
to control the amount of water you want.
The max is 6 ounces, so I usually have to press it again to fill my mug. 

I do find this to be slightly annoying.


The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

10. You don't need to attach the water filter.
If you use filtered or bottled water, 
there's no need to attach the water filter that's included in the box. 

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig


So that's that. 

Bottom line? I love my new Keurig 2.0.

Oh, and here's a little bonus tip.
If you forget to put a cup under the spout,
the drip tray is deep enough to hold all 8 ounces.

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

Not that I've ever done that, of course. 

The Scoop on the Keurig 2.0...Ten Things to Know Before You Buy | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Keurig

Linking With:
Treasure Box Tuesday

14 comments:

  1. I think I have the model prior to the 2.0 which I love. The 2.0 sounds complicated and I'm not sure a 4 cup carafe would be that helpful for company or if I would still need to pull out the 10 cup coffee maker. Helpful and interesting post if you love your Keurig like I do :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that's complicated! ;-)
    Good thing that my old trusty Alessi stovetop espresso maker is still spewing fresh coffee from freshly ground coffee beans every morning. That family heirloom has not even needed a new rubber gasket after years and years of service.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a help this must be to Keurig lovers. I've tried to talk my husband into one of these but you just can't teach an old dog new tricks!

    I love your coffee bar setup! So cheerful for that first cup of the day, I'm sure.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the scoop, Amy! It's very evident that you absolutely love your new Keurig 2.0, and I wish you many many steaming hot, silky smooth cups of coffee! Enjoy!

    Poppy

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  5. Amy, this was really helpful. I have the mini and have been thinking of getting a larger one. Good to know the ins and outs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Interesting....we may be in the market for another Keurig and this is good to know. I have a height issue between the cupboards and countertops so I would have to see if this will fit. I have been using my 6 cup percolater lately and the coffee is great!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. We bought ours at the same exclusive kitchen boutique as you - and for the same reason. The Great Dane loves it. I am so-so because I like half decaf and half regular, and so grind my beans and brew the old way. We haven't yet used the carafe, but we like the feature. Our coffee station is rather crowded!

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  8. Thanks for all the tips. We have a Keurig but it's not the newest model. We got it a year and a half ago. It's the basic model but it does have 3 cup sizes. We love it! We can use any k-cups with it too. I will have to check our k-cups to see if they have that grey and white border you spoke of. We buy the Kirkland brand from Costco. I bet having the caraffe makes it much easier when serving a crowd. I haven't had to do that yet.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Now ... we know you've never done this. But it could well come in handy ...

    "Oh, and here's a little bonus tip.
    If you forget to put a cup under the spout,
    the drip tray is deep enough to hold all 8 ounces."

    All the best Jan

    P.S. I do like your mugs

    ReplyDelete
  10. Now ... we know you've never done this. But it could well come in handy ...

    "Oh, and here's a little bonus tip.
    If you forget to put a cup under the spout,
    the drip tray is deep enough to hold all 8 ounces."

    All the best Jan

    P.S. I do like your mugs

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for the scoop on this Keurig coffee maker! We still brew our coffee in our old drip machine that's on it's third carafe. I haven't really considered a Keurig but you've got me thinking! Love your mugs and canisters.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for the review, but I'm sticking with my pot of coffee. Sometimes a cup, even four, is not enough for my days. :)

    ReplyDelete

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