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

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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.

I'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.

 
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.

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...

...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. 

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

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.

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.

 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. 

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.

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...

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. 

And then there's my favorite...
Choose pretty colors for the reservoir lighting.

 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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

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