Keurig Platinum

mantis

Hello all,
I just picked one up along with a 60 pack of K cups. Easy as hell to setup and get your first brew. This is by far the best way to have a quick cup in the morning and get to work. No more wasting a pot of coffee or waiting for the hot water to boil if trying to have a cup of tea , then waiting 5 minutes for the tea bag to brew.
I'm way into this machine , who else has one?
http://www.keurig.com/brewers/platinum-brewing-system

maximillian

Wife uses the Special Edition brewer. It's OK. Both of us find the coffee to be a little weak. It's also more expensive per cup. But the convenience is high. It's also great for guests since you can have a buffet of coffee selection.

I am more of an espresso drinker and use the Bialetti espresso makers on the stove. My parents bring me espresso coffee from Italy and my freezer is stocked up.

mantis

I haven't tried Espresso on it yet and I'm not even shore they have K cups for it. Out of all the kinds of coffee I have tried , I'm very happy with the intensity of the brew. I'm a medium coffee kinda guy , I don't like bitter coffee or overly strong. I do however enjoy a bold cup from time to time. I have only had about 10 different kinds so far so my opinion is still kinda limited. It's fun as I look at it from a craft beer angle trying out all kinds of different brews. I love these multi sampler packs.

I do hear you on the espresso , I'm love me a good cup but I can't drink that everyday.

bmbguy

Looking for good coffee? Try home roasting. You'll never go back.

woodhead 2

I have a Senseo. Half the price, and the coffee pods are half the price.

heiney9

The Keurig and Senseo make decent coffee and the convenience is off the hook. You pay a premium for that convenience and ability to choose your flavor/type by the cup. I myself still prefer the french press method and a thermal pot to keep it warm. It is more work to grind the whole beans, boil the water, letting it steep, etc. But in the end the better coffee is worth it. I only make coffee on the weekends because we have some really premium coffee at work so I drink my A.M. coffee at the office. If I made coffee everyday at home I might feel differently. When I am in a hurry I do use Starbucks VIA (ready brew) instant coffee. It really isn't half bad in a pinch, better than any instant coffee I remember.

In the Spring/Summer months I make my own iced Mocha with my espresso maker so I only drink "hot" coffee in the Fall/Winter so one of those machines wouldn't get any use 1/2 the year.

I certainly see the appeal and they do a pretty good job.

H9

bmbguy

Agreed on the 'cup at a time' maker -- I think mine is branded by Mr. Coffee, but the same idea. I've used it for years (with my home roast). Being the only coffee drinker in the house, it makes sense. And it makes good coffee too.

fatchowmein

We're on our 3rd. The previous versions had bad pumps and they would just quit after awhile (12-18 months). Our local Bed Bath & Beyond, depending on which manager, tells us it's a known problem and the store swaps them out with the latest version (some sort of credit deal with the manufacturer) without a receipt. Supposedly, the pump issue is now resolved.

Other than the reliability factor, we like ours. They're quite convenient and my wife can have her coffee while I tend to go for the Earl Grey. The newer versions seem to brew hotter which helps dissolve my Natural Calm magnesium powder.

WilliamM2

Every time I buy an expensive highly rated coffee maker, it dies in a short period of time, usually less than a year. Nothing like waking up in the morning and having no coffee! I have a $15 Procter Silex that's been going for years now.

hochpt21

heiney9 wrote: »

I myself still prefer the french press method and a thermal pot to keep it warm. It is more work to grind the whole beans, boil the water, letting it steep, etc. But in the end the better coffee is worth it. I only make coffee on the weekends because we have some really premium coffee at work so I drink my A.M. coffee at the office.

H9

Same situation here...coffee at work is great and I use the french press when I'm at home. We have a local coffee shop that has at least 25 different kinds of whole beans and its nice to have them fresh ground and pressed.:cheesygrin:

bmbguy

For all you K-cup fans -- prices (both coffee and brewers) may start to come down when Green Mountain's patents start to expire, which is this fall, I believe.

tonyb

Lightweights, the lot of ya......for a coffee drinker such as myself, that puppy would be worked to death in no time. No pot of coffee goes to waste in my house, it's gone, always.

Congrats on the new toy though, it is darn convenient and gives you some lattitude in flavors without having to brew a whole pot.

starkiller

Wife and I have the Office Pro and love it! Little heavier duty then the "consumer" version. Yes, tis more expensive but no waste and a plethora of flavors available!

Shizelbs

We have one. Didn't realize how much I would like it. Never thought any of the coffee turned out weak. Sure I've had stronger before, but its not watered down either. Gifted a machine to my office two Christmases ago.

bruss

A pot of coffee has a short lifespan at my house. I cant function pre 10 am without it

Face

I picked up a Platinum a few months ago, I love it.

As for the expense of K-Cups, your local BJ/Costo/etc.. has them in bulk generally for half price.

Green Mountain does have an espresso blend and it's very good.

Drenis

We have one, love it.

apc

I've actually got 3 of em. Bought one for home at Costco, then needed one for my office. Got a third travel version since I really enjoy the single, perfect cup of coffee. All three of my girls use it for different beverages from cider and hot chocolate to coffees and teas. Great equipment!

ESavinon

I have a Bialetti stovetop expresso maker. Nothing else works for me. I alternate between Italian and Spanish expresso. One cup of each daily keeps me going.

gdb

Got the platinum machine plus a couple of refillable Kcups that we use our own, cheaper, better,ground fresh at home coffee in. With the load your own system, we can make a much stronger cup for about 1/8 the price of store bought Kcups. We also only use distilled water to avoid the pump/scale problems, our limestone laden spring water would kill that **** in about 2 months. I got 3yrs. warr. at square trade for approx. $20
http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/keurig-my-k-cup-filter?ID=71175&cm_mmc=Froogle_pla_pe-_-adtype-pla-_-target-21882504424-_-kw-&gclid=CJGOj-aErK4CFUbc4AodgkZ4Pg

mantis

Who makes the kona? WaWa around here has Kona and it's their brand. I'm a huge Kona fan , I drink it daily. I'd love to brew it in the Keurig.

Joe08867

I have had a Platinum since Christmas last year. Love it.

The espresso is very good.

Usually drink Dark Magic or Obsidian. Both are pretty sturdy cups of coffee. Kona and French Roast are also pretty good.

mdaudioguy

Keurig is especially great if you have the attention span of a gnat.

polrbehr

I've had a Cuisinart machine for more than a year, absolutely love it. Never had any issues with water scale or quality, as I only use filtered water directly from the fridge.

Any of the Caribou coffees are worth trying, very robust flavors but not overly dark either; same goes for Tullys French Roast.
I am now officially sold on Revv as well.

I also occasionally use the KCup unit that came with the machine to brew your own coffee as well, but it's admittedly a PITA to clean. I would also reco Chock Full O Nuts if you go that route, it seems to have a finer grind, allowing for better flavor? YMMV.

Anybody ever open up a new K-Cup... just to see what's inside? Can't bring myself to ruin a perfectly good one... LOL

mantis

I completely love this thing. I have it to auto set in the morning and turn off 30 min's later. Then at night if I want a brew , I just flip the rear switch and in about 1 minute it's ready to brew. Completely awesome.
I'm running threw the Green Mountain offerings. Excellent brews. I'm gonna go out this weekend and check out all the different K cups. I saw a bunch of Star Bucks which I might go pick up.

mudwrx

Loving the Kuerig, at work and home.

I'm not a coffee drinker but I do love hot cocoa. I will be trying the Swiss Miss brand soon but I already have a favorite, Grove Square. Their milk chocolate hot cocoa is very good. I like it more than the dark chocolate. If you like hot cocoa give the Grove Square milk chocolate a try.

My wife drinks coffee and tea and has recently been mixing one hot cocoa k-cup and one of her coffee k-cups together in her thermos to take to work. She is liking that much.

We're still experimenting with the flavors to find the coffee she likes best.

We'll stop by a Dunkin Donuts soon to see if she likes those k-cups as well.

Vette C6.r

mudwrx wrote: »

We'll stop by a Dunkin Donuts soon to see if she likes those k-cups as well.

To me it's hard to tell the diffence in the DD and the others. Going to Cosco, BJ's , etc...help keep the price down when you buy 80 packs. The DD's are like $13 for 13 K-cups or so.

mudwrx

Wow, didn't know they were that expensive. Well, since I'm not the coffee drinker I will let her choose what she likes best.

inspiredsports

We use ours for about 6 months, and then sold on Craigslist for almost as much as we paid. We also purchased a couple of the the adapter cups that allowed us to grind our own beans.

I loved the concept and appearance of the machine but . . .

--- All six of us at various times felt that whatever comes in many of those K-cups varieties upset our stomachs.
--- If you are cost concious (and even wth K-Cup prices lower than they were a year ago), a cup of coffee cost 5-6X more than grinding your own beans.
--- Grinding your own beans and running through a K-Cup adapter does not taste as good as through a Starbucks Barista or driip grind machine.
--- Even what we felt were the "best" K-Cup varieties were never quite as good as good freshly ground beans through our Starbucks Barista or Cuisinart drip brewer.

If you want ultimate in convenience and don't mind compromising taste, the Keurig is the next best thing out there.

Jstas

tonyb wrote: »

Lightweights, the lot of ya......for a coffee drinker such as myself, that puppy would be worked to death in no time. No pot of coffee goes to waste in my house, it's gone, always.

Congrats on the new toy though, it is darn convenient and gives you some lattitude in flavors without having to brew a whole pot.

Jeebus. I agree with you again! What's this world coming to?

I have a Mr. Coffee at home. It has a real cool blue backlit clock on it and selectable brewing strengths with an auto-clean option. Will also do tea and has a setting for boiling water. Works pretty frickin' good for $35! I have a $20 coffee grinder I got from Bed Bath and Beyond and that grinds the Kona peaberry I get straight from the plantations. I don't really drink coffee during the week (I get it at work) so a pound of coffee lasts me a month. But I can kill an entire pot by myself.

mantis wrote: »

Who makes the kona? WaWa around here has Kona and it's their brand. I'm a huge Kona fan , I drink it daily. I'd love to brew it in the Keurig.

That's not Kona. That's a Kona blend. It has maybe 5% Kona in it and the rest is usually medium grade Colombian Arabica beans that aren't as acidic to match the more mellow flavor and smoother body of Kona coffee. So they charge more for a blend based on downmarket beans and you don't really get anything Kona from the coffee except the name. But since many people haven't had REAL Kona coffee, they don't know any better.

You want real Kona for an affordable price, get it from the plantation: http://www.konacoffee.com/

I've been buying from these guys since 2000 and I have yet to be disappointed. The bags are packed fresh out of the roaster (well, they cool first or the bags would melt) and then vacuum packed and shipped priority mail to your door. If I order on Tuesday morning, my coffee is waiting for me on my front step usually by Thursday. It's 100% ALL KONA. No fillers, no blends, roasted at the plantation. The only way you are going to get it fresher or better quality is to go to Hawaii and get Kona coffee in Kona, HI or buy and roast your own beans.


Oh, BTW, two other pluses about Kona coffee straight from the plantation...1.) None of the "Fair Trade" BS. That kind of labor conditions don't fly in the U.S. at all and since Kona can only come from the Kona region of Hawaii, a U.S. State, there is no need for any seal enforcing "Fair Trade" standards. 2.) Since Hawaii is a U.S. State, buying from a plantation directly supports U.S. citizens, small businesses, local economy (well, local to Hawaii) and is about as "Buy American" as you can get.

heiney9

Huge difference between real Kona and Kona blend (taste and price). My parents go to Hawaii once every few years and they always bring me back a few pounds of real Hawian Kona and sadly I'm on my last pound and it's almost gone.