The single cup Keurig coffee makers are providing one of the more interesting experiments in coffee technology of late, and are really worth considering or at least idly looking into for any true coffee lover. The basic idea of these new coffee brewers is making the morning routine significantly easier by automating and simplifying many of the processes involved in brewing the perfect cup of coffee (or espresso), which they do through a combination of technology and disposible coffee pods called k-cups. The machines offer a wide range of features covering all of the basics plus some space age additions that would shock any layman with their complexity, and range in price from under $100 to many thousands of dollars depending on the model selected.
In general it seems that the Keurig coffee makers are well received and highly prized machines amongst casual coffee drinkers. The reason for this limitation in audience seems to be due primarily to the restriction of the k-cups, which only carry a limited range of coffees when compared to buying a bag of loose beans from Ecuador or Nigeria. This is not to say that you have very few options to choose from, but just that they are naturally limited to only coffees that come in k-cups (which are far from universal at this time). It is also worth noting that the k-cups are also more expensive than buying loose beans, leaving room for speculation about whether this is another example of an industry trying to switch to a “razor and blades” marketing strategy that gets the bulk of the profits off of disposible products rather than the machine itself. Anyone who has to regularly buy razor blades or ink cartridges is well versed in the downsides to this marketing strategy.
Therein lies the primary trade off: die hard coffee lovers will probably be better served buying loose beans, but the majority of casual coffee drinkers will find much to love in the convenience and gadgetry that comes with a Keurig single cup machine. This trade off may be the biggest thing to hold back the success of these very innovative machines, or could be exactly what makes them excel. Only time will tell.
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Keurig Coffee Makers