Having Fun with the Keurig Coffee Maker | K-Cup Tips and Tricks

At this very moment, in the back of my van, there is a Keurig Coffee Maker - Signature Edition -- and it isn't even mine. Nope. I already have one. For Christmas my daughter surprised my wife and I with our own signature edition Keurig along with a generous assortment of various K-cup flavors. I was tickled with the gift... and glad that it wasn't ruined. You see, it was being "hidden" from us out in the garage - the same garage that flooded early Christmas morning from a leaking water heater. ( See story ) Though the outside box was wet, fortunately the coffee goodies inside weren't, and we've been enjoying the adventure of Keurig coffee ever since.

For those of you who have never tried a Keurig machine, here's how it works: Keurigs utilize a pre-packaged "K Cup" that features a small internal filter. The cup slides into a slot on top of the coffee maker. Once the lid is closed, the Keurig punctures the K-Cup and then injects hot water. The hot water flows through the K-Cup and empties into your mug below. (Though the Keurig gets its main billing as a coffee brewer, there are also hot tea, hot chocolate, as well as iced tea and iced coffee K-cups that are available.) When the hot water finishes, a jet of steam whisks through it, clearing the K-cup of any remaining liquid. Clean up is accomplished by opening the lid, and tossing the empty K-cup. All of this happens very rapidly. Even though it has the drawback of not being able to produce a "pot of coffee", the Keurig, in my opinion, more than makes up the difference in it's amazing and rich flavor - only at the rate of one cup at a time.

So, why is there a second Keurig Coffee Maker in my van? Has my family gone completely bonkers with coffee, having to have a maker in the bedroom too? No, it's a bit simpler than that. You see, I've been blessed with a family of very talkative people. One of the things that we just couldn't stop conversing about, was how great a cup of coffee that this machine makes. It finally reached the point where my brother-in-law asked if we could find the special edition Keurig in our area. Turns out that all of the Sam's Wholesale Clubs in his area were out of stock. (Sam's had been running an exceptional good deal on the machine.) My wife located 17 unsold units at our local Sam's, so after a quick trip down to the store, we're on our way to deliver some yummy coffee goodness. That's right. We even do deliveries.

Tips and Tricks -- More life from your K-Cups

In the month that we've been enjoying the Keurig, I've done some experiments with different flavors and discovered that there are some really fun ways to play around with this machine.

When we first got the Keurig, I made the mistaken assumption that one K-cup could only give you one cup of coffee. I've discovered that's not necessarily so. When I ran an Emeril's Gourmet Coffee through the Keurig, I was rewarded with one big, bold, dark cup of coffee. My wife took a peek in the cup and said, "That looks strong." And it was. But since I enjoy a strong cup of coffee, it got me thinking... what if I just opened the lid up and "pretended" to put a new K-cup in. Would I be able to brew another cup? Using the same K-cup? Turns out, yes I could. Admittedly, it wasn't quite as strong as the first go-round, but it was still good. Why, I even ended up going back for a "warm up" of my cup by running the cycle a third time!

Some of the Donut Shop Coffees, such as the Chocolate Glazed Donut (my current favorite), and the Caribou Blend are also strong enough to give you a small, second cup. And if you have someone in your family who enjoys a weaker coffee (I'm married to one) then it works out rather nicely that I can have the first go round with the K-cup, and let my wife enjoy the second, weaker version. Experiment with a clear coffee cup, and your own taste buds to see what works best for you.

More Coffee Craziness!

Since the Keurig can do things other than coffee -- Haven't you heard? It does the dishes and makes the bed too! -- I decided to go really crazy. Starting with a large mug below, I brewed a K-cup of coffee that half filled my cup. Then - yes, hold onto your seats now - I ran a K-cup of Hot Chocolate into it. The results? Nothing short of astounding! A near perfect "Ron version" of a Mocha Latte! (Roncha Latte, anyone?) My mouth is even watering as I type this. Ha ha.

Try adding whipped cream, marshmallows or cinnamon in there too. Who knows, tapping into your creativity might yield some surprising results.

TMFKDS -- The Masters Family Keurig Delivery Service

We will soon be pulling into my brother-in-law's, carrying the box in, and setting up our Keurig delivery. And not to worry, we'll be sure to be giving our family a pep talk on the various ways we enjoy our coffee maker. It will be interesting to see if my brother-in-law and his French-press-coffee-loving wife enjoy the Keurig as much as we do. And if the first cup doesn't bowl them over, I may just have to pull out my ace-in-the-hole... My secret weapon...The hot chocolate K-cup! Mocha "Roncha" Lattes here we come!

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Other Resources:

Keurig Coffee Website: Click Here

The Water Heather That Tried to Steal Christmas (True Story): Click Here