The Pros and Cons of Keurig K-cups

Single serving coffee machines and single serving containers of coffee.

Are Keurig coffee makers and the coffee K-cups worth it?

Recently my roommates purchased a Keurig coffee maker. For those who don't know what this is, it is basically a coffee pot capable of brewing a single cup of coffee. There are no filters to put in, no coffee to measure out, and the device requires only occasional cleaning.

I ignored this machine for a few weeks. As some of you might know, I'm a fan of energy drinks and tea. I like coffee but I often find it a pain (not to mention wasteful) to try and make just a few cups of coffee in a standard coffee pot.
But I decided to try it out and quickly became a fan. I ordered a case of K-cups and begin making single serving coffee pretty much every day.

There are people who say the K-cups are totally worth it and there are those who say it is a waste of money and packaging. Take a look at some of the pros and cons of coffee K-cups.

Cost:

This plays a huge role in whether or not K-cups are worth it. The initial cost of a Keurig coffee maker can range widely depending on features, size, and style. Some models are available for under $100 dollars however.
At its most basic the machine has a water tank you fill with filtered water, options for 2 cup sizes of coffee, a power button, and an auto shut off button.

The K-cups can be purchased in small packs or in cases of 50 depending on where you purchase them. Amazon.com often sells them in bulk from companies such as Coffee People and Timothy's Coffee. Green Mountain also makes K-cups.

The lowest I've found decent K-cups was about 15.85 for 50 of them. The average price seems to be between 20-25 dollars with some going up in price depending on brand names.

That said, if you spend $25 dollars for 50 K-cups you are paying about 0.50 cents per cup of coffee. This may be higher or lower depending on the price of the case.

Technically this works out to about $1 for a 16 or 20 ounce cup of coffee using two K-cups. If you buy supermarket brand coffee grounds this may seem expensive. But if you buy your daily cup of joe from a coffee shop or store, you'll be saving money.

Sizes:

I've found that the model in my apartment makes either 8 ounce cups or 10 ounce cups of coffee. The larger size uses the same amount of coffee as the 8 ounce size due to pre-measured coffee in the K-cups.

Usage:

The small K-cups fit into a small compartment and the brewing process takes place within the cup. The device takes about a minute to heat up and about 30 seconds to brew the coffee. Time wise this is a great benefit.

Since you don't have to measure out coffee or put in a fresh filter you get one cup of coffee each time you brew. Not only does this save time but it ensures a properly measured out cup of coffee and eliminates the wastefulness that comes from brewing a pot of coffee only to have the extra coffee go stale and go to waste.

Also each K-cup is single use so the coffee inside stays fresh and sealed up. With bags and cans of ground coffee, as soon as you break the seal the quality of the coffee begins to deteriorate.

One argument against the use of K-cups is the fact that each serving is individually wrapped and so each 8-10 ounce serving results in a thrown away K-cup. The K-cups are very small and the waste of them might be less than the waste of disposable coffee cups from your coffee shop or gas station. You can fill your mugs or travel mugs with fresh coffee over and over again.

Overall:

The initial expense of purchasing the machine may turn some people off from using K-cups. But the benefits include fresh cups of coffee on demand, very little prep time, no wasted or stale coffee, and savings if you usually buy a cup of coffee from a shop on a regular basis.

The K-cup brand selection is diverse but a bit limited. Big name brands aren't often found on K-cups but small time coffee shops have made their way into the worldwide K-cup market. Also some tea is available in this form and resuable K-cup systems are available for those who want to use their own coffee grounds.

Personally I like the K-cups because I can find a good deal online and pay less than 50 cents per K-cup most of the time. I don't have to worry about wasting coffee or having coffee grounds going stale.