Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

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MandyLuna
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Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by MandyLuna »

We're staying with an elderly relative until after the holidays - giving him an extra pair of hands for now.

No coffee shops nearby and all he has is a Keurig. We've purchased an assortment of K pods and find that most of them produce watery brews with very little depth of flavor - as a perfumer, I say bottom notes but no top or heart notes, lol.

Has anyone ever come across a brand/variety of K pod that will produce a deep, hearty rich cup of coffee?

I see that Instant Pot has come out with a pod brewer that accomodates all K cups and Nespresso pods. Do any of you have one of these brewers? thoughts?

PS - many pods are now compostable (have to add that before people jump to point out the waste issue).
bob60014
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by bob60014 »

Get a reusable coffee basket pod and use the coffee blend of your choice.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by JoeRetire »

MandyLuna wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 3:10 pm Has anyone ever come across a brand/variety of K pod that will produce a deep, hearty rich cup of coffee?
There are no k-cups that will match experience of a rich cup of good coffee. Still, they are quite convenient, and can be decent.

Everyone likes something different. Some like Dunkin. Others like Starbucks. Experiment with different varieties until you find one you like. Or purchase a reusable pod filter basket and use your favorite ground coffee. It still won't be quite the same, but might be good enough.

Alternatively, it might be worthwhile to purchase a pour-over coffee setup, some filters, and some good coffee for the duration. Either bring it home with you when you depart, or leave it as a gift.
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BAM!
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by BAM! »

I like Tully's Hawaiian blend. All the others I have tried seemed too watery.
bhsince87
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by bhsince87 »

Many pod type brewers allow you to control the amount of water used in each cup. You might experiment with using less water.
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Vtsax100
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by Vtsax100 »

Airline pilot here… lots of hotels. Lots of Keurigs. This is what I do. Pop in a pod. Hit brew and let it go until the flow starts becoming light colored. Hit the power button to kill it. Put in a new pod. Turn it back on and resume the brew until its finished. Takes a bit of practice to get the timing just right but I get some half way decent coffee with this trick.

But I second the pour-over. When I am going to training for extended times in the same hotel, I load up my pour-over equipment. Can’t beat that.
douginct
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by douginct »

I like Starbucks coffee in general - in other words a full bodied bold brew. For my Keurig I mostly use Kirkland (Costco) Pacific Bold. I also like Tully’s Hawaiian Blend, but the Kirkland is stronger. And the only decaf I can stand is Starbucks House Blend for Keurig.
jebmke
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by jebmke »

Mellita one-cup cone or similar. Should be able to get a plastic cone for < $10.
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punkinhead
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by punkinhead »

We had a Keurig in the office so before I retired I always used a reusable k-cup with ground coffee I brought from home. I actually thought the Keurig made a decent cup. When I travel I carry a collapsible silicone filter holder, a handful of filters, and my own coffee. I used to use an Aeropress but it used an insane amount of ground coffee per cup. It was too wasteful so I stopped using it.
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tooluser
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by tooluser »

I find that the K cup is quite good if you use the "Strong" button every time. It doesn't actually brew a stronger cup of coffee, but instead extends the brewing time by putting the water through the K cup over a longer period of time, perhaps 40 sec instead of 20 sec. This brings out much more depth and flavor.
Dottie57
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by Dottie57 »

jebmke wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:19 pm Mellita one-cup cone or similar. Should be able to get a plastic cone for < $10.
+1. This makes a good cup of coffee. You will need a box of #2 filters for the single cup poor over.
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Kenkat
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by Kenkat »

I’d probably just buy a simple electric coffee maker, filters and some ground coffee. With the cost of the K-cups, you can’t be too far from a breakeven cost-wise and you can probably get a better cup of coffee as well.
DSInvestor
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by DSInvestor »

Try an Aeropress and skip the single use pods. Widely available.
https://aeropress.com
Last edited by DSInvestor on Tue Nov 30, 2021 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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UpperNwGuy
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by UpperNwGuy »

Buy a Chemex or Melita carafe and start making pour-over coffee.
NotASpeculator
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by NotASpeculator »

I recently got a Tchibo and have liked it a lot. Single-serve, freshly ground beans, doesn’t require a filter, and is very easy to use. Haven’t had it long enough to give an indication of longevity, but it is worth checking out.
blueberrypi
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by blueberrypi »

Aeropress recommended here too. It's quite fun to use and hard to screw up.
ktdintex
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by ktdintex »

For convenient "one touch" coffee, my preference is a Nespresso machine. Not the old machines with the mini cups, but the new ones that use large pods. Pretty decent coffee, with the main downside being the cost at around $1 per pod.

Not my favorite way to make coffee but very convenient.
Poor Rod
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by Poor Rod »

Peet's coffee makes a decent K pod.
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AnnetteLouisan
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

I’ve dined in Vienna
I’ve sipped in Milan
But my favorite coffee
Is stovetop Pilon ☕️
gtaylor
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by gtaylor »

ktdintex wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:55 pm For convenient "one touch" coffee, my preference is a Nespresso machine. Not the old machines with the mini cups, but the new ones that use large pods. Pretty decent coffee, with the main downside being the cost at around $1 per pod.

Not my favorite way to make coffee but very convenient.
Yes, this is what we have as well, the Nespresso Vertuo system (N actually has three kinds of pods out there, each in many sizes, it's ridiculous). Our Vertuo machine does pods in three sizes, ~3oz, ~7oz, ~14oz if I remember right. Newer models have a wider size range than that, I guess there are 5 now. The little ones are espresso including making foam on top, although I've not done those, I always use the regular cup size.

The coffee is much better and more consistent than the K cups, I think because the pod is all aluminum and the hydraulics are a little better than the K cup, no corners on the pod bottom, more injection holes, that sort of thing.

Definitely stupid expensive, but really easy.
OnceARunner
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by OnceARunner »

The newest Keurigs have both a strength setting (Some have a strong button, others have a range to select) and multi-stream. Instead of punching one hole in the middle, it punches 5 holes and lets water run through all 5 to get more even distribution of water through grounds.

It made a night and day difference when I switched from a 3 year old Keurig to a new one with these updates. Much stronger and better tasting.
abner kravitz
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by abner kravitz »

OnceARunner wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 3:05 pm The newest Keurigs have both a strength setting (Some have a strong button, others have a range to select) and multi-stream. Instead of punching one hole in the middle, it punches 5 holes and lets water run through all 5 to get more even distribution of water through grounds.

It made a night and day difference when I switched from a 3 year old Keurig to a new one with these updates. Much stronger and better tasting.
I agree, my new Keurig is a noticeable improvement. I mostly use Members Mark Colombian Supreme from Sam’s. 25 cents a pod and pretty good.
SoCal Guy
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by SoCal Guy »

Peets - Major Dickasons Blend
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rterickson
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by rterickson »

For me the sweet spot for price/flavor comes from the compostable SF Bay Coffee Co. K-kups (company is actually located east of Sacramento).

Ive tried several of the dark roasts, my favorites are Fog Chaser and Haight Ashbury.
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tennisplyr
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by tennisplyr »

How about some instant coffee…Taster’s Choice?
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NeedMoreVTI
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by NeedMoreVTI »

Has anyone found a single cup maker that brews a larger cup (e.g. 20 oz)? I had a Zojirushi years ago and a Hamilton Beach that is dying but those units are no longer available.
Limoncello402
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Re: Single Serving Pod Brewers (coffee, tea, etc.)?

Post by Limoncello402 »

Best simple coffee brewer is the Clever Coffee dripper. Sold on amazon. It is a pour over but you can adjust the strength. I travel with the small sized one and a small travel water heater, and I use the larger one at home.
If I am using a Keurig, I use Dunkin Donuts Dark Roast.
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