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Which Keurig coffee maker is best for you?
There is an inherent difficulty to nailing down the subjective best Keurig machine. One you start living that pod life, the difference in capabilities seem minute compared to brewing your coffee through a drip coffee maker or pour over. It’s a difference of buttons, removable water reservoirs and cost.
This list contains almost the entire roster of current Keurig machines that can be found on the shelf at Walmart, Target and many department stores. The most popular pod machine does have some advantages over brewing your coffee the old-fashioned way. It’s faster, it’s easier and it offers over 500 different brands and types of coffee to brew.
There are some slight differences among these that might help you determine which one is actually best in your mind, though I have one in my mind that is really the best. Regardless, get out your pods and get ready for some Keurig coffee makers.
Keurig K-Mini
Keurig K-Mini
The Keurig K-Mini is not the best machine, but it is the smallest and least expensive. It has a tiny footprint at only five inches wide, so is perfect for a small apartment or dorm room. It has a one-cup reservoir, so pour in your water and get your cup of pod coffee. It brews only K-Cup pods (so not K-Carafe, K-Mug, Vue or Rivo pods). This is the Keurig machine you want when you live a simple life of minimalism. Or if you already have a dozen other coffee makers.
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Keurig K-Classic
Keurig K-Classic
The Keurig K-Classic is your basic everyday machine and one of the most popular on retail store shelves. With three cup sizes and a 48-ounce reservoir, you can fill up and go without having to worry about immediately refilling the water. It indicates when it’s time to descale the machine and brews in under a minute for well under $100.
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Keurig K15
Keurig K15
The Keurig K15 is an interesting machine. It’s certainly the best when it comes to variability of design, as it comes in ten colors. That’s really the differentiating factor between it and the K-Classic. It’s a bit more compact and has a single-cup reservoir, but also has a more modern and less industrial design. It still comes in at under $100, so if you want something with a bit of flair and don’t mind refilling the water after each cup, the K15 might be ideal for you.
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Keurig K-Select
Keurig K-Select
The Keurig K-Select comes in six different colors and has a 52-ounce water reservoir that feeds four different cup sizes as well as a strong brew option for, well, stronger coffee with the same pod. It’s like the K-Classic and K15 had a baby, and that baby was bigger and cost $30 more. (I wish babies only cost $30 more.) This is a perfect machine if you tire of refilling the water reservoir of the K15.
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Keurig K-Elite
Keurig K-Elite
The Keurig K-Elite has a lot more buttons on the top than the previous machines, and that’s reflected in the $169 price point. With five cup sizes, strong brew and an iced coffee setting for brewing over ice, the K-Elite offers a bit more in the pod coffee brewing world. It also delivers hot water on demand, so you can make oatmeal. (I eat oatmeal for breakfast every day, so this machine makes sense to me.) It comes in five different colors, none as flashy as the K15 though.
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Keurig K-Cafe
Keurig K-Cafe
The Keurig K-Cafe comes in matte black or nickel and steps up the pod coffee game exponentially. With its milk frothing plate (closer to a milk heating plate since it doesn’t actually have a frother arm) it can make lattes in addition to coffee. Not cappuccinos though. I take issue with that advertising, as cappuccinos are frothed milk and espresso, while lattes are steamed milk and espresso, which is within the capabilities of this machine. Save for the espresso. Really, it’s just like adding hot milk to your coffee. If that’s your thing, then the K-Cafe is for you.
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Keurig K-Duo
Keurig K-Duo
If you prefer using a larger K-Cup to make an entire carafe of coffee, then the Keurig K-Duo is the best machine for you. Using K-Carafe pods, the K-Duo, in addition to brewing by the cup, brews an entire 12-cup carafe of coffee. It is also compatible with the Keurig Gold Tone Mesh Filter, so you don’t have to constantly replace a filter. The K-Duo is programmable like many drip coffee makers and brews four cup sizes in addition to the carafe.
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Keurig K150
Keurig K150
The best Keurig though, the absolute 100% best Keurig machine, is the Keurig K150. This is the commercial machine that you’ll find in office break rooms around the world. It can be hooked up to a water line (a thing I’ve had to do before) and has a touch-screen interface. What makes this the best Keurig machine though is that if you are using one of these, it means you probably aren’t paying for K-Cups (as well as poaching K-Cups from the office), and in my world, free equals best.