TLDR
Keurig 2.0 machine, after using this for years the handle to load the Kcups jams. I need coffee dangit. Of course the internet comes to the rescue with how to get around the problem. But not how to fix it. The machine probably needs cleaned.
But not right now.
Coffee.
My machine soldiers on. I think it's the 2.0. Couple years ago, the manual reset thermal cutout tripped, rendering the machine unusable. Manual reset, right? Of course the manufacturer made it easy to push the button and carry on, right? Wrong! The fine people at Keurig buried this simple device deep in the bowels of their machine. Fortunately, a youtoober has been there before, showing how to remove the stainless skin and get access to the reset button. As the only option was to throw it away, what did I have to lose? I tore into it like a hungry lion into a gazelle and got my satisfaction. Roar!
The machine still works, and at a glance it even looks to be intact.
I feel your pain. I still use my Mr Coffee 4 cup. It looks like hell but soldiers on every damn day.
On a similar note, we make smoothies for breakfast pretty much every day with a Nutribullet. The cups have 3 tabs that press down three detents on the base. Two of the detents have pressure switches, one is a dummy. If one tab breaks off the cup it can still work as long as you orient it correctly in the base. However, if the internal mount for the pressure switch gets compromised and it flexes, you are SOOL. When this happened I took the thing apart, removed the offending pressure switch (why do I need more than one?), and soldered the wires together. 3 years later and it is still grinding away!
My wife found a Krupps coffee maker that brews a single cup using regular coffee grounds and a reusable filter. Only takes a little longer to use compared to a Keurig, but I can get much stronger coffee out of it and a lot cheaper to run.
You need a back up method. Just in case.
Got fed up with my Keurig 2.0 a few years back and replaced it with a Ninja coffee bar thingy. It can make single cups without pods if you want it to, and make a few other varieties of coffee. Uses a standard #4 filter, and you can get reusable ones if you want to. It even does iced coffee, which is a BIG plus for me. Makes a damn good cup of coffee, no matter what kind you like. Highly recommended.
Keurig coffee tasted fairly antiseptic to me the couple of times I've tried it. It's better than Maxwell House drip but still missing something.
I use this guy with fresh ground beans and an adjustable electric kettle. It takes about 10 minutes but it's worth the extra effort to me.
French Press or my old school glass chemex... Every morning. There's nothing to break except the glass itself, which has happened on rare occasion. I say this with all due respect to those who use them, but K-cups simply make 'coffee water' to me, and not real, actual coffee. I'll happily take the 3 extra minutes it takes to steep and pour a good solid coffee than use a pod.
I've got a 10 yr old Keurig that's still chugging along. I use the resusable filter with fresh grounds. No pods for me. Every now and then it tells me to descale and I ignore it. A couple of days of slow brews and it clears itself out. Not sure I want to know what ended up in my coffee though.... I need to tear into it to give it a good cleaning one of these days I guess.
My general thought on Keurig an their like:
I do understand they are very convenient, but clearly, there is cost, in numerous different ways. In the least, the re-usable pods seem like the most reasonable approach.
golfduke said:I say this with all due respect to those who use them, but K-cups simply make 'coffee water' to me, and not real, actual coffee.
Indeed! But this at work and work supplies the kcups and the machine.
I get perfectly reasonable coffee out of my Keurig by using the re-fillable pod that shipped with the unit. I load that thing up with fresh ground coffee and brew on the strongest setting at the highest temperature.
I use some store-bought K-cups too, but typically only use them for the first cup of the morning before my motor skills and problem-solving ability reach a level sufficient for creating something so complex as a cup of coffee.
I've put away my automatic machines also. French Press for me.
I love to hear coffee people talk about how their particular method is perfect. The "French press" is next level.
Been to France. Worked with actual French people. They use instant Nestle coffee out of a tin. The key is to never wash the coffee cup so the bottom turns black. Très bien! LOL
In reply to tester (Forum Supporter) :
Don't really care what some French people actually use and never said that my way is perfect. It's my preference over the machines. To each their own.
In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
No offense intended. I just find great humor in all this effort to pour hot water over burnt beans.
tester (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
No offense intended. I just find great humor in all this effort to pour hot water over burnt beans.
Thanks. I remember when I replaced the Folgers with Peetes in my office. They thought I was getting all hoity-toity.... and then they tasted the new stuff. Imagine having to drive Ladas all your life, then being given the keys to a M3.
In Seattle, the AeroPress is quite popular:
It's a giant tube and plunger -- you brew the coffee in the tube, then press down on the plunger to force it through a paper (or re-usable metal) filter, trapping the grounds. My 86-yr-old MiL can press it thru fine, but if you lube the plunger with a little vegetable oil, it's much easier. My wife uses an espresso grind in hers, froths her own milk, and gets about 85% of a latte for a fraction of the cost.
This will be heresy to some but it really does boil off acidity. I use medium saucepans in a pinch.
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