Typical coffee drinkers make a pot in the morning before heading off to work then drink maybe one or two cups out of the pot, leaving maybe half of a pot to be thrown away. Furthermore, ensuring that the precise amount of coffee is placed in the coffee filter basket is more guess work than anything else. The biggest advantage of the Keurig brewing system is the very precisely measured coffee, cup after cup, without any mess or measuring. This probably makes it the best single cup coffee maker.
Keurig was founded by Olaf Keurig in 1992 and the company became a subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in 2006. As of 2010, the company claimed that 2.5 million beverages were served every day, with 200,000 office installations and 6% of the office coffee market in the U.S.
Although there is a variety of single cup coffee makers available on the market, including products coming from Cuisinart, Breville and Mr. Coffee, the ubiquitous maker of pot coffee makers, well refined coffee drinkers contend that Keurig is very possibly the best single cup coffee maker. Anyone who has had to settle for a cup of coffee coming from a coffee machine or from a pot that has been sitting on the warmer for a few hours will most likely attest to the utterly high quality of a Keurig cup of coffee.
The Keurig brewing system utilizes single serving units called the K cup which is inserted into the machine (some 200 varieties of coffee, tea or cocoa are offered), then you place a cup or mug under the spout, hit the brew feature and within 60 seconds the beverage is ready. The Keurig machine brews coffee by piercing the foil seal on top of the K cup with a spray nozzle while simultaneously piercing the bottom of the K cup with a discharge nozzle, then a measured quantity of hot water is forced through the grounds contained in the paper filter and on into the waiting cup or mug situated below.
The variety of Keurig models allows you to have your choice of a 6, 8, 10 or 12 ounce cup of coffee at the push of a button. Small and compact, they are perfect for the home, office or other venue where space is somewhat limited. Unlike other coffee makers that may require different pots for decaf, regular or flavored coffee or tea, the Keurig brewing system can accomodate all.
Numerous brands now also offer products in the K cup packaging and includes such well known names as Folgers, Bigelow Tea Company, Diedrich, Millstone Coffee, Wolfgang Puck, Caribou and many, many more. And don't let us forget to mention that Keurig also produces a reusable filter called My K cup which allows the use of conventional ground coffee.
The only possible disadvantage of the Keurig brewing system is that some people may not care for the noise, which only lasts a few seconds anyway. So if you are ready for the best single cup coffee maker, the b40 or b60 model may become a very good starting point.
