It’s no surprise that people love their Keurig coffee makers! And we shouldn’t just call them ‘coffee makers’, Keurig machines do a lot more than just coffee. In fact, you can do coffee, tea, iced coffee, hot chocolate, other hot beverages like hot apple cider and more. But with so many Keurigs available on the market, as well as machines from other brands that can brew K-Cups, which one do you buy?

Answering the questions “What is the best….” has always been a tricky one. ‘Best’ is very subjective thing and means different things to different people. So what I’ll try to do here is to recommend a Keurig based on a specific feature that might appeal to you over other things. Overall, you’ll get the same quality of coffee out of any Keurig model, so you’ll have to pick what feature appeals to you the most that would make a particular model the best to you personally.

Things To Consider Before Buying Your Keurig Machine:

There are few a things to keep in mind when it comes to Keurig machines that will make choosing your best machine an easier task:

How Will You Use Your Machine?

Are you buying a machine for a single person to use or a small/large family? Or, how many cups will you be brewing per day? This will determine if you need a small or a larger machine with large capacity water reservoir. Also, are you going to use it at home or in an office? A home-use Keurig shouldn’t be used at an office where it will be used more often. There are commercial-ready Keurig machines for office use.

Advanced Functions:

Will you need advanced features like temperature or coffee strength control? Are you okay with button controls or would you prefer a touch screen?

Size:

Keurig machines can be a little bulky and do take up some space on your kitchen countertop. If you’re tight on space, make sure to go for a small or compact model.

The Best Keurig Machine – Keuirg K-Select:

The Keurig K-Select, which is the upgraded version of the K-Classic (also known as K55) meets all points for a classic machine that is perfectly sized with enough features to meet most people’s needs.

It has:

  • 52 oz water reservoir
  • 4 cup sizes: 6, 8, 10 and 12oz
  • Strong Brew function for a stronger cup of coffee.
  • Brews all K-Cup pods, including refillable filters.
  • Simple button controls.
  • Accommodates cups up to 7.4″ tall.
  • Available in 6 colors.

The K-Select doesn’t have any fancy features. It does the job of brewing a cup of coffee in under a minute just right. It has a nicely sized reservoir which allows you to brew multiple cups before the need to refill it. The Strong Brew button, which steeps your coffee longer before brewing for a bolder cup of coffee, is great alternative for Strength control feature which is available on a more expensive models.

Click here to read our review of the Keurig K-Select and how it compares to Keurig K-Classic.

The Best Small Keurig Machine – Keurig K-Mini Plus:

If you’re looking for something small in size, look no further than the Keurig K-Mini Plus. This model, which is a big step up from its preceder the K-Mini, has been completely redesigned to be slimmer and look more modern. The K-Mini Plus has the following features:

  • It’s less than 5″ wide.
  • 4 cup sizes: 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz.
  • Removable water tank.
  • Strong Brew option.
  • Compatible with all K-Cup pods, including refillable filters.
  • Available in 4 colors.

So, what will you be giving up on in exchange of this really slim design?

No water reservoir – the machine has to be refilled for each use.

No controls buttons – the machine only has two controls on it, the brew button and Strong Brew button. How do you select your size? The machine brews whatever water amount you add to it, so fill the water tank to the size you want to brew (the water tank is clearly marked with each size capacity).

The water reservoir, or lack of, only becomes a problem when you need to use your machine frequently throughout the day. I don’t recommend this model for a large household, or for multiple brews per day (say, over 5 times per day).

Click here to read our review of the Keurig K-Mini Plus and how it’s different from the K-Mini.

The Best Keurig Machine with Programmable Options – Keurig K-Elite:

The K-Elite model is quite an upgrade from the K-Select and the K-Mini Plus. This is the model where you get it all: the advanced features, the controls, additional sizes, and more…

  • Large 75 oz water reservoir.
  • 5 cup sizes: 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz.
  • Strong Brew option.
  • Iced Coffee option.
  • Hot water on demand for making instant meals or tea.
  • Programmable auto on/off with digital clock.
  • High altitude settings.
  • Compatible with all K-Cup pods including refillable cups.
  • Available in 3 colors.

Using the K-Elite model, you’re getting a way larger water reservoir, an additional cup size, iced brew option, hot water on demand and programmable auto on/off option. The only con of this model is that it’s vastly larger, too. So you have to make sure that you have enough space to accommodate it.

What Is ICED brew option?

You could be wondering about the Iced option, and if you can do the same using other Keurig models?

The ICED option still brews your beverage hot (coffee or tea), however, the difference is, it takes into consideration the fact that your drink will get mixed in with ice soon enough. So in order not to get a diluted drink, when using this option, the machine will adjust the size and strength of the pod you are brewing to get you the best results.

Can you do the same using other Keurig machines, even if it doesn’t have ICED brew option? You can still brew a hot brew over ice, but you won’t get the best results as the ice might melt as soon as the hot coffee hits it. This is why the ICED option is helpful, it decreases the temperature and steeps the brew longer to make it taste better even if the ice melts into it.

Click here to read our review of the Keurig K-Elite and how it compares to K-Select and K575.

The Best Keurig Machine To Brew Single Cup and Carafe – K-Duo:

K-Duo gives you two options to brew your coffee however you like it. On the right, you’ll find the single-serve option which uses K-Cup Pods. On the left is a full carafe brewing option that uses ground coffee.

  • Serving sizes: 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz on the single serve side. And 6, 8, 10 and 12 cups on the carafe side.
  • Large 60 oz water reservoir shared between both sides.
  • Strong brew option for brewing a bolder single-serve cup.
  • Auto on/off with programmable auto brew up to 24hrs in advance (for carafe brewing only).
  • Pause and Pour allows you to pause mid-brew cycle to pour a cup.
  • Compatible with all K-Cup pods, including My K-Cup refillable filter pod.
  • Includes a glass carafe.

Click here to read our comparison between the Keurig K-Duo vs. K-Duo Plus.

Learn more about Keurig K-Duo, read the customer reviews and buy it.

About the Author

Nicole

Enjoying coffee, one pod at a time. Bringing all my coffee expertise to this blog.

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