There’s a lot to like, from space-saving and thoughtful design elements to the added versatility and convenience of the K-cup pod brewing system. You can see brewing capacity as a pro or a con, depending on your lifestyle and the demands you place on your coffee machine. If you’re shopping for a machine that will brew your morning cup of joe and aren’t looking for much else, this machine will get the job done. When you’re shopping for your next coffee machine, one major consideration is whether it’s built well and will last you a long time. With the Keurig K-Mini, you don’t have to worry about too many electrical components malfunctioning or glass carafes breaking.
This is absolutely critical for those who need that extra kick in the morning. The K-Slim also doesn’t have the pod storage container and is only available in black. This contrasts with the K-Mini Plus, which is available in six colors and has a container.
Despite the fact that it’s made from plastic, the design of the machine does not impact the taste. Because it uses K-Cups, the coffee is already Hamilton Beach perfectly ground and measured for the ideal cup of joe. The steps are as simple as inserting the cup and hitting the “go” button.
You won’t find a timer or clock, and there’s no way to program sizes or brew strengths. When we tested it, we also found it to be pretty noisy, which the sleepyheads in your family may not appreciate. You’ll find the small 12-ounce water reservoir in the back. Conveniently, it has transparent sides so that you can see how much water you’ve added. This can be a little hard to see from the front, however.
Put it back into place and select your favorite K-Cup 1.0. As you can see from our 5/5 star rating for “ease of use,” the K Mini Plus is extremely easy to use – even if you’ve never used a standard coffee machine before. While the instructions can probably make things pretty clear, we’ll do a quick outline of the simple steps here. The price-to-value ratio on this one is just okay at best, so even if you can afford it, you may prefer to spend the same amount of money on a machine that offers a few more features. The K Mini Plus can brew any kind of 1.0 K-Cup that you prefer, but it can’t help you with any kind of specialty coffee drinks.
Keurig is partnering with industry experts to incorporate more recycled materials into its manufacturing, so expect this to be just the beginning of a larger trend. K-Mini Plus coffee makers are available in five colors to suit any decor, from practical to wild. You can choose between matte black, cardinal red, evening teal, studio gray, and matte white. It’s an attractive and sleek design, with the chrome accent on the drip tray definitely classing it up versus the K-Mini. Better yet, the Keurig K-Mini coffee makers work with the My K-Cup refillable pod.
This is mostly a good thing, especially if you need coffee to function in the morning. There are only two buttons — a power button and a brew button — plus a curved light that blinks to tell you the machine is ready to brew. Because they are totally airtight, the coffee can’t get oxydized and rotten. If you’re thinking about getting a unit with a water reservoir, note that they are about 3″ larger in all directions, use 1500 watts and weigh 12 pounds .
See this post for more on how the “strong” button works on a Keurig. I have personally purchased all three units and I have used each of them quite regularly . You see, I love coffee and I run a coffee blog, so this kind of experiment is right up my alley and is pretty fun for me. I actually like the clearance myself and the machine is great for low cabinetry but the build quality is definitely suspect. In recent years they also made the older Keurig Mini which was sold under three different model numbers based on the year they were manufactured (K15/K10/B31).
The reservoir is positioned at the back of the machine. It is fixed meaning it can’t be detached to refill. Cord storage – Included with the coffee maker is a small groove at the back of the device where you can fold the cable and fit it inside. The K Mini and K Slim impress with a very fast brewing time.