Back in May, DH and I purchased a Keurig Single Cup Home Coffee Brewing System. The concept is fabulous and convenient. It is nice to have so much variety in flavors and intensities of coffee from which to choose. The level of heat and pressure used makes the brew on par with an espresso drink. So yummy.
I used to have a small ONE:ONE single cup brewer that used the paper pods, but it was extremely hard to source the pods. I found some once at a Tuesday Morning store, but being closeouts I was only able to buy them there that one time. I tried other brands of pods but none of them ever fit properly in the brewer which led bad seals and major leaks. After a few months I went back to my regular, trusty 10 cup coffee maker and my brown paper filters.
The nice thing about the paper wrapped ONE:ONE java pods is that they were easy to compost. Toss it in the bin and let it decompose into yummy nutrients for my garden. With all the benefits of the Keurig the lack of easy compost-ability and un-recycle-ability of their K-cups is their biggest drawback. Also, paying approximately $.50 per cup of coffee brewed at home can add up quick. Though this does beat paying upwards of $2 or $3 at the local coffee house (something DH was doing frequently).
Personally, I remove the aluminum lid, empty the grounds into the compost and wash out the cups. DH wondered at first what the heck I was doing. Really I thought they were the perfect size for seed starting. I plan to use a large portion of them to start my vegetable garden plants next year. The pods add up quick and it takes some time to open and empty each one if you let them pile up (which I frequently do). So, I wondered if there was any way to Reuse my Keurig K-Cups!. And that is when I found My K-cap. It allows you to reuse an uncovered, emptied and cleaned k-cup as long as the filter stays in tact. It seems like a good concept. I have yet to try one, but I hope to acquire one soon.
It would be nice to be able to brew my favorite standby flavors of coffee that I buy locally. As of right now I am hemmed in by the prepackaged brands and flavors available from Keurig and their roasters. This is OK, but I miss my Cabin Fever house blend, Café 89 and a Michigan Cherry flavor that is to die for.
The other option I found does not reuse the K-cup but replaces it altogether. Keurig offers a My K-cup that is made of metal and is reusable. The reviews I have read so far are not encouraging. Many have noted that the My K-cup does not allow enough pressure to build to get a good brew and causes too much spray because of its design. I’d like to try it for myself but DH utterly refuses to buy it for me. Another battle for another day. . .
So if you love your Keurig coffee maker (or would like to get one) think of ways to reuse or repurpose the K-cups before throwing them away. The planet will thank you for it.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
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