K cups are rich with a variety of quality coffee and flavor options. They’re delicious, quick, and convenient. They do, however, have two major downsides. They’re expensive compared to using your own coffee. And second, they create a lot of waste, as they’re largely single-use plastics.
Reusable K cups can remove these problems and offer significant advantages. It doesn’t take much to learn how to use reusable K cup.
You can use your preferred coffee beans to make the cuppa that you enjoy. The cost savings can be substantial over the long run, plus there’s less waste in the landfill. It’s a win-win!
Using The Keurig K-Cup To Brew Kickass Coffee
There are plenty of reusable K cups available. The most well-known choice is the official reusable Keurig K cup. Several competent options are available from other manufacturers as well.
It’s convenient to use and includes an adaptor that makes it fit for use in machines that use different-sized K cups. This guide will largely focus on how to use my k-cup® universal reusable coffee filter. Though we’ll talk about some other available options as well.
Here are some tips to get the most out of your reusable K cups.
Buy the Keurig Universal Reusable Coffee Filter
Choosing The Right Coffee Grind
When using your own coffee, it is best to go for freshness. It just tastes so much better and can make your cup of coffee taste awesome. The most recommended tip you’ll find is to grind coffee beans right before you start brewing. Fresh ground coffee is always better than pre-ground coffee that has been sitting around for days.
Get a good quality coffee grinder to get the most out of your coffee. A burr grinder is the best pick for grinding coffee. Don’t let the fresh ground coffee sit for more than 20 minutes until you start brewing. The faster you move, the better.
Additionally, use a fresh batch of coffee every time you brew. Using the same grounds again is a recipe for weak and watery coffee.
A fine grind can clog the coffee filter. An overly coarse grind won’t allow enough time for extraction and the resultant coffee will be weak.
The grind should be similar to that used in conventional drip coffee makers. Perhaps going slightly finer on the grind would be more useful.
A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Use Reusable K Cup
- Twist the lid on the K cup counter-clockwise towards the unlock sign.
- Fill the cup with coffee grinds, make sure the coffee stays below the line marking the maximum quantity.
- K cups often have two lines to indicate coffee filling. The lower line is best used for coffee cups and the higher for travel mugs.
- Do not tamp or compress the coffee into the reusable K cup. It’s okay to tap the K cup a bit so the grounds settle into the cup.
- Place the lid back onto your reusable K cup and move it clockwise. This will secure the lid in the right position.
- Lift the handle of your Keurig machine and place the K cup in the filter holder. For classic series brewers, see that the arrow on the K cup lid matches with the arrow on the machine.
- Lower the brewer handle.
- Select your choice of beverage. Your drink will soon pour into the cup.
How To Clean Keurig’s Reusable K Cup
- Allow the K cup and filter to cool for a few minutes after you’re done brewing coffee.
- Lift the handle of the machine and remove the K cup.
- Open the cup and remove the used coffee grounds.
- Keurig universal K cup is top-rack dishwasher-safe.
- If you intend to clean the cup manually, use warm soapy water and a brush. Rinse thoroughly with water to remove detergent.
Removing Or Adding The Adapter
The adapter on the Keurig K cup reusable universal filter is used to adjust its size. This makes it possible to use the same reusable K cup on machines that require different pod sizes. Keurig K cup reusable filter is designed to work with Keurig classic and Keurig 2.0 Plus Series.
Both these series require a different size for the K cup. It’s the adapter that helps make the reusable filter universal in the sense of its compatibility with both series.
- To remove the adapter use one hand to hold the top of the filter holder.
- Use the other hand to hold the base of the filter.
- Push down the brewer adapter with your thumbs.
- To attach the adapter line up the adapter opening with the filter holder hook.
- Slide the adapter into place.
Top 4 Alternatives To The Keurig K Cup Reusable Filter
1. Solofill K3 Plus
Solofill K3 Plus has a built-in ultra-fine stainless steel mesh that works as the filter for this K cup. Plastic is generously used in the construction of the K cup. Thankfully, it is BPA-free.
The use of stainless steel allows the filter to have a good usable lifespan.
The manufacturer says that this cup can also be filled with loose leaf tea. That increases the uses of this K cup and its value proposition is great. I like this reusable K cup, I’d like it better if used less plastic, but that’s a moot point.
2. DI ORO – MaxBrew 24K GOLD K-Cup
Di Oro has some bling for the coffee filter. The mesh here is stainless steel, but it is coated with 24K gold. This ensures that the filter stays inert to coffee flavor and does not add its own taste to the coffee. Also, a gold filter sounds really cool.
The filter is arranged in the company’s preferred honeycomb pattern. Apparently, this encourages uniform and even brewing of coffee. I’m not sure how scientifically true that claim is, but yeah, the filter is pretty useful. Di Oro filters are free of BPA, lead, and DEHP.
3. GoodCups Reusable K Cups
This is the option to pick when you’ve got a tight budget and can’t spend much on the reusable filters. The downside is that these filters don’t last as long as the better quality options. However, with the huge gap in pricing, the longevity factor may seem less important. Simply put, you can get about half-dozen of these K cups at the price of a single premium K cup.
GoodCups are made entirely out of plastic, including the filter mesh. It is very likely that the mesh will give way within a few uses. However, the attractive price point has its benefits. These reusable K cups are free of BPA, lead, and DEHP.
4. K&J Reusable K-Cups
K&J Reusable K-Cups are another budget option, though these attempt to have a better quality than GoodCups. Mesh for these K cups is made from stainless steel. This allows K&J K cups to have a slightly better performance than cheaper counterparts. It isn’t quite impressive, but fairly acceptable, given the cost.
Making The Most Out Of Your Reusable K Cups
Fresh ground coffee can bring out the gourmet flavor and expectations of your coffee. Reusable K cups are a cost-effective and more environmentally responsible option. Learning how to use reusable K cup requires minimal effort. More importantly, the entire process stays in line with the convenience we’ve all come to expect from Keurig.