Yes, we all want our coffee to taste rich, aromatic and delicious each time we sip it. At the same time, we don’t want our coffee brewer to be much of a hassle – this Keurig K200 review will walk you through this particular model.
Whether you are the sort who likes having their coffee only once early morning for an energetic day or you are the kind who has an immense caffeine craving throughout the day that is fulfilled by multiple cups, Keurig coffee brewers have you covered!
Brief Company Overview
The American company Keurig Dr Pepper manufactured the Keurig beverage appliance in Burlington, Massachusetts. Introduced in 1998, Keurig has proprietary machines for brewing beverages and K-cup pods that are single serving coffee containers.
Keurig has multitude of beverage varieties, ranging from hot and cold coffees, teas, cocoas, dairy based beverages, lemonades, cider to fruit based drinks. It has over 400 different varieties and over 60 brands of coffee as well as other beverages.
Now that’s the convenience everyone is fond of. With tens and hundreds of different varieties to choose from, Keurig certainly has something delicious of every beverage lover.
The Keurig K200 – Going Beyond a Single Cup Serve
In single cup brewing, Keurig has long been a forerunner. To create more convenience for the avid coffee lovers, it introduced Keurig K200 – so they are able to make coffee in bulk.
This convenience enabled coffee aficionados to brew coffee for an entire breakfast table, not just for an individual caffeine drinker.
The Keurig K200 is slim and can brew either a cup, to-go travel mug or a carafe with the simple touch of a button. It has a compact design. This feature makes it perfect to fit on your kitchen countertop along with ease and convenience in every situation.
It is one of the most popular brewing systems that is available on the market from the Plus series.
Keurig 2.0 K200 Review
Since the original K200 was discontinued a while back, the new 2.0 version carries almost all the same features of it’s predecessor, with some new additions as well.
Let us now walk you through this model and all the features & specifications it comes with a detailed manner.
Model Specifications
As far as the basic elements of the K200 are concerned, here it how this model measures:
- Dimensions: 15 x 9 x 13.7 in.
- Weight: 7.5 lbs.
- Input power: 110V
- Water Capacity: 40 oz.
Why K200? Things to Consider
The Keurig K200 features the Keurig 2.0 Brewing Technology. It is intended to brew K-cup or K-carafe pods. This gives you access to a vast number of different coffees suited to your brewing needs. Priced at around $130, this machine does offer great value for the dollars spent.
Yes, there are a lot of other options within this price range, however, the features, durability, usability and after-sales services will vary from one machine to another.
Compact Design
If you are looking to purchase a Keurig K200 you need to take in consideration the counter space in your kitchen where you can place the brewing system. For instance, if you have the original Keurig and you wish to free up more space on the counter, then the Keurig K200 is for you.
That is because it is smaller and more compact in size, almost similar to the original one, however with more bells and whistles. Even though the size of Keurig K200 is smaller, the water level on it is still easy to see.
One thing to note about the Keurig K200 is that the water container does not light up when it needs refilling. Some might consider this factor as a precautionary warning indicating that they need to fill up the water, as only seeing the indicator on the screen might not be sufficient for most.
Suitable for All Lifestyles
The portability and size of Keurig K200 compared to other models (such as K500) are something that hold significant importance for many.
People who prefer a simple and uncluttered lifestyle or those who live in a compact environment as the trend has caught up rapidly in today’s modern world, this brewing machine can be the right choice.
However, this is not to say that it only suits people who live in small spaces or prefer minimalist lifestyle, it is well suited to all different styles of living. It has all the features that Keurig is renowned for, while having a smaller size simultaneously.
Keurig Pod Options
The Keurig 2.0 K200 is compatible with three different Keurig pod options: k-cup, k-mug and k-carafe.
K-cups come in about 500 plus varieties, from more than 75 brands. But in order to brew the K-cups you need to make sure to buy Keurig branded pods with white outer ring and black Keurig Brewed seal on the lid, else Keurig 2.0 machines won’t brew coffee.
K-mug and K-carafe pods are somewhat recyclable; however, K-cups are still not recyclable.
Coffee Brewer Versatility
The Keurig 2.0 K200 is the most compact and most inexpensive 2.0 brewer. It is fast, convenient to use and comes with a variety of colors. It can do 9 different cup sizes. However, if you wish to use a machine that is more durable and lasts longer, Keurig 2.0 should not be your first choice.
The limited number of K-cups and the fact that you need to buy only Keurig branded K-cups is probably not the best option.
Things We Like About the Keurig K200
Along with convenience, it offers many other pros. Let’s discuss them in detail.
Variety of Colors
The Keurig K200 comes in a wide range of colors. However, the original Keurig only had one color – black. The K200 includes black, white, sandy pearl, violet, red, turquoise, and serenity (it is a blue color also voted one of “Pantone’s Colors of the Year).
Having variety in colors sure is a fun way to add some flare to your kitchen counter, office space or your minimalist living style.
Hot Chocolate Lovers Rejoice!
One amazing thing about this coffee machine is it has a separate setting specially for cocoa, which indeed is good news for all the hot chocolate lovers out there.
Other Keurig machines don’t come with this feature which sets this machine apart from other machines and makes it impeccable for a diverse audience.
Make Coffee as per Your Mood
You can control the “coffee strength”. This makes it perfect to use for the people who need strong coffee in the morning to get their adrenaline pumped, triggering their flight or fight response.
It gives an instant boost and is no doubt the perfect choice for people who need their brains sharp first thing in the morning.
People who prefer strong coffee in the morning does not necessarily crave the same in the afternoon or evening. They might want something lighter during these times, only to sit back and enjoy the strong flavor and rich aroma of the coffee while they go about the rest of their day.
Make and save coffee
The Keurig K200 has a water tank holding up to 40 ounces, which is a sufficient amount for coffee worth couple of days or maybe just for a day if you tend to have solid caffeine cravings throughout the day, or work from home and need to consume coffee every few hours.
This incredibly simple to use feature makes it the favorite product in most of the households as well as offices.
Get Notified When It’s Cleaning Time
The Keurig K200 notifies its users when it’s about time to descale the machine or when the filter needs changing.
Purchasing Additional Carafe
There is an option available for purchasing additional carafe. This allows you to make a 40-ounce pot of coffee. This is not required for functioning of the machine but is a nice and additional accessory for all the coffee aficionados out there.
Better Usability with a Touch Screen
The updated touch screen on the machine makes brewing easy as a breeze. It is as easy as making instant coffee, which barely people make these days.
For those who are new to Keurig systems, the black and white display provides them a step by step guide on how to brew the ideal coffee as per their caffeine intake or particular taste bud craving.
This is operated by the on-board computer, it senses the K-cup and brew accordingly – as a strong cup or a regular cup of coffee. Either will come out at about 180 degrees.
Get Your Coffee Ready Instantly
You can get your coffee ready in just under two minutes. Who nowadays has time to stand and keep staring at the coffee machine to brew your coffee? You won’t be late to work late because of the long wait to get your coffee ready.
Refillable Cups
Some online retailers have refillable cups that can be used in the K200. You can use your own coffee grounds in the Keurig K200. This will cost you a little extra but your own coffee can be used. How awesome is that?
Brew Different Cup Sizes
Multiple sizes of coffee cups can be brewed with the Keurig K200, such as 4, 6, 8, and 10-ounce cups and a carafe. You can use the Brew Strong feature for the 4 cup sizes.
Things We Don’t Like About the Keurig K200
Now let us have a look at some of the cons of this coffee maker.
No Timer Option
The Keurig K200 doesn’t have a clock or timer. However, since it brews your cup in just under two minutes, there is no necessity to time it.
Compatibility with K-cups
Most of the users suggest that this machine almost has all the features necessary to brew the perfect coffee, there is nothing lacking in this machine. However, some feel it’s not good that the old K-cups cannot be reused.
The new Keurig K-cups can only be used with the 2.0. They come with a silver rim that enables the computer to determine the type of beverage you are making.
Environmental Safety Concerns
Not being able to reuse the K-cup can be heavy on the pocket and it also raises environmental safety concerns as this is quite wasteful. The K-cups are recyclable only if the components are separated, and this has been a topic in the spotlight for quite some time now.
Consumers are hoping something will be done about this by Keurig soon.
If you do wish to recycle K-cups, you need to take the pods apart; meaning you will be left with plastic, aluminum, coffee grounds and paper filter. Now all these components must be recycled separately which can be a bit bothersome for most.
Preheating the Machine
Users might have to experience lengthy wait times for the machine to preheat. You need to wait a while before the start button can be pressed and your coffee can actually be brewed.
This is because you cannot expect a machine to be at your perfect brewing temperature. Regardless of the fact whether a machine can be pre-set at ideal brewing temperature or not, waiting can be troublesome for those in a hurry.
Comparing Keurig K200 vs Keurig K250
As far as comparing this model with other similar models is concerned, let us now have a brief look at the comparison of Keurig K200 and K250.
These two machines have the same installation processes. It is imperative for buyers to find devices with simple setup processes that do not require them to call for professional help.
DIY Coffee Brewers
Both the 200 and 250 are DIY coffee brewers. They are pretty easy to activate.
This is how both the brewers can be activated:
- Unbox the coffee maker
- Assemble the brewer
- Turn on the power button
- Pour cold water in the reservoir
- Lift the handle in order for the water to flow down the brewer
- Insert single cup coffee and place the mug
- Press Brew and voila! Your coffee is ready.
Easy to Use
This is how easy it is to activate either Keurig K200 or K250. They won’t even give you a chance to mess up. In case you still find it difficult to set up and use, you can refer to user manual guide.
Design wise, both the models are quite the same. Both are available in multiple colours. The water reservoir size is the same (40 oz.) and the dimensions are also similar.
The only difference that makes K250 standout is that it comes with accessories as compared to K200.
User Reviews
Let us now hear from those who have bought and used the Keurig K200 coffee maker.
One user writes:
I made hot chocolate, cappuccino, and 30 oz cup of coffee in this so far since unboxing. It is amazing I would recommend this to anyone.
Another one mentions this:
I enjoyed this machine for 16 months before it broke down. It looks stunning in our totally white kitchen and people love it. I found a piece of plastic on the inside that had broken off and a 1-800 number that was displayed for working through the maintenance issues. I bought a $25 percolator –(very hot coffee by the way) and started to ignore my Keurig for a month, but then life got busy again. So I finally called the 1-800 # expecting zero and was totally surprised that after a few minutes of steps, they decided to replace the unit. This never happens! This is a company that cares about service.
On the downside, an unhappy customer mentioned:
Unlike previous models, this new model will ONLY work with Keurig brand pods. If you try to use a non-Keurig pod, the machine just gives you an “oops” message and a phone number to call to order more Keurig pods. It will NOT brew. My case of high end pods, which worked great with my old Keurig, is now unusable with this machine.
Quick Wrap Up of Keurig 200 Review
The Keurig K200 is compact which looks aesthetically pleasing on your kitchen counter and is appropriate to use for people who do not prefer large coffee machines and live minimalistic.
Keurig takes pride in the premium quality, convenience and simplicity of all its products. Be it coffee, tea or other specialty beverages, you can brew flavorful, rich, aromatic and a delicious cup in less than a minute. That too, with a mere touch of a button.
It is not too heavy on the pocket and with its diverse color ranges available, users can buy the color of their liking, something that goes with the color theme of their respective kitchens as well.
We hope our Keurig K200 review was informational enough for you to know the versatility of this brewing machine. it gives you both a strong or a light cup of coffee, any time – as per your coffee cravings!