Since I haven’t started roasting my own yet, we have a Keurig coffee maker. The other day it died. It actually melted one of the little cups and made a bit of a mess but that’s not the story.
I called Keurig to see what I could do to fix it and even though it isn’t under warranty anymore, they are sending me a new one at no cost. The lady on the phone was great, really helpful and polite. I love good customer service and she was great.
Just had to pass on a good customer service story because so many seem to get it wrong.
That’s good to hear. You are absolutely right…that kind of customer service is getting rarer and rarer these days.
I’m thinking of getting a Keurig (they’re on sale here this week for $79).
Those machines sure are convenient and the coffee they make isn’t half bad, with a good (and growing) variety available. Probably not very cost effective, though, for anyone who drinks a LOT of coffee (I don’t) but it is definitely convenient for making the occasional cup, enough so that it somewhat offsets the monstrously high “per lb” price of those pre-filled K-Cups.
I am a coffee snob (not a beer snob necessarily, but definitely a coffee snob) and my parents got me a kuerig a few years ago much to my dismay. I used it for instant hot water into my frensh press or aero-press (the latter of which makes a great cup of coffee, better than french press if anyone is interested) but on occasion I would use the K-cups and I have to admit they really weren’t half bad. there was one I particularly liked but I can’t recall the name now. Onyx or something.
Regardless, the pump broke and I never replaced it. My parents had great customer service from them on their broken machine though.
We got a Keurig coffeemaker as a christmas gift last year…and have to say that it so convenient, not to mention that it makes a pretty darn good cup of fresh coffee. We now use it almost exclusively. I have tried a lot of the brands of K-cups and I’m still undecided an a specific brand. I am currently working on a box of Pike Place.
we are on our third unit. our second one just lost power the other night. also out of warranty. i called just to see if there was a fuse internally that i could change. they said no and sent us a replacement at no cost. showed up yesterday. i do not drink coffee but swmbo does and i usually bring her a cup every morning before i leave. (yes i am a suck up). i tore the first unit apart and saved the pumps and heater element for a future brew project. will do with this unit that died as well.
I didn’t want one originally because of the cost and I think they are pretty wasteful. But now, my municipality takes the K cups in the recycling so I can sleep a bit better at night.
The reason we got it was because we were often making a pot of coffee and throwing out half of it because no one drank it or it sat for a long time. There’s no way the K cups can compete with fresh roasted/fresh ground but like others have said, it’s not bad at all. Donut Shop is my favourite.
Ditto on the donut shop… of course I only drink cold coffee anyway, so…
I don’t like the taste of the paper filter you get with the aero-press. I prefer my French press for preparing my homegrown coffee.
Also, water heating chambers build up scale, which add flavors to the water too.
We are on our second one. The first built up deposits in the lines and could not be descaled. From what I understand, they sell the actual unit at cost and then make the money on the K cups.
i use a paper clip to clean out the three little holes in the prongs that puncture the cup
As an old fashioned technophobe I’ll stick with my ceramic Melita cones and gold filter. With home roasted coffee nothing could be simpler, cheaper and better tasting. And the grounds make excellent compost.
Yeah, you probably drink that crappy Kona coffee. :
As mentioned before, this is a constant source of unnecessary waste and expense. Buy a good espresso machine and then you aren’t tied to one company’s coffee.
Cold brewed coffee is delicious. I get the fair trade kind called “Bike Fuel”, it’s a nice blend of light and dark roast. Cold brew it for 12-24 hours in a french press, and drink it on ice or dilute it with hot water or milk. It’s pretty tasty and smooth.
I’ve heard so much about Keurigs breaking down, it’s ridiculous. They probably have such good customer service because they don’t want people like me bad mouthing them to others who might want to buy one. It’s encouraging to know they are so good about replacing broken units.
this is the reason for most good customer service
Heavens no! I live in Puna.
Maybe they also make more money licensing the K-cups than on the machines, so they’d rather be generous replacing machines than loose you as a customer.
It’s powerful stuff.
I’ve had my Keurig going on 2 years now with no real problems, so knock on wood there.
way to go. It’ll be dead by monday.
Seems according this thread, all I gotta do is make a phone call.
Oh and for the folks fretting about the level of waste with the k cups, they do make universal k-cup adapters that you fill with the coffee of your own choice.
The one thing that annoys me though is that I use the keurig as an electric kettle for say tea, but the temperature settings won’t let you set it down low enough for proper extraction.