The popularity of K Cup coffee makers has sparked a new interest in home coffee brewing around the world. As people discover this great new way of making coffee, they naturally have questions about what models are the best to buy. I will be reviewing several different models, but in this article I take a look at three of the Keurig models to provide you with an idea of the differences between them.
Keurig invented the K Cup idea, so it is natural that they have some of the best and most popular brewers on the market today. Among them are the Mini B30, the Elite B40, and the Platinum B70. I describe how the K Cup coffee maker works in general in another article on this topic, and these three models use the same basic technology to accomplish the task of brewing a cup of coffee. The significant difference between the low and the high end are speed of brewing, and water capacity.
K Cup Coffee Maker
The Mini B30 was designed for those who do not want a coffee maker to take up a bunch of counter space. While the B40 and B70 both have large water reservoirs, the B30 has none. With the B30, you press a button on the top to open the "jaws" of the brewer to insert your K Cup (the B30 only takes the 8 oz cup size). After inserting your favorite blend, you close the lid and the door for the water reservoir opens. At this point you fill the reservoir with 8 ounces of water, close the lid and wait about 3 minutes for the element to heat the water and pump out a hot cup of coffee. By eliminating the larger water reservoir the B30 definitely takes up less space, but at the cost of a bit longer wait time for a cup of coffee. It is designed very well, is attractive, and fits nicely in just about any nook in your kitchen.
The B40 and B70 are very similar in design. The only significant difference between these two models is capacity. The idea of the water reservoir is to provide faster brewing times. With pre-heated water in the tank, it only takes about 30 seconds to brew a cup of coffee. The B40 has a 48 oz. reservoir, and the B70 has a 60 oz. reservoir. In the time it takes the B30 to brew a single cup, you could pump at least 5 cups out on either of these models. The other advantage of the larger models is the ability to brew varying amounts of water. The B40 can brew 8 and 10 oz. cups while the B70 can brew 6, 8, 10, and 12 oz. cups.
For the coffee-lover who likes the ability to program the brewer functions, the B70 offers the greatest number of automation features. While the B30 is essentially a manual personal brewer, the B40 has an "auto-off" feature, and the B70 is programmable with auto-on, auto-off, and adjustable water temperature.
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Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System, Silver Feature
- 5 cup sizes, including iced beverage setting and removable drip tray for tall travel mugs
- Large 80-ounce removable water reservoir elimanates the need for frequent refills
- Fully programmable blue backlit LCD with digital clock, auto on/off, and adjustable temperature control
- My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter can be filled with any ground coffee and conveniently stores right in the unit
- All parts that come in contact with water or coffee are BPA-free; also includes a charcoal water filter
Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System, Silver Overview
Perfect for both personal use and entertaining, this single-serve home-brewing system offers consumers fresh gourmet coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and more in under one minute. Choose either 4, 6, 8, or 10 ounce from the icon on brewing size options. Using Keurig K-Cups—featuring over two hundred varieties of pre-measured, premium brand coffee and tea--this brewer’s innovative one-touch technology makes it easier than ever for consumers to enjoy a wide array of hot beverages. No matter which cup size you choose, the Cuisinart Single Serve Brewing System , working in conjunction with K-Cup, always produces the perfect cup every time.From the Manufacturer
The Quest for the Perfect Cup of Coffee | ||
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| Water | Any hot beverage is made up primarily of water. Often overlooked, the quality of the water is as important as the quality of the coffee, tea, or cocoa. A good rule of thumb is that if your water doesn’t taste good from the tap it won’t taste any better in your beverage. That’s why the Cuisinart Single Serve Brewing System has added a charcoal water filter that removes chlorine, bad tastes, and odors, for the purest cup every time. Cuisinart recommends changing the water filter every 60 days or after 60 uses, and more often it you have hard water. | |
| Coffee | While the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the flavor should be from the coffee, tea, or cocoa. To achieve the same great quality you receive at coffee bars, you need to use the same quality ingredients. By using the K-Cup, brought to you by some of the most premium brands on the market, you can be assured that you’re getting the finest, freshest gourmet product with every cup you brew. If you choose to make your own coffee make sure all your ingredients are at their freshest. | |
| Grind | The grind of coffee and cocoa or the refinement of your tea leaves is critical for proper flavor extraction. With the pre-measured, pre-ground ingredients found in every K-Cup, you can rest easy knowing that it’ll brew perfectly each and every time, locking in maximum flavor and freshness. | |
| Proportion | No matter which cup size you choose, the Cuisinart Single Serve Brewing System, working in conjunction with K-Cup, always produces the perfect cup every time. When grinding your own coffee, remember to add the amount of ground coffee that corresponds to the number of ounces being used. | |
Using Your SS-700 Single-Server Brewing System | ||
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|  One-touch control panel | |
Hot Water / Rinse
Your brewer is equipped to dispense hot water to make hot chocolate, tea, soup, and more. Your brewer is also equipped with a rinse cycle to flush out residual flavors. The rinse cycle will dispense about 4 ounces of hot water.
To Rinse:
- Place a cup or mug on the drip tray.
- Lift the handle. The brewing chamber will open towards you; check to make sure there is no K-Cup inserted.
- Lower the handle to close the brewing chambers. When closed completely, the control panel will indicated READY.
- Press Rinse. During the rinse cycle, only the RINSE button will be lit. The control panel will display the word RINSE. Following the Rinse cycle, your brewer will automatically fill and heat in preparation for the next cycle. Once the heat cycle is completed, the RINSE and HOT WATER buttons will remain lit for one minute. While the buttons are lit, you can perform another rinse cycle or dispense hot water without opening the brew chamber.
To Make Hot Water:
- Place a cup or mug on the drip tray. If you’ve just completed a rinse or hot water cycle proceed to step 4.
- Lift the handle. The brewing chamber will open towards you; check to make sure there is no K-Cup inserted.
- Lower the handle to close the brewing chamber. When closed completely, the control panel will indicate READY.
- All brew-size icons will be displayed with your default size shown as a solid mug. To choose a different size use the up or the down button.
- Press Hot Water. While the hot water cycle is in progress, only the hot water button will be lit. The control panel will display the words HOT WATER, as well as the serving size you selected. Following the cycle, your brewer will automatically fill and heat in preparation for the next cycle. After the heating cycle is completed, you can perform a rinse or another hot water cycle immediately for up to one minute. The RINSE and HOT WATER buttons will be lit. After this time the unit will return to idle mode and OPEN HEAD will be displayed.
Brewing with the My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter
The Cuisinart Single Serve Brewing System comes with a My K-Cup reusable coffee filter, which allows you to use your own ground coffee. The dishwasher safe, My K-Cup conveniently stores in the easy-open compartment.
|  Removable water tank, replacable charcoal water filter, My K-Cup reusable coffee filter, removable drip tray, and brewing chamber |
Programming the On/Off Features
The brewer provides three ways for you to enjoy gourmet coffee, tea of hot cocoa on your own schedule. It will take the brewer approximately 3-1/2 minutes to warm up from room temperature.
- Leave it on all the time: The brewer can be left on all the time so that is it always ready to brew a fresh cup of gourmet coffee, tea or hot cocoa. To turn the brewer off at any time, simply press the power switch located on the right side of the brewer.
- Set the Brewer to AUTO OFF: This will automatically shut the brewer off after a specified period of time from the last brew.
- Program your Brewer for a specific ON and/or OFF TIME: By programming your brewer to turn on each morning, you will never have to wait for the brewer to warm up in order to brew a gourmet cup of coffee.
Programming Brew Temperature
The brewer brews at a pre-set temperature of 192°F. If you prefer a cooler cup of coffee, hot water, tea, or cocoa, you may adjust this temperature down by 5 degrees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn’t the brewer brewing? Why doesn’t the brewer brew a full cup? What if water doesn’t appear to be moving from the water reservoir into the unit?- Every once in a while an air bubble may get trapped in the water path. If water doesn’t appear to be moving into the unit, lift off the reservoir and fill to max fill line. Then put it back into place.
- Turn off the brewer and unplug it for 30 seconds or more. When you plug the brewer back in, be sure to turn the power back on.
- After placing the K-Cup in the K-Cup Holder, make sure the handle is pushed down securely and the LCD control panel reads READY. The up and down buttons, Brew, Hot Water, and Rinse buttons will be illuminated. Then press any of the lit buttons.
- Make sure the water reservoir is properly in place, and perform a Rinse cycle.
- The exit needle may be clogged (refer to “Cleaning & Maintenance” page 18 of instruction book).
- Clean the K-Cup brewing chamber (refer to “Cleaning & Maintenance” page 18 of instruction book).
Available In Stock. |
