My story…
I don’t know exactly what inspired me to create this website, but I think the impetus for it started in 2012 when I first got married and received a new (or gently used? We like to use the term “pre-owned”) Keurig as a gift. It was one of the early to mid 2000s models that I believe to be a B70. Or possibly B75. It was black and had a slightly high-end look to it. And it ran like a top.
Yep, pretty solid maker, but then there was this problem that cropped up in which the reservoir developed a hairline crack, rendering use difficult without a mess. By the time I was informed that a soldering tool could have repaired the hairline crack, it ended up in the donation bin.
Now I am kicking myself as I found out later on that Amazon carries replacement water reservoirs for this and related models that have been discontinued in the big-box retailer world (Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.) Undaunted, I knew I still wanted another Keurig…
So I started to think about the kind of model I wanted to replace it with. My God, by that time, there were not just Keurig, but other familiar household brands jumping onto the single-serve bandwagon. How would I know which one would suit my needs and not become a disappointment?
In other words, I was right where you are now. Lots of these pod brewers on the market with all these different features…some good, some unnecessary and some with lots of bells and whistles. I realized I had a whole market to explore. So I started doing some reading and recording my findings. I thought about my own lifestyle.
For one, my husband was not all that enamored with coffee…he did profess to love the
smell of it though. Which meant that I was the sole coffee drinker in the household. Based on my needs and my research of the market, I finally decided on the K10 Mini Plus.
I picked it for reasons of practicality first, style and appearance second. First of all, I’m not entertaining much, so the lack of a reservoir is not an issue. I keep it in my office where it is always nearby, and its size is just right.
So in 2015, I started this site to address all these questions you may have, that are exactly the kind you may be asking right now. Questions such as – What size brewer is right for me? Do I really need to use filtered water? And what about the coffee pods…do I always need to use them, or is there another way?
Oh, and yes, I still own a drip maker; always nice to have as a backup. Don’t shoot the messenger; in this household I have an axiom about appliances: If it still works, keep it! Better to have it and not need it much, than to need something and not have it.
When it comes to appliance niches, this one happens to be my favorite of them all. And when it comes to appliances, there can be so much grief to be had when we go into shopping with too much tunnel vision. Have you ever bought something-perhaps a houseware item, but not something electrical-upon receipt and use, though, somehow it didn’t exactly match your expectations.
However, it still had some nice qualities about it, and you didn’t want to deal with the hassle of returning it as it didn’t seem to be worth the trouble when it comes to shipping fees incurred. Yep, I’ve been there.
However, if the item in question is an appliance-it could be something along the lines of a toaster oven, electric mixer, or a hair dryer; the last thing you are going to want to do is just “make the best of it” if the firing mechanism is off. Darn it, you want that thing replaced. A malfunctioning appliance is about as useless as a chocolate teapot.
Our Mission
Comments and suggestions are always welcomed (and encouraged!) as long as they are helpful and constructive. Feel free to drop me a line if it’s to ask something, request some info or just to do a big shout-out! I will respect your privacy in all communications. One way I can be reached is through my contact form, and another way by social media.
You can visit my Facebook fan page (in the sidebar) Google plus page, Youtube channel and Twitter profile to learn more, and if you have heard of a product and would like to bring it to my attention, I’m all eyes and ears. And remember, there are no “stupid questions” (or people).
My promise to you is that the information presented here on this niche site was written with the deep-seated concerns of the consumers in mind and that the good, the not-so-good, and the downright bad is presented here with no attempts at sugar-coating; you owe it to yourself to get as the famous line from Dirty Harry says: “Just the facts, ma’am”. Sometimes wrong purchases go beyond mere inconveniences; there can be some major bugaboo that ruins the party for good.
So I’m glad you’re here…and good luck to you as you search for your new favorite machine!
