What Are the Best Reusable K Cups For Your Brewer?

Which Are the Best Reusable K Cups for Your Brewer?

Hi guys, if you’ve got your single cup brewer and only owned it for a short time, chances are you’re enjoying the wide K cup flavor selection, but you’re overhearing a great deal about those “my k cups” So you’re probably dying to try them!

No reason not to – it has been confirmed that if you’re only drinking 1 cup a day, in about a year you’ll have spent over $200 on those pods – (Source: Consumer Reports.org) Want to slash your java budget? Read on…Reason no. 2: doing your part to keep those little buggers out of landfills.

 If you need more reasons…you can experiment with your favorite flavors, strengths, and even tea leaves. Now we’ve come to the question of what are the best reusable k cups for the brewer you own and convenience you deserve?

Best Practices for Basic Use

• Most of them are made of plastic/polypropylene, but a few stainless steel. You’ll want to exercise caution with the latter as they get pretty hot to the touch (since anything metal retains heat)
• Push open the lid and drop in the desired amount of grounds, you can use a measuring spoon or scoop, how full to fill them is up to you, I fill mine to just below the rim. Some people have learned to be careful as too much grounds has left a mess behind. Refilling k-cups is a cinch, it’s just a matter of experimentation to see what strength suits you best.
• You may need to remove your brew holder assembly, in the case of my I do not (I like that…not always easy to get that thing out) as some are designed for this not to be necessary. Make sure you close the top securely. Run a normal cycle the way you normally do.

And now, some recommendations:

The 3 Best Reusable K-Cup Brands

Brewooze Smart Cups
The Brewooze Smart Cups comes in a set of 3 cups, a filter cartridge and a set of 20 paper filters. I’ve had my set for a little over 6 months…I used one of the paper filters one time but I don’t feel that they brought the flavor out well. I did accidentally chip the outer rim on one of them, but it doesn’t affect overall use, the cup will open and close as it should. (It was probably caused by tapping them on the side of the sink to loosen the grounds)

     

After some weak brews resulting from the 2/3 full originally, I fill these guys all the way to the top and push the grounds down gently but the end result is that used grounds get a little impacted. Since then I’ve learned to use a dull instrument like a chopstick to ease them out. This set is made with BPA-free plastic with a stainless steel mesh inside layer.

Brewooze Smart Cups come in the pretty fall colors, and also in a purple version too! You can use them in both 1.0 and 2.0 models.

Solofill Refillable K Cup
Solofill is by and large one of the most popular and best reusable k cups. They use a micro-foil chrome filter that is easy to clean and a good quality hinge with an o-ring seal. The other unique characteristic is the “Decaflo” spray-head design in the lid which improves saturation of grounds. .There is another gold-plated variation available. If you have a 1.0 brewer you need the K3. Most all of the single cup brewers discussed on this site will work with the Solofill.

If you own a 2.0 brewer what you need is the SoloPod, which has a unique “double brew” chamber technology in addition to the Decaflo lid. The first reservoir is in the main cup area and pre-steeps the grounds while the second chamber beneath it acts as a reservoir to accelerate steeping. The 2 in 1 package includes a K-cup carafe size as well and a SoloClip. This is also an excellent option to consider if you enjoy tea, because your loose leaves will get the important saturation and steeping they need to come out great.

There is an option for the K3, to choose one or a package of 2 (red or black.) You can also look into replacement O-ring sealers as these need to be replaced periodically if they are not closing correctly.

MaxBrew 24K Gold
This one seems to get the highest ratings with one distinctive feature: the use of 24K gold that is touted as more non-reactive than stainless steel. The construction is unique with a honeycomb design. They come in orange or purple. The cup material (polypropylene) is deemed to be free of environmental toxins. The lid inlet is designed for good saturation. If you purchase the Accessory Pack you’ll receive a carafe-size pod in addition and 3 water filter cartridges.

Wow, it’s also got a lifetime warranty on it, sounds pretty sweet! If something happened to my Smart Cups I think I would consider this one….the purple one, I believe is the small one, and will support Keurig 1.0 and 2.0 brewers while the orange one is for carafe-sizes such as those permitted by the 2.0 series.

What’s the Best Refillable K Cup For the Vue?

If you own a Keurig Vue you know as well as anybody the dearth of compatible pods out there….well the good news is that there is definitely a refillable K-cup just for you. When I looked over some brands they did not look like they really passed muster based on customer feedback. There is one that seems to be doing quite well and that is the Solofill V2 & V1.

⇒The Solofill V2 comes with an adaptor and supports models V500, V600, V1200 & V1255.

I’d steer clear of the model made by Simple Cups and the adapter kit (it doesn’t seem to have a name but it comes with a variety of accessories including a fan brush (what the heck is that for?) Problem is that the former does not indicate which models do work and which do not and that frustrated some consumers…I looked all over and couldn’t find this vital info.

Conclusion

I would not tamp grounds into these refillable cups…I don’t think it affects the coffee richness all that much; but it can make extraction a little more difficult and harder to empty the cups when you are done. With regard to location, I’ve only found the proprietary Keurig brand “My K cups” available at the grocery store….Online, you have much more options including all these highlighted above, with many different quantities and colors to choose from.

Good Luck…Happy Brewing!

Top Photo Attribution: Images Courtesy of Twan Hines