Keurig K-Duo Review: The Ultimate Coffee Maker for Dual Brews

Keurig K-Duo Review

Jennifer’s Rating: 4.2 Stars

Welcome to my Keurig K-Duo review…Well done, Keurig!! Finally, they’ve brought out their first dual-function brewer. You can now officially go to your Keurig for a single cup and a full pot just in time if the company is coming or it’s the weekend, and you want to take it easy and sip slowly.

Although it hasn’t been out very long, it appears to be making a great dent in kitchens. I realize the day is young, and we need more time to see the future. But for now, let’s take a look!

Keurig K-Duo Features

• 12-cup carafe capability in addition to single-serve
• 6,8,10, and 12-oz brew sizes (on both sides)
• Programmable Auto-Brew
• Strong Brew setting
• “Pause and Pour” for the carafe side
• Smart Start produces expedient operation
• Auto-off sets in after 5 minutes of inactivity

Keurig K-Duo Dimensions

I found “16.4” by 15.2″ by 14″ on the sales page, but this refers to “package dimensions,” which is only semi-accurate. A look at the multiple images on the sales page clearly shows images that are identical to what’s shown on the Keurig site (I recognize the style) also includes the dimensions, as well as their respective sides – 12.92″ height, 10.94″ width, 12.76″ depth, are all presented clearly.

Mug Clearance

Although the picture demonstrates that an 8-oz travel mug can fit, a few respondents said a 7″-er was the tallest height allowed when the drip tray was removed. A representative confirmed this, too, that 7″ was the max height, too. So if and when you see this on the page showing the 8″, disregard it – it’s probably an oversight.

A mug up to 6.25″ would be permitted when the drip tray is in place.

As you can see from the image above, the proprietary tumbler mug fits perfectly on the base with the drip tray removed. I wonder if it’s because there is a round depression in the middle of the drip tray base – not that deep, but it could have been the reason for the clearance being off a little.

What’s Included with the Keurig K-Duo?

You get a few goodies extra with the K-Duo, two sampler packs of K-cup pods and a bag of grounds, which is very nice. One-year warranty., pretty much Keurig’s de rigor, and user guide. One thing I remember finding in the unusual manual was that it stated that the accessory parts (reservoir, drip tray, k-cup holder, etc.) “were not dishwasher safe.”

Huh – I wonder why that is? Most people have said they do just fine if you stick to using the top rack.

Reservoir

The reservoir, which is shared on both sides, holds 60 oz of water and is a nice flat rectangle with a removable lid and back locking tabs. You can see the max fill line on the side. It does not come with a water filter, so you may want to be sure to use bottled or filtered water – although there is a different type of filter assembly made for this exact model (see the Accessories section) you can check into.

Drip Tray

The drip tray, which is square in appearance with one side corner rounded off, holds 8 oz of overflow, and like all the others, the tray moves off to let a 7″ tumbler take its rightful spot on the drip tray base.

Buttons and Controls

All of the operational controls of the Keurig K-Duo are located right over the K-cup side chamber. It’s a bit similar to that of the K-Cafe, so I’m guessing all these related models will get the same redesign. The round dial with buttons – each shows the different brew sizes; completing the circle are two additional buttons with icons that represent their respective functions – (carafe and single-serve.).

 

The top right shows the power button and the “strong” setting, and the window shows the time in a digital readout in the middle. To the left are the buttons “Auto” (to set the auto-brew function) and “H” and “M” buttons (hour, minute) to set the time. The Strong, Auto, and Size buttons look kind of faint to me, dontcha think? I can barely read them. Last but not least, the big “K” “brew” button is in the middle of the round dial.

The Keurig K-Duo Carafe Operation

You get some nice extras here…The carafe side has a heating plate, which can be turned off manually, although the Auto-Off feature kicks in around the two-hour mark to turn it off to prevent or minimize that “burned” taste. Inside is a filter basket; using paper filters in the standard “cupcake” style is encouraged.

While the carafe looks nice, it looks quirky, as it’s got an oddly shaped rectangular spout – most carafe spouts are V-shaped, and I think this weird blunt rectangular shape hinders it (and many others people don’t like it either.)

 

Your setting for the carafe starts at 6 cups, meaning you have to choose at least 6 cups, so if you want to make a half-batch for a small gathering, it won’t work. Weird, I know; I can’t find any explanation or way around it.

The Auto-Brew can be programmed to start at a certain time up to 24 hours in advance, using the h/m buttons.

“Pause and pour” lets you “steal” a cup before it’s finished working its magic within a 20-second window. It will, however, only let you use the single-serve side while the set time is in place (if you change your mind, you can disable it.

The Auto Brew will have to be reset after the first session – it does not “store” or “remember” the time you set for good until you change it again.

Clock Setting

You must set the clock before programming the Auto-Brew function by pushing the h/m buttons accordingly. A little teeny clock icon will show in the window when Auto-Brew is enabled.

High Altitude

If you live in a high-altitude environment, you can push the pod and carafe icon buttons together until you see a little teeny mountain icon in the window.

Single-Serve Side

Of course, this one won’t disappoint either….since that’s what Keurig is famous for! This part contains a K-cup holder assembly so that you can use pods or your own grounds alternatively with the reusable filter of your choice. No proprietary restrictions to worry about…also the “strong” button will let you kick the flavor up a notch.

You have another good advantage of having few limits on cup height. Remove the drip tray, and you can get the proprietary tumbler segued in nicely. No splashback reports have been heard regarding “normal” sized mugs. Just as with the carafe side, you have brew size settings of 6, 8, 10, and 12. As an important point to make, the single-serve side brews independently of the other; you can’t brew a pot and a carafe simultaneously.

Compatible Accessories

All K-cups and refillable cups will fit fine; there are a few optional parts you can check into.

• GoodCups Goldtone Filter
• Keurig Rear Reservoir Water Filter Accessory Kit
• For the carafe side, cupcake-shaped filters are recommended.
• Keurig Gold Tone Mesh Filter Accessory

Keurig K-Duo Consumer Reviews and Ratings

Most people were pleased with the function, the look, the efficiency, and yes, the freebie/included coffee (as who wouldn’t enjoy that?) It’s pretty solid, does what it says, and provides weekend Joe and fresh pots to go around throughout busy days.

Where it loses points with consumers? In a word, the carafe. As I said earlier, it’s got a spout that is designed weirdly – kind of square and lots of otherwise pleased individuals speak of dribbles on the countertop as they pour and no easy way to remedy it (although one person said that if you hold the lid down firmly or push it up all the way it’ll stop.)

I have another carafe to compare to: the one with my old automatic drip Mr. Coffee. It normally pours with its v-shape spout, and sometimes I might pop the lid off so I can run it through the dishwasher when it needs some cleaning – that’s another thing; some people reported that the K-Duo’s carafe is hard to clean too.

Barring that one little bugaboo, the K-Duo still gets well-deserved and fair reviews. If, like me, you’ve got a carafe in storage somewhere from an old coffeemaker you don’t use, maybe hang onto it ( just in case 😠.)

Is There More Than One K-Duo?

Chances are, if you were visiting Walmart or another retailer, you may have seen the K-Duo on display, liked it, and wondered if it was the same one being discussed here. After a little closeup inspection, I discovered these are two different models. What you probably saw was the K-Duo “Essentials,” which is very similar, and from the looks up close and to the side, it does:

The however-big difference is that the “Essentials” model – which I checked to see if Amazon carries; I did not see it, by the way…it has the buttons on the right side instead of on top of the chamber, and is not able to be programmed. Update: Sorry, I had to recheck, as of 11/19, Amazon has started carrying the Essentials model as well,

I came away thinking it is less popular, and perhaps people were wow-ed by the introductory sale price (it is no longer on sale) as there are much fewer reviews – the average rating was a tad lower with the smaller number factored in. Apparently, the ratings are lower because consumers discovered it couldn’t be programmed.

Pros

• Dual function design
• Does well accommodating taller tumblers
• No K-cup brand limitations
• Auto-off function to save energy
• Auto-Brew lets you program a carafe

Cons

• Doesn’t come in any other colors besides black
• The carafe’s spout design is odd and prone to dribbling
• Does not include a water filter assembly

Price

The price seems good since you get those extra bonus coffees and a dual-decker…With regard to the Essentials model, it is selling for about $30 less, but you won’t be able to program it, so you would be better off passing that one up.

A few others kind of had the same experience, so…moving on. The price is slightly higher than similar dual-type models like the Hamilton Beach. You get a very good model for under $200 at the time of writing, and the very first dual-model Keurig has been released. Not too shabby.

Verdict

I like it! I wish it did come in a few additional colors (hardly a real negative, I guess) or maybe a more glossy look. It would be great for you if you are looking to save countertop space and are seeking a brewer for all different occasions. I wish the carafe could be re-designed so it would pour less poorly (nice rhyme there, huh?), but it is what it is.