K-Cup Coffee Revisited

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A few years ago, I posted my experience using paper filters in my K-Cup coffee maker. The conclusion was that you can save about 75% by using paper filters and your own coffee. Since then, I have been trying to perfect the taste of the coffee using paper filters. There are two types of paper filters. Those with paper lids and those without. The ones without paper lids tend to be messy and can overflow and let grounds get into your cup. The ones with lids can restrict the amount of water passing through the coffee grounds resulting in a weak tasting cup of coffee. To solve this problem, I tried punching holes in the paper lid before brewing. This helped, but was an extra step that I didn’t think should be necessary.

Last month I was low on filters, so I bought a package of the Keurig disposable paper filters. Normally, I buy the Perfect Pod EZ-Cup filters, but Target was out of them. I didn’t care for the Keurig filters because they don’t have a lid, and the paper rim is smaller than the Perfect Pod filters which makes them hard to remove after use. Otherwise, the coffee tasted fine with the filter only 75% full. I assumed that this was because of the missing lid. I decided to go online to Target.com to place an order for more of the Perfect Pod filters. I usually buy two 50-packs at a time, but now they only sell them in 4 packs of 50 for $19.99. Instead of buying the 4 pack, I found a Perfect Pod filter cup starter pack with 25 paper filters and a reusable K-Cup pod on sale for $9.99.

The reusable K-Cup was plastic, but they also have one in stainless steel for a few dollars more. What I discovered was that I had been using the lidded paper filters incorrectly. The reusable K-Cup is designed with a spring-loaded base that pushes the paper lid up against the plastic lid. The plastic lid has a hole in it. You don’t need to remove the plastic K-Cup insert from the coffee maker because the reusable K-Cup is the exact same size as a pre-filled K-Cup. By leaving the original K-Cup insert in place it allows the coffee maker to perforate the paper lid when you close the top. This allows hot water to pass directly into the coffee to make a cup that tastes as good as a pre-filled K-Cup. The only thing that is a little tricky is snapping the plastic lid onto the Perfect Pod reusable K-Cup. It has to be firm and flush because this is what holds the paper lid so it can be pierced by the coffee maker. After use, the paper filter is easy to remove and there are no loose grounds to deal with. I would recommend the Perfect Pod reusable K-Cup and filters for your Keurig coffee maker.

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