Choose. Brew. Enjoy.

For the last two years I have been making my morning cup of coffee in a Keurig. If you are not familiar with the Keurig, and you drink coffee, put whatever you are doing on hold and listen up. This might change your life.

A Keurig machine is a coffee maker, but not your typical coffee pot. This thing will make your cups of coffee literally one cup at a time. You use what are called K-Cups that are sold separately. You take a cup, place it in the machine, and select your size. Most machines will have one, two, or even three sizes you can make. You press the brew button and less than a minute later you have a steaming hot cup of Joe. Pretty simple, right?

Like I said, I have been making my morning cup (and afternoon cup as well) in one of these machines. My office has one. But recently we decided to get one for the house as well. I figured with as much coffee as I drink, it would be a great investment. So we went online, shopped around, did some initial research, and decided to get one!

These things are not cheap, but remember this is an investment. Sure, you can walk into Walmart and get a coffee pot for ten or twenty bucks. But this thing does all the work for you with the touch of a button. So we headed over to Kohl’s, as I knew they sold these units. However their selection of K-Cups was weak. Sheryl suggested we try Bed, Bath & Beyond. We walked in, turned left, and there were more options than I could handle. Stacks and stacks of K-Cups were surrounding me and there were all different types of machines too. Not only did they have every option with the Keurig but they also had one from Nescafé and Starbucks. They are similar, but use different cups.

Anyway, we get this thing home, open it up, and I haven’t been able to stop playing with it. I have made a handful of cups and Sheryl has been on a rampage making coffee every morning noon and night. She has even bought more cups and a bottle of sugar-free syrup. She is turning into a barista without even knowing it!

There are several types of Keurig machines you can choose. Below is a brief description of each.

Mini

This is the introductory model, and the cheapest by nearly $20. This will heat and brew your cup of coffee in under three minutes. This also only has one cup size, offering you no choice when it comes to how much Joe you actually want.

However, the smaller size of this Keurig allows it to go almost anywhere. You can take this machine to your office, or your dorm room, even to your vacation home without much trouble. Another cool feature of this machine is that it comes in three colors. You can get a black one, a red one, or a white one.

Elite

The Elite is an automatic brewer that is the first step above the Mini. This one brews your coffee much faster than the Mini having your coffee ready in less than one minute. You can also choose from two different cup sizes, and it has a forty-eight ounce water reservoir on the side. This machine also has an automatic off feature in case you forget to hit the power button when you are done brewing.

Special Edition

This is the first model that has a programmable brewer. This is also the one that we bought. This model also brews your coffee in under a minute and has the option of three cup sizes. As with the Elite, this model also has a forty-eight ounce reservoir for your water. Trust me, if you were filling this up every time, it is the same as having a regular coffee pot almost.

This model also has a few programmable features like an automatic on and off function. It also has adjustable temperatures so if you want your coffee hot or cold the power is in you. It has a digital clock and even allows you to set your favorite cup size.

Platinum

Just the name screams expensive. And it is. It is over $100 more than the Mini. But, with that adjusted price point comes a lot more features. Your coffee is brewed in under one minute and allows you to choose one of five cup sizes. This is also the only model that supports the iced beverage feature allowing you to make your coffee iced rather than hot. (This is my type of coffee pot. I hate drinking hot coffee.)

This model also has a feature known as Quiet-Brew Technology that produces your coffee without any noise at all. I have seen this one at work (this is the model we have in my office) and you wouldn’t know it was even brewing unless you were staring straight at it. And not to mention this one has a sixty-ounce water reservoir.

This model also has all of the same programmable features as the Special Edition model giving you total control over your cup of coffee.

As you can see, there are many options when it comes to making a cup of coffee with your Keurig. Remember this is an investment, but in the future it will pay off cup after cup. I am happy that we decided to get one. It will actually force me to make more coffee with less effort. The folks over at Keurig make it simple to choose, to brew, and to enjoy coffee.

Have you ever used one? Do you have a Keurig at home?