Top Ten Questions about Keurig Coffee

These are the questions we’re asked most often about K-Cups and Keurig coffee.

1. I love my Keurig coffee maker. What’s new?
2. Where’s the best place to buy Keurig coffee?
3. Who produces K Cups for Keurig-brewed coffee, tea, and hot chocolate?
4. How many different K-Cups are available?
5. What’s the difference between regular and extra bold K Cups?
6. Which KCup is best?
7. How can I neatly store my K-Cups?
8. What exactly is a K Cup?
9. How do K-Cups work?
10. Why are KCups so popular?

1: I love my Keurig coffee maker. What’s new?

(7/14/2011) — Summer’s in full swing and even the The New York Times is getting excited about iced coffee. For your Keurig one cup coffee brewer, we recommend Green Mountain Coffee’s Brew-Over-Ice iced coffees and teas K-Cups. Packed with more coffee than regular K Cups, simply brew a Brew-Over-Ice K-Cup directly into a 16-oz cup filled with ice and add milk and sugar to taste. The iced tea flavors come pre-sweetened. The Brew-Over-Ice KCups come in 22-count boxes and can purchased online or at retail stores.

K-Cup Price Increase

(7/1/11) Due to the rising price of green coffee, Green Mountain Coffee has announced a K-Cup price increase. Green coffee prices have been increasing rapidly all year, and other major coffee retailers have announced similar price hikes. To keep your per-cup cost down, we recommend buying K Cups from warehouse stores or online retailers. See our post below for more information about the best places to buy K-cups.

2: Where’s the best place to buy Keurig coffee?

NOTE: For a limited time, GreatCoffee.com is offering an extra discount of $1.00/box to our readers. Use coupon code SAVA$ in your shopping cart to receive the discount. That means you can buy a box of 24 K-Cups for as little as $11.99–a cost of just $.50/each–and the lowest price we know of for K Cups.

The good news is that you can find Keurig coffee in more and more places across the United States. K-Cups are available from office coffee distributors, internet retailers, and in grocery and retail stores.

The best place to buy K Cups really depends on how many want and how you choose to balance convenience and purchase price.  For home users, the internet is still the most popular place to buy K-Cups, although Keurig coffee can also be found at supermarkets and big box retailers like Target.

For large offices, the best solution is having a local office coffee service (OCS) distributor. The OCS ensures that the office has everything needed to serve Keurig coffee. Small offices and businesses generally find that the internet or warehouse stores like Costco are great places to buy K Cup coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

KCups are typically sold in 12-, 18-, 24-, or 80-count packages depending on where they are purchased. So, as you compare prices, be sure to consider the number of K Cups in each package. The chart below compares the typical price per K-Cup by package size.

* Some OCS distributors include use of a Keurig brewer as part of their KCup price.
** Stores like Macy’s, Target, or Bed, Bath & Beyond. On their Internet sites, these companies sell K Cups in 18-pack boxes.

Most Internet sites offer free shipping or other discounts when you order 4-6 boxes of K-Cups. The price per KCup will be higher if you don’t order enough boxes to qualify for these discounts.

Buying K-Cups on the Internet
Four popular internet sites that sell Keurig coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are described below. To find other retailers, just Google the search term K-Cups.

GreenMountainCoffee.com—Sign-up for Café Express and save $2.00 on every box of K Cups you order. With Café Express, KCups are automatically shipped to you on your schedule, so you never run out. This program is extremely popular with home users and offers free shipping on orders of four or more boxes of K-Cups.

Keurig.com—With over 200 different gourmet coffees, teas, and hot chocolates available, this site offers the widest variety of K Cups. Join Keurig’s Coffee Club and save 10% on every box of KCups that you buy. Keurig Coffee Club members also receive free shipping on orders of four or more boxes of K-Cups.

If you work in a large office of 25 people or more, you can request a free trial of the Keurig one cup brewing system where you work.

GreatOfficeCoffee.com sells K-Cups to small offices and businesses throughout the United States.Prices start at $12.99 per box and there is an order minimum of six boxes. Order 12 or more boxes of K Cups and receive a bulk rate of $12.99 per box. Free shipping is available for every order and orders of ten or boxes of K-Cups are upgraded to free two-day shipping.

A companion site, GreatCoffee.com sells KCups in smaller order quantities for home use. GreatCoffee.com offers a unique “Fresh for Sure” guarantee which ensures a “Use By” date for each box of K-Cups is displayed on the K cup order page. Free shipping is available on all orders of six or more boxes of K Cups.

3: Who produces K-Cups to make Keurig-brewed coffee, tea, and hot chocolate?

Currently, over 20 different brands of premium coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are available in K-Cups manufactured by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, including

Green Mountain Coffee’s K Cups are the most popular brand of K-Cups. In fact, most K-Cups enjoyed in the United States and Canada are produced by this socially responsible Vermont company.

Green Mountain Coffee also produces Celestial Seasonings tea, Caribou Coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts, Newman’s Own Organic coffee, and Starbucks Coffee (coming Fall 2011) in K-Cups under licensing agreements with the owners of those well-known brands.

Located in Irvine, California, Diedrich manufactures K Cups under the brand names Diedrich Coffee, Gloria Jeans Coffee & Tea, and Coffee People Coffee. In May 2010, Green Mountain Coffee purchased Diedrich Coffee and its family of brands.

In February 2011, Dunkin’ Donuts and Green Mountain Coffee reached an agreement allowing Green Mountain Coffee to manufacture Dunkin’ Donuts-branded K-Cups. The Dunkin’ Donuts K Cups are available exclusively at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants.

In March 2011, Starbucks Coffee and Green Mountain Coffee reached an agreement allowing Green Mountain to manufacture of Starbucks- and Tazo-branded K Cups. The Starbucks K-Cups will be available at grocery, big box, and warehouse stores in Fall 2011. In 2012, the Starbucks K Cups will expand to Starbucks coffeehouses and the official online stores of Keurig, Green Mountain Coffee, and Starbucks.

Timothy’s Coffee, based in Toronto, Canada, manufactures KCup coffee and tea under the Timothy’s brand name and has a licensing agreement to produce Emeril’s-branded K-Cups. Green Mountain Coffee bought the KCup side of Timothy’s Coffee in November, 2009. Timothy’s Coffee continues to operate its retail stores throughout Canada.

The Seattle-based Tully’s Coffee Company manufactures K-Cups using the Tully’s name. In September 2008, Green Mountain Coffee purchased the Tully’s K Cup business. Tully’s Coffee continues to operate their retail stores in the Northwest.

Twinings Tea, located in Clifton, New Jersey, makes eight different K-Cup teas for the Keurig one cup brewing system.

Montreal, Canada-based Van Houtte Coffee manufactures KCups under their own brand name and the Wolfgang Puck brand. Van Houtte Coffee also has a licensing agreement to produce K-Cups for Bigelow Teas. Green Mountain Coffee purchased Van Houtte Coffee in September 2010.

4: How many different K-Cups are available?

Over 200 different Keurig coffee, teas, and hot chocolates are available and new varieties being introduced each month. Explore the links below to see which of your favorite roasts and blends are available in K-Cups. Please be aware, the list below is not comprehensive. Brands release K Cups in certain regions and through certain retail channels, so be sure to see what’s available at your nearby grocery or retail store as well.

Coffees and Hot Chocolates

5: What’s the difference between regular and extra bold K-Cups?

Simply stated, extra bold K-Cups contain more coffee. However, many extra bold coffees are dark roasted, and this roasting profile also contributes to the bolder character of these coffees.

The filter system used in extra bold K Cups is different than the filter used in the regular K-Cup. Consequently, extra bold K Cups can be packaged with about 9 grams of coffee versus 7 grams in regular KCups — a difference of about 20% more coffee.

Green Mountain Coffee is also creating new lines of of K-Cups that contain more coffee. The recent Brew-Over-Ice and Travel Mug lines of K Cups both hold more coffee than traditional K-Cups.

6: Which K-Cup is best?

Because tastes differ, we can’t tell you which K-Cup is best. The K Cup coffee we like best might not be the one you prefer. That’s why Keurig coffee makers are so popular: with the Keurig Brewing System, everyone can discover and choose the K-Cup they like best.

If you’re looking for favorites, though, we can give you some pointers. At Keurig’s website, you can sort K Cups by both all-time and weekly popularity. Donut Shop Extra Bold and Green Mountain Breakfast Blend lead the all-time list; Newman’s Own Special Blend, Green Mountain Nantucket Blend, and Green Mountain Hot Cocoa are popular KCups as well.

Original Donut Shop Extra Bold

Green Mountain Breakfast Blend K-Cup

Green Mountain Hot Cocoa K-Cup

From time to time, CoffeeReview.com, the world’s leading coffee buying guide, performs blind taste tests of different K-Cup coffees. If you’re interested, take a look at what they say about their favorite K Cups.

7: How can I neatly store my Keurig coffee?

A variety of racks can be purchased to organize and store your K-Cups.

One of our favorites is a stylish, two-tier K Cup basket available at that holds about two boxes (40-50) of K cups.

The K-Cup Carousel (holds 27 KCups) and the K-Cup Display Tower (holds 30 K Cups) are also popular KCup accessories.

Available at Green Mountain

Available at GreatCoffee.com

Available at GreatCoffee.com

8: What exactly is a K-Cup?

Van Houtte K-Cup

K-Cups are individual portion packs of gourmet coffees, teas, and hot chocolates designed for use in a Keurig coffee maker. When a K Cup is used in a Keurig coffee maker, a fresh, hot cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate is brewed in about 30 seconds.

9: How do K-Cups work?

The inside of a K-Cup

Each K-Cup contains a paper filter that is “welded” inside the k cup.  In the production process, each k-cup is filled with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and sealed with an airtight, foil lid.

To make a hot beverage, the K Cup is placed in a Keurig coffee maker and a mug is placed on a small platform below the brew head. The start button is then pressed, activating the brewer. Small holes are punctured in the bottom and top of the KCup, the brewer forces hot water through the K-Cup and the Keurig-brewed beverage is dispensed into the mug. The used K Cup can then be disposed of, and the Keurig coffee maker heats up water for the next cup.

10: Why are K-Cups so popular?

Because of its variety, freshness, and convenience, the Keurig brewing system has become the most popular single cup brewing system in the United States. Everyday, gourmet coffee and tea lovers enjoy millions of Keurig-brewed beverages.

Choose from over 200 different gourmet coffees, teas, hot chocolates, and specialty drinks offered by a wide array of well-known, premium brands.

Each cup is brewed fresh just for you. Chose you favorite K-Cup and enjoy a gourmet hot beverage in less than a minute.

Each K Cup is self-contained. With the Keurig brewing system, there’s no messy grinding or other preparation. And clean-up is easy: just toss the used K-Cup and you’re done.

It’s great coffee. Made easy.