K-Cups are convenient to use and come in a wide variety of coffee flavors. However, you will need a reusable K-Cup if you want to utilize any coffee bean you prefer. These little plastic gadgets are cost-effective for the drinkers and environmentally friendly for the planet.
If you want to start brewing reusable K-Cup, you will need to learn to brew with us here. In this article, you will receive the best tips and simple steps about using reusable K-cups you should know.
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Interesting Facts About K-Cup Coffee
Before we dig into reusable K-Cup brewing advice, let’s get to know the origins of K-Cup.
What Is A K-Cup Coffee?
K-Cup coffee is a type of coffee that is stored inside a cup, typically an aluminum cup. The cartridge comes with a plastic circle that is covered by foil on the top. There are lined filter materials inside the cartridge, ensuring that the coffee stays contained during the brewing process.
When inserting a K-Cup into its machine, double needles puncture the lid and the backside of the cup. The water flows through the top, which then extracts coffee and then flows from the base.
How Much Is Coffee In A K-Cup?
K-Cups are among the easiest methods to prepare coffee. Switch on your Keurig and add the pod, pour in water, and you’ll have an incredibly hot cup of coffee!
Of course, you may be curious about the amount of caffeine contained in the K-Cup. Also, what is inside these coffee pods that are so mysterious?
In fact, most of the weight of K-Cup comes from ground coffee, which is such good news for its price. Who would want to spend an enormous amount of money on packaging headed for the recycling bin or trash?
Typically, K-Cup contains 9 to 12 grams of ground coffee. However, the exact amount present in the K-Cups varies based on each brand you purchase.
Anyway, dark roast K-Cups also include slightly more coffee. So, if you want to get the most caffeine robust, stick to your all-time pick-me-up dark roast. Similarly, if you want your coffee very strong, you may need to use more than one K-Cup to brew.
How Much Caffeine Is In A K-Cup?
Now that you know the amount of coffee in a K-Cup, but what about caffeine?
The amount of caffeine in a K-Cup depends on the brand, but the average K-Cup has 75 to 150 mg. A decaf K-Cup has almost-free caffeine, while an extra-strong pod may include far more.
Ultimate Reusable K-Cup Brewing Recommendations:
What Is The Best K-Cup Grind Size?
When using regular K-Cups, you don’t need to consider grind size. If you’re using a reusable K-Cup, though, you need to grind your coffee beans well. If you go too fine, your K-Cup filter can clog, perhaps spilling and causing a major mess. In addition, if you grind your coffee too fine, it will be weaker than you want. So, what are you going to do?
Keurig, a high-end American coffee brewing system company, suggests a coarse grind, similar to what you would use in a French press. This will surely keep the filter from clogging, but you may end up with weak, under-extracted coffee. As a result, you should use a medium to medium-coarse grind size, preferably achieved with a high-quality burr grinder.
How Much Coffee Should You Put In The Reusable K-Cup Filter?
Most reusable K-Cup filters enable you to choose any ground coffee you like – you just need to know how much to use. Fortunately, this is so simple, and you don’t even have to measure! Simply fill your cup to the maximum line, things will fall into places.
Which K-Cup Brewers Is The Best?
Among the top K-Cup brewer brands, you should opt for Keurig. That’s because this brewer is compatible with all reusable K-Cup filters. Besides, if you have a Plus Series (2.0) Keurig, you will need to install the Plus Series Brewer Adapter (an additional piece of plastic at the K-Cup’s base).
How To Brew Coffee Using A Reusable K-Cup?
Here are the best and simple steps to brew a perfect cup of joe by using a reusable K-cup coffee machine:
What You Need:
- K-cup coffee machine
- Reusable K-cup filter
- Ground coffee of choice
What You Need To Do:
- Detach the K-Cup holder from the Keurig brewer head by opening the cover and then pushing the holder from the bottom. It will release from the machine as easily.
- Prepare your reusable K-cup, unlock the lid in a spiral motion, then take off the lid from the filter.
- Put your favorite ground coffee in the K-cup filter basket, then shield the lid on top of the basket.
- Place the reusable filter basket into the brew head of the coffee maker where your K-Cup filter holder is located.
- Fill water into the water tank, and brew your coffee right away. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Top Cleaning Tips For Reusable K-Cup
You may believe that when you only use clean water in your K-Cup coffee machine, the insides of the coffee machine should never need cleaning.
The truth is calcium, magnesium, and other minerals, on the other hand, leave trace quantities in your machine with each refill. The amount and type of each substance may vary depending on where you reside.
Water in certain regions is “harder” than water in others, which means it contains more dissolved minerals than the water in other areas. Understanding what type of water you have might assist you in maintaining your equipment. The harder your water, the more residue is left in your machine.
The residue emerges from chemical combustion that occurs as the water is heated in your Keurig, causing the minerals to seep out of the water. Minerals accumulate on the metal components of your machine after the water drains. If left unchecked, that covering will eventually pile up and form difficult-to-remove pieces known as scale. It might be calcium scale, limescale, or another type subjected to where you reside.
When Should You Clean Your K-Cup Coffee Maker?
Don’t wait until your coffee turns unfunctional; it is never a good idea. Some machines are designed with a built-in reminder that will load the notification for you to know before it is too late. If your machine does not have that capability, Keurig suggests descaling it every two or three months as regular maintenance.
If you use it consistently, you should descale your machine frequently too. Likewise, if you suspect your water is harder than usual, you should do it even more regularly.
Some claim that when they scale the machine, their coffee happens to have a slightly distinct flavor. The truth is descaling your coffee makers is very less likely to affect the taste of your coffee.
At the same time, you cannot totally depend on flavor to tell you when to descale your machine. But if you doubt, a quick flashlight check will show the scale inside your machine. So, descale it if you notice it.
How To Clean And Descale Your K-Cup Coffee Maker?
Since K-Cup is reusable, it is less wasteful and more practical, but it also requires more effort. Cleaning your K-Cup daily is simple: simply rinse it out after each use, ensuring no grounds remain in the filter. Then, before storing the machine into the kitchen cabinet, allow it to dry completely.
You will need to disassemble the K-Cup and clean it with soap for a deeper clean. The simplest method is to disassemble your coffee maker and wash it on the top shelf of your dishwasher. If you choose to wash it by hand, use a delicate sponge to prevent scratches.
When you begin descaling, you should clean the outside of your coffee maker. Check if your machine is switched off and disconnected. Wipe clean the machine with a moist paper towel or dishcloth. If necessary, remove the drip tray and water tank and wash them with water and soap. After that, it’s time to wash the inside!
What You Need:
- K-Cup coffee machine
- Coffee mug
- White vinegar or descaling solution
- Water
What You Need To Do:
- Add white vinegar or descaling solution half of K-Cup coffee maker’s water tank.
- Fill in water to the rest of the water tank.
- Prepare a coffee mug under the coffee machine’s head. Ensure that the mug size is large enough to contain the water that will stream from the machine.
- Turn on the brewing function to its full cycle. Choosing the right cup size is needed. You can leave the K-cup filter holder open or close but never put the ground coffee inside.
- Scrap the liquid cleaning waste. If it is left in the water tank, re-operate the machine until the tank becomes empty.
- Start cleaning the water tank with soap and water, next fill it with water. Run the brewing cycles a few times more to guarantee that your next coffee won’t taste like vinegar or descaling solution.
- Now, that’s it! You get to clean your K-cup coffee maker successfully. It is now ready for you to serve your caffeinated drink.
The Bottom Line
As you may know, reusable K-Cups might not be as simple as the way you use disposable K-Cups. But after all, they do have their own unique benefits that outweigh anything you can do for yourself and the world. This item comes to save both your pocket and the earth by not producing more waste. More importantly, K-cups allow you to experience different bean flavors of your choice. So, what else can you ask for? Nothing, but a reusable K-Cup.