Keurig K-Mini review: a mini coffee maker with surprising design

Why choose Keurig K-Mini over other coffee machines?

In preparing this Keurig K-Mini coffee maker review, I immediately saw what differentiated this coffee machine from others. Keurig K-Mini is equivalent to simplicity, ease and convenience.

The coffee machine requires a k-cup, water and a coffee mug to brew coffee. I was able to brew a neat cup of coffee in 4 simple steps: insert my favorite k-cup, re-fill water, place a coffee mug under a spout and press an on button. Voila!

Keurig K-Mini makes coffee brewing simple. With this coffee maker, it’s all about enjoying coffee, as opposed to indulging in the coffee brewing process. I did not need any advanced skills or knowledge in order to brew a neat cup of coffee.

Last but not least, Keurig K-Mini is among the more affordable coffee makers in the Keurig portfolio. The machine does its job well, brews decent coffee and it typically costs below $100.

Who is Keurig K-Mini perfect for?

As I was testing the product for this Keurig K-Mini review, I really wanted to understand who would most likely fall in love with this product.

Keurig K-Mini is among the easiest coffee makers to use. The machine appears very intuitive for people of all ages: from young adults to more mature users. There is only one button to press.

The Keurig K-Mini coffee machine is among the best machines for coffee lovers who do not need or want to learn ins and outs of coffee brewing. The machine is simple, quick and easy.

Given its size, this machine can accommodate many different lifestyles and purposes.

• It can fit into smaller spaces, whether it’s kitchens, dorms or offices.
• Some of my friends carry this coffee maker with them on vacation. Instead of using a hotel coffee maker (which has been used many times for questionable purposes), they use their own beloved coffee maker to brew delicious coffee.

You might find the following appealing about Keurig K-Mini coffee maker:

✓ Strong brand behind a coffee maker

✓ Simplicity, convenience and ease

✓ Several brew sizes

✓ Low to medium budget

✓ Ability to fit in a travel mug

✓ A small size

Who is Keurig K-Mini coffee machine NOT perfect for?

Just like with other coffee maker reviews, I would love to remain honest in this Keurig K-Mini coffee maker review.

Keurig K-Mini is a good machine, but may not be suitable for everyone. It most certainly is not a good choice for coffee lovers who like experimenting with brewing coffee. Furthermore, it might not be a great choice for those who would like to try coffee grounds or brew more advanced coffee beverages.

Furthermore, Keurig K-Mini might not be the best choice for coffee lovers with more nuanced and sophisticated taste buds. While the coffee from this machine is neat, it may not carry desired richness or depth.

In all, I think that there are a couple of examples where where Keurig K-Mini coffee maker might not be a perfect choice:

✗ You like hosting larger gatherings or enjoy drinking coffee with another person

✗ You would like a machine that offers flexibility of coffee pods and coffee grounds

✗ You want a coffee maker that will give you more control in the brewing process

✗ A coffee maker with advanced features (such as temperature control or strength control)

✗ Plastic-free machine

✗ A machine that looks and feels sturdy, reliable and prestigious

✗ A machine that comes with a larger water tank

Keurig K-Mini coffee maker Review and Evaluation 🕵️

→ Appearance

Keurig K-Mini coffee maker sells in several color options, all of which look great! However, I was surprised that there was a price difference between colors. After all, it was the same coffee maker, so I expected the same price to hold across different hues.

• Black
• Oasis (turquoise)
• Studio gray

At the time of publishing, the black version was the most affordable. However, looking at historical data, the price seems to fluctuate between different colors.  Oasis and Studio Gray can be much more affordable than Black.

The machine is extremely easy to use. I was able to remove the drip tray to accommodate a taller travel mug under the spout.

The control panel was located on the front top of the machine, and it was very intuitive. It came with 1 on/off button and a brew control.

A small non-removable water reservoir is at the back of the machine. The reservoir fits as much water as it is necessary to brew one cup of coffee, and it needs to be refilled before each brewing.

→ Features and technical specs

Voltage: Keurig K-Mini coffee maker is made for 120V, and can be used in Canada and the US only.

Basket size: Keurig K-Mini works with k-cups coffee capsules, so it does not have a portafilter. I was able to use reusable My K-Cup to fill with ground coffee.

My K-Cup, however, appears to defeat the purpose of a single cup coffee machine. If I want to fill a container with ground coffee, I may as well invest in a different type of machine.

Note that Keurig K-Mini does not brew K-Carafe pods, K-Mug pods, Vue pods, or Rivo pods.

Beverage size: Keurig K-Mini can brew anywhere between 6oz and 12oz of coffee. The actual cup size depends on the amount of water in the water reservoir. If I fill the water reservoir with 6oz, I will get 6oz of coffee. If I fill 9oz of water, I will get 9oz of coffee. Note that the machine uses all the water poured into the water reservoir.

Weight: The Keurig K-Mini is a very light machine, weighing about 4.5 lbs. With such weight, it is very easy to operate and lift for people from many walks of life, including some older and weaker people. Further, it’s not too heavy to take on trips, for instance on vacation like my friends do. Additionally, if not much counter space is available, it can be stored and taken out only when it is needed.

Unit size: Keurig K-Mini is quite tiny, but tall. It is 12.1 inches tall (16.8in tall when the pod chamber is open), 4.5 inches wide and 11.3 inches deep.

Water reservoir: This coffee machine has a small, non removable water reservoir that can hold up to 12 oz of water. The container needs to be refilled before each brew with the quantity of water desired for the brewing. I need to to put at least 6 oz of water in the water reservoir in order for the brewing to start.

Additional perks: I was so excited for this Keurig K-Mini review. Though this coffee maker is extremely simple, I loved some of the design solutions in this coffee maker:

✓ A smaller size allows it to fit almost anywhere. The Keurig K-Mini coffee maker can be a great choice for space-constrained homes, offices and even dorms. Some of my friends take this coffee maker on vacation. It fits easily into a car and a suitcase. This machine is less than 5 inches wide, and weighs about 4.5 pounds.

✓ Saves energy and provides extra protection with auto-off. This feature is programmed to turn of the coffee maker automatically after it has been idle for 90 seconds. This helps me save energy and, in consequence, it helps me save money too.

✓ Brews various sizes for various days. This coffee machine can brew anywhere between 6oz to 12oz of coffee, depending on how much water I pour in the water reservoir. This is great news for people who like drinking their coffee in larger volumes, or want to brew more than 6oz of coffee for whatever reason.

✓ Mess-reducing spout and drip tray. The drip tray not only helps the cups to get closer to the pouring spout in order to avoid splashes.

✓ Compatible with a travel mug to enjoy coffee for longer. The drip tray is removable. This helps me place a travel mug up to 6 inches under the spout to pour more coffee to go.

✓ Saves space and keeps things clean with a smart cord storage. The machine has a small storage that can fit its cord. This helped me transport the machine more easily. Further, it helps me keep the countertops tidy and free of electrical cords.

→ Performance

Brewing time: One thing is certain: K-Mini is a very quick coffee maker. It took about a minute to brew a 6oz cup of coffee.

Flavor: Keurig K-Mini allowed me to indulge in a variety of k-cups. Though coffee was very tasty, it was not as rich, flavorful or deep as I wanted.

Temperature: Keurig K-Minidid not allow me to control the temperature of the brew. In my tests, the water reached about 170-180 F degrees, which is slightly below the perfect brewing temperature.

Noise levels: The noise coming from this machine is rather insignificant. In my opinion, it was among the most quiet machines I have tested.

Cleaning: I was really happy with how easy and convenient Keurig K-Mini was to clean. Some of its parts, such as the drip tray and the k-cup pod holder, were dishwasher safe. I felt it was necessary to regularly clean the body of the machine with a damp cloth or sponge. Keurig recommended that the interior of the machine should be descaled between 3-6 months, which is on par with our cleaning guidelines.

Customer-reported technical issues

I have tested the machine for a couple of weeks prior to publishing this Keurig K-Mini review. I have not experienced any problems with the machine.

Though the vast majority of users praise Keurig K-Mini for its simplicity, ease and convenience, there appear to be some coffee lovers who express dissatisfaction. In their feedback, they complain about the following issues:

• the machine does not brew the correct quantity of coffee (e.g. brews 5oz of coffee though 10oz of water was poured in)
• can stop working after several months
• the brewing temperature dramatically falls after several uses (lukewarm)

We do not know whether these users have cleaned or used the coffee maker properly. However, it is entirely possible that there were some malfunctioning models. If your coffee maker stops working, we do recommend getting in touch with Keurig as soon as possible. Keurig might be able to replace a malfunctioning coffee maker either free or at a small fee.</p

→ Health and safety

I was somewhat sad about this coffee maker. As I was preparing the Keurig K-Mini review, I tried to research what the product is made of.

On one hand, Keurig claims that all the plastic its coffee machines and K-pods are made of, is FDA approved and BPA free, and hence, safe to use.

On the other, the practice showed me that Keurig K-Mini is made mostly with plastic (and, unfortunately cheaply-made plastic). Whether it is BPA-free or not, this plastic comes into direct contact with scorching hot water. As you may know by now, I am personally very concerned about using products in which boiling water touches plastic.

Further, there have been some health issues concern regarding the k-cups. Keurig has addressed these concerns by saying that their specifications require that k-cups pods be constructed from plastic which does not contain BPA or phthalates. They also added that the temperature of the water dispensed in Keurig brewers is well below the melting and softening points of the pod materials. What that means is that there should be no plastic leaches from the pod into the beverage.

The BPA-free status is helpful to know, but it typically does not guarantee that there are no other potentially dangerous substitutes used in the production process.

Reports show that many manufacturers replace BPA with other types of plastic. These types include but are not limited to BHPF (fluorene-9-bisphenol), TPP (triphenyl phosphate), and bisphenol S (BPS). The exact health effects of the BPA substitutes, such as BHPF, TPP and BPS, are unknown at this point.

Additionally, there are still concerns regarding the safety of single serve brewers, though, which are believed to be prone to growth of mold, algae, and bacteria.

Further, I strongly recommend that anyone who thinks about purchasing a machine that uses K-cups should first do a thorough research on the health and environmental concerns that have been associated with the use of K-cup brewers and coffee pods over the years.

→ Price to value: is Keurig K-Mini coffee maker worth the money?

At present, Keurig K-Mini sells at a low- to mid-$$ price point on Amazon. Though there’s some price difference between colors, all of them sell well below $100.

Keurig K-Mini seems to be reasonably priced given the features, technology and design. It brews very neat coffee, and a prominent brand stands behind the quality of this coffee machine.

On a related note, coffee makers compatible with k-cups are typically more expensive. Keurig holds a prominent position in the market place, and dictates the prices.

There are a few other brands that might be worth exploring, such as Mr. Coffee (e.g. the k-cup compatible single serve that is $15 cheaper than K-Mini), Hamilton Beach (e.g. the k-cup compatible Flexbrew that is $25 cheaper than K-Mini) or Black & Decker (e.g. a CM618 single serve coffee maker that takes ground coffee only, but is $40 less expensive than K-Mini).

Many other brands are directly from China, and may not have all required safety certifications.

Should I buy Keurig K-Mini coffee maker? Owly’s verdict! 🔨

As I attempted to show in this Keurig K-Mini coffee maker review, this is a small, basic but quite promising coffee maker compatible with k-cups.

It can be extremely attractive given its size and weight. It is perfect for homes and offices with space constraints (e.g. city apartments, offices, dorms, hotels). It can also be great to carry on vacation. Some of my friends use their own K-Mini while on vacation, instead of using coffee makers at the hotels.

Keurig K-Mini brews a perfectly satisfying cup of coffee. Though there’s no big fanfare or sophistication in flavors, K-Mini can do its job well. Further, the brewing process is extremely simple, easy and convenient.

Will you get Keurig K-Mini coffee maker? Do you love brewing coffee from coffee pods? What are your favorite brands? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, under this Keurig K-Mini review!