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News January 3, 2013
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Café Cup Review

Gear Diary Café Cup Review photo

I love my Keurig coffee maker.  It’s my morning companion and has been for many years.  Sometimes, though, I have coffee I want to try that is not available as a Keurig K-cup.  While Keurig offers up an adapter that lets you use any ground coffee in a Keurig machine, my experience with it is not all too positive. Every time I’ve used it the reusable K-Cup leaks water all over the place. It is better than the wasteful K-Cups that are used once and then thrown in the trash or, more accurately, they would be if they worked. Sadly… they don’t.

Gear Diary Café Cup Review photo

So what to do?  Well I have seen the Café Cup ads on TV during the holiday and seen them in the as seen on TV section many times and have been meaning to try it.  We all know that sometimes gadgets like these do not work as promised so I was skeptical.  I am happy to report that is not the case with the Café Cup.  I have had nothing but success using the Café Cup.

What You Get?

I received the Café Cup as  a Christmas gift from my brother.  He got me the retail package which includes 4 Café Cups and a scoop. If purchased on the web or from the TV ad, it includes 2 scoops.

How Easy is It?

Very easy!  Just measure out a scoop of coffee, put it in the cup and snap the lid shut.  Insert it into your Keurig like you would normally do and press the button.  You get the same great Keurig experience with a perfectly measured cup of coffee, but the real benefit here is that you get to “bring your own” coffee. More variety AND less waste! 

Cleanup can be a bit messy but I do mine in the sink first.  I just flip open the cap (be careful doing it right after a brew as it may be hot), turn on the water and rinse the grounds right into the garbage disposal. Afterwards, I just stick the cup into the top rack of my dishwasher and run it.  If I want multiple cups of coffee and I only want to use one Café Cup, the quick rinse is sufficient and then I fill it again with coffee.

Gear Diary Café Cup Review photo

How Does it Taste?

I have to say it does a great job!  Some might have some issues with the strength of the brew, but I don’t notice it as I usually use darker blends.  If you have issue with the strength, then I would make multiple cups using the smaller cup setting on the Keurig.

Gear Diary Café Cup Review photo

Cost Savings?

The Café Cup website says that I can save up to 65 cents per cup using the Café Cup.  However, this is assuming that I pay 75 cents per K-cup and buy really cheap coffee like Folgers.  I probably won’t see that savings as I am probably going to start buying some beans from a local roaster.  A pound of beans from my local roaster will run me about $9.99 depending on what I buy and since that’s whole bean it’s a bit hard to estimate how many cups I would get.  It would be more than a 18 pack of K-cups that is for sure! I may see some savings unless I buy some single origin beans which can run as high as $35 a pound depending on the variety purchased.  Also, if you purchase bulk 50 packs of K-cups on Amazon you can pay a lot less than 75 cents per cup.  My favorite, Jet Fuel, runs about 59 cents a cup if you buy the 50 pack for $29.99 on Amazon.  So your mileage may vary depending on where you buy your coffee or K-cups.  Either way, there is less environmental impact when you use the Café Cup as now the only thing you are tossing are the used grounds.

Conclusion

The Café Cup is a good tool to have in your Keurig bag of tricks.  My dad and my brother both have them but they have the same problem I do in that they enjoy the K-cups that they have tried too!  So while I will definitely be using the Café Cup I will still be purchasing K-cups as I really like my Jet Fuel! Gear Diary Café Cup Review photo

The Café Cup can be had for $10.99 direct from the TV ad website.  You can also probably find them locally at Bed, Bath and Beyond or any place that sells Keurig coffee makers or has an “as seen on TV” section.  You may even want to check Dollar General Store or Family Dollar as I’ve seen them there as well.

MSRP: $10.99

What I liked: I can use ANY kind of coffee I want in my Keurig including single origin and other blends I just can’t get in a K-cup.  You can ALSO use this with loose tea to make a cup of tea!

What I didn’t care for: Can be messy.

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About Joel McLaughlin

View all posts by Joel McLaughlin
Joel is a system admin for a local college in Columbus, OH. While he loves Linux and tends to use it more than anything else, he will stoop to running closed source if it is the best tool for the job. His techno passions are Linux, Android, netbooks, GPS, podcasting and Amateur Radio.
  • Peter Schott

    Looks like the “Ekobrew” that you can buy at Amazon. They work pretty well. It would be great if you can now find them at a local store, though. I tried a couple replacements – the official Keurig one and also the one that was sold at BB&B that had a little protrusion on the bottom. Neither of those worked well. The Ekobrew cups have worked really well except for a little leakage at times from the top of the cup.

    • http://twitter.com/gorkon Joel McLaughlin

      I got leaks and a watery brew with the one that Keurig made. They suck.

      This one seemed to work really well. No leaks! You don’t have to pull out the K-cup adapter itself and I can throw that grey thing away.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Travis-Moser/1674834850 Travis Moser

    Why didn’t you put the used grounds in your compost or your yard waste?

    • http://twitter.com/gorkon Joel McLaughlin

      I don’t compost and I really don’t have yard waste collection every week in my city. It’s such a small amount anyway….maybe 4 Tablespoons a day….if that….and it sticks to the inside of the container so it’s neigh impossible to get it out of the thing without water.

  • Erin524

    I may now actually buy my mom a Keurig, and this adapter. She drinks Community Coffee (made in Louisiana and has a root called “chicory” added to it. Nasty stuff)

    My dad doesnt care much for mom’s coffee, but puts up with it because brewing HER coffee is better than her killing him because she cant have her coffee. Maybe it’s possible for them to each have their own coffee and my dad wont have to choke down that chicory stuff anymore.

    • gorkon

      YEP! This will let you do that. He can even use K-cups while she uses her own.

      Never had that style of coffee and probably never will. I like arabica blends with nothing else mixed in!

      • Erin524

        I suggested getting a Keurig to my parents yesterday, and my mom literally screamed at me. They (she) doesnt want one. So, I’m really disappointed. I’ve tasted a lot of the other K-cups and like it. I am not a coffee drinker, but if you add chocolate to it, or give me hot chocolate or apple cider I’m a happy camper.

        Not sure what the big hatred my mom has for Keurig. Maybe if Community Coffee would make some K-cups for it, she might be more open to it. She just likes that nasty chicory coffee crap because it’s “Southern”. (she’s from the South, has a weird obsession with anything “Southern”)

  • CmHall9

    I got the Keurig Elite B40 for Christmas. After using up all the sample K-Cups I started looking for more and suddenly realized how expensive they can be. So I looked online for a reusable K-Cup. On Amazon I found one made by Keurig for $11. Even though I read the reviews which were mixed I decided to order one anyway. I’ve used the reusable K-Cup several times and am happy to report no problems or leeks. I realized right from the beginning that you do not want to fill up the reusable K-Cup. Add your coffee to about 2/3 leaving about 1/3 of space at the top. The coffee tends to expand and splatter inside the reusable K-Cup. A full cup is what is probably causing leeks and messes.

    • gorkon

      I never was able to get it right. This one just works for me and I can just put one scoop in it and not even think about it.